While you’ll usually find candied sweet potatoes on the table at a holiday gathering, I don’t hesitate to make them whenever I have family over. You just can’t beat the quick prep time and the delicious payoff. If you’re looking for other holiday side dishes you’ll make year-round, try my potatoes au gratin recipe, collard greens recipe, and classic green bean casserole.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Sweet potatoes — look for medium-sized sweet potatoes, which will become creamy and tender when baked. Larger ones are a little tougher and might have less flavor. Sugar — I use light brown sugar in this recipe, but dark brown sugar is a great option as well. Both have a rich, caramel-like flavor. If desired, you can replace half of the sugar with maple syrup. Butter — you need ½ cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter on hand, don’t add any additional salt to the dish. Cream — a small amount of heavy cream adds richness and a velvety texture to the sugar syrup. Spices — ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg are classic warm spices for candied yams, but you could use allspice and ginger instead. If using ground nutmeg, try to grate it fresh. It tastes so much better than the pre-ground kind!
How to Make Candied Yams
- Thoroughly clean and peel the sweet potatoes. Then slice them into ½-inch-thick rounds. Place the slices in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium saucepan, add the cream and butter. Melt the butter over medium heat until both the cream and butter are hot. While the butter is melting, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and stir until well combined. You should have a rich brown sauce.
- Drizzle the brown sugar mixture over the sweet potatoes.
- Toss to coat all the slices. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and gently stir the sweet potatoes, being careful not to smash them up. Bake uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender and glazed. Serve warm.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
Clean the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Wash them and scrub the skin to remove any dirt that might cling to the skin. Cut the sweet potatoes into equal-sized pieces. This will help them bake at the same pace. Add orange juice. For brightness and a hint of acidity, add 2 tablespoons of orange juice to the buttery syrup. Add vanilla. Good vanilla extract adds depth and nuance to the dish if desired. About ½ teaspoon will do the trick. Top with mini marshmallows. While marshmallows are typically used to top sweet potato casserole, you can use them in this candied yams recipe as well. Once you remove the foil from the casserole dish and stir the yams, add marshmallows and finish up the baking uncovered. You can place the dish under the broiler for a minute to brown the marshmallow topping more once it’s done baking.
If you’ve tried this candied yams recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
