Southern Candied Yams

Southern Candied Yams have tender sweet potato slices covered in a buttery cinnamon-orange syrup with lightly caramelized edges. The syrup thickens as the yams bake, giving you soft slices that still hold their shape when served.

Make this Southern candied yams recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Sunday dinner. Serve it with Southern Baked Mac and Cheese, Collard Greens with Bacon, and more of my Thanksgiving Recipes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Thick, buttery syrup: Orange juice, butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg cook down into a glossy syrup that coats the potatoes.
• Slices that hold their shape: Boiling the potatoes whole makes them easy to peel while keeping them firm enough to slice.
• Made for holidays and Sunday dinner: The sweet, warmly spiced yams work well with turkey, greens, cornbread, and other Southern favorites.

Ingredients You’ll Need

These notes will help you choose the right ingredients. Find the exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Orange sweet potatoes or yams: Choose potatoes that are close in size so they finish boiling around the same time. Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes give candied yams their familiar color and soft texture.
• Granulated sugar: Some of the sugar is mixed with the cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkled between the layers. The rest goes into the baking liquid and helps it thicken into syrup.
• Ground cinnamon: Adds the main warm spice flavor.
• Nutmeg: A small amount adds more flavor without overpowering the cinnamon.
• Salted butter: Adds richness and a little salt to balance the sweetness.
• Orange juice: Use pulp-free orange juice so the syrup stays smooth.
• Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and brings the orange, butter, and spices together.

How to Make Southern Candied Yams

Boil the Sweet Potatoes

Boil the potatoes whole with the skins on until a fork slides into the thickest part. This softens them enough to peel and slice without letting them absorb too much water.

Peel and Slice

Cool the potatoes until you can handle them, then scrape away the loosened skins and cut them into even ½-inch rounds. The slices should feel tender but firm enough to move without breaking.

Make the Baking Liquid

Warm the butter, orange juice, sugar, and vanilla until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Starting with a smooth liquid helps it spread evenly through the layers.

Layer the Yams

Layer the sweet potatoes with the cinnamon-nutmeg-sugar mixture, then pour the warm baking liquid over the top. This seasons the potatoes throughout instead of leaving all the sweetness on the top layer.

Bake Uncovered and Baste

Bake the yams uncovered so the extra liquid can evaporate and the sauce can thicken into syrup. Partway through, gently spoon the liquid over the top so the upper slices absorb more flavor without breaking apart. The yams are ready when the syrup coats the slices, the potatoes are fully tender, and the top has lightly caramelized. This side dish is super forgiving so if you accidentally cook them a little longer, it’s ok.

Tips for the Best Candied Yams

• Choose similar-sized potatoes: This helps them finish boiling around the same time.
• Use the fork test: Potato size and variety can change the cooking time, so check the thickest part instead of relying only on the clock.
• Do not overboil them: Stop once a fork slides in easily and the skins loosen. The potatoes still need to feel firm enough to slice.
• Use ½ cup of orange juice (pulp free, any flavor): Sometimes, I get a little fancy and choose another orange juice. This tastes just as great with orange mango juice, orange pineapple juice or more. My only tip is to use the amount listed in the recipe card. It might sound like a good idea to add more, but the balance of butter, sweetener and juice helps the liquid to cook down into a better syrup.
• Baste instead of stirring: Spoon the syrup over the potatoes so the softened slices do not break apart.
• Using Garnet sweet potatoes or another firm sweet potato: when you buy sweet potatoes, especially around the holidays, they are usually the perfect type in terms of sweetness and firmness for recipes like sweet potato pie and candied yams. But, throughout the year, other options might be available at the market. If you end up with something like Garnets in the summertime, which tends to be firmer, they may need extra oven time to soften fully and absorb more of the syrup. Just keep baking them.

Easy Swaps and Variations

• Use unsalted butter: Add a small pinch of salt to the baking liquid.
• Add orange zest or crushed pineapples to the baking liquid: The zest will increase the citrus flavor when baking and the pineapples bake down adding a slight tropical flavor that my family enjoys.
• Use pumpkin pie spice: Replace all of the cinnamon and nutmeg with my Pumpkin Pie Spice.

What to Serve With Southern Candied Yams

Since candied yams are sweet, I like to add plenty of savory sides to the plate.

For Thanksgiving or Christmas, serve them with Turkey Gravy, Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon. Cornbread Dressing and Creamed Corn are also good choices for a traditional holiday dinner. Add Maple Glazed Carrots when you want another vegetable side with some sweetness.

For Sunday dinner, serve the yams with Green Beans with Bacon, Collard Greens with Bacon, and Homemade Cornbread.

Make-Ahead and Storage

• Make ahead: Bake the candied yams, let them cool, and cover the baking dish. Refrigerate until you are ready to reheat them.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
• Reheat in the oven: Cover the dish and warm it at 325°F until heated through.
• Reheat in the microwave: Heat individual servings until warm.
• Before serving: Spoon some of the syrup from the bottom of the dish over the potatoes.
• Freeze: I do not recommend freezing these because the slices may become too soft after thawing.

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