Grilled Grapefruit or Grapefruit Brûlée

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Grilled grapefruit is my favorite way to eat grapefruit. This recipe for grilled grapefruit or grapefruit brûlée may just be the perfect recipe to bring grapefruit back to the breakfast table every day!

Grilled Grapefruit or Grapefruit Brûlé is my favorite way of eating Grapefruit! 

This recipe for Grilled Grapefruit or Grapefruit Brûlée will make grapefruit for breakfast no longer a boring or outdated breakfast option.

Grilled grapefruit will become one of your regular signature dishes for an amazing brunch at home for yourself or to serve when entertaining to wow your guests.  As this recipe turns grapefruit into a posh breakfast item that is secretly so simple and something you’ll want again and again.

What exactly is grapefruit?

A grapefruit is a citrus fruit that is a cross of two other citrus fruits. The two citrus fruits that were crossed to make the grapefruit were: a pomelo and a sweet orange. It is believed the cultivation of this citrus hybrid originated in Barbados and was brought to Florida in the late 1800s. You can read more about the history of the Grapefruit here.

Why did people start eating grapefruit for breakfast?

Grapefruit began its popularity in the early 1900s and peaked in the 1970s. I was born in the late 70s and I can attest to this.  My grandparents and great-grandparents ate grapefruit daily. Since the early 1900s grapefruit has had high regard due to its many health benefits. My mom often went on the grapefruit diet and my dad always had some grapefruit juice in the refrigerator to mix with some gin for an occasional cocktail.

In the late 70s to the 80s the popularity of grapefruit severely fell and has never been as popular as it once was. I personally had a huge aversion to this beautiful fruit. Possibly, because I turned my nose to many things from the 70s, or maybe I just thought of it as my mom’s diet food.  My daughter, however, inherited her love for grapefruit from her grandparents.  I would occasionally indulge her love for them but I just couldn’t buy them often because of my mental block from my childhood.  Some things from the 70s do that to me.

Fast forward 40 years; I am ordering grilled grapefruit from Charter Oak in St Helena California the Napa Valley. I am now hooked on grilled grapefruit.  No longer my grandparent’s breakfast, grapefruit is now my go-to dish to wow my brunch guests or an easy treat for myself and my daughter. 

Ingredients:

Grapefruit– you can use any variety of grapefruit in this recipe. The Red Rio is the best followed by Ruby Red however, oroblanco and white grapefruits work equally well. Like other citrus, grapefruits are ripe in late fall (October/November) to late Spring (May/June).

Sugar– you can use granular sugar, coconut sugar, or turbinado sugar for this recipe.

ingredients to make grilled Grapefruit or grapefruit brûlée grapefruit cut in half two table spoons of coconut sugar
coconut sugar turbinado raw sugar white granular sugar in container and displayed on small white rimmed dishes

Equipment used to make the Grilled Grapefruit or Grapefruit Brûlée:

  1. Knife and cutting board to slice grapefruit in half.
  2. Small dish: a small plate, a small bowl with a wide bottom, or a small saucer to put sugar on.
  3. One of the following: sauté pan, grill pan, outdoor BBQ grill, or torches.
all clad grill pan and all clad sauté pan on a silver baking sheet background
bernzomatic brûlée cooking torch
outdoor BBQ grill on a deck with trees in the background
Substitutions:

You can use any variety of grapefruit, sugar of choice, and cooking method of choice (saute pan, grill pan, hand-held brûlée torch, or outdoor BBQ grill).

How to make the Grilled Grapefruit or Grapefruit Brûlée:

Ingredients:
  • 1 grapefruit
  • 2 tbsp sugar
Step by Step Instructions for Grilled Grapefruit or Grapefruit Brûlée:
  1. Wash and dry the grapefruit.
  2. Preheat the desired method of grilling now.  For example: heat a sauté pan, grill pan, or outdoor BBQ grill to medium-high heat.
    • You can prepare the grilled grapefruit in multiple ways.  Easily in a saute pan on the stovetop.  In a grill pan on the stovetop.  On any outdoor BBQ or grill.  You can also choose to brûlée the grapefruit with a small cooking torch like you would with creme brûlée.   
  3. Then, prepare a small dish with 2 Tablespoons sugar of choice. Spread sugar out evenly on the dish. (Small dish: a small plate, a small bowl with a wide bottom, or a small saucer.)
  4. Next, slice your grapefruit in half. You will then have two halves of grapefruit.
  5. Place the grapefruit cut side down in the sugar.  Press the sugar down firmly into the sugar to make sure all of the cut side of the grapefruit has an even and generous coating of sugar.
  6. Then, place the sugared grapefruit cut and sugared side down in the pan or on the grill. 
  7. Let the grapefruit grill on medium-high heat until the sugar caramelizes.
  8. Finally, remove grapefruit from the pan or grill once the sugar has caramelized, and then transfer it to the serving dish and serve.
grapefruit cut side down pressed into sugar

Alternate Preparations:

  1. Prepare the same as above until Step 4.
  2. Cut grapefruit into wedges.
  3. Then, place each of the grapefruit wedges cut sides down in the sugar.  Press each side of the grapefruit wedge down in the sugar firmly to make sure all of the cut sides of the grapefruit have an even and generous coating of sugar.
  4. Next, place the sugared grapefruit cut side down in the pan or on the grill. 
  5. Let the grapefruit grill on medium-high heat until the sugar caramelizes.
  6. Flip the grapefruit with tongs. Grill the second side of the grapefruit wedge until the second side is also caramelized.
  7. Finally, remove grapefruit from the pan or grill once the sugar has caramelized. Then transfer the grilled grapefruit to the serving dish and serve.
grilled grapefruit wedges from Charter Oak Restaurant St Helena

Wüsthof chef knife, cutting board, granular sugar, or coconut sugar, or turbinado sugar, sauté pan, grill pan, Bernz-O-Matic Butane Torch 

Try some of my other brunch favorites recipes:  Vanilla Kefir and Cinnamon Pepita Granola Bowl

If you make this recipe, tag me on Instagram @alifefullofliving

If you love this recipe, please come back and give me a 5-star rating! Thank you!

What you’ll love about this recipe:


  • KID FRIENDLY – kids will think they are getting a special treat not knowing it was the health food of yesteryear.
  • HEALTHY – one grapefruit has an entire day’s worth of vitamin C! Grapefruit also contains vitamin A (40% more than an orange), potassium, thiamine, and folate and is a good source of fiber.
  • INEXPENSIVE – only two ingredients to wow your guests.
  • QUICK AND EASY – one serving takes less than 10 mins.
grilled grapefruit sliced in two halves brûlée on a white platter garnished with blackberries

Grilled Grapefruit or Grapefruit Brûlée

Print Recipe
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Grapefruit
  • 2 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Step by Step Instructions for Grilled Grapefruit or Grapefruit Brûlée:

  • Wash and dry the grapefruit.
  • Preheat the desired method of grilling now.  For example: heat a sauté pan, grill pan, or outdoor BBQ grill to medium-high heat.
  • You can prepare the grilled grapefruit in multiple ways.  Easily in a saute pan on the stovetop.  In a grill pan on the stovetop.  On any outdoor BBQ or grill.  You can also choose to brûlée the grapefruit with a small cooking torch like you would with creme brûlée.
  • Then, prepare a small dish with 2 Tablespoons of sugar of choice spread out evenly on the dish. (Small dish: a small plate, a small bowl with a wide bottom, or a small saucer.)
  • Next, slice your grapefruit in half. You will then have two halves of grapefruit.
  • Place the grapefruit cut side down in the sugar.  Press the sugar down firmly into the sugar to make sure all of the cut side of the grapefruit has an even and generous coating of sugar.
  • Place the sugared grapefruit cut and sugared side down in the pan or on the grill.
  • Let the grapefruit grill on medium-high heat until the sugar caramelizes.
  • Finally, remove grapefruit from the pan or grill once the sugar has caramelized, and then transfer it to the serving dish and serve.

Alternate Preparations:

  • Prepare the same as above until Step 4.
  • Cut grapefruit into wedges.
  • Then, place each of the grapefruit wedges cut sides down in the sugar.  Press each side of the grapefruit wedge down in the sugar firmly to make sure all of the cut sides of the grapefruit have an even and generous coating of sugar.
  • Next, place the sugared grapefruit cut side down in the pan or on the grill.
  • Let the grapefruit grill on medium-high heat until the sugar caramelizes.
  • Flip the grapefruit with tongs. Grill the second side of the grapefruit wedge until the second side is also caramelized.
  • Finally, remove grapefruit from the pan or grill once the sugar has caramelized. Then transfer the grilled grapefruit to the serving dish and serve.
Course: Breakfast
Keyword: grapefruit
Servings: 2

Try some of my other brunch favorites recipes:  Vanilla Kefir and Cinnamon Pepita Granola Bowl

Wüsthof chef knife, cutting board, granular sugar, or coconut sugar, or turbinado sugar, sauté pan, grill pan, Bernz-O-Matic Butane Torch 

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grapefruit brulee grilled grapefruit Pinterest #grilledgrapefruit #brunch #healthy #breakfast #vitaminC

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