Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Slices of sweet potatoes grilled and slathered with a cilantro-lime dressing.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated July 01, 2021
Elise Bauer
Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Elise Bauer

Have you ever tried grilling sweet potatoes? It's quick and easy. You just peel the sweet potatoes, slice them into 1/4-inch slices, paint them with olive oil, sprinkle on some salt, and place on a hot grill.

To serve, you want to slather them with some sort of vinaigrette—olive oil to keep them from tasting too dry, and an acid like lime juice or lemon juice to balance the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

We played around a bit with this recipe, after thinking we had "discovered" the wonderful combination of lime, cilantro, and sweet potatoes, only to find out many others have made a similar discovery. It's a great combination!

Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Elise Bauer

You can substitute lemon juice for the lime, lime is better but lemon juice will work. And you can substitute parsley for the cilantro, especially if you are one for whom cilantro tastes like soap.

Otherwise stick with the cilantro, in our opinion, it just works better here than the parsley. We've also tried adding some minced garlic to the dressing, but I prefer it without it.

Plate with slices of grilled sweet potatoes
Elise Bauer

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes

  • 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (including tender stems)

  • 1 teaspoon lime zest or lemon zest

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • Pinch salt

Method

  1. Prepare the grill, prep the sweet potatoes:

    Prepare your grill for hot, direct heat. While the grill is heating up, peel the sweet potatoes and slice lengthwise, or on a diagonal, into 1/4 inch-thick pieces. Coat the sweet potato slices with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with Kosher salt.

  2. Make cilantro lime dressing:

    Combine all of the dressing ingredients into a small bowl.

  3. Grill the sweet potatoes:

    Once the grill is hot, lay the sweet potato pieces down onto the grill grates. Cover the grill and cook until each side gets some grill marks, between 3-6 minutes for each side, depending on how hot your grill is.

  4. Toss with dressing:

    Toss the sweet potatoes in a bowl with the dressing and serve hot.

Links:

Grilled Sweet Potato Salad - from Kalyn's Kitchen

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Maple Vinaigrette - from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges - from Smitten Kitchen

Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
445 Calories
27g Fat
48g Carbs
5g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 445
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 35%
Saturated Fat 4g 19%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 194mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 48g 17%
Dietary Fiber 8g 27%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 48mg 238%
Calcium 89mg 7%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 1093mg 23%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.