How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in Foil on the Grill

Wondering how to cook sweet potatoes in foil on the grill? They are so easy and delicious! Simply rub sweet potatoes in a little olive oil and salt, wrap in foil, and toss on the grill for 45-55 minutes until tender. These potatoes get slightly crispy on the outside with that classic salty skin and nice and fluffy in the middle! I like to toss them on the grill first thing while I prep any other items like steak, chicken, or other veggies. That way everything is ready at the same time and clean up is a breeze, these make the perfect side dish.

This is a great way to meal prep sweet potatoes as well, make several baked potatoes for the week or scoop out the flesh and turn into mashed sweet potatoes. I top my baked potatoes with a big slather of grass-fed butter and a hefty sprinkle of both salt and pepper! Herbed butter or a homemade chimichurri also go great on top of these baked sweet potatoes! This is my favorite way to cook sweet potatoes and they go great with so many main dishes.

Highlights of these grilled sweet potatoes and why you’ll love them…

• Effortless: cooking these potatoes is so simple, basically set them and forget them. I toss these on the grill and flip them a couple times throughout the 50 or so minutes. I am able to prep my other items while these cook as they are pretty difficult to mess up!
• Easy clean-up: tossing these baked potatoes on the grill in foil means little to no clean up at all. I love grilling as I don’t make much of a mess inside and there aren’t many dishes to clean. These baked potatoes make little to no mess on the grill and the only utensil you need is a pair of tongs, these can even be served directly in the foil they cooked in!
• Customizable: serve these potatoes as is with a little butter, salt, and pepper alongside steak or grilled chicken. Or top with black beans, cubed chicken, guacamole, sour cream, and some cheese for a taco themed loaded sweet potato. These also go great topped with chili or queso! I sometimes scoop out the insides and turn them into mashed sweet potatoes, with a little butter, honey or maple syrup – they are so delicious!
• Family friendly: kids and adults will love these, they can be fun to serve as a baked potato bar or family style with toppings choices on the side! These delicious sweet potatoes are great for a summer cookout!

Tools I used for these Sweet Potatoes in Foil on the Grill:

• USA Pan Half Sheet Pan – my go-to baking sheet, these are truly non-stick and clean up nicely. I lay the prepped sweet potatoes on the sheet pan to transport them to and from the grill.
• Tin foil – a good, heavy-duty foil for wrapping these sweet potatoes. It stands up to the grill and wont tear causing spills or burns!
• Tongs – I love a good pair of trusty tongs. This set is great because it offers different lengths, I prefer a pair of long tongs for the grill so I don’t have to get my hands to close to the hear.

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in Foil on the Grill (with step by step instructions):

Let’s talk a little about how to make these baked sweet potatoes (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Quick overview:

• Stab sweet potatoes with a fork or pairing knife.
• Coat potatoes in oil and salt, wrap tightly in tin foil.
• Place on a preheated grill for 40-45 minutes or until tender.
• Serve immediately!

1: Thoroughly wash and scrub sweet potatoes – try to find potatoes that are similar in size and shape for even baking. Poke sweet potatoes with a fork or pairing knife.

2: Coat heavily in olive oil and sea salt. Other seasonings could be added at this point as desired such as chili powder, cayenne pepper, or garlic powder.

3. Tightly wrap coated potatoes in a piece of foil, if using a thin tin foil, use two sheets so they stand up the the high heat of the grill – if needed use a third sheet of foil.

4. Preheat a gas grill or charcoal grill over medium-high heat. Once warm, add the sweet potato packets and close the lid, cook for 40-45 or until tender, This will depend on the size of the potatoes, I like to test doneness by squeezing the potatoes with a pair on tongs, if you are unsure unwrap and check doneness that way. Add additional cooking time as needed.

5. Once potatoes are tender, remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, and unwrap. Serve immediately, with your favorite toppings. See below for more topping ideas!

Grocery Store List & Substitutions:

• Sweet potatoes: any sweet potato will work for this recipe or substitute any white potato like Russet potatoes. When picking out sweet potatoes look for potatoes with a similar size and shape so they cook evenly and at the same time – you don’t want one potato that is done and one that still has a way to go! The smaller the potato, the less cooking time it will require.
• Drizzle of Olive oil: use any of your favorite oils for this recipe, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil are all options for these sweet potatoes.
• Salt: I like a flaky salt like Maldon salt, other options are kosher salt, Himalayan salt, or Celtic salt.

Serving ideas and variations:

• Keep simple and top with salted butter or honey butter, salt, and pepper.
• Turn into loaded baked potatoes topped with taco beef or cubed chicken, black beans, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and guacamole!
• Create a baked potato bar serve potatoes on a platter with bowls of toppings and sauces.
• Top with herbed butter, honey butter, fresh herbs, chopped bacon, shredded cheese, green onions, sour cream, pesto, spicy Italian sausage, diced chicken, chimichurri sauce, or spinach artichoke dip!
• Scoop and mash with butter and maple syrup for delicious mashed sweet potatoes.
• Sprinkle baked potatoes with brown sugar and mini marshmallows for the classic Thanksgiving side dish flavor.

Tips for perfect baked potatoes on the grill:

• Find even sized potatoes this helps to ensure potatoes bake evenly.
• Heavily coat in oil this adds flavor by helping the salt stick and creates a a crispy skin.
• Wrap tightly in foil to keep oil and steam inside, ensures even cooking and keeps potato from burning. Make sure corners of the foil packet are sealed tight.
• Test doneness use tongs or your hand to test doneness of the potatoes, add cooking time as need so potatoes don’t over cook.
• Serve immediately these are best served warm, straight off the grill with your favorite toppings!

These baked potatoes go great with pork chops, pork tenderloins, steak, or grilled chicken breasts. Any sweet potato lover will like this easy and delicious recipe! Serve alongside these main dish ideas likes – Instant Pot Air Fryer Juicy Chicken Breast Recipe, Brats in the Air Fryer, Copycat Cheesecake Factory Veggie Burger Recipe, or Red Robin Copycat Chipotle Turkey Burger Recipe! All delicious for the summer months.

If you like this post on How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in Foil on the Grill, try these other easy recipes…

Easy Potato Au Gratin

Homemade Buffalo Wild Wings Potato Wedges Recipe

Easy One-Pan Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Alexia Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer

Creamy Cottage Cheese Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Recipe FAQs for this easy side dish:

Is it better to wrap sweet potatoes in foil when baking?

Yes, wrapping sweet potatoes in foil can help in a few different ways. It prevents the exterior of the potato from drying out and overheating too quickly, it also stops the potato from burning over the high heat of the grill. It also helps cook the potato more evenly and keep the oil and salt on the potato for flavor.

At what temperature is a baked potato done on the grill?

It takes close to an hour to fully make baked potatoes on the grill with a temperature set between 450-500 degrees F. It can help to cook the potatoes wrapped in foil for the first 40-50 minutes, then unwrap and place them on indirect heat for 4-5 minutes to crisp the skin if desired.

Do you have to peel sweet potatoes before baking?

No, I recommend not peeling the sweet potatoes prior to baking or grilling as the skin helps to protect the potato from the high heat and will help to keep the shape and texture.

Do you poke holes in sweet potatoes before baking?

Yes, you should poke holes in sweet potatoes before baking to allow steam to escape and prevent them from possibly exploding. You can use a fork or sharp paring knife to poke multiple holes in each potato.