Grilled potatoes are the easiest summer side dish — crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and no need to heat up the kitchen! Perfect with steak, bbq chicken, and salmon.
If you’re looking for even more potato side dishes, try this easy potato salad recipe, my great grandmother’s potato pancakes, and Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient easy potato casserole, too!
Potatoes on the Grill are the Perfect Summertime Side
We enjoy a lot of grilled steaks and burgers during the summer months, and we often pair them with these grilled baked potatoes. There’s hardly a “recipe” at all, so I’m essentially sharing our preferred method for cooking potatoes on the grill.
The process starts by “baking” the potatoes in the microwave until they’re tender. They are then finished on the grill to quickly achieve that crispy exterior and smoky flavor without charring or burning!
Had this tonight for dinner with the steaks my husband was grilling. They were delicious and very easy to make. They didn’t need any butter or other potato toppings. I would highly recommend them…
– Beth
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Use either russet potatoes (“baking potatoes” or “Idaho potatoes”) or sweet potatoes. Russets work well because they have a thick skin, which gets nice and crispy on the grill. They also have a high starch content, which creates a dry, fluffy interior. If you prefer sweet potatoes, I find that they cook a little bit faster, so you will likely need to adjust the microwave time accordingly (about 5 minutes rather than 7 minutes).
- Scale the recipe for the size of your group. You can prepare just one potato at a time, or you can grill as many as you might need to feed a larger family.
- Be liberal with the olive oil. This important ingredient adds flavor to the potatoes, helps the seasoning adhere, prevents the potatoes from sticking to the grill, and helps the exterior get nice and crispy.
- Don’t forget about the toppings, too! If you’d like to “dress up” your grilled potatoes, try garnishing with a pat of butter, sour cream, chopped fresh herbs like chives or parsley, green onions, chopped crispy bacon, grated cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese, cowboy baked beans, beef chili or taco meat, seasoned black beans, this easy guacamole recipe, and salsa.
How to Grill Potatoes
Cooking potatoes on the grill is easier (and quicker!) than you might think! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Scrub the potatoes clean. Prick holes in each potato with a fork. This allows steam to escape so that your potato doesn’t explode in the microwave.
- Wrap the potatoes in damp paper towels, and microwave on high (one at a time) for about 6 minutes (or 5 minutes if you’re using sweet potatoes). The potatoes should be fork-tender and done cooking at this point. It’s helpful to par-cook the potatoes so that they don’t get too charred, and instead you can just finish them off on the grill to get nice and crispy.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half lengthwise. Rub each potato half with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and just a pinch of garlic powder.
- Place the potatoes flesh-side down on the grill until charred grill marks appear, about 5 minutes. Then flip the potatoes over and move them to the upper rack of the grill (or to indirect heat) to give the skin a chance to crisp, about 5 more minutes. You do not need to wrap the potatoes in foil. It’s important to let the skin of the potato dehydrate on the grill to create that crisp exterior. Wrapping the potatoes in foil traps steam and moisture, which yields a soft skin.
Serving Suggestions
Grilled potatoes are delicious alongside just about any protein that you’re already cooking on the grill. For instance, pair them with BBQ beef, flank steak, London broil marinade, grilled beef tenderloin, slow cooker French dip, ham and cheese sliders, grilled chicken, oven baked BBQ chicken thighs, marinated grilled chicken thighs, Crock Pot brown sugar chicken, herb roasted chicken thighs, chicken dijon, shish kabobs, grilled pork tenderloin, mustard pork tenderloin, marinated grilled shrimp, honey lime shrimp, or grilled scallops, plus Dr. Pepper pulled pork or sheet pan sausage and peppers.
Storage Tips
- How to Store: Leftover grilled potatoes will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How to Freeze: Allow the potatoes to cool completely, wrap individually with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 1 month.
- How to Reheat: Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Warm them in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. To reheat potatoes directly from the freezer, unwrap the potatoes, place on a baking sheet, and tent loosely with foil. Warm the frozen potatoes in a 425°F oven for 25 to 35 minutes. If the skin isn’t crisping back up, remove the foil during the final few minutes.
- How to Enjoy Leftovers: Use leftover grilled baked potatoes in baked potato soup, prepare taco stuffed potatoes or chicken, broccoli and cheese stuffed potatoes, or use the leftovers for twice baked potatoes.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Grilled Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes (russet or sweet potatoes will both work)
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder, to taste
- Optional, for serving: butter, chives, sour cream, cheese, bacon bits
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes. Use a fork to prick holes on all sides of the potatoes.
- Wrap the potatoes individually in damp paper towels. Microwave each potato on high, one at a time, until fork-tender, about 6-7 minutes per russet potato or 5 minutes per sweet potato. Remove the paper towels and allow the potatoes to rest until cool enough to handle.
- Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Brush or rub all sides of the potatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste.
- Preheat a grill (or indoor grill pan) over medium-high heat. Grill the potatoes flesh-side down until you can see grill marks, about 5 minutes. Flip the potatoes over and place them on the upper rack of the grill (or on indirect heat) to keep them warm and to allow the skin to get crispy, about 5 more minutes.
- Garnish the potatoes with optional toppings just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Use either sweet potatoes or russet potatoes (or a combination of both!). I’ve included instructions for both types of potatoes in the recipe below.
- Season your grilled potatoes with any of your favorite herbs and spices. I keep it simple with just salt, pepper, and garlic powder, but you can use our all-purpose seasoning recipe, steak seasoning, Italian seasoning, chili powder, garlic salt, or my boys’ favorite — Old Bay!
- Whole Baked Potatoes on the Grill: microwave the potatoes for just 4 minutes, coat with oil on the outside, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the potatoes in two layers of aluminum foil. Heat the grill to 350°F. Place the foil-wrapped potatoes directly on the grill grates, close the lid, and cook the potatoes for about 30-40 minutes, or until very tender.
More Potato Recipes to Try
Crispy Seasoned Roasted Potatoes
40 minutes mins
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Party Potatoes
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Originally published in July, 2019, this post was updated in June, 2025.
We usually do foil packet potatoes on the grill, butt this sounds like a great alternative–and much less labor intensive!
I hope you’ll give them a try! 🙂
Hi.. question – can I make “prep” them in the AM with the Micro and then went we get to the campsite grill then for dinner? If so any thoughts on tips?
Thanks
These sounds great.
Hi, Shan! Absolutely — I think that would work well. My only tip is to let them cool completely after you microwave them before you package them up to transport them. You don’t want to wrap up hot potatoes and have them continue steaming as you carry them. Hope you enjoy, and have fun camping!
Had this tonight for dinner with the steaks my husband was grilling. They were delicious and very easy to make. They didn’t need any butter or other potato toppings. I would highly recommend them. Blair, I love your website and your recipes. Keep up the great work.
Thank you, Beth! I’m so glad that you made them and that you enjoyed the potatoes as much as we do. It’s such an easy summer side dish!❤️
Hello, I have a question… I do not have a microwave, do you have a recommendation for how to precook the potatoes before going ot the grill? Boil them for a bit? Bake them a bit?
Thank you!
Hi, Jennifer! I think I would bake them for a bit first. Boiling would probably work okay, but I worry that the potatoes would be wet and therefore steam on the grill rather than crisp up. 🙂
Love this recipe, it took me a long time to find one using half potato instead of quartered or sliced. Thank you I will do these this sunday for guests.
Thanks, Charlie! I hope your guests enjoy them on Sunday! 🙂