How to Grill Sweet Potatoes Whole

How to grill sweet potatoes whole over an open fire on an outdoor Weber grill. Throw these on the grill during a backyard BBQ or while camping and you'll have baked/roasted sweet potatoes with a hint of smokiness. Nutty, mildly sweet and creamy, Japanese sweet potatoes are absolutely delicious cooked this way!

Use this method to "bake" whole sweet potatoes of any variety on a grill or over an open fire. We love Japanese sweet potatoes, but also grill orange sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, Hannah's and whatever other sweet potatoes we can get our hands on.

Starchy and fluffy, with a chestnut-like flavor, the flavor and texture of Murasaki and Japanese sweet potatoes are sometimes described as a cross between Russet potatoes and orange sweet potatoes.

Baking or roasting them over an open fire or grill brings out their sweetness, infusing them with hints of brown sugar, caramel, molasses and a touch of smokiness.

This is an easy and fun variation on baked orange sweet potatoes for backyard barbeques, camping and for RV or van life. If you love potatoes, you have to give these a try.

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

• Japanese (Murasaki) sweet potatoes - with purple-red skin and white flesh, these sweet potatoes are called by a variety of names, depending on where you live and what store you shop at. Look for: Murasaki sweet potatoes, Japanese sweet potatoes, Korean yams, Satsumaimo and red kūmara. In the United States, look for them at Trader Joe's, H-Mart or Whole Foods. Some farmer's markets may have them. Check Asian grocery stores and don't be scared off by different names. At H-Mart in Houston, they are labeled as "Korean yams". If they look like the picture above and have white flesh inside, you've found them!

📋 Substitutions and variations

Here are some suitable substitutions, if you can't find Murasaki sweet potatoes

• Murasaki sweet potatoes - Instead of Murasaki sweet potatoes, use the same type of sweet potato that may be labeled with a different name, such as: Korean yam, Japanese sweet potato, Kotobuki sweet potato, red kūmara, purple kūmara or satsumaimo. If you can't find them, use another variety of sweet potato you enjoy for this grilled whole sweet potato recipe. You may have to reduce the cooking time, as orange-flesh sweet potatoes cook in less time.

Here are some variations and alternate ways of cooking these Japanese sweet potatoes:

• Grilled Sliced Murasaki Sweet Potato - Slice the raw sweet potatoes and grill the slices until tender, about 5-10 minutes on each side, depending on the width of the slices.
• Steamed - these sweet potatoes can be steamed until tender in the Instant Pot, stovetop or microwave. How to steam Japanese sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker.
• Baked in the Oven or Air Fryer - bake uncovered on a baking tray until squishy, about 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on how big they are. Here's how to perfectly bake Murasaki sweet potatoes in the oven.
• Air Fryer Japanese Sweet Potato Fries - cut into fries, season and air fry until tender.

🔪 Instructions

Step-by-step instructions for how to grill sweet potatoes whole.

Enjoy hot by cutting them open, fluffing them with a fork and sprinkling with kosher salt.

🍳 Equipment

• Outdoor charcoal/wood grill - We have a standard Weber grill and charcoal chimney and that's what we use when grilling at home.
• Aluminum foil and Parchment paper - I buy parchment paper in half sheet size, so I don't have to worry with it rolling and unrolling
• Oven mitts and grill tongs - You'll need some heat-proof oven mitts when doing the "squish test" to make sure your sweet potatoes are done. And, grill tongs to move and flip the sweet potatoes.

🥡 Make ahead and storage tips

Allow the cooked sweet potatoes to cool at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before refrigerating. Store the baked sweet potatoes in a container or bag in the refrigerator. Will keep up to 5 days.

Sweet potatoes can be frozen for up to 3 months.

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Serving suggestions

Sweet potatoes are versatile and can be served with all kinds of meals.

In our plant-based, vegan household, we eat them with steamed broccoli and as snacks (literally just grab one out of the fridge and eat it).

❓ FAQ

🗺 Cultural influences

These delicious sweet potatoes are found in many places in the world. I can't possibly cover all the places they are enjoyed. Since this variety of sweet potato has such a long cultural history in many parts of the world, the various recipes and delicious ways to enjoy them is endless.

In my limited experience and research, they are called by the following names:

• Kūmara - sweet potatoes in general are called kūmara in New Zealand. The murasaki sweet potatoes this post is about are called "red kūmara" or Owairaka Red. In New Zealand, these are traditionally cooked in a hangi, an underground oven, which gives them a lovely smoky taste.
• Murasaki sweet potatoes - At Trader Joe's, they are packaged with this name. Murasaki means "purple" in Japanese. Although these have a Japanese name, they were cultivated to grow well in Louisiana and are grown mostly in California now. They are very similar to the Kotobuki variety of Japanese sweet potatoes.
• Japanese sweet potatoes - They are commonly called this online and in cooking shows. This variety is similar to Kotobuki sweet potatoes grown in Japan.
• Satsumaimo - this is the Japanese word for sweet potato, to my knowledge
• Korean yams or sweet potatoes - Goguma (고구마) means sweet potato in Korean. The most popular is bam goguma (밤고구마) and mul goguma (물고구마), which is the variety pictured here in this recipe.

This recipe is inspired by food experiences in my diverse hometown of Houston, Texas and by the strong cultural influences of my family and friends from New Zealand and Japan. See About for more information on my cultural influences and how I attribute recipes.

📖 Recipe