Description
Southern Candied Yams are a classic soul food side dish featuring tender sweet potatoes coated in a rich, buttery, spiced syrup. Baked until perfectly soft and caramelized, they are a comforting addition to any holiday meal or family gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
Sweet Potatoes
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes (about 5 medium sweet potatoes)
Syrup and Seasonings
- 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 and Prepare Baking Dish: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish thoroughly and set it aside to prepare for the sweet potatoes.
- Prepare Sweet Potatoes: Wash, peel, and slice the sweet potatoes into ½-inch thick rounds. Place these slices in the buttered baking dish evenly and set aside.
- Make the Syrup: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Heat just until the butter melts and the ingredients combine, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Note that the syrup will be thick and the sugar won’t be fully dissolved yet.
- Coat Sweet Potatoes: Pour the warm butter and sugar mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes in the baking dish. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to gently stir and coat each slice with syrup, ensuring no dry spots or clumps.
- First Bake: Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes to start softening the yams.
- Toss and Continue Baking: Remove the foil carefully, then toss the sweet potatoes gently to rotate slices from bottom to top and coat them thoroughly in the syrup. Bake uncovered for an additional 30 to 40 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the cooking liquid becomes syrupy.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the candied yams to cool in the baking dish for about 10 minutes. Serve with a slotted spoon, adding some of the syrupy cooking liquid on top for extra sweetness and moisture.
Notes
- Slice sweet potatoes uniformly for even cooking; longer, thinner potatoes are easier to cut evenly.
- The syrup will be thick with undissolved sugar because there is no added liquid, preventing it from hardening like candy.
- Adjust sugar amounts to suit your sweetness preference.
- This recipe is perfect for make-ahead; prepare 1-2 days in advance and reheat before serving or refrigerate uncooked and bake later.
- Test doneness by piercing a yam slice with a fork; it should be tender and easy to bite through.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and reheat in microwave or oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
