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Enjoy an effortless holiday side dish by making my easy 4-ingredient recipe for Candied Yams on the stove! These fork-tender yams, coated in a sweet and sticky glaze, will have everyone asking for seconds. Perfect for impressing everyone at the dinner table without spending hours in the kitchen. They're ready in 35 minutes!
Jump to:
- Candied Yams Recipe on the Stove
- Why You'll Love My Candied Yams
- Stove Top Candied Yams with Brown Sugar Ingredients
- How to Make Candied Yams on the Stove
- How to Make Candied Yams in the Oven
- Sweet Potato Recipes
- Candied Yams FAQ
- Candy Yam Recipe Expert Tips
- Recipe for Candy Yams Storage Tips
- Reheating Candied Yams
- What to Serve with Candied Yams
- Candied Yams Recipe on the Stove
- Reviews
Candied Yams Recipe on the Stove
Holiday after holiday, I vividly remember the tradition of making candy yams with my mother in our cozy little kitchen. This is a classic Southern candied yams recipes where it's all about comfort, and boy, does the flavor do it justice. (And the smell! Make this recipe on a cold night and the whole house will smell like soothing caramel and warm spices!)
Whether it's Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or a special Sunday dinner, my recipe for candied yams is the ultimate crowd-pleaser. Its decadent blend of sweet and savory flavors pairs flawlessly with roasted turkey, baked ham, or an extravagant roasted prime rib.
Why You'll Love My Candied Yams
They're melt in your mouth tender
If you've only ever had sweet potatoes that were grainy, hard, or stringy, say hello to my butter-soft and perfectly tender candied sweet potatoes. By cooking them in butter and letting them steam with a lid on, they cook perfectly with no strings or lumps.
They're like candy
Sweet potatoes are already nice and sweet, and adding a glaze of brown sugar and cinnamon (basically caramel!) makes them just that much sweeter. Balanced out with a little cinnamon and a dash of salt, they're so darn irresistible, I always find myself scraping the pan out with a spatula to get every last bit of the glaze.
They're so simple to make
I've made a lot of delicious sweet potatoes in my life, from risotto to sweet potato pie, but these might be some of the simplest. All it takes is a pan with a lid, a spatula, and some simple ingredients. No oven timers, no mixing bowls- it's as easy as it is sweet.
Stove Top Candied Yams with Brown Sugar Ingredients
- Yams (sweet potatoes or garnet yams): I tend to use sweet potatoes for this recipe, but garnet yams are delicious too- just harder to find! The most tender yams tend to be the ones with even thickness that aren't too thick.
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter. I prefer to use unsalted butter and add a dash of salt at the end.
- Light brown sugar: Light brown sugar adds a delicious caramelized flavor that perfectly complements sweet potatoes! You can adjust the amount of sugar based on your preferences.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is an absolute must for candied sweet potatoes, but you can add in all sorts of seasonings like allspice, nutmeg, and ground cloves.
How to Make Candied Yams on the Stove
- Wash and peel your yams. Carefully slice the yams into ½-inch rounds. Melt butter over medium to medium heat in a large skillet or saucepan.
- Once the butter has melted, layer yam slices inside of the skillet, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle brown sugar and ground cinnamon all over the yams. Gently give everything a mix so the sugar is evenly distributed.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and simmer for 30 minutes. Baste frequently, about every 10 minutes. The yams should be soft but not mushy.
- Serve yams immediately, and enjoy!
How to Make Candied Yams in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Carefully wash, peel, and slice your yams into ½-inch rounds.
- In a large bowl, melt butter in the microwave.
- Arrange your sliced yams in a greased baking dish and pour butter over top.
- Sprinkle the yams with brown sugar and cinnamon. Give everything a good mix so all the yams are coated.
- Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for a total time of 25-30 minutes, or until the yams are fork-tender. Baste the yams every 10 minutes.
- Once the yams are soft, remove them from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy your baked candied yams!
Candied Yams FAQ
When you buy canned yams from the store, they typically come ready to eat with a sugary syrup mixture but lack flavor. If I were to prepare canned yams, I would pour out the syrup and make my own with butter and cinnamon, following the above recipe. Just cut down the sugar at least in half or remove it entirely, as they'll already be very sweet.
While sweet potatoes and yams are different vegetables, sweet potatoes are often called yams, especially in the United States, where true yams are hard to find. However, sweet potatoes are typically used in a candied yams recipe - and canned yams in a U.S. grocery store are most often sweet potatoes. For example, this is technically a candied sweet potato recipe!
There is no need to boil and bake your sweet potatoes before cooking! This easy recipe makes soft candied sweet potatoes with only 5 minutes of prep time (that's just cutting the sweet potatoes!). They steam in a pan of butter, making them rich and tender.
Candy Yam Recipe Expert Tips
- Don't forget to wash your sweet potatoes in the sink before peeling them.
- Cut the sweet potatoes into evenly sized pieces. This will help them cook evenly.
- While the yams are cooking, stir gently to ensure they do not break apart and that they are coated with the syrup mixture.
- Experiment with different spices, like ground nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, or a splash of vanilla extract!
- After the yams have cooked, allow them to rest for a few minutes for the flavors to meld and the syrup to thicken further.
- Garnish candied yams with mini marshmallows, chopped nuts, maple syrup, a sugar mixture, or flakey sea salt!
- Love candying foods? Me too! Try my candied pecans, pineapple rings, apples, strawberries, and candied orange peels!
Isabel's Top Tip
Adjust the sweetness and spices to your tastes! I used to make my candied yams with much more sugar (as you can see in the picture!), but as time has gone on, I've reduced the sugar content to match my evolving tastes. Use the amount that tastes right to you! The sugar melts quickly, so you can always add more.
Recipe for Candy Yams Storage Tips
Fair warning: I've never had leftovers! This is one of those side dishes that doesn't even leave behind spare glaze; someone always comes along with a spoon or slice of corn bread to soak up anything left in the pan. But if you have leftover candied yams, here's how to store them!
- Storing in the fridge: Store candied yams in an airtight container placed in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let them come to room temperature before placing in the fridge.
- Freezing: Allow the yams to completely come to room temperature before freezing. Store any leftovers in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 2-3 months! When you're ready to reheat, let the yams thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheating Candied Yams
- On the Stovetop: Place candied yams in a saucepan or skillet, and add a small amount of water or orange juice to the pan to create steam. Heat on low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the yams are heated through.
- In the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350℉ and transfer the candy yams to an oven-safe baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil to prevent them from drying out. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed though.
- In the Microwave: Place candied yams in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave candied yams in 30-second increments, stirring in between each, until the yams are heated through.
What to Serve with Candied Yams
- Mashed Potatoes
- Green Beans with Almonds
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Stuffing with Cornbread
- Mac and Cheese with baked tomatoes
My recipe for candied yams is one of my family's favorite holiday side dishes. Honestly, they've requested it outside of the holidays, too, and I really can't blame them. It's that tasty, and it's easy to make and budget-friendly, too! If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
Candied Yams Recipe on the Stove
Equipment
- Large skillet or saucepan with a lid
Ingredients
- 3-4 large sweet potatoes - washed, peeled, and sliced into ½-inch rounds
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar - adjust to preference
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Wash and peel your sweet potatoes. Carefully slice them into ½-inch rounds.3-4 large sweet potatoes
- In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium to medium-high heat.6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Once the butter has melted, layer yam slices inside of the skillet, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon all over the yams. Gently give everything a mix so the sugar is evenly distributed.1 cup light brown sugar,1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet, simmer for 30 minutes. Baste frequently, about every 10 minutes, the yams should be soft but not mushy.
- Serve yams immediately, and enjoy!
Notes
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- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Carefully wash, peel, and slice your yams into ½-inch rounds.
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- In a large bowl melt butter in the microwave.
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- Arrange your sliced yams in a greased baking dish and pour butter over top.
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- Sprinkle the yams with brown sugar and cinnamon. Give everything a good mix so all the yams are coated.
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- Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for a total time of 25-30 minutes, or until the yams are fork-tender. Baste the yams every 10 minutes.
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- Once the yams are soft, remove them from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Annie Frazier says
How do I get your cook book
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Annie! Thank you so much for asking! If you sign up for our newsletter, you will be sent all 3 of our digital cookbooks via email. Enjoy!