Vegetables, sausages, meat substitutes: what ends up on the grill in Germany has changed a lot in recent years. A survey by the online supermarket Knuspr has now examined German grilling preferences. What the favorite products are and what the situation is with meat-free grilled food.

For many people in Germany, grilling is part of summer. The online supermarket Knuspr and the market research company Appinio conducted a representative survey to find out which products are most often grilled. 1,000 Germans between the ages of 18 and 65 were surveyed in July 2024. The answers show that eating habits have changed, Meat is no longer as popular as they did a few years ago. One in three (33 percent) now grills predominantly vegetarian or vegan. 57 percent of respondents are open to meat-free alternatives.

Nevertheless, there are prejudices. According to the online supermarket, slightly less than half (42 percent) of those surveyed said that vegan burgers are an “insult to any real grill master.” Almost 60 percent are also convinced that grilling without meat is not real grilling.

Germans also grill watermelon and avocado

What goes on the grill is partly surprising. 24 percent of those surveyed also grill a pizza from time to time. Watermelon (19 percent), duck (19 percent), avocados (18 percent) and eggs (14 percent) also end up on the grill more often than you would expect. Nevertheless, there is a clear trend towards classic meat products among the ten favorites of Germans.

These are the Germans’ favorite products for the grill:

• 1. Sausages (65 percent)
• 2. Chicken (55 percent)
• 3. Grilled vegetables such as peppers, zucchini, onions, mushrooms (47 percent)
• 4. Pork steak (45 percent)
• 5. Grilled cheese (39 percent)
• 6. Beef steak (38 percent)
• 7. Burgers (31 percent)
• 8. Potatoes (30 percent)
• 9. Ribs (30 percent)
• 10. Corn cobs (26 percent)

Differences between women and men

According to the survey, grilled vegetables are significantly more popular with women than with men: while they rank second among their favorite products, they only rank fifth among men. There also seem to be differences depending on the age group: According to the survey, half (51 percent) of people between 18 and 24 years of age say that Preference for grilled cheese 24 percent of them also grill meat-free alternatives more often. People aged between 55 and 65 were more enthusiastic about pork steak (64 percent) and sausages (79 percent). Of these, only 14 percent occasionally use meat substitute products.

Sustainability is not crucial for many

Sustainability also seems to play only a minor role for the survey participants. While Quality, followed by price are the two most important selection criteria for barbecue products, sustainability comes in at just sixth place. Nevertheless, more than two thirds are willing to dig deeper into their wallets for regional meat and meat from more species-appropriate animal husbandry. One in five (22 percent) also buys the meat from the farm shop.

Sources used: Message from Knuspr