Candied Yams (The BEST Southern, Soul Food Style)
“Sweet, tender, buttery candied yams made the Southern way!”
Video Recipe: Learn how to make candied yams from start to finish!
For some reason, a heavy holiday meal just isn’t the same without a pan of southern baked candied yams! It adds that sweetness and beautiful color to the plate that just balances out all the other salty, smokey, savory flavors. Growing up, I could eat bowls of my grandma’s candied yams and I wasn’t alone!
Whenever we’d have new people over for Sunday dinner they’d always comment on how delicious the candied yams were. Everybody wanted to know “the secret”. There was no secret, really. Just a lot of love and patience like most southern recipes.
What’s so good about this candied yams recipe?
There are many ways to prepare candied yams. This recipe relies on cooking them slowly in a candied mixture of butter, sugar, heavy whipping cream, maple, vanilla, and warm spices. That slow baking time really allows them to hang out in all that yummy, syrupy mixture until it is sweetened all the way through.
The results? Heavenly, tender sweet candied yams that would put many restaurant versions to shame! But before we get into the recipe, let’s get a few frequently asked questions out of the way.
Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing?
People often think of yams and sweet potatoes as being the same thing, however, yams are actually a variety of sweet potatoes.
Yams are actually starchier, with a light-colored flesh and more like a white potato. They are drier than sweet potatoes and not very sweet but can easily be flavored to make them sweet or savory.
The Covington or Japanese sweet potatoes are probably what you’re used to seeing in the grocery store. They are naturally sweet with bright orange flesh (there are also white and purple varieties). Here’s more info on the differences between yams and sweet potatoes.
For this “candied yams” recipe, you’ll want to go for those sweet, gorgeous orange Covington or Japanese sweet potatoes!
What are candied yams?
Candied yams are a side dish that is very popular in the South. It typically involves cooking yams/sweet potatoes with butter and sugar until they are super tender and very sweet. This can be done by baking, boiling, or roasting sweet potatoes. It’s one of those side dishes that could be sweet enough for dessert!
Ingredients List
Here are the ingredients needed to make a pan of these delicious candied yams!
Sweet potatoes: The main ingredient for this dish are sweet potatoes. When buying sweet potatoes, make sure you choose medium-large-sized sweet potatoes that are firm and without bruises or cracks.
Butter: Unsalted butter sets the base for the candied glaze and it gives these candied yams so much flavor.
Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar works best for this recipe. It adds the sweetness required for candied yams. Brown sugar works also but can make the sauce stickier.
Heavy whipping cream: Heavy whipping cream creates a creamy and rich syrup.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon has a slightly sweet, woodsy, and citrusy flavor with a hint of warmth. It is the perfect addition to candied yam!
Nutmeg: Nutmeg is known for adding aroma and flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. It has a nutty and warm flavor that resembles clove.
Clove: Clove has a prominent, slightly sweet, and bitter flavor. It also adds warmth to the dish.
Real maple: Real maple has a beautiful aroma. It has a distinct caramel-like and sweet flavor.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract adds a depth of flavor. However, it is an optional ingredient, and you can skip it if you don’t like it or have any on hand.
Cooking Equipment & Tools Needed For This Recipe
Making candied yams is a pretty easy process. Here is a list of all the tools and equipment you’ll need to make these candied yams. You can find all of these items in my affiliate Amazon store!
- A peeler and a sharp knife to peel and dice the sweet potatoes.
- 9×13 casserole dish to bake the candied yams. (You can use a smaller dish but you may need to increase the baking time)
- A medium-sized pot or a saucepan for making the sauce.
- Aluminum foil to cover the casserole dish while baking.
- Slotted spoon for serving
Instructions: How To Make The BEST Candied Yams
Now let’s get into the steps needed to bring this delicious side dish together! You’ll love how simple this recipe is!
- Prep the sweet potatoes. You’ll want to wash, dry, peel, and slice your potatoes/yams into 1/2 inch circles. Cut them all the same size to ensure even baking and then place them into a 9×13 baking dish.
- Make the candied glaze: Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir in sugar until combined. Keep the heat on medium-low. Next, add in all the other remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust if desired
- Pour and bake: Pour the candied glaze all over the sweet potatoes. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
- Serve: Using a slotted spoon, plate the sweet potatoes on a plate and serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
- Clean well. Make sure you wash and scrub the sweet potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt.
- Slice them in equal sizes. This is important to ensure even cooking.
- TASTE! Once you have cooked the sauce, taste it and adjust the flavors according to your liking.
- Add toppings! These candied yams are PERFECT as is, but you can certainly dress it up by adding on candied pecans, toasted mini marshmallows, homemade streusel, or simply splash of fresh orange juice.
Candied Yams FAQ’s
Can you make candied yams from canned yams? Canned yams usually come ready to eat in a corn syrup mixture. However, the taste can be a bit flat. If I was going to make yams from a can I’d certainly drain off this syrup and create my own with real butter, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract for a more homemade, slow oven-baked flavor.
Are Bruce’s yams really yams? Bruce’s canned yams are a popular brand of canned yams sold in stores. As per their ingredient list, their candied yams consist of Sweet Potatoes, Sugar, Water, Salt, Butter Flavor (Maltodextrin, Butter [Cream, Salt, Annato Extract], Non-Fat Dry Milk, Butter Milk, Beta Carotene), Spices, Citric Acid, EDTA. Their plain canned yams consist of Sweet Potatoes, Water, Corn Syrup, Sugar.
Do you boil yams before baking? Boiling yams before baking help reduce the baking time. You can certainly boil them before cooking but I love yams that have been slowly roasted in the oven.
Making this dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Be sure to check out my Holiday Menu guide!
And that is it! You now know how to make a pan of delicious Southern candied yams! If you’re a candied yam lover then you will adore the taste of these sweet, buttery, cinnamony baked yams! Happy baking!
Want more sweet potato recipes?
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
Sweet Potato Fried Pies
Get the Recipe: Candied Yams| Best Baked Southern Candied Yams
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes, (washed thoroughly)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (1 stick)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 ½- 3 teaspoons cinnamon, (can use less if desired)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1-2 pinches ground clove
- 1 ½ - 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
- 1-2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Cut off the tips of sweet potatoes.
- Peel and then slice into ½ thick circles.
- Place into a 9x13 baking dish. Set side.
- In a medium-size pot, melt butter over medium-low heat.
- Add sugar and stir until combined.
- Add heavy whipping cream and stir until creamy.
- Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, maple, and vanilla extract.
- TASTE THE MIXTURE AND MAKE SURE IT TASTES YUMMY. ADD MORE SPICES IF NEEDED.
- Pour mixture over sweet potatoes.
- Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove foil, baste and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until fork-tender.
- Plate the candied yams using a slotted spoon. Serve immediately.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. I have been cooking candied yams for many years and my family and friends always loved them. It was always a given that I do the yams and the collards. Well I was bored and wanted to do something different. I decided to try your recipe on Thanksgiving and my kids were having a fit because they didn’t want me to fix what wasn’t broken. Well girl, now it’s a whole other story. Everyone loved them !!! I also loved them because I didn’t have to spend time making a syrup like I used to do. Bravo!
You have outdone yourself with this recipe! This was the first time I have ever made homemade candied yams and I will NEVER go back to the can! When I tell you that this recipe was orgasmic, that’s exactly what I mean. I LOVED IT! Thank you for this recipe that I will continue to use for years! Happy Thanksgiving!
Brianna, I have the same problem with the yams not being cooked enough. I thought it was just me. I don’t know what we are doing wrong, but I ended up cooking them an extra 40 minutes. Go figure!!
Hello! – It is Thanksgiving Day and we are running late because for some reason it is taking a lot longer to cook these yams than it calls for in the recipe. I followed the recipe to the “T” and carefully followed each and every step. I even watched the video. Twice. 40 minutes, then 30 minutes later and the yams are still “crunchy”…a few of the smaller pieces are softer but I’m guessing I have another 30 minutes at least. Whats up? Never had any problems with my oven and cooking times. I wonder how so many people are getting this recipe Perfectly, and here we sit…..
Try par boiling the potatoes for 10-15 minutes first. After they cool they will be much easier to peel and this will decrease your cooking time. Overall I agree the recipe is excellent.
Diva Giiiiiiirrrrllllllll
This recipe is awesome!!! I’ve added in a lil more maple then you did because I love maple syrup.
My family loves it
Thank you for sharing
Kevin
Happy Thanksgiving 2013 to everyone and their families and friends. My mom and sister are southern cooks to the core. Mom refers to me as the “Can’t boil water” daughter. I recently moved to NC to live with my dad and wanted to cook one of his favorite holiday dishes, yams. I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. Never attempted cooking a yam in my life. Followed it to the letter and knocked it out the park. My dad loved them so much. He said they reminded him of his mom’s yams when he was a boy. He went on to say that he hadn’t tasted yams this good since moving to NC over 40 years ago. This made my day and Monique I have you to thank for that. Just sitting and watching my dad enjoy one of his favorite holiday dishes which I had cooked, was such a rewarding feeling. Thanks Mo
OMG! Monique I used your recipe last night and i am sold, i will never do my yams any other way, i also tried your recipe for the collard greens with smoked turkey, I can honestly say my greens are the best in the family now hands down!! And Yes Divas Can Cook!!