BBQ Sweet Potatoes and Apples
BBQ sweet potatoes with apples, scallions and honey-lime glaze is a healthy, vibrant vegetarian side dish, ready in about 20 minutes.
A shortcut makes them quick and easy.
The honey and lime glaze adds a sweet zesty flavor profile to the sweetness of the potatoes and the slight tartness of the apples.
Ingredients notes – tailored to your taste
Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, apples, lime, honey, scallions/green onions, olive oil (plus salt and pepper)
- Apples: Use apples that hold up well when cooked such as golden delicious, pink lady, fuji, gala, honey crisp or granny smith (a tart apple).
- Scallions/green onions: If you don’t have any, you can use sliced onion rounds instead.
- Glaze: Instead of honey and lime, try a maple syrup. lemon and cinnamon glaze. Brown sugar will work as well.
- Seasoning: Add a pinch of cayenne for heat. And garnish with cilantro or chives.
Tips
- Precook the sweet potatoes before grilling. This cuts the grilling and hands-on time way down and ensures they don’t burn in the process. Once precooked, the skins easily peel off with a knife or, if you like, you can leave the skins on. Just make sure you wash them well before microwaving.
- You can boil the sweet potatoes instead, but I find the best way is to microwave them – much faster and no extra pot.
- When charring the veggies and apples, watch them carefully as the sugar in the glaze can cause them to burn easily.
Step by step
Microwave sweet potatoes until tender but not too soft. They should still have some bite. Slice potatoes and apples. Mix glaze ingredients together.
Grill for a few minutes per side until you get char marks, brushing half of glaze on apples slices and veggies when grilling.
Transfer to baking sheet. Drizzle on rest of glaze.
Serve on a platter or shallow large bowl. Add garnish if you like.
Shortcuts
- Don’t bother peeling the skin off the sweet potatoes (although it takes just a minute).
- Microwaving the sweet potatoes before cutting and grilling saves a lot of time.
- Substitute a bottled Thai sweet chili sauce for the honey lime glaze. This will also add some heat.
Make Ahead
- It’s fine to make BBQ sweet potatoes and apples early in the day and serve them in the evening. Or even the day before. They can be warmed in the oven or microwave. Or just bring the dish to room temperature.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, sweet potatoes are super healthy. They do have fairly high carbohydrates, but many health benefits. According to healthline, they are an excellent source of dietary fiber, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin A and potassium.
They are essentially the same thing and used interchangeably, although true scallions are a bit milder. Spring onions, however, have a much larger bulb.
What to serve with grilled sweet potatoes and apples
BBQ sweet potatoes and apples pair beautifully with grilled Vietnamese chicken, chili lime chicken wings, sous vide flank steak, Canadian maple cedar plank salmon, cedar planked chicken or marinated pork chops.
More easy recipes for sweet potatoes
Then try one of these other easy sweet potato recipes.
- Squash, Sweet Potato & Mandarin Soup
- Vegetable strudel recipe
- Vegetarian sweet potato hash (a reader favorite)
- Maple lime roasted sweet potatoes
- Oven roasted vegetables
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BBQ Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds/1.9 kg)
- 2 apples, Note 1
- 3 large scallions (green onions)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon chopped parsley, chives or cilantro (garnish)
Honey Lime Glaze, Note 2
- 1 large lime (juice and zest)
- 2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon each, kosher salt and black pepper (or more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
Instructions
- HEAT GRILL to medium-high heat (425-450F/218-232C).
- PREPARE SWEET POTATOES: Pierce sweet potatoes in several places with a sharp knife. Microwave for about 5 minutes or until knife pierces through easily (Potatoes should not be too soft – they need to hold up on the grill where they will cook a bit more). Peel potatoes by slicing skin off the sides with a knife. Cut horizontally into 1/2 inch/1.27 cm slices.
- PREPARE APPLES: Wash apples and cut them horizontally into 1/2 inch/1.27 cm slices. Remove middle core from each slice. (Note, if you have an apple corer, core apple first, then slice).
- PREPARE THE GLAZE/DRESSING: Combine dressing/glaze ingredients using a small whisk. Taste and adjust to your liking by adding more lime, salt, honey, etc. You will use some glaze/dressing during the grilling stage and the rest to drizzle on the salad when assembled.
- OIL POTATOES, APPLES, SCALLIONS – THEN GRILL: Lay scallions, apple slices and potatoes in a single layer on a pan lined with foil or parchment paper (for easy cleanup). Brush with oil on both sides or spray with cooking spray. Grill all vegetables over direct heat for 2-3 minutes on one side until charred marks appear. Flip to the other side and brush with glaze. Continue cooking on second side about 2-3 minutes until potatoes and apples are tender (but not mushy). Scallions will take less time to cook. Glaze the second side and transfer to a pan.
- ASSEMBLE AND SERVE. Cut apples in half. You can leave the sweet potato disks whole or cut them in half. Cut the scallions in 3-4 pieces. Pile sweet potatoes, scallions and apples onto a platter or shallow bowl. Drizzle with remaining glaze/dressing. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- Apples: Use apples that hold up well such as golden delicious apples, autumn glory apples (with cinnamon notes), pink lady, Fuji, gala, honey crisp, granny smith.
- Honey-lime glaze options:
- Instead of honey and lime, try a maple syrup, lemon and cinnamon glaze. Brown sugar will work as well.
- Skip the glaze and use a shortcut with bottled Thai sweet chili sauce and some lime. This will be spicy.
- Make ahead: It’s fine to make this recipe early in the day and serve it in the evening. Or even make it the day before. It can be warmed in the oven or microwave if you like. Or just bring the dish to room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
This recipe, first published in 2017, has been edited with updated information and pictures.
