Grilled Sweet Potato Salad
Grilled Sweet Potato Salad has creamy Feta Cheese and basil, and this is fun when you want something different to cook on the grill! And if you check the nutritional information, you might be surprised that it’s not that much of a splurge on carbs.
PIN the Grilled Sweet Potato Salad to try it later!
I’m not sure where I got the idea for this Grilled Sweet Potato Salad but grilling thick slices of sweet potatoes and using them in a salad with vinaigrette dressing, green onions, Feta, basil and thyme, created a salad that was so, so good. And the leftovers from this salad were tasty, even after a few days in the fridge.
It took me two tries to come up with a combination that seemed just right but we loved the final version of the sweet potato salad! And since I first created this recipe, I’ve made this salad quite a few times, so I’m recommending it for my Friday Favorites pick this week!
One more note about the recipe that some people might find interesting! If you live in the U.S., the red sweet potatoes I use in this recipe may well be called “yams” or “sweet yams” in your grocery store. But I promise they are really orange-flesh sweet potatoes! Read more below if you are confused about that!
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
- Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) or purchased vinaigrette dressing of your choice
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- green onions
- fresh basil, cut into strips
- chopped fresh thyme or Ground Thyme (affiliate link)
- crumbled Feta
What’s the difference between yams and sweet potatoes?
Many people are confused about the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, but you can refer your store’s produce guy to Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams at The Library of Congress if they don’t believe you! You can also make this sweet potato salad with white-fleshed sweet potatoes if you prefer that type.
How to make Grilled Sweet Potato Salad without an outdoor grill:
If you don’t have an outdoor grill, the sweet potatoes for this salad could also be cooked in a stove-top grill pan with ridges (affiliate link) or a George Foreman Grill (affiliate link) with good results.
How to make basil strips for the Sweet Potato Salad:
You can easily make strips of basil by stacking up some basil leaves and cutting them crosswise into strips, discarding the stem. But if you love cooking with fresh herbs, you might enjoy using Herb Scissors (affiliate link) for this, which makes is extra easy. I love my herb scissors so much, I’ve made them one of my picks on the blog.
What if you’re not a fan of Feta cheese?
Feta cheese fans like me will love the creamy tangy flavor of Feta with the sweet potatoes in this sweet potato salad. But if you’re not a fan of Feta, you could use another cheese like coarsely-grated Parmesan, Queso Fresco, or Cotija, or any mild white cheese that would taste good with sweet potatoes for this salad.
How low in carbs is the sweet potato salad?
This favorite salad with sweet potatoes only has 13 net carbs in a serving!
Can’t get enough sweet potatoes?
If you’re a big fan of sweet potatoes you might want to check out my Favorite Healthy Sweet Potato Recipes for more tasty ideas!
How to make Grilled Sweet Potato Salad:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.
- Peel sweet potatoes and cut into slices about 3/4 inch thick.
- I used a purchased vinaigrette to brush the sweet potatoes before grilling and to toss with the salad. Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) is my favorite low-sugar dressings for grilling vegetables; use any low-sugar vinaigrette you prefer.
- Put the sweet potato slices on a baking sheet, then brush both sides with dressing and season with sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Grill the sweet potatoes about 4-5 minutes on first side, then rotate and cook 3-4 minutes longer on this side. (You can skip the rotating if you don’t care about grill marks.)
- Then flip sweet potato slices over and grill 7-8 minutes more on the second side, for a total of 15-20 minutes grilling time.
- Actual grilling time will depend on the temperature of your grill, and I started checking with a fork after about 12 minutes, and moved the sweet potatoes from the grill as they got tender.
- Let sweet potato slices cool for a few minutes, then cut them into cubes and put in salad bowl.
- Add the sliced green onions, thin basil strips, and chopped fresh thyme and gently combine with sweet potatoes. Then use as much of the second 1/4 cup of dressing as you need to moisten the salad (you may not need all the dressing.)
- Gently stir in the crumbled feta, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve salad at room temperature.
Make it a Carb-Conscious Meal:
The sweet potato salad would be delicious with low-carb entrees like Grilled Fusion Chicken, Grilled Salmon Burgers, Chicken Cutlets with Mustard Sauce, Maple Glazed Salmon, or Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks for a dinner that’s not too much of a splurge on carbs!
More Popular Sweet Potato Recipes:
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet Potato Gratin
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Sausage, and Broccoli Sheet Pan Meal
Grilled Sweet Potato Salad
Grilled Sweet Potato Salad is delicious with the creamy Feta Cheese, basil, thyme, green onion, and a flavorful vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 2 large orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (see notes)
- 1/2 C purchased vinaigrette dressing, divided
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 3 T thin chiffonade strips of basil
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (see notes)
- 1/2 C crumbled Feta (or more)
Instructions
- Preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium-high heat. (You can hold your hand there about 3 seconds at that heat.)
- Peel sweet potatoes and cut into slices about 3/4 inch thick.
- Lay slices on a cookie sheet, then measure 1/4 cup vinaigrette and brush each side of sweet potatoes with dressing, seasoning each side with salt and freshly ground black pepper after you brush on the dressing.
- Grill the sweet potato slices, cooking about 4-5 minutes on first side, then rotating to cook 3-4 minutes on that side.
- When you have nice grill marks on the first side (or when sweet potatoes are getting dark on that side) flip the sweet potatoes over and cook about 7-8 minutes more on the second side, or until sweet potatoes feel tender when pierced with a fork.
- Total grilling time will be about 15-20 minutes, but I started taking them off the grill as they felt done, and the larger pieces took more time.
- Let grilled sweet potato slices cool for 10-15 minutes, then cut into cubes and place in salad bowl.
- Add sliced green onions, chiffonade basil strips, and chopped thyme and gently combine with sweet potatoes.
- Stir in the other 1/4 cup of vinaigrette, using as much as you need to moisten the salad (you may not need all the dressing, depending on how wet you like your salads.)
- Gently stir in the crumbled feta, season salad with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and serve salad at room temperature.
Notes
You need close to 2 lbs. sweet potatoes. The orange-fleshed sweet potatoes may be called yams in some stores.
If you don't have fresh thyme you can use one teaspoon Ground Thyme (affiliate link) or just skip it completely.
I used Newman's Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link), use any dressing with less than 3 grams of sugar per serving.
I had a small container of leftover salad that was in the fridge for 2 days, and it still tasted great, but you may not have any leftovers!
Recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 131Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 11mgSodium 415mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 2gSugar 9gProtein 3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The Grilled Sweet Potato Salad would be a great side dish for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet, and it’s also low-glycemic and gluten-free. It would be okay for a moderate low-carb diet, but maybe not for strict low-carb. If you want fewer carbs, use some grilled zucchini to replace some of the sweet potatoes, although if you check the nutritional information this recipe is probably lower in net carbs than you think.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the Grilling Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This sweet potato salad recipe was first posted in 2010 and I’ve made it many times since then for a side dish that’s not too much of a splurge on carbs! It was last updated with more information in 2024.
44 Comments on “Grilled Sweet Potato Salad”
Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?
This salad was a bit hit at my July 4th BBQ. I grilled the sweet potatoes the day before and had a few of them for dinner. So good! Then the next morning I diced them and made the rest of the salad. I brought it to room temp before serving. Everyone loved it. I had a lot of requests for the recipe and sent them to your website.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for sending people to my site; always appreciated. And good to know you could grill the sweet potatoes ahead like that!
Kalyn can I make this ahead of time and let it come to room temperature prior to serving?
Or is it best made fresh?
Love your site- I have made many of your dishes.
Thank you,
Kathy
Thanks for the nice feedback Kathy! I am assuming you are talking about making it, refrigerating it, and then letting it come to room temperature. I have never done that. But I have made it an hour or so before I served it and that was fine.
I love the sound of this recipe, but I have one problem … NO GRILL.
Is there a way of using the oven to roast these without adding a lot of fat? I truly would love to try this recipe. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
I roast a baking sheet of cubes of sweet potatoes all the time, just about weekly. The best way I’ve found is to toss the cubes in a mixing bowl with maybe 2 Tbsp oil and a pinch of kosher salt, then spread them out on the baking sheet (I do 425 degrees, maybe 12-15 minutes). If you have a really good nonstick baking sheet you may not need any oil? It’s important not to crowd the baking sheet so they caramelize instead of steaming.
That does sound like a good way to cook sweet potatoes for this salad. Thanks for sharing.
I love this recipe and blog…I posted it on my community foodie blog. Hope you can come check it out http://www.facebook.com/thefrenchiefoodie
Also, feel free to post you're recipes or you're favourite foodie tips on it whenever you like!
Mary, thanks to you and your sister-in-law both! I loved this when I made it; so glad you guys are enjoying it too.
Amazing recipe! Thanks so much. I shared your blog a few months ago with my sister-in-law and she is the one who discovered this recipe and has been making it this summer, including last night's picnic. I need to finally make it myself. Keep up the good work!
Oh good, so glad you are enjoying it!
I've made this several times this spring/summer and it's fast becoming a family favorite. My son has requested it several times. We love it! Took the recipe on vacation with us so we could have it while away.
I do like the idea of using red bell pepper in this; thanks for sharing that! Glad you enjoyed it.
Ohhh, this was so goooood! I also have a basil plant, and I'm always so excited when I get to use some in a dish. For the dressing I used mirin, red wine, and apricot marmalade, which was reallt good. I'm still in need of a grill, though, but this turned out all right in the oven. Have you ever thought of adding red bell pepper? I did that, and ended up with roasted bell pepper, which I though was marvelous. Thanks for the great salad!
Jenna, so glad you liked it. Sounds like your garden is doing well!
I fired up the old charcoal and made this last night! Delish! Thanks for the recipe! I just shook together some olive oil, balsamic and trader joe's everyday seasoning. Yum! AND I got to use thyme, basil and green onions from my garden!
My husband would love this!
The sweet potato would pair well with the salty feta in this salad!
Carrie, so glad you liked it!
This was absolutely wonderful! Thanks so much for a quick and delicious recipe!
Puttering in the Midwest, probably still pretty good. If you can use garlic, I might add some chopped garlic to the oil, and maybe a little more green onions and basil. Hope it turns out for you with those changes.
Kalyn, I have recently been diagnosed with a IC a condition that effects the bladder and Vinegar is an absolute no no. I was wondering how you thought this would be with an infused olive oil only?
This is one georgous & excellent sweet potato & veggie salad!!
MMMMMMMMM,…a real delight!
Oh my goodness. Gimme!
I made a similar salad last week, but haven't had time to post it:) I will have to try your version soon.
This is such a nice combination of sweet and salty from the grilled caramelized potatoes and the feta. Sounds like a perfect summer salad!
Yum! This would be perfect with my lemon thyme that I planted this year! I often grill sweet potatoes and then toss with lime juice & cilantro then serve over quinoa that is mixed with pinto beans, chipotle, & lime vinaigrette! Yum!
I have never grilled sweet potatoes before – what a great idea to bring out their deep, rich flavor. And the grill marks look pretty cool, too!
Our mothers must have made sweet potatoes the same way – with marshmallows! Mine even put pineapple in hers once. So I grew up hating sweet potatoes. Now I can't get enough. I've been known to bake a sweet potato and have it for dinner, all on its own.
What you've done here is splendid, Kalyn. It's already on my weekend menu!
Kalyn, this sounds lovely. I have a sweet potato salad that is paired with blue cheese, but the potatoes are not roasted. I'm curious to see how the taste might change. Your recipe looks delicious. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings…Mary
Babs, I think coarsely grated parmesan would be good.
This sounds like a great idea for sweet potatos but we don't like feta or gorgonzola. But making it with no cheese doesn't sound as interesting. Maybe a milder cheese would work?
I really wasn't a sweet potato fan until I started eating healthier foods and now I can't get enough! Love this salad. Sweet potato and feta…nice combination!
I loathed the sweet potato / marshmallow thing….
Love sweet potatoes, though. We'll start seeing them again in late summer – time to try them on the barbecue – I love this salad!
today i use sweet potato too, but i fried it, not too healthy version. Your look healthy and refreshing.
I'm glad people are liking this! It's funny because I saw a Grilled Potato Salad from Bobby Flay in today's Parade Magazine.
Julia, no special reason I used store-bought vinaigrette except I like that dressing and I knew it would be good with the basil. You can certainly make your own dressing if you prefer.
I am wondering, is there a reason why you used store-bought vinaigrette, as opposed to homemade dressing?
I think I might try this for my husband. He insists he doesn't like sweet potatoes (yams) but I think this recipe will maybe convince him.
Sweet potato salad would be a heart healthy alternative to classic potato salad.
This recipe is going to the top of my list, Kalyn! Wonderful combination of herbs. I have tried grilling sweet potatoes several times in the past and always had great results – the flavor is irresistible.
This looks delicious! My herbs are going crazy right now, I think I'll have to try this! Thanks Kalyn, it looks delicious, as always!
Brilliant! I would never have thought to pair sweet potatoes and basil.
I love this! I tried a similar one (from Bobby Flay, I think) and it was good, but a little too tangy for my liking. This looks right up my alley,though! Especially with the addition of the feta!