Loaded Foil Packet Potatoes (on the Grill)
The ultimate side dish to go along with your meal, loaded foil packet potatoes on the grill are easy to make and delicious! These potatoes have butter, cheese, bacon, chives and a couple spices on them giving them an amazing flavor. We love to top them with sour cream, but that is optional.
One thing I love is potatoes, they are one of our favorite side dishes for any meal. An easy way to prepare them is in foil packs like these loaded potatoes or our grilled ranch potatoes. If you like potato wedges, these are our favorite grilled potato wedges!
They go great with everything and are easy to prepare, especially foil packet potatoes for the grill where the cleanup is easy. It is nice to just throw the foil away when dinner is done!
Once assembled, they cook directly on the grill grates in the foil and they can be cooked along side other dishes very easily.
We love to make them with T-bone steaks, grilled cheeseburgers or even grilled chicken legs.
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Ingredients
These potato foil packet potatoes are loaded potatoes so they have all the stuff you would put in a loaded potato but cooked on the grill.
- Potatoes – We use russet potatoes.
- Olive oil – This is to coat the foil packets. You can use a cooking spray if you prefer.
- Butter – We prefer butter, but you can use your favorite butter alternative. It is mostly for flavor.
- Shredded cheese – You can use your favorite. We prefer Colby Jack, but a cheddar mix is delicious too!
- Bacon pieces – We use real bacon pieces that you can buy in the store, typically in with the salad dressings in a store. While you can use imitation bacon pieces, we recommend the real bacon pieces. You can also cook some bacon and add!
- Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves will give you the best flavor, but you can sprinkle garlic powder over your potatoes instead chopped garlic.
- Chives – Fresh or dried. We always have dried chives on hand but use fresh when we have them.
- Salt – Optional but recommended to enhance the flavors.
- Pepper – Black ground pepper, optional but recommended.
- Sour cream – Optional for a topping but it is recommended because these foil packet potatoes are amazing with sour cream!
Do I have to wrap the potatoes in foil?
You can instead use a cast iron pan or a good stainless steel pan that is grill safe to make these loaded potatoes, but you will need to cover them. When you wrap them in foil, it keeps the heat and steam inside.
I recommend the foil packets so that it cooks evenly, but no you do not have to wrap them in foil. We have also made these into a casserole in a disposable foil pan to put on the grill. They turn out great this way too.
Please note that cook times may vary if you use something other then foil – different metals take longer to heat through then aluminum foil does.
As much as I love glass, never put a glass dish on the grill. Not even on indirect heat, you chance the glass breaking.
Prepping the foil packet potatoes
I slice the potatoes using my trusty kitchen knife (very sharp) but if you struggle getting even slices or have knives that are not quite as sharp (dull knives make uneven slices), a mandoline slicer is best here. Do be careful here, they are sharp!
Potato slices should be about 1 quarter inch thick. If you make them thicker or thinner, you will need to adjust the cook times.
I let the slices soak in cold water for about 15-20 minutes before cooking. Drain them and they are ready. Do you have to soak them? No but I like to get some of the excess starch off of them. Usually I soak my potatoes tho, not just potatoes for the grill.
Coating the foil
I have never used non stick foil so I am not sure how well it works, but if you have experience with it I would love to hear about it in the comments! We use olive oil to coat the foil where the potatoes will be, but cooking spray works as well. I am not a fan of cooking spray and oil works just as great.
Be generous with the amount of oil or cooking spray used on each foil piece.
We make 3 foil packets with about 2 and a half pounds of potatoes slices. The pieces of foil should be about 12 inches by 15 inches to fit it all.
Layering the potatoes
For the loaded foil packet potatoes on the grill, we like to do layers. Especially when making loaded potatoes where you want the flavor throughout the whole dish. They also cook better in layers.
You want to stack the potatoes a bit higher then a single layer. We pile them so in the middle they are about 3 slices high. This does not have to be exact.
You will be making 2 layers for each foil packet.
Add some cheese, bacon pieces, garlic, salt, pepper and chives to the top of the first layer of potatoes.
For the amounts you technically want to use a sixth of each topping, but I just grab a bit and place it on each layer. Anything left at the end gets evenly divided between the packets and placed on top.
The measurements added for the toppings are for estimated amounts, you can add more or less of anything to your liking! These loaded potatoes can be changed to add more or less of any topping here.
Close up the foil packets and you are ready to grill!
How long to grill potatoes in foil?
These loaded foil packet potatoes on the grill are perfect for cooking along side other dishes. We cook them on a gas grill and we get our temperature up to about 375 -400 degrees Fahrenheit inside the grill.
I keep the burner they will be on set to low but the other burners high enough so that the temperature inside is correct. They take about 30 minutes with this setting. They will be fork tender when they are done.
If you need to lower or raise the temperature for other grilled foods, keep the burner they will be on set to low. If the grill temperature needs to be higher, they will cook faster so you will carefully check them around 20 minutes. If the grill temperature needs to be lower, they will take a little longer. Check them around 35 minutes.
Be careful when you check the potatoes! There will be steam escaping when you try to open a foil pack and you can risk getting burned if you are not careful.
If you would like to have these potatoes with baby back ribs, it is best to cook them for about 5-10 extra minutes on the indirect heat by the ribs. Do not place it directly on a burner on a higher setting.
I also enjoy spiralized beets in the foil pack along with these potatoes and a meat, but most of my family doesn’t enjoy beets as much as me.
Frequently asked questions
My favorite potatoes for the grill are russet or baking potatoes. They get a nice texture and are often best for baking or mashing. You can use your favorite potatoes tho.
It honestly does not make a difference which side you use. I use the non shiny side so I could take pictures of the steps for you without a harsh glare, but there is no difference. I have used both sides to cook on before.
No you do not. The purpose of wrapping them in foil is to keep the heat and steam trapped inside to help them cook faster and turn out softer.
If you have any leftover grilled potatoes, remove them from the foil and put in a dish in the fridge. They will last about 3-4 days and can be reheated in the microwave. The bacon might get a soggy texture in the fridge.
Loaded Foil Packet Potatoes [for the Grill]
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds potatoes see notes
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil estimated for coating foil, can use cooking spray
- 6 Tablespoons butter cut into thin slices
- 1½ cups shredded cheese Colby Jack is recommended
- 6 Tablespoons bacon pieces
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tablespoon dried chives or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped
- salt couple dashes at a time
- pepper couple dashes at a time
- ½ cup sour cream for topping, optional
Instructions
- Wash and thinly slice potatoes into about ¼ inch slices and soak in cold water for 15 minutes (optional but recommended)
- Cut 3 pieces of foil to about 12 inch x 15 inch. Pour a little olive oil on each piece of foil and cover most of the side the potatoes will be on – be generous in coating it. You can use cooking spray in place of oil.
- Place a layer of potatoes in the center of each piece of foil – try for about ⅙ of the amount of slices on each, doesn't have to be exact – you are making 2 layers.
- Topping measurements do not have to be exact:Place about 1 tablespoon of butter slices (sliced thin) on top of the potatoes – spread out across the potatoes.Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons cheese, 1 tablespoon bacon pieces, about ⅙ of the minced garlic, and a couple pinches of chives on top of the potatoes.Add 1-2 dashes of salt and pepper.
- repeat the layers one more time so you have 2 layers.
- Seal up the foil packs by folding over ends.
- Place on a burner set to low but the grill temperature around 375° Fahrenheit and cook for about 30 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
- Carefully remove from grill and carefully open the foil (there will be a lot of steam.)Optional – serve with sour cream to top them
