Summer is definitely your season, especially when you combine a love for grilling with the yumminess of cooking with essential oil-infused marinades! Explore exciting, new flavors no matter what’s on the grill—from tasty meat-and-veggie kabobs to juicy chicken sandwiches. These fresh summer marinades will take your next barbecue to the next level, no matter what season it is, with an essential oil zing that you and your guests are sure to love!
Why should you use essential oils in your marinades?
When you use Vitality™ essential oils in your recipes, they allow your flavors to shine. Due to essential oils’ natural potency, it takes less oil to achieve your desired flavor than other types of seasonings, dry herbs, or spices. So, when cooking with essential oils, be sure to take it easy. Start low with only a drop or two and gradually add more to taste. Not only are Vitality oils economical, but when you ingest Vitality oils, you also enjoy their benefits!
Try these essential-oil infused marinade recipes
Everyone’s taste buds are unique. That’s why, for each recipe, be sure to add salt and pepper and any other adjustments to satisfy your tastes. Each marinade recipe should provide enough flavoring for 1–2 pounds of meat or your protein of choice. Not a meat-lover? Try using these marinades on your favorite veggies or meat substitutes!
Citrus Town Spicy Marinade
Take your taste buds to flavor town with this mix of tangy citrus and spicy ginger! This marinade goes especially well with chicken and tofu.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive or other oil
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 drops Orange Vitality
- 2 drops Lemon Vitality
- 1 drop Ginger Vitality
- Optional: 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients and pour over protein in a shallow glass bowl or baking pan.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1–4 hours or overnight before grilling.
3. Discard marinade after use.
Make this dish a meal by adding rice and seasoned veggies to your plate. Top with extra sesame seeds to give it a little extra texture.
Mediterranean Grill n’ Greet Marinade
Give your barbecue a Mediterranean vacation vibe with this delicious blend of classic, flavorful ingredients. It’s perfect for pork, lamb, or chicken kabobs.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 drop Oregano Vitality
- 2 drops Lemon Vitality
- 1 drop Black Pepper Vitality
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients and pour over protein in a shallow glass bowl or baking pan.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1–4 hours or overnight before grilling.
3. Discard marinade after use.
For a delicious meal, add your marinated protein or veggie of choice to pita bread. Toss in your favorite toppings like olives, chickpeas, or feta cheese. Top with fresh lemon juice, parsley, and tzatziki sauce.
Sweet Honey Lovin’ Lime Marinade
This delicious marinade combines fun with yum by bringing together the fresh, citrusy zing of lime with sweet, delicious honey. It’s perfect for seasoning salmon, chicken, or beef.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive or other oil
- Juice of 2 limes
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 drops Lime Vitality
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients and pour over protein in a shallow glass bowl or baking pan.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1–4 hours or overnight before grilling.
3. Discard marinade after use.
Serve this dish with rice or taco style with your favorite toppings. For extra kick, add as much chili sauce or flakes as your mouth can handle to the marinade.
YL tip: Place all marinade ingredients into a mason jar. Top with a lid and shake until everything is well combined for easy mixing.
Feeling too hot to grill? Summer heat getting you down? Cool off with these homemade YL Vitality™ Drops slushies or mix it up with these three sip-tastic refreshing summer mocktails.
Do you use Vitality essential oils when you grill?
Share your secret recipes with us in the comments!
Salmon Marinade
2 T EVOO
2 tsp minced garlic
1 drop black pepper vitality
2 drop rosemary vitality
1 drop lemon vitality or citrus fresh vitality
1-2 T brown sugar
Rub on flesh side of salmon –number of drops are up to you.
Pre heat grill. When hot, put grilling plank on for one minute. Flip over. place salmon on top and grill. Enjoy!
Marinade for Shrimp
2 T EVOO
2 Tsp minced garlic
1 drop black pepper vitality
1 drop rosemary vitality
2 drop lemon vitality or citrus fresh vitality
Grill on plank, like alder or other.
These sound awesome!!! I’m going to love trying both of them!
Hello there, what is EVOO? Thank you Chris : )
Hey Chris,
EVOO is a common acronym for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. That is what Nicole is most likely referring to with her recipes.
I hope this helps!
Love Young Living Oil recipes! It’s a way of life!
Braggs Amino Acids are GMO free and Gluten free. They are a great substitute for soy sauce in recipe’s as is Tamari.
Thank you so much for posting this!!
Unfortunately I hate to reveal negative info on Braggs amino acids. You can google and research but their process of manufactoring this product actually produces MSG which is why it is so high in sodium without added salt! Be informed and careful
I made fish and chips the other night and put 2 drops of lemon oil in the beer batter. It was soo good it added a hint of lemon.
my husband and i happen to like sardines….. packed in olive oil. We drain them, then add a drop of lemon oil. Love this addition! (used to use store bought lemon juice-Not the same)
Us too! love the flavor the YL lemon vitality oil gives the sardines…. way better than the store bought juice!
What a good idea!
These recipes sound amazing and I’m anxious to try them. I did want to comment on the issues with soy sauce, you might want to try Tamari sauce, it’s a Japanese version of soy and can be gluten free or very low gluten, check the label. Soy, used more in Chinese dishes, is made from 50% soy beans and 50% wheat and Tamari is made from fermented soy beans with little to no wheat added. I use Tamari and we really like it.
hi michelle,
Did you find any trace of bitterness? I do experience bitterness when i used the real lemon or anything citrus.
thanks
yvonne
These recipes sound amazing!! I can’t wait to try them all~~
Chia Seed Pudding
2 cans coconut milk, or 1 can coconut milk and 1 can coconut cream
3/4 cup chia seeds
3/4 cup sweetener, maple syrup, agave, honey
2 tsp. vanilla
zest and juice of 1 lemon
15 drops of lemon essential oil
mix all together and refrigerate for 15 minutes, stir and refrigerate over night
so fresh and creamy, yummy
just made this…with some “adjustments” for my tastes…
I don’t often get a “sweet tooth”.
This just may be a alternative to just picking up one donut (danger danger) — Just made it – Put in fridge – waited 15 minutes – tasted – OMG Hope I can wait till tomorrow to do a final taste test! Who am I kidding…I will be tasting it sooner than tomorrow. I believe the 24 hour in fridge is to set it up…
Of course, I made “adjustments” as I do for each inspirational recipe I find on the internet, for a chai flavor and smaller amount – see below my adjustments for original recipe
1 can coconut milk organic of course
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/3 cup raw honey
no vanilla (used YL Oils instead)
One drop of each:
Nutmeg
Cardamom
Cinnamon Bark
Ocetea
Clove
Cassia
Omitted zest and lemon as well as lemon oil – Going for a chi taste instead
Added 3/4 cup frozen Organic Mango chunks
Added 2 Kaffir Lime leaves (brought back from Hawaii and Angeline’s garden) Suska has just received a Kaffir Lime Leaf tree for her anniversary present…so I will have access to fresh ones soon.
Blended all together with my immersion blender (from Switzerland Professional Bamix – Love this! – I use the Bamix to make my smoothies in a beaker type glass which I just drink out of after blending
…only one item to clean! I used this same beaker to make the recipe)
Put in fridge – waited 15 minutes – tasted – OMG Hope I can wait till tomorrow to do a final taste test!
Several months ago, I made candied citrus peels in my Instant Pot…I believe I will put a few on top as garnish for my “dessert” tonight after I have my salmon and Cauliflower steak for dinner. I so love being inventive in the kitchen.
May put some of my cold brew coffee in it next time Possible 1 can coconut cream and one can – from coconut cream can of cold brew coffee…
tried to put a picture up..would not copy here.
Loved your ideas! Did you try the cold brew coffee ?
Did you blend up the chia seeds and 2 Kaffir Lime leaves too?
Anne Lemieux, did you blend up the chia seeds and 2 kaffir Lime leaves too?
I want to try this!
Can’t wait to try this with my daughter tonight!
It all sounds so delicious! My favorite, quick and easy recipe is:
Salmon
Chopped garlic
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1-2 drops lemon essential oil
Let it marinade for at least 10 mins.
Wrap in foil and bake at about 350 F for 8-10 mins (I like my salmon rare)
It’s that simple! and delicious! Very handy for when you don’t have fresh lemons around!
These all sound delicious, but I’m supposed to avoid soy. Is there a good substitute for the soy sauce? Will olive oil work? Thanks in advance!
I avoid soy as well. I use Raw Coconut Aminos by Coconut Secret
check out Bragg Liquid Aminos for soy substitute
I’m pretty sure Braggs isn’t gluten free but coconut aminos are. They are a Braggs substitute.
Check out coconut amnios I bought on amazon or at Wegmans grocery store taste even better than soy sauce!
I love the Coconut Aminos but its so expensive, do you all have something else that is comparable to it??
Braggs is also gluten free, great taste, never go back to soy
Also has 16 amino acids,vegetable protein,taste great!!
Hi Mary! We recommend looking online for a good alternative to soy sauce in marinades. There are lots of different ways to do it. These recipes are flexible and can still be delicious when tweaked to according to your preferences!
Lemon Grass is great with soy sauce and chicken! We use that for stir fry sometimes!
Marinated Chicken with Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts were called “fairy lettuce” in our household, in order to get the children to eat them. They just looked like little heads of lettuce to the kids. This recipe uses Brussels sprouts, and chicken a simple combination; but when marinated, the chicken is outstanding. Be sure to use the best organic chicken and Brussels sprouts you can find, because it makes a big difference in the flavor and texture.
Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Arrowroot powder or corn starch
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps coconut aminos or soy sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 drops Young Living Basil essential oil
1/2 cup sliced sweet onion
1 lb. small Brussels sprouts
Directions
1. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and place in a plastic bag with the garlic, coconut aminos, Basil essential oil, salt and pepper, and marinate for 2 hours or over night.
2. Blanch the Brussels sprouts in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, or til tender but not overcooked. Remove, drop in icy cold water to maintain color, drain quickly, and set aside.
3. Coat the chicken chunks with arrowroot powder. Saute in olive oil, remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Brown the onion, and add the blanched Brussels sprouts; mix and add the chicken back in.
5. Stir, and serve over rice or quinoa.
Kathleen – Thanks for taking the time to share this recipe! I can’t wait to try it – sounds delicious.
We put raw chopped cauliflower in food processor to a tiny size resembling rice and cook it in microwave. This is our version of rice, called crice. We love it and won’t go back to rice.
I love Brussel sprouts!! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
I’m going to try these! They sound delicious