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Enjoy an effortless holiday side dish by making my easy 4-ingredient recipe for Candied Yams! 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- after all, they’re ready in 35 minutes!
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Southern Candied Yams
Holiday after holiday, I vividly remember the tradition of making candy yams with my mother in our cozy little kitchen. The warm aroma of cinnamon and brown sugar would fill the room as soon as we began preparing this classic southern candied yams recipe!
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 perfectly with roasted turkey, honey-glazed ham, or an extravagant slow roasted prime rib.
By following my simple recipe, you’ll learn how to make candied yams that are so tender and practically melt in your mouth! They’re a must-try side dish for any holiday feast. Trust me: I make them every year!
Candied Yams Ingredients
- Yams (sweet potatoes or garnet yams)
- Butter
- Light brown sugar
- Cinnamon
How to Make Candied Yams
- Wash and peel your yams. Carefully slice the yams into ½-inch rounds. In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium to medium-high heat.
- 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!
Stove Top Candied Yams FAQ
When you buy canned yams from the store, they typically come ready to eat with a sugary syrup mixture, but they lack flavor. If I were to prepare canned yams, I would pour out the syrup and make my own with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar, following the above recipe.
While sweet potatoes and yams are actually different vegetables, sweet potatoes are often referred to as yams, especially in the United States where true yams are hard to find. However, in a candied yams recipe, sweet potatoes are typically used – and canned yams in a U.S. grocery store are most often sweet potatoes. For example, this is technically a candied sweet potatoes recipe!
There is no need to boil and bake your sweet potatoes before cooking! This recipe is easy and makes soft candied sweet potatoes with only 5 minutes of prep time (that’s just cutting the sweet potatoes!).
Tips for Making Candied Yams on the Stove
- 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 none of them break apart, and all the yams 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!
Storing Leftover Candy Yams
Fair warning: these candy yams are so delicious, they’re most likely going to be gone in the blink of an eye! But, if you do happen to 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 in 30-second increments, stirring in between each, until the yams are heated through.
What to Serve with Candied Yams
Try my Sweet Potato Risotto and Air Fryer Carrots next!
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📋 Recipe
Candied Yams
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Large skillet or saucepan with a lid
Ingredients
- 3-4 large sweet potatoes washed, peeled, and sliced into ½-inch rounds
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
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.1½ sticks unsalted butter
- Once the butter has melted, layer yam slices inside of the skillet, and cook for about 5 minutes.Â
- Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon all over the yams. Gently give everything a mix so the sugar is evenly distributed.2 cups 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!
Video
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.
-
- 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!
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