If you love sweet potatoes, you’re going to love this Smoked Sweet Potatoes recipe. They're tender, flavorful, and the perfect side dish for just about anything. Plus, cooking them on the smoker gives them a delicious smoky flavor that you just can't get from the oven.
We are a potato-loving house. My family loves them all: mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, French fries, potato soup, baked potatoes, home fries, twice-baked potatoes, hash browns, and every other potato you can think of. After cooking many types of potatoes on the Traeger over the last year, we knew we just had to make some smoked sweet potatoes.
These may be the best of the bunch. They are so easy and have the best balance of sweet, salty, and smoky!
For more smoked potato recipes, try our Smoked Cheesy Potatoes, Traeger Baked Potatoes, Smoked Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Scalloped Potatoes, and Smoked Twice Baked Potatoes. Told you we love side dishes that use potatoes!
Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes - Choose potatoes that are all about the same size so they cook evenly. I normally shoot for medium-sized potatoes.
- Olive Oil - Any oil will work but I normally reach for extra virgin olive oil. You just want to oil the skin of the potatoes so it doesn't dry out.
- Kosher Salt - Sprinkling the sweet potatoes with salt enhances the natural sweetness by providing a contrast.
- Black Pepper - Pepper will also bring out the natural flavor of the potatoes.
How to Make Smoked Sweet Potatoes
Cooking potatoes on the smoker isn't any harder than baking them in the oven! Just oil, season, and cook.
Step One: Rub the skin of the sweet potatoes with oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.
Step Two: Smoke the sweet potatoes at 225°F for about 2-2.5 hours, or until they reach an internal temperature of 205°F when checked with a thermometer. If they aren't done after 2.5 hours, you can cook them longer. The internal temperature is more important than the cooking time.
Optional Step Three: If desired, halve the smoked sweet potatoes, return them to the tray, and add your favorite toppings. Place them back on the smoker for another 10 minutes to let the flavors meld or the marshmallows melt.
Top Tip
Try to choose sweet potatoes that are close to the same size. Smaller potatoes will cook faster than larger ones, so having them all about the same size makes it easier to get them done at the same time. I also recommend checking the internal temperature instead of relying only on the cooking time.
Variations
- Spices - You can totally change up the flavor of the potatoes by using sweet or savory spices. Pumpkin pie spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and allspice can be sprinkled on the potatoes during the last 15 minutes of smoking. Rosemary, thyme, sage, or a BBQ rub can be rubbed on the potatoes in the very beginning.
- Toppings - Mini marshmallows, brown sugar, butter, maple syrup, chives, and sour cream are all common toppings for sweet potatoes. For most of those, I recommend halving the potatoes, adding the toppings, and then returning them to the smoker for an additional 10 minutes. If you want to top them with sour cream and chives, add those right before serving.
- Mashed - Remove the skins and mash the flesh of the sweet potatoes with butter. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and/or maple syrup or brown sugar.
Equipment
You'll need a smoker or pellet grill, a tray to hold the sweet potatoes, and an instant-read thermometer. We use our Traeger, but any smoker that can maintain a steady temperature of 225°F will work.
Storage
Store leftover smoked sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can keep them whole or cut them in half before storing.
To reheat, pop them in the microwave until hot or warm them in the oven at 350°F. You can also put them back on the smoker if you already have it running.
You can freeze cooked sweet potatoes for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing them without the toppings so you can add fresh butter, brown sugar, or whatever you like when you're ready to eat.
Common Questions
We cook sweet potatoes to 205°F when checked with an instant-read thermometer. At this temperature, the inside should be soft and tender.
It takes about 2-3 hours to smoke a sweet potato, depending on the size. Since they can vary, make sure to check them with an internal temperature probe.
Sweet potatoes and yams are two different vegetables. Sweet potatoes have a naturally sweet flavor and become soft and creamy when cooked. True yams are starchier and generally have rougher skin.
The orange sweet potatoes commonly sold in grocery stores are sometimes labeled as yams, but they're actually sweet potatoes.
Smoked potatoes go well with almost any protein. We love them with the Smoked Brisket, Smoked Pulled Chicken, or the Traeger Ribs in our photos.
For an amazing Thanksgiving, serve these with Smoked Traeger Turkey, stuffing, and some veggies, and finish with a Smoked Apple Pie.
I also love to chop them up and serve on salads. Baby spinach with sweet potatoes, red onions, Craisins, feta cheese, and Smoked Pecans is a favorite around here.
Recipe
Smoked Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- Traeger Grill or other smoker
Ingredients
- 3 lb sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Topping (optional)
- 4 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 225.
- Wash the potatoes and poke a few times with a fork. Place in a foil tray.
- Drizzle the sweet potatoes with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Smoke the potatoes for about 2 hours until they reach 205 when checked with an internal thermometer.
Nutrition
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Originally Published May 18, 2022. Revised and Republished October 13, 2026.
Dale Nute says
Thanks for this recipe. I have been looking for low&slow recipes to cook sides with a ham this weekend. I am also going to try your smoked cornbread. My understanding is that regular supermarket orange sweet potatoes are not the same thing as yams.