How to bake or roast whole Murasaki sweet potatoes over an open fire on an outdoor Weber grill. Throw these on the grill during a backyard BBQ or while camping. Nutty, mildly sweet and creamy, these sweet potatoes are absolutely delicious!
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Starchy and fluffy, with a chestnut-like flavor, the flavor and texture of Murasaki 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.
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🧄 Ingredient notes
- 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.
Wash sweet potatoes and cut out any bad spots. Trim ends off the sweet potatoes.
Poke 3-4 holes in each sweet potato/yam with a knife or fork, so the steam can vent.
Cut squares of aluminum foil and parchment paper that are big enough to wrap each potato individually. If you want, you can use just aluminum foil, but I like to line the foil with parchment paper so my food isn't in direct contact with the aluminum.
On a flat surface, put down one sheet of foil and then place a sheet of parchment paper on top. Then, place one potato on the parchment paper.
Roll up the potato in the parchment-lined foil and completely wrap it up so the potato is not showing. Set aside on a tray to take outside.
Be sure they are completely wrapped with the foil.
Continue until all the sweet potatoes are wrapped individually. Place them all on a tray you can carry outside to the grill.
Place 1-2 pieces of wood in the center of your grill. Then, light your charcoal using a charcoal chimney and then carefully place your hot coals on each side of your wood. This placement method will help your fire burn longer.
You want a low fire around 400°F, that stays below the grill grate most of the time. The sweet potatoes need to cook almost an hour, so we don't want to burn them with a fire that's too big or directly on them. Place lid on the grill, with the vent partially closed to slow down the fire, if it's too big.
Bake the foil-wrapped sweet potatoes on the grill for 45-60 minutes, flipping them every 15 minutes and moving them around, if one side of your grill is hotter than the other. If your sweet potatoes are really big, they may need longer. They are done when you poke them with a fork and it goes in really easily. Also check them by removing a sweet potato from the grill, then gently squeezing the sweet potato while wearing oven mitts. If it's squishy like soft clay, then it's done.
Enjoy hot by cutting them open, fluffing them with a fork and sprinkling with kosher salt and everything bagel seasoning.
Hint: While you're grilling your sweet potatoes, take advantage of the grill being lit by making some vegan grill-able kidney bean BBQ burgers.
🧯 Food safety
- Wash hands with soap and water before cooking
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave a grill or cooking food unattended
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
⭐️ Expert tips
- Japanese sweet potatoes take a long time to cook! Don't take them off the grill until you've done the squish test and they are very tender.
- Don't skip the step to poke holes in the potatoes for venting. I had one explode once!
🍳 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.
Murasaki sweet potatoes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
👨👩👦👦 Serving suggestions
Murasaki 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, as snacks (literally just grab one out of the fridge and eat it) and as a stand-in for regular sweet potatoes.
❓ FAQ
Whole orange sweet potatoes will cook through in about 20-40 minutes on the grill, depending on the size. Whole Murasaki/Japanese sweet potatoes will cook through in about 45-90 minutes on the grill, depending on the size.
Most likely, you didn't bake them long enough on the grill. Japanese sweet potatoes require longer baking times than orange sweet potatoes to get tender. Bake medium sweet potatoes for at least 45-60 minutes. If you have larger ones, they could bake for up to 90 minutes to get squishy and tender. Just keep checking on them and do the squish test to be sure they're done! They should feel like soft clay when you squish them in the middle.
🗺 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:
- 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.
- 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.
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.
💜 More recipes you'll love
If you love this grilled murasaki sweet potato recipe, check out these other plant-based potato recipes!
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📖 Recipe
How to Grill Whole Murasaki Sweet Potatoes Outdoors
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds murasaki sweet potatoes washed
Instructions
Prep sweet potatoes
- Wash sweet potatoes and cut out any bad spots. Trim ends off the sweet potatoes. Poke 3-4 holes in each sweet potato/yam with a knife or fork, so the steam can vent.3 pounds murasaki sweet potatoes
- Cut squares of aluminum foil and parchment paper that are big enough to wrap each potato individually. If you want, you can use just aluminum foil, but I like to line the foil with parchment paper so my food isn't in direct contact with the aluminum.
- On a flat surface, put down one sheet of foil and then place a sheet of parchment paper on top. Then, place one potato on the parchment paper. Roll up the potato in the parchment-lined foil and completely wrap it up so the potato is not showing. Set aside on a tray to take outside. Continue until all the sweet potatoes are wrapped individually.
Grilling the sweet potatoes
- Place 1-2 pieces of wood in the center of your grill. Then, light your charcoal using a charcoal chimney and then carefully place your hot coals on each side of your wood. This placement method will help your fire burn longer.
- You want a low fire around 400°F, that stays below the grill grate most of the time. The sweet potatoes need to cook almost an hour, so we don't want to burn them with a fire that's too big or directly on them. Place lid on the grill, with the vent partially closed to slow down the fire, if it's too big.
- Bake the foil-wrapped sweet potatoes on the grill for 45-60 minutes, flipping them every 15 minutes and moving them around, if one side of your grill is hotter than the other. If your sweet potatoes are really big, they may need longer. They are done when you poke them with a fork and it goes in really easily. Also check them by removing a sweet potato from the grill, then gently squeezing the sweet potato while wearing oven mitts. If it's squishy, then it's done.
- When they are done, remove them from the grill and allow to cool slightly before eating. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Allow the potatoes to cool before storing in the refrigerator. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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