Description
This Southern Candied Yams recipe is a classic soul food side dish featuring tender sweet potato slices baked in a rich, buttery, spiced brown sugar syrup. Perfectly sweet and warmly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, these yams are a must-have for holiday meals or comforting everyday dinners.
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 the Oven and Baking Dish: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish thoroughly and set it aside for later use.
- Slice the Sweet Potatoes: Wash, peel, and slice the sweet potatoes into ½-inch thick rounds. Arrange the sliced sweet potatoes evenly in the buttered baking dish.
- 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 meld together, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. The syrup will be thick and the sugar may not be fully dissolved, which is normal.
- Coat the Sweet Potatoes: Pour the warm syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes in the baking dish. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to gently stir and coat each sweet potato slice thoroughly with the syrup to avoid dry spots and clumping.
- Bake Covered: Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes to allow the sweet potatoes to start softening and absorb the syrup flavors.
- Toss and Continue Baking: Remove the foil carefully and gently toss the sweet potatoes to rotate the slices and ensure even cooking and syrup absorption. Return the dish to the oven uncovered and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes until the sweet potatoes are very tender but intact, and the syrup is thick and syrupy.
- Cool and Serve: Let the candied yams cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Serve with a slotted spoon, spooning some of the extra syrup over the top for maximum flavor enjoyment.
Notes
- Slice sweet potatoes as uniformly as possible to ensure even cooking; longer, thinner potatoes are easier to slice evenly.
- The syrup should be thick and not fully dissolved to prevent it from hardening like candy once cooled.
- Adjust sugar amounts to taste for a sweeter or less sweet dish according to your preference.
- This dish can be made 1 to 2 days ahead and reheated in the oven or microwave.
- For best results, assemble the dish in advance and store uncooked yams refrigerated; cook fully on serving day.
- Test doneness by piercing a sweet potato slice with a fork; it should be tender and easy to bite but not mushy.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and reheat thoroughly before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 38g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
