Grilled Sweet Potatoes
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This easy grilled sweet potatoes recipe makes the perfect summer side dish for just about any meal! It cooks up in under 20 minutes and is delicious served with your favorite dipping sauce.
Grilling gives food a ton of flavor, so when the weather is nice I try to convince Isaac that we should grill just about everything! Throughout the summer months, we fire up the grill almost daily.
When it comes to grilling, we’re all about the classics… lots of grilled protein like turkey burgers, grilled chicken breast, grilled shrimp skewers, my fave cilantro and lime chicken burgers and then we love making these grilled sweet potatoes for a side dish. They’re so easy to prepare and you can toss them on the grill while your protein cooks!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients Needed
- Recipe Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Grilled Sweet Potatoes
- My Tips For The Best Grilled Sweet Potatoes
- What to Pair With Grilled Sweet Potatoes
- How to Store
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Grilling Recipes To Try:
- More Sweet Potato Recipes:
- Grilled Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Grilled sweet potatoes might just become your new favorite summer side! Here’s why I’m obsessed with them:
- Perfect texture – Boiling the potatoes before grilling gives you the perfect texture of soft on the inside and charred on the outside.
- Simple ingredients – You just need sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings if you’re feeling fancy!
- Quick and easy – This recipe cooks up in under 20 minutes!
- Customizable – Enjoy them as-is or dip them in your favorite sauce (the garlic aioli recipe below is a must-try!).
Ingredients Needed
You only need five simple ingredients to make these grilled sweet potatoes. They’re probably already in your kitchen!
- sweet potatoes – the star of the show! I like using large sweet potatoes and cutting them into wedges. Boiling them first helps get that soft, creamy center.
- olive oil – helps the potatoes crisp up and gives that golden, charred finish on the grill.
- fresh thyme – totally optional, but adds a lovely earthy flavor that pairs beautifully with sweet potatoes.
- sea salt and black pepper – two essentials to bring everything together!
Recipe Substitutions & Variations
These grilled sweet potatoes are super easy to work with. Here are a few ways to switch things up:
- No thyme? Feel free to skip it or use another herb like rosemary or parsley. Dried herbs will work in a pinch too, but fresh gives the best flavor.
- Swap the oil: I like olive oil for the flavor, but avocado oil is a great high-heat alternative.
- Add a spice blend: Want a little extra flavor? Try sprinkling on smoked paprika, cumin, or a chili-lime seasoning before grilling.
- Make them spicy: Add a pinch of cayenne to your oil mixture if you want a little heat.
How to Make Grilled Sweet Potatoes
When it comes to grilling quick cooking veggies (like zucchini or asparagus), the process is pretty straight-forward, but for hearty vegetables (like potatoes) there’s a little prep work involved.
If you simply place a raw sweet potato on the grill, the exterior will get crisp and burnt before the sweet potato is cooked through on the inside, and it will be quite raw and crunchy. I don’t know about you, but I despise undercooked sweet potatoes, so here’s how to make grilled sweet potatoes:
Step 1: Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold salted water then bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly resistant when pierced with a sharp knife or fork, about 10 minutes. Drain well and allow to cool.
Step 2: Once cool enough to handle, slice potatoes in half lengthwise and into wedges.
Step 3: In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, thyme (if using), salt, and pepper. Brush this mixture on sweet potatoes.
Step 4: Heat grill to medium-high, lightly oil grill rack and grill potatoes until grill marks appear and potatoes are cooked through, flipping once. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
My Tips For The Best Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Here are a few helpful tips to make sure your grilled sweet potatoes come out perfect every time:
- Boil potatoes whole: You want to leave the potatoes whole with the skin on while boiling, otherwise they might start to fall apart on the grill.
- Don’t over-boil: You want the potatoes tender but not falling apart. They’ll continue cooking on the grill, so it’s okay if they’re still a little firm after boiling. Boiling should take about 10 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes.
- Let potatoes cool: Slicing into hot sweet potatoes can be tricky. Letting them cool makes them easier to handle (and helps them stay intact).
- Use a grill basket: If you’re worried about the wedges falling through the grates, a grill basket or grill mat can make flipping and cleanup easier.
- Oil the grill grates: A quick brush of oil before grilling helps prevent sticking and gets you those pretty char marks.
What to Pair With Grilled Sweet Potatoes
These grilled sweet potato wedges are the perfect addition to any meal. Here are some recipes that would be delicious with it:
How to Store
Leftover grilled sweet potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, just pop them in a toaster oven, air fryer, or skillet to bring back that crisp edge. You can also enjoy them cold straight from the fridge — they’re surprisingly tasty that way too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Boiling first helps soften the sweet potatoes so they cook evenly and don’t burn on the grill. It also gives you that creamy inside with crispy edges. If you skip this step, the outside may char before the center is fully cooked.
Totally. A grill pan on the stovetop or an indoor electric grill will work too. You can even roast them in the oven at 425°F for a similar effect — they just won’t have the smoky flavor.
Yes! Just give the potatoes a good scrub before boiling. The skin adds texture and holds the wedges together well during grilling.
They’re great with garlic aioli, ketchup, mustard, or even spicy hummus. You can also drizzle them with tahini or a creamy dressing for something a little different.
More Grilling Recipes To Try:
More Sweet Potato Recipes:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (optional)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- Fresh parsley, for garnish, optional
Garlic Aioli Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- Juice from one lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold salted water then bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly resistant when pierced with a sharp knife or fork, about 10 minutes, depending on size. Drain well and allow to cool.
- Once cool enough to handle, slice potatoes in half lengthwise and into wedges.
- In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, thyme (if using), salt, and pepper. Brush this mixture on sweet potatoes.
- Heat grill to medium-high, lightly oil grill rack and grill potatoes until grill marks appear and potatoes are cooked through, flipping once. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
- Serve wedges with a dipping sauce, like ketchup, mustard or homemade garlic aioli.
Notes
- Storage: Leftover grilled sweet potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: To reheat, just pop them in a toaster oven, air fryer, or skillet to bring back that crisp edge. You can also enjoy them cold straight from the fridge — they’re surprisingly tasty that way too!
- Garlic Aioli Sauce: If you want to make a homemade garlic aioli sauce here is the recipe:
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayo
- Juice from 1 lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Just made them and everyone raved. Very tasty and wouldn’t change a thing.
Yay!! So glad these were a hit, Roy. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
Another perfect EBF Recipe!! I was looking for a new method to prepare sweet potatoes and this didn’t disappoint. I highly recommend throwing this into your summer grilling repertoire.
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Ashlee. I’m so glad you enjoyed these grilled sweet potatoes. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
Sooo yummy! The whole family enjoyed these, especially with the dipping sauce!
Ahh yay!! I’m so glad these were a hit with your family, Rachael. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
Outstanding recipe! Cooked it for a casual summer dinner party. grill at 325 for 10-12 mins, turning the wedges as they start to get grill marks on each side. To avoid burning, lace them on tin foil. They still get grill marks and cook very well but are less easily burned. Bumped up flavor with s touch of cumin and lime Thyme.
Sweet potato is my absolute favourite, so I can’t wait to try this recipe! Looks delicious x
Shannon | https://shannonmichelle1.blogspot.com
I learn so much from you as well! Thank you so much for sharing your helpful information. Keep it up.
I’m trying these out tonight! Excited to see how they come out!
Yay! Can’t wait to hear what you think of the wedges, Megan.
I love this recipe. I have used it many times. However, my husband doesn’t like to grill in the winter. Does anyone have adjustments to make this work in the oven? Please share!!
Hi Emmy! I’m so glad that you enjoy this recipe. During the winter months I think you can easily make these in the oven — maybe just cut back on the amount of sweet potatoes (so you can fit the wedges on one pan). I think you can skip the boiling step too. Simply coat the wedges with the oil and spices and then roast at about 400 degrees until tender, about 40-50 minutes. Another recipe you could try during the winter months is this one for coconut oil roasted sweet potatoes. They’re delicious!
These look amazing – I love the photos! Grilling is my preferred method of cooking sweet potatoes, especially with some cinnamon!
Thank you so much Brandy!
Ahhh…boiling them first! Great idea!! Do you think you’d do that with Brussels Sprouts too? I’ve tried grilling them and they burn before they’re cooked! I’ll have to try this method!! Thanks!!
Hi Shaun. Yes, I’ve had the same issue with sprouts. Boiling or steaming the brussels sprouts for a bit before grilling works like a charm!