Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro-Lime Yogurt Sauce (Easy BBQ Side Dish)
Add Preferred SourceMost grilled sweet potato recipes skip a step that changes everything: the parboil. Get that right, and the grill does what it’s supposed to do: char the edges, caramelize the surface, and build flavor you can’t get from an oven.
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I make these whenever the grill is already going, and I want a side dish that doesn’t need a separate pan, a burner, or much attention. The cilantro-lime yogurt sauce takes about three minutes to stir together and makes the whole plate feel intentional rather than an afterthought.
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Buy Now!Chef Jenn’s Take on Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Most home cooks skip straight to the grill with raw sweet potato slices and end up with food that’s charred on the outside and still crunchy inside. Sweet potatoes are dense, so they don’t behave like zucchini or corn. You need to give them a head start before the grates ever see them.
The thing that ties this recipe together is the cilantro-lime yogurt sauce. It’s cool, a little tangy, and the lime cuts through the sweetness of the potato in a way that plain sour cream never does.
What You’ll Love About Grilled Sweet Potatoes
The parboil is the thing other grilled sweet potato recipes skip, and it’s why those recipes disappoint. You’re starting with a cooked interior, so the grill can focus entirely on the outside.
The cilantro-lime yogurt sauce is a three-minute mix-and-done situation that makes this feel like a restaurant side instead of something you threw on the grill.
Works alongside almost anything else on the grill, like steak, chicken, or pork chops, so you can run everything at the same time instead of managing separate courses.
Equipment & Gear
- BBQ grill, gas or charcoal — Two-zone setup isn’t essential here, but it’s useful if the grill runs hot and the slices are taking on color before they’ve softened through.
- Long tongs — You’ll be flipping dense slices on a hot grate; short tongs get your hands too close.
- Pastry brush or silicone brush — For the oil and spice mixture. Squeeze bottles work too if you’re already set up with them.
- Instant-read thermometer — Optional for this recipe, but useful if you want to confirm the interior is fully soft (around 200–205°F).
- Large pot — For the parboil stage before the grill.
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes — Look for uniform, medium-sized potatoes so your slices are roughly the same thickness and cook evenly. Thicker potatoes mean a longer parboil time.
- Olive oil — Standard extra-virgin works here. You’re brushing this on for the grill, so nothing fancy is needed.
- Chili powder — Standard grocery store chili powder is fine. Don’t substitute Chipotle chili powder unless you want a smokier, spicier profile.
- Smoked hot paprika — The smoked version specifically. Regular paprika doesn’t give you the same depth on the grill.
- Salt — This is in the oil mixture. Season the sauce to your preference.
- Black pepper — Freshly ground black pepper gives the best flavor.
For the Cilantro-Lime Yogurt Sauce
- Greek yogurt — Full-fat for the best texture. Non-fat yogurt is watery and thin.
- Mayo — Duke’s or Hellmann’s. Skip Miracle Whip.
- Cilantro — Fresh only, finely chopped. Dried cilantro is not a substitute here.
- Lime juice — Fresh squeezed. Bottled lime juice tastes off when lime is the main flavor in a sauce.
- Garlic — Grating on a microplane gives a smoother sauce than mincing.
- Salt and pepper to taste — Season the sauce separately after mixing.
How To Make Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the whole sweet potatoes and cook until a knife slides in but meets noticeable resistance; you don’t want to cook them all the way through. Pull them out, let them cool enough to handle, then peel and slice into rounds about ½-inch thick.
While the potatoes cool, stir together the Greek yogurt, mayo, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
Preheat the grill to medium-high, around 400°F. Mix the olive oil, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then brush the mixture over both sides of every potato slice. Even coverage means even color on the grate.
Place the slices on the grates and grill for 6 minutes per side without moving them. You’re looking for clear grill marks and a surface that’s starting to caramelize and pull back slightly at the edges. If your grill runs hot and the color is coming too fast, slide the slices to a cooler zone and give them a couple more minutes with the lid closed.
Pull the slices off and arrange them on a platter. Spoon or drizzle the cilantro-lime yogurt sauce over the top, or serve it alongside for dipping.
Make It A Meal
I usually make these when the grill is already going for something larger. They work alongside Grilled Hanger Steaks with Chimichurri for a dinner that runs entirely off one grill with minimal cleanup. If you want to add more vegetables to the spread, my Grilled Steak & Veggie Skewers or Grilled Ratatouille both run at the same grill temp and finish in roughly the same window. For more grilled vegetable ideas, check out my Grilled Cauliflower Steaks.
Storage
Store leftover grilled sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on a hot grill or in a 375°F oven on a sheet pan for about 10 minutes; that brings back some of the exterior texture that the microwave flattens out. Store the yogurt sauce separately for up to 4 days. It doesn’t freeze well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if you want the interior fully cooked by the time the outside has grill color. Raw sweet potato slices are too dense to cook through on a grill in 12 minutes without burning the outside first. Parboil until just barely fork-tender, then finish on the grill. Your other option is to have a 2-zone grill, and cook the potato slices on indirect heat before moving them to direct heat to get some color.
Medium-high, around 400°F. High heat moves too fast and chars the surface before the interior softens. Medium heat works but extends the cook and reduces caramelization.
Yes. It keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. The flavors develop a bit after sitting for an hour or two, so making it before you light the grill works well.
Fresh flat-leaf parsley is the closest swap if cilantro isn’t your thing. The flavor profile shifts and you’ll lose the citrusy brightness cilantro brings, but the sauce still works.
Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro-Lime Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked hot paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
For the Yogurt
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup garlic
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes whole and cook until a knife meets resistance — just barely tender, not cooked through, about 12–15 minutes depending on size.
- Remove from water and let cool enough to handle. Peel and slice into ½-inch rounds.
- Stir together the Greek yogurt, mayo, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Preheat grill to medium-high (around 400°F).
- Mix olive oil, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Brush evenly over both sides of all potato slices.
- Grill sweet potato slices for 6 minutes per side, without moving them. Look for clear grill marks and caramelization at the edges.
- Remove from the grill and arrange on a platter. Serve with cilantro-lime yogurt sauce drizzled over the top or on the side for dipping.
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Don’t skip the parboil — or cut it short. If the potato slices are still very firm going onto the grill, they won’t finish in 12 minutes at medium-high. The goal at the parboil stage is just-barely-fork-tender, with some resistance.
- Keep slice thickness consistent. Thicker than ½ inch means the interior may still be firm when the outside has taken on good color. Thinner than ⅓ inch, and they can fall apart on the grates.
- If the grill runs hot and your slices are getting dark too fast, move them to the cooler side and close the lid for the remaining time.
- Make the yogurt sauce before you light the grill. It improves after 20–30 minutes in the fridge and it’s one less thing to do while the potatoes are cooking.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
