“There is an idea prevalent that anybody can cook sweet potatoes, this is a very great mistake, and the many, many dishes of illy cooked potatoes that are placed before me as I travel over the South, prompt me to believe that these recipes will be of value.” - George Washington Carver
This is the best candied yams recipe solely because they're my Grandma Reid's. You know, the one who helped me bring classic southern recipes to y'all like her sweet potato pie, sage and sausage cornbread dressing, and her 5-star collards with smoked turkey.
I made these with her in her kitchen many times the day before Thanksgiving when I was little because they're kid-friendly and they're my favorite side (I have my granddaddies' sweet tooth).
No Southern plate on Thanksgiving and Christmas is complete without a hearty scoop of glossy, buttery candied yams nestled between the glazed ham and the mac and cheese. A plate without them just ain't the way!
Stir up the butter and brown sugar mixture and spread them right on the potatoes, bake until each little piece is perfectly glazed and caramelized in that buttery syrupy glaze. Making this as a kid with my grandma (and now my son helps me make them!) is what soul food is about. It's a family tradition that I gotta share with y'all!
Jump to:
My Grandma's Real Deal Soul Food Candied Yams
Authentic soul food takes everyday, humble ingredients and turns them into just down home good cookin'.
The perfect candied yams for me are sweet and buttery, tender but not mushy, well rounded with brown sugar and spices like warm cinnamon, vibrant ginger, and a little vanilla. You really can't go wrong with a southern grandma's recipe.
That roasting session in the oven is key to that rich caramelized flavor. When you bake the sweet potatoes, the water in the potatoes evaporate so their natural sweetness and flavor intensifies. But the glaze doesn't just stay loose and watery, it reduces down and coats the potatoes perfectly.
But the most important factor of this recipe is that it's easy. My grandma doesn't simmer the glaze or par-boil the potatoes and neither do I. All we need is softened butter and brown sugar, spices, and chopped sweet potatoes...oh, and about an hour in the oven.
Ingredients Needed
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Fresh Sweet Potatoes - a few pounds of sweet potatoes is easy to find and really affordable (I got mine for $3!), especially during the holiday season.
- Butter - you can use salted or unsalted butter, I go for unsalted because I am a control freak, haha.
- Brown Sugar - this has that rich depth from all the molasses in it so your potatoes are not just 'sweet'.
- Ground Cinnamon and Ginger - these warm spices don't overpower but add warmth and brightness!
- Vanilla Extract - Whenever I forget the vanilla it's always a taste of 'something is missing but I can't put my finger on it'. Don't forget the vanilla!
- Kosher Salt - everything sweet needs a pinch of salt.
Ingredient Swaps
- No fresh sweet potatoes? Try looking for chopped frozen sweet potatoes at your grocery store.
- What about spices? You can really make this recipe your own: add in orange zest, a touch of freshly grated nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, or other spices. A little cayenne for some heat won't hurt you, either!
- No brown sugar? You can use white sugar but it won't have the same depth. You can also DIY your own brown sugar with some molasses, if you have it on hand.
- Want vegan yams? Swap in vegan butter!
- If you're not a fan of super sweet yams, you can swap in maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey.
How to Make Baked Southern Candied Yams
Step 1
Chop them up.
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces.
Step 2
Mix the Butter + Brown Sugar
Mix together the spices, brown sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl. This is how we create the perfect candied glaze.
Step 3
Bake!
Stir the sweet potatoes in the sugar and butter mixture. You really want to try to get that sugar mixture into every little nook and cranny! Bake for 1 hour in your preheated oven.
Step 4
How to know it's Done...
Your candied yams are done when you can easily pierce the sliced potatoes with a fork and the butter and sugar mixture has turned into a buttery syrup.
Equipment I Used
Chef's Tips for Make Ahead Yams
Bake the yams a day ahead, let them cool, then cover and refrigerate. Reheat at 325°F for about 15 minutes until warm and glossy.
Or prep before baking: chop, coat in brown sugar, cover, and chill up to 2–3 days. Bake straight from the fridge (it may take about 1 hour 15 minutes since it's cold).
Yams versus Sweet Potatoes
Candied yams are actually made with sweet potatoes, not true yams.
Real yams come from Africa and Asia. They’re starchy, have bark-like brown skin, and white flesh, used mostly in savory dishes.
The name “yam” stuck because enslaved Africans in the United States used sweet potatoes as a substitution for autumn squashes and pumpkins for the white southern nouveaux riche to attempt to keep up with European nobility's new wave of desserts.
With its brown skin and starchy flesh, it closely resembled the yams they knew back home. Hence why we called candied sweet potatoes 'candied yams'!
Today, if you spot rough, bark-skinned roots with white flesh labeled “yams” in stores, those are real yams and not what you want for this recipe.
Reheating + Storage
- Storage: Store any leftover candied yams cooled to room temperature in an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat the candied sweet potatoes in a casserole dish in a low oven (325 degrees F) covered in aluminum foil until warmed through and the buttery syrup has melted again.
- Or if you're just grabbing a serving for yourself, nuke them in the microwave until warmed through. They can take it!
Troubleshooting
Canned yams (canned sweet potatoes) may be used, but they will not get the same results as using fresh sweet potatoes. They are much more wet and release more moisture, so your candied yams may come out mushy.
For the absolute best results, use fresh sweet potatoes.
Go for Beauregard, Jewel, or Garnet; they’re naturally sweet and bake up with a creamy texture. Choose small to medium ones with smooth, firm skin; the big ones can be fibrous.
They were baked too long or cut too thin. Stick with evenly sized chunks and bake just until fork-tender and caramelized.
Absolutely. I have a crockpot southern style candied yams recipe that helps so much when you just don't have the oven space!
If you prefer that, add some mini marshmallows on top during the last 10-15 minutes of baking. If you try it this way, let me know! I'd love your feedback.
More Southern Holiday Side Dishes You’ll Love
Craving more cozy recipes? Sign up for the Sweet Tea & Thyme newsletter, save this recipe with the Pin button. If you whip it up, tag me (@sweet_tea_thyme on IG/@sweetteaandthyme on TikTok) and don’t forget to leave a star rating and note below, it helps more than you know, friend.
Old Fashioned Candied Yams
Equipment
- Vegetable Peeler for potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
- 8 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark works
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
- In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and kosher salt well.8 tablespoon butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Use your clean hands or a large spoon to mix the butter-sugar mixture and sweet potatoes in a baking dish or casserole dish. Make sure each sweet potato chunk is well coated in the mixture and the potatoes are laying in an even layer. It's okay if it's not in one layer.6 medium sized sweet potatoes
- Bake the candied yams in the preheated oven for 55 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender, the sugar and potatoes have caramelized, and there is that buttery syrup in the baking dish.
- Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving, sugar burns aren't fun!
Leave a Reply