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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Side Dish Recipes

    Grilled Potatoes without Foil

    By: Amy Katz · Published: May 4, 2020 · Last modified: Apr 29, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links. · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Special diet: gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, vegan
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    Collage of images for grilled potatoes with lemon herb sauce.

    Grilled Potatoes prepared without aluminum foil are deliciously browned on the outside and tender and creamy on the inside. Toss them with lemon herb sauce for the ultimate summer side that's ready in just 30 minutes!

    Grilled yellow potatoes in a bowl tossed with herb sauce next to aqua cloth napkin and gold serving utentils
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    Potatoes are such a versatile ingredient, but we often don't think about grilling them.

    When I ask friends what they like to grill, popular choices include veggie burgers and tofu and pineapple teriyaki kabobs. But spuds deserve a spot on the barbecue, too, and go perfectly with all your favorite vegan cookout recipes.

    Even if you've never grilled potatoes, it's really easy to do. The key is to cook them first in boiling water until just tender. Then use a grill basket or your barbecue instead of foil to give them the a crispy exterior.

    Jump to:
    • Want to save this recipe?
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Serving suggestions
    • Storing
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More vegan grilling recipes
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why you'll love this recipe

    • The grill makes the potatoes brown and crispy on the outside.
    • The lemon herb sauce makes this side dish extra flavorful.
    • 30 minutes is all it takes to make grilled potatoes without foil.

    Ingredients

    The list of ingredients you'll need to make this recipe is relatively short. And everything should be available at your local supermarket:

    • Small or baby potatoes (also called new potatoes): While you can use red or white for this recipe, I recommend gold (yellow) if they are available.
    • Olive oil: This is the preferred oil to use as part of a vegan Mediterranean diet.
    • Salt and pepper
    • Fresh parsley: I opt for Italian flat-leaf, but curly is fine, too.
    • Fresh mint
    • Garlic cloves
    • Lemon juice: Fresh is always better, but bottled will do in a pinch.

    Instructions

    Process shots showing how to prepare the potatoes and the sauce
    1. Boil the potatoes first to ensure they are tender all the way through. Drain and transfer to a bowl to cool. (Often I'll do this in advance, even the day before I'm ready to make this recipe.)
    2. When cool enough to handle, slice in half and toss with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Place the halves in a grill basket.
    3. Place the basket on the hot grill. Toss occasionally until lightly browned on the outside.
    4. Prepare the sauce in a food processor and toss with the grilled potatoes.

    Grill basket

    Using a vegetable grill basket makes grilling potatoes easy. I also use mine for grilling small veggies like cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions so that they don't fall through the grates and are easier to handle.

    Lemon Herb Sauce

    Grilled Potatoes get even more flavor from an easy-to-make food-processor sauce. It's like a vegan pesto, but with different ingredients.

    Simply combine fresh parsley and mint, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil, and it's ready to eat. I like to keep it on the chunky side so that I can still see bits of the fresh herbs.

    Close up of bowl of potatoes coasted in lemon herb pesto sauce

    Serving suggestions

    While I love the lemon herb sauce on these delectable potatoes, you can also serve them with tossed with other sauces. If you enjoy tangy olives, try them with my chunky green olive dressing. Or for a shortcut, use your favorite store-bought pesto sauce.

    Grilled potatoes go well with a variety of dishes. For summer parties, I love serving them with vegetable kebabs or veggie burgers and assorted vegan salads.

    And for brunch, this recipe goes really well with tofu scramble with vegan pesto and a simple Asparagus Avocado Salad.

    Plus the flavorful spuds make a great addition to the Salade niçoise from my Vegan Mix & Match Salads cookbook.

    Storing

    To save any leftovers, first bring them to room temperature. Then pack them in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy the leftovers within 3 to 5 days either cold or reheated in the microwave or oven.

    Recipe FAQs

    Is it safe to use aluminum foil in cooking?

    According to Healthline, "Cooking with aluminum foil can increase the amount of aluminum in your food. However, the amounts are very small and deemed safe by researchers."

    But cooking without foil, especially at high heat or with acidic foods like tomatoes and lemons, is a good idea if you are concerned about the amount of aluminum you are absorbing. In addition, you will produce less waste by eliminating the use of single-use foil.

    What can I use instead of a grill basket?

    A stainless steel cooling rack, like you use for baking cookies, can be turned upside down and used as a makeshift grill basket.

    Do you need to boil potatoes before grilling?

    Parboiling the potatoes is a necessary step to make sure the potatoes are cooked through and creamy on the inside. Otherwise, if you place the raw potatoes on the grill, they will get crispy on the outside but will still be rock hard on the inside.

    More vegan grilling recipes

    • Bowl of salad with corn, tomatoes, cucumber, onions, and fresh basil
      Tomato Cucumber Corn Salad
    • Serving bowl of eggplant salad with serving utensils and gray napkin.
      Mediterranean Eggplant Chickpea Salad
    • Teriyaki Tofu Skewers with pineapple, red bell pepper, and onion cooking on a barbecue grill.
      Teriyaki Tofu Skewers
    • Serving platter of grilled vegetable skewers
      Mediterranean Grilled Veggie Kabobs

    And for even more recipes, join the Vegan Mediterranean Diet Recipes Facebook group for support, inspiration, and fun.

    If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! ★★★★★

    📋 Recipe

    Grilled Potatoes without Foil

    Grilled Potatoes prepared without aluminum foil are deliciously browned on the outside and tender and creamy on the inside. Toss them with lemon herb sauce for the ultimate summer side.
    5 from 31 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Special diet: gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, vegan
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Fusion
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 281kcal
    Author: Amy Katz

    Equipment

    • grill basket
    • Food Processor
    • Lemon Lime Squeezer

    Ingredients

    • 3 pounds small gold potatoes
    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • salt and pepper, to taste

    For the Lemon Herb Sauce:

    • 1 bunch fresh parsley
    • 1 handful fresh mint
    • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
    • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
    • salt, to taste
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    • Place the whole potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add about a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. This step can be done in advance, even the day before. Cover and refrigerate the potatoes until you're ready to grill them.
    • Slice the potatoes in half and place them in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss well to coat.
    • Transfer the potatoes to a vegetable grill basket. Place on a grill over high heat.
    • Grill the potatoes until lightly browned and heated through, tossing occasionally, about 5 to 10 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, prepare the Lemon Herb Sauce by placing the parsley, mint, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process while drizzling the olive oil through the funnel of the food processor. Scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed. The sauce should be chunky. 
    • When the potatoes are ready, transfer them to a serving bowl. Top with the Lemon Herb Sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
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    Notes

    Any color of small or baby (new) potatoes can be used such as red or white. However, I recommend using yellow (gold) potatoes, if available.
    To save any leftovers, first bring them to room temperature. Then pack them in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy the leftovers within 3 to 5 days either cold or reheated in the microwave or oven.
     
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 1007mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 829IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg

    Nutritional information is an estimation only.

    This recipe was originally published 8/9/2018. It was updated for better user experience.

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    About Amy

    Amy Katz is a vegan recipe developer, photographer, and Certified Vegan Nutrition Health Coach. She loves sharing delicious plant-based Mediterranean diet recipes that home cooks of all levels can enjoy. Her easy vegan recipes have been featured on HuffPost, LIVESTRONG, Healthline, Parade, VegNews, BuzzFeed, MSN, Greatist, Country Living, Insider, Brit+Co, Well+Good, and more. She lives in Orange County, California with the love of her life, Brad, and their adorable black cat, Ozzy.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    All commentsI made this
    1. MaryBeth

      June 28, 2020 at 8:03 am

      5 stars
      The potatoes were so good! Thank you for the recipe, we hosted a bbq and we all really enjoyed the flavor with the bright lemon and the mint, parsley combination.

      Reply
      • Amy Katz

        June 29, 2020 at 5:09 pm

        I'm so happy everyone enjoyed it, Mary Beth!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Amy! As a Certified Vegan Nutrition Health Coach, my passion is creating vegan Mediterranean diet recipes to inspire everyone to choose plant-based meals more often. At Veggies Save The Day you'll find simple delicious recipes that are easy to make any night of the week.

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