Grilled Sweet Potatoes in Foil

Foil-Wrapped Grilled Sweet Potatoes make the perfect healthy side dish for your BBQ. It takes just three ingredients and is virtually a set-and-forget recipe.

This is a super easy side dish my family often craves. There’s at least one for every family! Sweet potatoes have a wonderful natural taste so fortunately, they don’t need a lot of extras to make them taste out of this world.

When you are short on time but still want a badass dinner, make the A1 Marinated Steak or the Grilled Blackened Dover Sole along with these simple sweet potatoes for a complete meal with almost no effort.

🍠 Ingredients

Sweet Potato | The serving size is one sweet potato, but you can make as many as you need. I recommend making several at a time. It doesn’t take much extra time to prepare them, and they store wonderfully in the fridge.

Olive Oil | A little bit of olive oil will help the skin crisp up beautifully.

Sea Salt | Add a pinch to the potatoes to really get an amazing flavor. Stay away from table salt as it is so finely ground that it doesn’t work well. Stick with Coarse Ground Sea Salt or Kosher Salt.

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

Aluminum Foil Packet – Because this recipe uses indirect heat, you don’t need a heavy-duty foil. Stick with your kitchen foil.

BBQ Tongs – I highly recommend some dedicated BBQ tongs. The key is to get a long-handled version so your arms aren’t over the hot coal. Trust me, I learned that the hard way!

🔥 Instructions

Step One: Cut off a piece of foil and lay it out on the counter. This is not the kind of recipe that requires you to slice the potatoes, since we’ll be grilling them whole. We also won’t be peeling them as they will bake with the skin on. Poke a few holes in a clean sweet potato with a fork. The holes will help the steam escape easily.

Step Two: Use a little bit of olive oil spray to provide a very light coat on the sweet potato. Sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt. If you’re grilling a lot of sweet potatoes, just place them in a large bowl and toss them with the oil and seasonings.

Note: I find the combination of the coarse salt and the oil helps the skin get a little crispy when it is done grilling. 

Step Three: Wrap the sweet potato up and seal the aluminum foil tight.

Step Four: Place the wrapped sweet potato on a heated grill set to 350°F (or a medium-high heat setting). I used indirect heat by adding the plate setter to the grill. 

Note: For gas grills, turn off the burners immediately under the potato. This creates an indirect heat zone that will serve the same purpose.

Step Five: Grill for about 40 minutes, turning halfway for a medium-sized potato. My sweet potatoes were quite large, and I needed another 20 minutes until they were fork-tender. You’ll know they are done when a fork easily sticks into the sweet potato.

Step Six: Serve with your favorite toppings. For this one, we added a pat of butter and some pepper.

💡 Recipe Tips and Tricks

Skip the foil for a crispy skin.  Place it straight on the grill grate. The outside will become very crispy but the inside will still be soft and fluffy. Make sure to watch it closely as it is very easy for the potato to burn. Either way, you can make this yummy side with minimal effort and yet, a high return on flavor! 

This is a perfect recipe to serve at a cookout. Prepare and wrap the sweet potatoes at home and throw them on the grill at your BBQ. I keep them off to the side while I am grilling the rest of the dishes.

For this recipe, I called for using olive oil, but if you have avocado oil, I would use that instead. It isn’t worth an extra trip to the store to grab it, but avocado oil is a bit healthier and has a milder, smoother flavor.

🧑‍🍳 Storage and Reheating

If you make a few extras (and WHY WOULDN’T YOU?), they store great in the refrigerator for up to about three days.

After you remove them from the grill, let them cool completely and simply set them in the refrigerator. Since they are already wrapped in foil, you don’t need to add them to an airtight container but please do if you already removed the foil.

You can freeze the sweet potato leftovers as long as they are cooked. Don’t try to freeze uncooked sweet potatoes – it just doesn’t work well.

After the grilled baked sweet potatoes have cooled completely, remove them from the foil and wrap them in Saran or Press N Seal. Place them inside a freezer-safe Ziploc bag and store them for up to 90 days.

To reheat them, you can put them back on the grill, in the microwave, or in the oven. But, my favorite solution is to throw them in the Air Fryer. The outside will crisp up and the results are amazing!

🌶️Additions and Substitutions

• Change up the seasonings. I used a simple salt and olive oil combo, but try to add some smoky paprika, rosemary, thyme, basil, garlic powder, or even add some heat with red pepper flakes or chili powder. If you are serving kids, make sure they don’t mind a little heat with their sweet potato.
• Serve with some fun dipping sauce as well and it doesn’t have to be as basic as ketchup. I recommend a honey sriracha sauce, a beer and smoked cheese dip, or even a black garlic aioli like we made with the grilled skirt steak.
• One of my favorite alternate toppings is whipped butter and candied pecans or walnuts. This adds a very light buttery flavor and I can’t seem to get enough of the crunch from the nuts. You might also love butter and brown sugar or butter and sour cream as partners for your sweet potato.
• Top them with a simple vinaigrette made from olive oil and lime juice or lemon juice.
• Make it taco stuffed by using black beans, corn, red onions, and topping with sour cream or guacamole.
• Make cowboy caviar and top the sweet potatoes with it.
• Use these for breakfast meal prep and add scrambled eggs, bacon chunks, and tomatoes.
• Top with homemade salsa, green onions, and a dollop of sour cream.
• Load it with homemade chili, cheese, and sour cream.
• Alternatively, bake them on the grill, remove the insides, and whip them into a mashed sweet potato – all done without ever having to use your oven. 

🥗Serving Suggestions

Nothing goes better with a nice buttery grilled sweet potato than a juicy steak! Try this grilled Teres Major recipe, grilled ribeye cap, or even a nice big grilled T-bone steak. These grilled baked sweet potatoes will also pair wonderfully with some mouthwatering smoked Tomahawk pork chops.

Nice juicy burgers are another good main course to consider. Try our Travis Scott Burger, or if you don’t have much time, consider grilling frozen burgers which will give you a fast and delicious meal.,

You have got to love these fast recipes!

Do You Need to Poke Holes in Sweet Potatoes Before Grilling?

I have heard stories about potatoes bursting when the steam accumulates inside the skin and can’t escape fast enough, but I have never had that happen to me. It takes just a second or two to use a fork to poke holes in the skin which will allow the steam to escape, so it is worth the time.

🍽️More Sweet Potato Recipes

Looking for more ways to enjoy sweet potatoes for your BBQ cookouts? With some time on your hands, you won’t regret making the smoked version of this recipe, aka smoked sweet potatoes.

When you need a last-minute meal, grilled sweet potato wedges will save you in a pinch! Those yummy sweet potato slices will be ready in 15 minutes and in terms of flavor, they are even better than the classic sweet potato fries.

Grilled parmesan sweet potatoes have some special magic of their own, as we cooked them in a cast iron pan over direct heat and the flavors were just amazing!

You can even fancy up your Thanksgiving dinner with a hearty grilled sweet potato casserole but don’t let it stop you from making it any other time.

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