Wow your guests with these seriously delicious Southern candied yams! We're talking sweet potatoes slow-cooked in a buttery, sweet syrup until they're tender and glazed to perfection. This is an authentic soul food recipe that you will be making for every holiday and Sunday dinner!
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In the South, particularly for Black families, it is rare to find a Thanksgiving dinner, celebration meal, or Sunday dinner served without a big ol' pan of candied yams as one of the leading southern side dishes.
It took me forever to get this recipe just right, but I've finally nailed it! These candied sweet potatoes taste exactly like the ones my Grandma whipped up when I was a kid back in Mississippi.
For more Southern Thanksgiving recipes, check out our Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Brown Butter Sage Mashed Potatoes, and Southern Sweet Potato Pie next!
Ingredients You Need to Make This Recipe
A complete list of ingredients, measurements, and detailed printable recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.
- Sweet potatoes. You will need about five medium-sized sweet potatoes for this recipe. Wash, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes into about ½-inch thick rounds. Sweet potato lovers, try our Cajun sweet potato fries next!
- Granulated sugar. To sweeten the yams and help create the syrupy baking liquid.
- Dark brown sugar. To add robust caramel-like sweetness to the cooking liquid.
- Unsalted butter. Butter adds undeniable flavor to the sweet, sticky cooking syrup.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and vanilla extract. For the perfect amount of spice, depth, and added flavor.
Variations and Substitutions
Everybody has their own way of making candied yams that they swear by, and most of them are downright scrumptious. When it comes to jazzing up candied yams, here are some popular variations and add-ins:
- Get creative with the spices and throw in some of your favorite cozy flavors like cardamom, allspice, or even some pumpkin pie spice if you're feeling the fall vibes! I love what these spices add to my pumpkin tart with meringue and southern fried apples.
- Add fresh or bottled orange juice to the cooking liquid for added citrus flavor.
- Add heavy cream or milk to the cooking liquid for a rich, caramel-like syrup.
- Make these candied yams with canned sweet potatoes to save time. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly and do not cover the pan if using canned yams.
- Toss some marshmallows on top during the last few minutes in the oven.
- Top candied sweet potatoes with chopped or candied pecans or walnuts for a buttery crunch. See how I use chopped nuts to flavor my southern sweet potato casserole!
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1. Thoroughly wash and peel the sweet potatoes.
Step 2. Slice the sweet potatoes into ½-inch thick rounds.
Step 3. Add the sugars, butter, salt, and spices to a medium saucepan.
Step 4. Heat the syrup over medium heat until the butter melts and the ingredients come together then stir in the vanilla extract. The sugar will not be completely dissolved.
Step 5. Place the sliced sweet potatoes in a buttered baking dish and pour the syrup over top.
Step 6. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to toss the sweet potatoes, making sure each slice is coated in the syrup. Bake the candied yams at 350°F covered for 40 minutes then uncovered for 30-40 more minutes until very tender.
What Are Candied Yams?
Southern candied yams are a beloved soul food side dish. To make candied yams, sweet potatoes are cooked in a sweet and buttery syrup that often includes ingredients like sugar, cinnamon, and other spices.
The result is tender, glazed sweet potatoes with a satisfying, sweet flavor. Despite the name, "candied yams" are made from sweet potatoes and you will often see the references used interchangeably.
Recipe FAQs
There is no need to boil sweet potatoes before making candied yams in the oven if you bake them long enough. In this recipe, the yams are baked for at least an hour to give them plenty of time to get nice and tender.
However, some candied sweet potato recipes call for the potatoes to be boiled before they are baked to reduce the time needed in the oven and this is fine too. Try making candied yams both ways and see which method you prefer!
Candied yams are not diet food and are a very rich dish made with plenty of butter and sugar. This is definitely an indulgent dish that you may want to enjoy on occasion if you're watching your waistline.
However, there are many recipes for lightened-up versions of candied yams available to try such as this recipe for healthy vegan candied yams by Healthier Steps.
This is probably one of the most common questions asked regarding candied yams and the answer is no, sweet potatoes and yams are not the same. While you may see "yams" for sale in many American markets, they are almost always sweet potatoes labeled yams.
Authentic yams are mainly used in Caribbean and West African cooking and are entirely different root vegetables from sweet potatoes that are more like yucca in texture and flavor. They have bumpy, tough brown skin with starchy, flesh that isn't sweet.
What To Serve With Candied Yams
Candied yams taste phenomenal served with many different southern comfort food dishes. I love to serve soul food candied yams with southern smothered chicken, southern collard greens, and southern squash casserole for a soul food feast.
And don't forget to serve up some southern buttermilk cornbread or hot water cornbread on the side. Make sure you wear your stretchy pants for this ultimate Southern comfort food spread!
If you're looking for more Thanksgiving side dish inspiration, don't miss this epic list of 35+ Southern Thanksgiving Side Dishes!
Make Ahead and Storing Instructions
Candied yams are the perfect make-ahead dish for Thanksgiving dinner. These sweet potatoes can be prepared up to two days in advance, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the baking dish, and stored in the refrigerator until the day you plan to serve them.
Reheat the candied yams in the oven for about 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Leftover candied yams can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More Comforting Southern Recipes You Will Love!
If you tried this Southern Candied Yams recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27
📖 Recipe
Southern Candied Yams (Soul Food Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes - about 5 medium sweet potatoes
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter - sliced into squares, plus more for greasing the baking dish
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar - or light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
- Thoroughly wash, peel, and slice the sweet potatoes into ½-inch thick rounds. Place the sweet potatoes in the buttered baking dish and set them aside.
- Heat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat just until the butter melts and the ingredients come together. Stir in the vanilla extract and remove the pan from the heat. The sauce will be thick and the sugar will not be fully dissolved.
- Pour the butter and sugar mixture over the sweet potatoes in the baking dish and use a wooden spoon or your hands to stir the sweet potatoes and make sure each potato slice is coated in the syrup. This takes some effort but is worth it to avoid dry spots and clumped sweet potatoes. Cover the pan with foil and bake the yams in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, remove the foil from the pan and carefully toss the sweet potatoes, rotating the ones on the bottom and top. This helps make sure all of the potatoes are able to thoroughly absorb that delectable cooking liquid. Continue cooking the yams, uncovered, for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork and the cooking liquid is syrupy. The yams should be very tender but not falling apart.
- Allow the candied yams to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan then serve with a slotted spoon. Spoon some additional cooking liquid over top and enjoy!
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Notes
- Try to slice your sweet potatoes as uniformly as possible for even cooking. Longer, thinner sweet potatoes are easier to chop.
- Because there is no added liquid in the syrup such as water or orange juice, it would harden like candy once poured over the sweet potatoes if cooked until the sugar fully dissolved. The syrup should be thick and the sugar will not be fully dissolved.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar to your liking for a less or more sweet dish.
- This is the perfect make-ahead recipe for Thanksgiving! Make this dish 1 to 2 days in advance and reheat the yams in the oven until warmed through. Alternatively, assemble the dish, store the uncooked yams in the refrigerator, and cook completely the day you plan to serve.
- To test the yams for doneness, carefully use a fork to take one out of the pan and take a bite of it. If the sweet potato is not very tender and easy to bite through, the yams need more time.
- Leftover candied yams can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat yams in the microwave or oven.
Cam Do
Hi, so I must admit this recipe had me nervous. I followed instructions but the sugars were not melting. I did not mix the sweet potatoes by accident. I poured the sauce on the potatoes, wrapped the pan up and placed in the oven. At 40 minute check, there was only butter at bottom of pan and sauce was still seized/potatoes were not cooked. I returned them to the oven covered and after another 30 minutes. After checking, the sauce was syrupy. I removed the foil and let it cook longer/thicken. My daughter was impatient so we added marshmallows and enjoyed. I did also add the juice of half of a lemon to the sauce prior to baking. 🍋 Family loved it.
Ashley Boyd
I'm so happy to hear the family loved the candied yams! Thanks for trying our recipe over the holidays.
Claudia
Delicious! The yams came out perfectly and soaked up the syrup.
Ashley Boyd
Wonderful! Thank you for trying the recipe.