Description
Southern Candied Yams are a classic soul food recipe featuring tender sweet potatoes baked in a rich, buttery, spiced sugar syrup. This dish is perfect as a comforting side, especially during holiday meals like Thanksgiving. The sweet potatoes are beautifully coated in a cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla-infused glaze that caramelizes in the oven for a deliciously sweet and aromatic result.
Ingredients
Scale
Sweet Potatoes
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes – about 5 medium sweet potatoes
Syrup
- 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
- Prepare Oven and Dish: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside to prevent sticking.
- Prepare Sweet Potatoes: Thoroughly wash, peel, and slice the sweet potatoes into ½-inch thick rounds. Place the sweet potato slices evenly in the buttered baking dish.
- Make Syrup: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and combine it with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Stir just until the butter melts and ingredients come together. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Note that the syrup will be thick and some sugar granules may not be fully dissolved.
- Coat Sweet Potatoes: Pour the warm butter and sugar syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes in the baking dish. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to carefully stir and coat each sweet potato slice thoroughly to prevent dry spots and clumping.
- Bake Covered: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes to allow the potatoes to start cooking and absorb the syrup.
- Toss and Continue Baking: After 40 minutes, remove the foil and gently toss the sweet potatoes to redistribute them and the syrup. Continue baking uncovered for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very tender and the syrup has thickened to a syrupy consistency.
- Cool and Serve: Let the candied yams cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Serve warm with a slotted spoon, spooning some extra syrup over the top if desired.
Notes
- Slice sweet potatoes uniformly about ½ inch thick for even cooking. Longer or thinner yams are easier to slice evenly.
- The syrup is intentionally thick and not fully dissolved to prevent it from hardening like candy during baking.
- Adjust sugar amount according to desired sweetness.
- This recipe is ideal for make-ahead preparation. Assemble and cook ahead or store uncooked in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking.
- Test doneness by piercing a sweet potato 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. Reheat in the microwave or oven before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
