Tulo

Candied Yams (Sweet Potatoes) Recipe

A glass 9x13 baking dish of sliced candied yams glazed in a glossy, thickened brown sugar and butter syrup, with a light dusting of cinnamon on top.
Photo by Manuel Camacho-Navarro on Pexels

What's sold as "yams" in most US grocery stores is actually a moist, orange-fleshed sweet potato variety, not a true yam at all; true yams are a starchy, dry, tuber from a completely different plant family that's rarely stocked outside international markets. This recipe uses the orange sweet potatoes everyone actually has on hand, and their high moisture and sugar content is exactly why they candy so well: they soften and soak up the buttery syrup instead of staying dry and fibrous the way a true yam would.

Prep
20 min
Cook
55 min
Total
75 min
Servings
8

Ingredients

Servings8
  • 4 medium (about 2 lbs) sweet potatoes (labeled "yams"), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows (optional)

Nutrition per serving

Calories
228
Protein
1g
Carbs
38g
Fat
9g

Based on the recipe as written, one serving. Recalculates if you swap an ingredient above. An estimate only, exact values depend on the specific ingredients used.

Need different units or a different yield? Try our Conversion Calculator →

Instructions

  1. 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  2. 2Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Arrange in slightly overlapping layers in the prepared dish.
  3. 3In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves into a smooth syrup, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
  4. 4Pour the syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
  5. 5Remove the foil, baste the potatoes with the syrup pooled in the bottom of the dish, and bake uncovered for another 15-20 minutes, basting once more halfway through, until the potatoes are fork-tender and the syrup has thickened into a glaze.
  6. 6For a marshmallow topping, scatter the mini marshmallows evenly over the top and broil for 1-2 minutes, watching closely, until golden and puffed.
  7. 7Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving so the glaze can set slightly.

Tips & variations

  • Look for garnet or jewel sweet potatoes for the deepest orange color and creamiest texture; these are the varieties grocery stores almost always label as "yams," even though they're not.
  • True yams (the dry, starchy African and Caribbean tuber) hold their shape better when boiled but don't candy well since their drier flesh absorbs far less of the syrup.
  • Swap half the brown sugar for maple syrup for a glaze that's less cloyingly sweet and has more depth.
  • Add 1/2 cup toasted pecans scattered over the top for the last 10 minutes of baking for crunch and contrast.
  • Skip the marshmallows entirely for a more traditional Southern version; the syrup alone gives plenty of shine and sweetness.

Storage & reheating

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or microwave individual portions in 30-second bursts, stirring the syrup back over the potatoes between bursts.

Tips from the Tulo kitchen

  • Choosing sweet potatoes that are similar in diameter helps every slice cook through at the same rate instead of ending up with a mix of mushy and firm pieces.
  • If the syrup looks thin once the potatoes are tender, pull it off, simmer it briefly in a saucepan to reduce, then pour it back over rather than leaving the dish in the oven longer and risking overcooked potatoes.

FAQ

Are yams and sweet potatoes actually the same thing?

No. They're from two entirely different plant families. True yams are a dry, starchy tuber grown mostly in Africa and the Caribbean and are rarely sold in mainstream US grocery stores. What Americans call "yams" in the produce aisle, especially the soft, orange-fleshed kind used in dishes like this one, are actually a variety of sweet potato.

Why do American grocery stores label sweet potatoes as yams?

The label stuck decades ago when orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties were introduced to US markets and marketed as "yams" to distinguish them from the paler, firmer sweet potatoes already sold under that name. The name never got corrected, so it's now standard grocery store usage even though the tubers are botanically sweet potatoes.

Can I use canned sweet potatoes or yams for this recipe?

Yes, though the texture will be softer since canned sweet potatoes are pre-cooked. Drain them well, skip the 35-minute covered bake, and go straight to the uncovered stage for about 15 minutes just to build the glaze and heat everything through.

Does it matter which orange sweet potato variety I use?

Not much for flavor, but garnet and jewel varieties have the moistest flesh and candy up the softest. Firmer white or purple-fleshed sweet potatoes work too, but they'll hold their shape more and take slightly longer to become fork-tender.