Caramel Candied Yams
Move over sweet potato casserole, these caramel candied yams are a Thanksgiving favorite! OK I know I said THIS Southern Candied Yams recipe was my favorite for a holiday dinner. And yes with 200+ reviews it’s clearly a favorite with you guys as well.
Hoooowever, the caramel candied yams recipe I’m going to share with you today usually gets the most “Ohhhh these are some good candied yams” comments whenever someone tastes them.
Wanna know why they are so amazing? Keep reading.
This candied yams recipe has two important things that create an amazing glaze and fluffy inside texture.
What’s the secret ingredient?
It’s buttermilk!! Yep, buttermilk gives the glaze on this candied yams recipe such an incredible flavor that’s reminiscent of old-fashioned caramel buttermilk syrup.
Paired with warm spices, butter, and sugar it creates a delicious glaze that is just perfect on sweet potatoes.
3 Reasons Why I LOVE This Caramel Candied Yams Recipe
Pre-Steam: I’ve never been one to steam my sweet potatoes beforehand making a candied yams recipe but it’s a new favorite of mine. The steam helps the sweet potatoes retain that beautiful orange color. Not only that it softens them up a bit so that they really soak up that delicious syrup. And if that wasn’t enough reason to steam them first, it creates such a fluffy and creamy inside texture. Steaming is the way to go!
The Glaze: Have you ever had caramel buttermilk syrup? Well, it’s downright delicious and has a slight caramel flavor thanks to the addition of a little buttermilk. That’s exactly what we’re using for this glaze recipe. To add a few flavor layers we’ll be adding in some cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla extract, maple extract, and a little bit of rum extract. These guys play so well together and make this candied yams recipe irresistible!
Fresh Sweet Potato Flavor– I decreased the sugar in this recipe a bit to allow the natural flavor of the sweet potatoes to shine through and I love it! If you want super sweet candied yams then feel free to increase the sugar a bit.
Are Sweet Potatoes and Candied Yams the same thing?
You may have noticed that many Southerners call it candied yams even though they are using sweet potatoes.
Grocery stores usually have it labeled as “sweet potato yams” but technically yams and sweet potatoes are two different things.
Yams have starchy white flesh and aren’t as sweet.
Sweet potatoes have a bright orange flesh (although you can find them in other colors like purple) and they have a sweeter flavor. These are typically what you find in grocery stores.
Use sweet potatoes for this caramel candied yams recipe!
What are candied yams?
Candied yams are created when you take sweet potatoes and cook them in a buttery “candied” syrup until they are fork tender.
The syrup can be flavored with cinnamon or other warm spices to create the very popular Southern side dish known as candied yams.
Ingredients for Caramel Candied Yams Recipe
INGREDIENTS
sweet potatoes- Look for sweet potatoes that are firm and free of bruises or soft spots. In grocery stores, sweet potatoes are often labeled as “Sweet potato yams”.
unsalted butter- This will help create a rich and delicious glaze. You can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe. I prefer unsalted.
granulated sugar- Used to sweeten the candied yams. You can increase the sugar if you like it really sweet. You can also substitute with a little light brown sugar if desired.
buttermilk- Fresh buttermilk will give the glaze a creamy almost caramel flavor.
ground cinnamon- Enhances the flavor and aroma of the candied yams.
ground nutmeg- Enhances the flavor
ground ginger- Enhances the flavor
baking soda- Neutralizes the buttermilk so that the finished glaze does not have a sour taste.
maple extract- Enhances the flavor
vanilla extract- enhances the flavor
rum extract- enhances the flavor
ground clove– For sprinkling over the finished yams. This enhances the flavor, aroma, and appearance of the candied yams.
How to Make Caramel Candied Yams
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Peel sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch bite-size pieces. Make sure that the pieces are uniform so that it cooks evenly.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a steamer basket once the water starts boiling. Cover and steam for about 5-7 minutes. (You want to steam just enough to soften them slightly. You don’t want to cook them all the way)
- Once steamed, place them in a casserole dish and set aside. ( I like to use my 2-inch deep oval baking dish)
- To make the sauce, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Stir in the sugar and buttermilk until the sugar has dissolved.
- Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger until combined.
- Let sugar syrup come to a full simmer while stirring constantly and then remove from heat.
- Stir in baking soda.
- Stir in maple, vanilla, and rum extract.
- Pour the syrup over the sweet potatoes and toss to coat.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing midway or until fork tender. (You may need to bake it shorter or longer depending on how much you steamed them)
- Remove from oven and toss.
- Sprinkle on the ground clove.
- Serve hot.
Tips for the BEST Candied Yams
BASTE- Ever so often, be sure to toss the candied yams while baking. This will ensure that the glaze really cooks into the yams.
SERVE HOT- Candied yams are always best served piping hot.
What do you serve with this caramel candied yams recipe?
Candied yams are a sweet and delicious side dish that goes well with any type of savory meal. I like to serve it with spicy fried chicken, collard greens, Mac and cheese, and cornbread for a hearty Southern-style dinner.
Candied yams are usually a staple side dish for Thanksgiving & Christmas since sweet potatoes are in season and plentiful.
They are also good to eat as a snack or even a dessert.
FAQS
Can I use brown sugar? Yes, you can use brown sugar if you’d like. I sometimes use 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar to create a brown sugar mixture. Using all brown sugar will create a thicker brown sugar glaze that can sometimes feel too thick once cooled.
Can I leave out the nutmeg and rum extract? Absolutely! Feel free to spice these sweet potatoes to your liking!
Can I add orange juice? I’ve never added orange juice to this recipe so I’m not sure how it would go with the caramel-flavored glaze.
Can I add a marshmallow topping? Sure can! Use mini marshmallows for a better appearance.
I hope that you guys enjoy these candied yams as much as we do!
Get the Recipe: Caramel Candied Yams Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, (Can add more if you like it really sweet. See note)
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon maple extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon rum extract
- ground clove, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Peel sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch bite-size pieces. Make sure that the pieces are uniform so that it cooks evenly.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a steamer basket once the water starts boiling. Cover and steam for about 7-10 minutes. (You want to steam just enough to soften them slightly. You don't want to cook them all the way)
- Once steamed, place them in a casserole dish in an even layer. Set aside. ( I like to use my 2-inch deep oval baking dish)
- To make the sauce, in a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Stir in the sugar and buttermilk.
- Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger until combined.
- Cook until the sugar syrup comes to a full simmer while stirring constantly and then remove from heat.
- Stir in baking soda.
- Stir in maple, vanilla, and rum extract.
- Pour the syrup over the sweet potatoes and toss to coat.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes (or until fork tender) tossing occasionally. (Baking time may be shorter or longer depending on how much you steamed them)
- Remove from oven and toss.
- Sprinkle on the ground clove and serve immediately.
This was the sweetest sweet potato recipe totally Southern soul food the best like Mama
Can you freeze any left overs ?