I love a good baked potato, yet I have always considered it “winter food.” But, because a baked potato is great with many things, it can easily be transformed to year-round food by throwing it on the grill.
How to grill a baked potato
Start by prepping the grill and potatoes. Preheat the grill using medium-high heat. The target temperature for inside the grill cover is 400-425F. Allow 10-15 minutes for the grill to get nice and hot.
While the grill is warming, prep the potatoes. Russet potatoes are the classic choice, because their high starch content creates a light and fluffy cooked potato. Scrub the potatoes well (for you tater skin-eaters), and blot dry. Then, coat with a little olive oil and a generous dusting of salt.
Wrap each potato well in aluminum foil. With a knife or fork, pierce the potatoes through the foil all the way ‘round the potato, about 5-6 times, total. These small holes allow excess steam to escape and simultaneously absorb that delicious smoky grill flavor. Win-win!
Place the potatoes directly on the preheated grill grates and close the cover. Potatoes can be turned every 15-20 minutes to promote even cooking while grilling. I like to buy fairly large russet potatoes, so I expect an hour’s cooking time. Obviously, smaller potatoes require less time to cook.
How to tell when potatoes are done
If you’re familiar with the term “fork tender,” then you probably already know the answer. Test the potatoes by inserting a paring knife or fork to estimate doneness. If the fork slides in easily, the potato is done. If you feel resistance, the potato needs a little more time.
A more high-tech approach means using a meat thermometer to monitor the potatoes. Slide the probe of the thermometer into the middle of the largest potato and leave it in while the potatoes cook. Target temperature is 210F for a fully done and fluffy potato. I’m a fan of using a meat thermometer because it shows how close the potatoes are to being done. That’s a huge help to time the rest of my meal.
Serving grilled baked potato
The sky’s the limit here, but I love a basic potato with butter, salt and pepper, and a little sour cream. If you like designer potatoes, load up on whatever you like: cheese, green onions, chives, bacon bits — even chili. Make it a meal!
And, as I mentioned before, you’ll probably want to eat the skin. When you grill a potato in foil, the skin becomes crispy and flavorful. I simply love it!
Baked Potato on the Grill
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 400-425F.
- To prep potatoes, scrub clean and pat dry, then coat in olive oil and salt. Wrap tightly in tinfoil.
- With a fork or knife, pierce each potato through the foil about 5-6 times around the potato.
- Place potatoes directly on preheated grill grates. Close cover and cook for about an hour, turning occasionally.
- Potatoes are done when easily pierced with a small knife or fork, or when internal temperature is 210 degrees F.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before unwrapping and serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Recipe FAQs
Instead of olive oil, feel free to use butter to oil the potato skin before wrapping, because butter is ALWAYS a good choice.
And, if you’re partial to garlic, sprinkle a little garlic powder on your oiled potato with the salt. Think of THAT flavor sensation! Abbondanza!
As is often the case, grilling can involve more than one part of the meal. Pork, for instance, takes a shorter grilling time at a lower temperature, as you can see with this recipe for pork tenderloin. I recommend grilling tenderloin at 350F.
At that temperature, potatoes normally take well over an hour to cook. To finish cooking pork and potatoes at the same time, either start the potatoes an hour before the meat or pre-cook the potatoes by microwaving them 4-5 minutes before wrapping in foil and grilling them.
The microwave method “jump-starts” the cooking process so both potatoes and pork are done together. Note: If you do this, first oil and salt the potatoes, pierce a few times, then microwave. Let cool slightly before wrapping (they will be hot!!) and pierce the foil a few more times before placing on the grill.
You can read about this lots of places, but I will quote Sfgate when I say that potatoes are a rich source of fiber, iron, vitamin C and vitamin B-6. But to get the most nutrients you’ll need to eat the whole potato. So, go ahead and eat that super tasty skin!
Ha ha ha “designer potatoes”, I love this. When I first saw this recipe I thought, “What the—???” but it actually makes a lot of sense and sounds super delicious! Especially the skin! I can’t wait to try this, Sula! Thanks!
Oh, the skin is super good!!
My favourite way to enjoy a potato – and I LOVE the skins! 😀
I am a skin lover also!
What a great way to cook jacket potatoes. Crispy skin is the best part of the potato so I’ve just got to try this recipe.
Oh I agree, a crispy potato skin is just the best!
I love baked potatoes but had never tried them on the gill…what a fantastic idea! And the skins….YUM!
Potato skins are just the BEST!!
I bet these will have amazing flavor from the grill. I am going to make these with my weekly burger creation!
Yes, they will pick up a little of that grill “smoky” flavor that we all love. Enjoy!
We are huge fans of baked potatoes in our house (always with the skin on!) and can’t wait to try throwing them on the grill. Thanks for the recipe!
You qre so welcome, if you love potato skins I think this will be a new favorite way to bake those potatoes!
I’m always looking for new grill recipes and this one caught my eye immediately. It’s so easy and delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Thank you for stopping by, I’m glad you enjoyed the potatoes!
I tried your garlic powder trick on the skin ( I love garlic) and it gave the skin such a nice flavour!!
Very yummy!
Thanks for this recipe! Perfect winter dish and it’s still cold down under!
It works year round!
Hmm yum! I bet my wife will love this Baked Potato on the Grill! Looks really delicious.
Oh yes, I guarantee she will!
Yum , this is such a great idea! Never tried grilled potatoes before but looks really good !
Oh yes, they are very yummy!
I have never tried this but it sounds fun to try next time we go camping. Thanks for the on the grill baked potato recipe!
So fun for camping!
Yes! This is the perfect recipe for the grill! Baked potato perfection!!
So glad you like it!
This is a game changer….for those summer months when I don’t want to put on the oven and heat up the house….but we love our baked potatoes! Great idea.
Same for me – love baked potatoes but only want to cook on the grill. It works great!
Great timing! My daughter was just asking to make baked potatoes on the grill last night!! These look perfect for her.
Oh I hopes she enjoys them!
Love this recipe! It was super tasty and so easy… my family gobbled it up. I’ll definitely be making again!
It’s that kind of dish – it goes with everything!
We love to use our grill for everything and these potatoes did not disappoint! We loved them.
I’m so happy they worked for you, Jen. 🙂
Such a fantastic side to go with grilled meat. I can’t wait to start using this recipe during the next cookout. So yum!
Oh yes, it goes great with grilled meat!
Yum! Baked potatoes are a must here at the house! We love them and this recipe is going to be our new favorite! Can’t wait to make this!
Yes, you normally don’t think of the grill for baked potatoes, but once you try it you are hooked!
Such a great side dish add on when your grill is already fired up and ready to go! I usually make a toppings bar for my kids to load them up.
Oh great idea – everyone loves a good potato bar!
I love baked potatoes but have never tried them on the grill. Amazing! This is a keeper recipe for sure!
The grill makes a great improvement to the taste!
This recipe is our favorite! This is so delicious and yummy! My family loves it. Can’t wait to make these again!
Its my favorite too!
I love that you can throw these on and finish a couple of steaks at the same time. Most of your meal done without heating up the kitchen!
Exactly!
Oh my goodness – brilliant idea! You’re right – baked potatoes always seem like winter foods that you need to fire up the oven to cook. So smart to use the grill instead! And thanks for the “doneness” target temp for using a thermometer. My husband absolutely loves his grill thermometer (he’s such a techie cook lol) – so that’s super helpful!
Oh you will love these, I am certain!