Perfect Grilled Potatoes

Here’s how to make the best grilled potatoes! These wedges are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside: the ideal summer side dish.

Out of all the vegetables imaginable: potatoes somehow always steal the show. Meet these perfect grilled potatoes! These little wedges are just how you’d want them: crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. They’re like the French fries of grilled vegetables, really. The outsides are just salty enough, seasoned with Old Bay to give them a hint of celery salt and paprika. Serve them with a dipping sauce and it’s hard to tear yourself away from the platter! (At least, it was for us.) Potatoes are a little tricky on the grill…here’s what you need to do to get them just right.

The secret to grilled potatoes: parboiling!

An experienced grill master knows: some vegetables you can’t just throw on the grill. Harder veggies like cauliflower and potatoes need a little TLC before you pop them on the grill. The secret: parboiling. What’s parboiling? Parboiling is partially boiling food before you cook it using another method. You don’t want to boil the potatoes fully, just enough so they’re just starting to become tender.

Why do you have to parboil potatoes before grilling them? We get it, it’s an extra step. Skip parboiling and the potatoes turn out charred on the outside and hard on the inside. It’s any great grillmaster’s worst nightmare! In our opinion, at least.

Ingredients for grilled red potatoes

The great thing about this grilled red potatoes recipe? You hardly need any ingredients to make a stand-out side dish. Here’s what you’ll need:

Medium sized red potatoes The size here is key! You’ll want the potatoes to be not so small that they’ll fall through the grates, but not so large that the wedges are long and hard to eat.
Olive oil
Old Bay (more on that below!)
Salt

Easy to scale up! Just mind your grill space.

This grilled potatoes recipe calls for 1 pound of red potatoes. This makes enough for about 3 to 4 modest servings of potatoes. But let’s be honest: these disappear very quickly!

Multiply these quantities by 1.5 or 2 to make a more hefty portion of grilled potatoes. Just note that you’ll have to manage your grill space accordingly. Depending on the size of your grill, 2 pounds of potatoes could take up the entire grill space. If you’re making other grilled vegetables or a grilled main dish at the same time, you may have to cook things in batches.

How to grill potatoes (basic steps)

All you need to know about how to grill potatoes is the trick: parboiling! Once you’ve mastered that, you’ll just need the grill temp and approximate temp and you’re ready to go. Here are the basic steps (or jump to the recipe below):

Preheat a grill to medium high heat. That’s 375 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature for most grilled vegetables.
Cut the potatoes into wedges and parboil about 5 minutes. Boil until they’re just able to be pierced with a knife, but still firm and hold their shape. The grill will do the rest!
Grill on the grates for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Keep the straight edge on the grill and flip them right over!

Old Bay & a few alternatives!

Old Bay is an American seasoning blend that’s often used to season seafood, most notably in shrimp boils or chowders. If you live in the US, you’ll know it from its signature red and yellow can! The main ingredients are paprika, celery salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. It truly makes anything you sprinkle it on taste irresistible. Here’s how to get ahold of it:

Buy it: You can find Old Bay in your grocery store in the spices aisle, or buy Old Bay online.
Make it: It’s close to the real thing! Try this homemade Old Bay seasoning.
Substitute: Old Bay contains salt! If you’re not using it, increase the salt and use garlic powder and paprika (exact quantities are in the recipe below).
Mix it up! Use other seasoning blends to mix it up! Our top seasoning recommendations are Taco, Fajita, Cajun, Blackened, Seafood (not just for fish!), and Greek.

Sauces for grilled potatoes

Step these grilled potatoes up and serve them with a sauce! Of course, ketchup is a natural pairing. Here are a few more creative ideas for dipping your taters:

Special Sauce: This Special Sauce is like a Big Mac sauce, but perfect for potatoes too.
Honey Mustard: This Honey Mustard sauce is balanced between sweet and savory.
Ranch: Ranch is perfect for dipping! Try our Homemade Ranch.
Cucumber Sauce: This Greek-style Quick Cucumber Sauce is also fun for dipping.
Cilantro Sauce: This green Creamy Cilantro Sauce is perfect with potatoes.

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.