Grilled Sweet Potatoes
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Grilled Sweet Potatoes are an easy, healthy side dish tossed in olive oil and simple seasonings, then grilled until tender and lightly charred—perfect for pairing with any summer meal hot off the grill.
Sweet potatoes seem to only make it to the dinner table during the holiday season but they’re so good in the summer, too. So if you’ve ever wondered how to grill sweet potatoes, look no further. You’re going to love this easy side dish. The sweet potatoes end up fork tender and have a char that looks great and tastes just like summer. I love quick and easy side dishes like this that I can prepare right along my grilled main dishes like grilled ranch pork chops or southwestern grilled chicken drumsticks. Throw some BBQ Baked Beans on the grill and you have an entire meal with minimal clean up right on your grill!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These easy sweet potatoes only take 20 minutes to make. They’re the perfect addition to any quick meal.
- I bet you have all the ingredients in your pantry that you need to make these grilled sweet potatoes! Nothing fancy, just olive oil, spices and potatoes.
- You only need five basic ingredients to make these grilled sweet potatoes. So easy, delicious and totally kid-friendly.
Ingredients needed for Grilled Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes – I like to get medium-sized sweet potatoes so that the sliced rounds aren’t too large.
- Olive oil – Use a high heat oil for the best results. If you don’t have olive oil, then you can use avocado oil instead.
- Black pepper – Black pepper on sweet potatoes is the most delicious flavor combo.
- Garlic salt – If you do not have garlic salt then you can use regular garlic powder and sea salt instead.
- Smoked paprika – This is my secret ingredient to the most flavorful grilled sweet potatoes. If you only have regular paprika in your pantry, it is a bit sweeter so add a pinch of chili powder or cayenne to add some smokiness.
Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing?
No, they are actually two different types of potatoes. Sweet potatoes tend to have an orange, purple or red skin while yams have brown, bark-like skin. Sweet potatoes, like their name implies, have a sweeter taste and more moisture. Yams are more dry and have a milder flavor, but you can definitely use yams in place of sweet potatoes on the grill.
How to Grill Sweet Potatoes
- Wash sweet potatoes, peeling is optional. Slice into half inch thick rounds.
- Place sliced sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients; olive oil, pepper, garlic salt and smoked paprika. Toss to combine.
- Lower heat to medium and add the potatoes to the grill. Grill for about 10 minutes on each side or until fork tender when pierced. Transfer potatoes to a platter for serving. Check the seasonings, add more salt if desired. Enjoy!
How To Use A Grill Pan
Don’t have a outdoor grill? Or maybe it’s winter and you don’t want to go outside to make these on the grill. Grab a grill pan and make this sweet potato recipe on the stove top instead.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: Allow leftovers to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: You can freeze leftovers if you think you have too many to finish up. Freeze sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet before storing them in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat leftovers in the oven or air fryer to make the outsides crispy again.
Pro Tips
- Use a very sharp knife when slicing a sweet potato so that all of the slices can be cut evenly.
- Feel free to sprinkle any kind of seasoning you want on your sweet potatoes. From ground spices to dried herbs, the possibilities are endless.
- If your family loves to dip, grilled sweet potatoes are delicious with just about any dip or sauce like homemade tzatziki.
I love sweet potatoes because they are an affordable and easy side dish to have handy that can seriously feed a family or a crowd. You’ll love them too, because this dish is simple and easy but has so much flavor and is great with just about any main dish.
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Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Video
Equipment
- Grill pan optional
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes cut into ¼’’- ½’’ discs
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat gas grill or grill pan to high. If cooking on the grill grates make sure to oil them.
- Add sliced sweet potatoes, olive oil, pepper, garlic salt and smoked paprika to a bowl. Toss to combine.
- Lower heat to medium. Place potatoes on the grill and cook for about 10 minutes on each side or until soft when pierced. You can also place them on a grill pan if you don't want to cook them right on the grill grates.
- Transfer potatoes to another bowl and season with more salt if desired. Serve warm.
Nutrition Information
How To Serve Grilled Sweet Potatoes
There are so many options to serve with these amazing grilled sweet potatoes!
I love to pair them with grilled pineapple pork chops for a healthy, low carb dinner. But they’re also yummy with Italian grilled chicken breasts, Blackstone chicken thighs or a grilled pineapple teriyaki chicken burger.
Sweet potatoes and chipotle are a match made in heaven, so serve these grilled sliced sweet potatoes with chipotle chicken skewers. I love making these tender sweet potatoes when I serve easy smoked pork butt at a barbecue or alongside some honey bourbon steak.
More Great Grilled Potato Recipes
- Another perfect side dish on the grill, Seasoned Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges have crisp edges and a perfectly spicy-sweet seasoning the whole family will love.
- Get a nice crispy skin and fluffy insides with Baked Potatoes on the Grill. These are the perfect side any time you are grilling a meal.
- There is nothing better than quick clean up and Cheesy Potatoes on the Grill with Bacon are made in a foil pan so you can just throw it away and enjoy the evening.
- Simply seasoned but loaded with flavor, Grilled Foil packet Potatoes are a quick and easy way to grill up potatoes with little clean up.
Jedidiah F Krauss says
great reciepe
Brooke Kill says
Thank you!
Glenn says
Hurricane food!!👍
Rob says
Thank you for the coaching! I used flat grill baskets to contain all the “medallions” my girlfriend threw fresh beets into the mix so we cooked them together. TO…DIE…FOR. This accompanied chicken leg quarters on the grill. The blending of flavors was epic.
Courtney says
THANK YOU! So glad you enjoyed the sweet potatoes!
Amelie says
Very good, I made the larger pieces of sweet potato directly on the grill and the smaller pieces in the grill basket. Thanks for the recipe.
Courtney says
Thank you for letting us know you enjoyed this recipe and for rating it!
Dawn says
Very good! The whole family liked them. One of the kids enjoyed them more dipping in a bit of ketchup.
Jacquelyn Hastert says
I tried this recipe out tonight and it was a hit with the whole family. They said they preferred them this way instead of fried. Winning!
Julie Evink says
That is winning!
Nellie Tracy says
DELICIOUS! Love this recipe, perfect for summer!
Julie Evink says
We agree!
Danielle Green says
I love how these look! Love sweet potatoes in general, but these look amazing!
Julie Evink says
These are the best! Love how quick and easy they are when grilling!
sheenam @ thetwincookingproject says
i love grilled sweet potatoes. trying this recipe tonight as i have all the ingredients with me!!
Great blog by the way, I subscribed right away 🙂
Julie Evink says
Hope you enjoy them! It’s one of my go-to sides on the grill! Thanks for subscribing!
Roslia Santamaria says
This looks super tasty!! I can’t wait to give it a try! It’s all delicious ingredients 🙂
Julie Evink says
I hope you love them!