How to make Candied Yams? (Warmly Spiced and Smothered)

This side dish will undoubtedly be a favorite when served with a roast turkey and all the fixings. It is made up of candied yams that are warmly spiced and covered in a brown sugar butter sauce.

Although we usually eat this vegetable like a sweet potato casserole, I must admit that I appreciate the warm buttery sauce in this variation.

What Are Yams in Candier?

Create sure you purchase the copper-skinned species, which is the most popular kind if you want to make candied yams, which can be produced using either yams or “sweet potato yams.”

Since true yams are quite hard to come by in North America, I usually substitute a sweet potato for the vegetable in this recipe. Find out more about the distinctions between yams and sweet potatoes here.

A classic southern recipe known as candied yams transforms this sweet root vegetable into a dessert-like side dish that goes well with just about everything. It’s ideal for autumn, Thanksgiving, or the holiday season!

Yams must be candied.

1. Slice the sweet potatoes or yams into 1/3″ thick pieces. They may crumble when cooking if they are cut too thin.
2. Sweet potatoes should be added after the butter has been melted and coated with sugar and spices.
3. Cook softly bubbling sauce first before covering while cooking slowly.
4. Add the final three ingredients once the tubers are cooked and the sauce is thick. Delicious and easy to make!

*Tip: Simply skim off part of the sauce during cooking so that the potatoes don’t get too soft and cooked if you want the tubers to have a candied crunchy look around the edges.

If the sauce reduces too much, you can easily add some back in or store it to pour over leftovers.

Yams served with sugar

These can be served all year round as a treat and go well with any type of pork dish, particularly bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin.

But during festive meals, candied yams shine, and Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without a sweet potato-based dish. Every year, this one is a complete landslide; it will undoubtedly become a family tradition.

Have Extras?

Just hope there will be leftovers since this is one of those dinners that taste even better the second day! There is also nothing better than leftover candied yams for a delectable lunch the following day if you enjoy sweet breakfasts.

More Yum Yams

Sweet potatoes and yams can both be mashed, baked, or roasted.

On the stovetop, making them is simple. Make a make-ahead or slow cooker sweet potato casserole if your stovetop is already full. For a tasty variation, we adore combining sweet potatoes with apples.

Candied Yams

It’s impossible to top Southern-style candied yam recipes like this one that is warm, spicy, and covered in brown sugar butter sauce.

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 6 yams peeled and sliced ⅓” thick (approx 3 ½ pounds)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

1. Place butter and a big, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes and stir to mix once the butter has melted.
2. To the skillet, add the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. To blend, stir.
3. Reduce the heat to low once the sugar has melted, then cover with a lid. Stir every 15 minutes during the hour of cooking.
4. Be careful when stirring to avoid breaking up the potatoes because they will start to soften as they cook.
5. Taste the potatoes and add kosher salt as desired once they are thoroughly cooked and the sauce is thick.
6. Serve warm.

Nutrition information

Serving: 6g | Calories: 388 | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 487mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 18916IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1mg