This Grilled Sweet Potato Salad is a potato salad like no other! It’s packed with smoky grilled sweet potato, crumbled bacon, fresh veggies and it’s tossed in a maple bacon dressing. It’s an easy, delicious summer side dish!

Sweet potato salad in a white bowl

Summer may be coming to a close, but my grill is still working over time.  It’s so hot out that I’ve been grilling anything and everything.  

I’ve almost been living off of grilled vegetables and grilled corn on the cob lately, and I’ve been on a grilled sweet potato kick as well.

This Grilled Sweet Potato Salad is one of the best summer salad recipes because it’s cooked on completely on the grill and it’s super easy to make. 

Despite the bit of bacon grease in the dressing, this salad is on the healthy side compared to those mayo laden potato salads.

If you prefer potato salad with no mayo, be sure to try my German potato salad and grilled potato salad recipes as well!

Table of contents

Sweet potato salad in a bowl with parsley and serving spoon

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • This sweet potato salad is a delicious twist on the classic with smoky sweet potato, crisp veggies, crumbled bacon and a maple bacon dressing.
  • It makes a tasty summer side dish for any type of main dish.
  • It’s an easy recipe that’s ready in just 30 minutes.
  • It’s completely customizable with your favorite veggies or dressing.

Recipe ingredients

This sweet potato salad recipe includes just a few ingredients that you can customize to your liking.

Swap out the veggies or omit the bacon to make this recipe vegan.

Grilled sweet potato salad recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

  • Sweet potatoes. Use your favorite variety of sweet potatoes for this recipe. They grill up beautifully when they’re cut into thick rounds. This salad would work well with roasted sweet potatoes if you prefer — just season with salt and pepper!
  • Bacon. My favorite way to prepare bacon is in my air fryer. If you don’t have one, cook it using your preferred method and reserve bacon grease for the dressing.
  • Veggies. I’ve used fresh bell pepper and green onion, but you can substitute them with your favorite vegetables.
  • Dressing. This sweet potato salad recipe includes a maple bacon dressing, but it would also be wonderful with my red wine vinaigrette or your favorite store bought brand.

How to make this recipe

My easy instructions show you how to grill sweet potatoes, then assemble the salad.

They grill up super quickly and you can’t beat that smoky flavor and beautiful grill marks!

Pro tip: The potato salad may be made a few hours in advance — just keep the bacon separate to ensure that it retains its crispness.

See the recipe card below for full instructions.

How to make sweet potato salad
  1. Slice your sweet potatoes into 1/2″ thick rounds and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste.
  2. Place the sweet potato rounds on the grill and cook for 5-7 minutes per side or until tender and nice grill marks form.
  3. Whisk the dressing ingredients together until emulsified.
  4. Cut the sweet potatoes into chunks and place in a large bowl with the veggies, bacon and toss with the dressing.
Grilled sweet potatoes in a glass bowl

Recipe FAQs

What flavors go well with sweet potatoes?

Sweet potatoes are extremely versatile and pair beautifully with a variety of both sweet and savory ingredients.

Examples of sweet ingredients include brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, apples, and oranges, and savory pairings include bacon, onions, bell peppers, hearty greens, cheeses such as feta, parmesan and blue cheese, and a variety of spices such as chili powder, paprika and cayenne pepper.

How do I grill sweet potatoes?

Cut the sweet potatoes into thick 1/2″ rounds and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side until well charred and tender. The potatoes will be begin to blister when they’re done.

How do I make sweet potato salad?

Grill or roast the sweet potatoes. Once cooked, tossed with fresh veggies or your desired toppings, and toss with enough dressing to coat.

Bacon dressing pouring over sweet potato salad

Serving suggestions

There are so many delicious ways to serve this sweet potato salad with bacon!

Recipe notes

  • Pro tip: The potato salad may be made a few hours in advance — just keep the bacon separate to ensure that it retains its crispness.
  • This salad would work well with roasted sweet potatoes if you prefer — just season with salt and pepper!
  • Customize this sweet potato salad with your favorite veggies, or make it vegetarian by omitting the bacon.
  • If you prefer not to use bacon grease in your dressing, replace it with the same amount of olive oil, or substitute with my red wine vinaigrette.
grilled sweet potato salad in a bowl with a serving spoon

More side dishes you’ll love:

Did you try this recipe?  If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram

Sweet potato salad in a white bowl

Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

Servings: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Grilled Sweet Potato Salad is smoky, tender chunks of grilled sweet potato with bacon, crisp veggies and a tangy, sweet bacon dressing. It's a delicious gluten-free summer side dish!
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Ingredients

For the Grilled Sweet Potato Salad:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 lbs. sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2″ thick rounds
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 slices air fryer bacon crumbled (reserve the bacon grease for the dressing); or cook bacon using your preferred method
  • 1 large green onion thinly sliced, both white and green parts
  • 1 small bell pepper seeded or chopped (I used half red and half yellow)

For the dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon reserved bacon grease
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Preheat the grill to medium high heat.
  • In a medium bowl, toss the sweet potato rounds with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper until the potatoes are well coated. Place the potato rounds on the preheated grill and turn the heat down to medium. Grill 5-7 minutes per side or until each side is well charred and the potatoes are tender (the potatoes will appear slightly blistered when they're ready). Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Place the olive oil, red wine vinegar, bacon grease, maple syrup, dijon mustard, salt and pepper in small bowl and whisk to combine.
  • When the sweet potatoes have cooled slightly, cut them into chunks or slice width-wise and place in a serving bowl. Add the bacon, green onion and bell pepper and toss with the desired amount of dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Pro tip: The potato salad may be made a few hours in advance — just keep the bacon separate to ensure that it retains its crispness.
  • This salad would work well with roasted sweet potatoes if you prefer — just season with salt and pepper!
  • Customize this sweet potato salad with your favorite veggies, or make it vegetarian by omitting the bacon.
  • If you prefer not to use bacon grease in your dressing, replace it with the same amount of olive oil, or substitute with my red wine vinaigrette.

Nutrition

Calories: 413kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 277mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 15g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Side Dishes
Cuisine: American
Author: Marcie
All recipes and images © Flavor the Moments.
Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

**This post was originally published in September 2014.  The photos, recipe and the text have been updated to include step by step photos and more recipe information.

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