Candied Yams

A Classic Thanksgiving Side Dish

Candied Yams are a holiday meal staple, and this sweet and spice-filled recipe is a must-have for the table! With Thanksgiving just around the corner, this easy dish will definitely come in handy, and probably more than once!

For a truly balanced holiday feast, you need a mix of both sweet and savory dishes on the table. These Easy Candied Yams/Candied Sweet Potatoes definitely fall into “sweet side dish” category.

Maybe that’s why my husband Matt refers to them as “The Sweet Tea of the Thanksgiving table.” I guess they do have a bit of Southern charm, don’t they?

Ingredients for Candied Yams

Yams/Garnet Sweet Potatoes
Salted Butter
Light Brown Sugar
Granulated Sugar
Honey
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Allspice
Ground Nutmeg
Vanilla Extract

Made these tonight for thanksgiving tomorrow! They taste amazing, I will be using this recipe from now on. Just like grandmas!

– Robin

How To Make Candied Yams

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F and peeling and slicing your sweet potatoes.
2. Next, in a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, honey, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Add in the yams/sweet potatoes. Use a mixing spoon to toss the sweet potato in the sugar mixture to coat. Transfer the potatoes and any additional sugar mixture to a 9×13-inch baking dish.
3. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and peel back the foil and stir the potatoes. Place the foil back over the top of the pan and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until yams/sweet potatoes are tender.
4. Remove from the oven and allow them to sit for 100 to 15 minutes before serving.

Candied Yams With Marshmallows

Some people love adding marshmallows to sweet potato dishes (I’m one of them!) and you can easily add them to this one too!

Once the yams are done cooking, sprinkle mini marshmallows over the top of them and then put under the broiler for a couple of minutes until the marshmallows are golden brown.

If you’re making this dish in advance and plan on reheating it just before dinnertime, don’t do the marshmallow step until just before serving for best texture and taste.

What’s the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?

Something to note about this recipe is that you can use sweet potatoes in place of yams if you prefer. Both taste delicious, but there is a difference between the two.

In the United States and Canada, what many of us use in the candied yams recipes that grace our holiday tables is a garnet sweet potato, the reddish-brown skinned tubers with a rich orange flesh.

Sweet potatoes and yams are often mixed up or used interchangeably. Turns out, there’s not only a distinction between the two — but neither of them is even a potato!

According to Epicurious, sweet potatoes and yams are part of two different plant families. Also, sweet potatoes are grown in the U.S. while true yams are found in Africa, Central America, or the Caribbean.

They look a bit different, with yams being more oval in shape with a white flesh and sweet potatoes tapering at the ends have an orange flesh. And as far as taste goes, yams have a starchier, drier texture than sweet potatoes.

Luckily, for the purposes of this recipe, you can use either yams (if you can get your hands on the real thing) or garnet sweet potatoes, as mentioned above. Either way, you can’t go wrong with this delectable dish!

More Delicious Side Dish Recipes

• Cheesy Corn Casserole – So easy and a fan favorite!
• Brown Butter Boursin Mashed Potatoes – Buttery and creamy with an unforgettable flavor!
• Tini’s Mac and Cheese – A trifecta of cheeses, delectable spices, and corkscrew pasta!
• Cranberry Sauce – The best homemade version ever!
• Sweet Potato Casserole – A sweet Thanksgiving classic!