Creamy, intense, and delightfully tender, these smoked sweet potatoes make the perfect side dish! And if you’re into easy meal prep, double or triple the batch for heat-and-repeat stress-free weeknight meals.
One of my favorite things about fall is the fruits and veggies that come into season. While most are available year-round, the price goes down considerably when there is an abundance. So, of course, I stocked up on a couple of bags of gorgeous orange and purple sweet potatoes before the holidays.
Now we’re having a blast making sweet potato pie, sweet potato cornbread, mashed sweet potatoes, and sweet potato salad for this week’s menu and the freezer. Instead of cooking them all in the oven or boiling them, I decided to throw a few in the smoker to see what would happen. Oh, joy to the soul.
Why Sweet Potatoes Love the Smoker
What can be bad about efficiently using the extra space in your pellet grill while the main course is smoking? Slow roasting caramelizes natural sugars, adding beautiful roasted notes and that amazing smoky flavor we all love. And a fantastic bonus is the flavorful skin and silky flesh that’s hard to beat.
Everyone has their favorite wood flavors, but for sweet potatoes, I prefer fruit woods like apple and cherry. Though the time I used a mix of maple and pecan, they turned out amazing. On the other hand, fearless pitmasters swear hickory produces the traditional BBQ flavors, so feel free to experiment, and please comment below which wood chips you used.
How to Smoke Sweet Potatoes
Clean and dry the sweet potatoes, rub them with olive oil, season if desired, pierce them a few times with a fork, and place them in a hot smoker until tender.
Recipe Notes
- If your sweet potatoes are as smoky as you want them but still need time to finish cooking, wrap them in foil and smoke on.
- Make a cinnamon butter with maple syrup or brown sugar to top your smoked potatoes for an easy dessert.
- Increase the temperature to 350℉ (180℃) for smoking sweet potatoes in under an hour.
Make-Ahead and Leftover Makeovers
We always cook up extra sweet potatoes because they’re so handy to have in the fridge and freezer. So double or triple the recipe; your future self will thank you.
They’ll last easily for 3-5 days in the fridge or up to a year in the freezer. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and use at will.
Heat cooked sweet potatoes in the oven or air fryer and top them with chickpea curry or treat them like loaded baked potatoes for an easy one-dish lunch. Leftovers also make great soup, muffins, biscuits, waffles, and souffles. They also add smoky depth of flavor to the traditional holiday sweet potato casserole.
What Pairs With Smoked Sweet Potatoes
My family loves smoked pork tenderloin or pellet-grilled chicken and a healthy salad. But you could definitely turn sweet potatoes into a fast and tasty lunch with black beans, sliced avocado, and chopped cilantro.
More Show-Stopping Sides to Enjoy
By Imma
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Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 5 minutes
American, Southern
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Preheat your smoker or pellet grill to 225°F (105°C).
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Scrub the sweet potatoes, then rinse and pat them dry. Rub each one with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and pierce them several times with a fork so they don’t explode in the smoker.
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Place the sweet potatoes directly on the grates and close the lid. Smoke for 1½-3 hours (how long depends on the size and temperature). A fork or knife will pierce the flesh when tender. Optionally flip the sweet potatoes halfway through, but it’s not absolutely necessary.
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Once they’re done, take them out of the smoker. Slice each one lengthwise, being careful not to cut all the way through. Gently press the ends of the sweet potatoes toward the middle to open them up.
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Carefully fluff the inside of the sweet potato with a fork to make it easier to eat.
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Immediately serve them as is, or top them with butter, green onions, and other toppings.
- To smoke sweet potatoes faster, increase the temperature to 350℉ (180℃).
- Smoke a few strips of bacon until they’re crisp. Then chop them and use them to top your smoked sweet potatoes.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional data is a rough estimate and can vary greatly depending on the products used in the recipe. It’s also for the sweet potatoes, not the optional toppings.
Serving: 1sweet potato| Calories: 358kcal (18%)| Carbohydrates: 68g (23%)| Protein: 5g (10%)| Fat: 8g (12%)| Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)| Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g| Monounsaturated Fat: 5g| Sodium: 769mg (33%)| Potassium: 1146mg (33%)| Fiber: 10g (42%)| Sugar: 14g (16%)| Vitamin A: 48236IU (965%)| Vitamin C: 8mg (10%)| Calcium: 102mg (10%)| Iron: 2mg (11%)
Course: Side
Cuisine: American, Southern
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
