Southern Candied Yams
These Southern Candied Yams have tender sweet potato slices baked in a buttery cinnamon-orange syrup until thick, glossy, and lightly caramelized. Serve them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday dinner, or any Southern-style comfort food meal.
Servings: 16
Calories: 214kcal
Equipment
- 9x13 Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Sweet Potatoes orange or yams, washed and scrubbed
- 1 ½ cup Granular Sweetener
- 1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
Baking Liquid
- ½ cup Butter salted
- ½ cup Orange Juice pulp free
- ¼ cup Granular Sweetener
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Prepare the Sweet Potatoes
- Add the whole, unpeeled sweet potatoes to a large pot and cover them completely with cold water.
- Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil (use the quick boil setting on your stove if you have it). Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until a fork can easily slide in and out of the thickest parts of the sweet potatoes.
- Drain the sweet potatoes and run them under cold water to help them cool quickly.
- Once cool enough to handle, use a butter knife to trim off the rough ends. Gently scrape away the skins with the knife. This should be very easy to do after boiling.
- Slice the sweet potatoes into ½-inch-thick rounds and set aside.
Make the Candied Yams
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Make the baking liquid: Add the baking liquid ingredients to a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the butter melts and the sugar is completely dissolved
- Mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. This helps with evenly distributing the spices.
- Arrange half of the sweet potato slices in an even layer in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over the sweet potatoes. Repeat with the remaining sweet potatoes and sugar mix.
- Pour the warm baking liquid evenly over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Baste the sweet potatoes and continue to bake: Spoon some of the baking liquid over the top of the sweet potatoes. Return to the oven and continue to bake uncovered for 25-30 more minutes until the baking liquid reduces (turning into a syrup).
Notes
- Sweet potatoes: Choose similarly sized orange-fleshed sweet potatoes so they cook evenly.
- Baste, don’t stir: Spoon the syrup over the potatoes so the softened slices stay intact.
- Garnet sweet potatoes: These tend to stay firmer and may need extra oven time to fully soften and absorb the syrup.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Replace all of the cinnamon and nutmeg with Pumpkin Pie Spice, if desired.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 306mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 12259IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
