Southern candied yams is an old fashioned sweet potato side dish that's slow cooked in a candied mixture on the stove-top. The mixture contains, brown and white sugar, with butter, warm cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and orange juice concentrate. These yams are so tender sweet and citrusy with buttery caramel toffee flavor. Perfect for Thanksgiving or anytime of the year! Check out the Pinterest reviews!
Loved this recipe. I didn’t have concentrated OJ so I just used ¼ OJ from concentrate. I candied them a bit too long but yum yum yummy they were good ~Connie
Lawd have mercy! Made these to the T and they were so GOOD! I got a proposal after I served these yams to my fiance! ~ Tomika
Very flavorful ~ Keyonna
Hands down the best recipe I've tried. ~ Irene
First time making candied yams & this recipe was bomb.. thanks! ~ Brittany
Smaller batch and I cooked mines on the stove top. So delicious ~ Sharon 😋😋😋😋
Y'all know anything with the word candied is going to be good right? Well for me, that's usually the case. So today we are talking about how to make some really GOOD Southern candied yams! They're so tender and they'll literally melt in your mouth. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them.
I grew up eating them every holiday. Despite having them abagillion times, I'm still in love with them.
ARE SWEET POTATOES THE SAME AS YAMS?
I've had to answer this question a few times. The answer is no. Although they look alike and are marketed a like, they're two different root vegetables. Yams have are cylinder shaped with thicker and darker rough skin and whiter meat.
Yams can grow way bigger than sweet potatoes. Don't believe me then look at this and this! Ginormous huh? Yams also contain more starch than sweet potatoes. So they require more butter when cooked. And lastly, they have more calories than sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are a darker orange color, smoother skin and a tubular shape with tapered ends. Also, if you don't live in Africa, Asia, South America or Oceania you're most likely buying sweet potatoes and not yams.
So, if you see a "yam" in the grocery store, it's most likely a sweet potato. But no worries, you can probably find yams at specialty stores or international markets.
FYI, In this post you'll notice that I call sweet potatoes yams, just know I'm referring to sweet potatoes lol. So candied sweet potatoes are basically the same as candied yams. Now that their differences are cleared up, let's get back to the recipe.
CANDIED YAMS
My mom used to make her candied yams on the stove-top with lemon and they were great! There were even times, during busy weekdays when she'd come home after a long day of work and doctored up the canned version served with mac and cheese and fried chicken.
It was the best. However, I prefer mine homemade that's the ONLY way I make them.
So my inspiration for this candied yams recipe comes from my momma but I don't use lemons. I love to use orange juice concentrate. If you make this recipe, do not skip the concentrated oj. You can find it in the frozen food aisle at most stores. The yams will taste just fine without the frozen oj but a 100 times better with it!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
This is what I love about these southern candied yams:
- I buy smaller slimmer sweet potatoes. Also, the smaller sweet potatoes are usually uniform in size. From personal experience, bigger sweet potatoes or yams take more time to peel and cut. But If you can't find them at Aldi's or another store, you can use the larger sweet potatoes to make this as well.
- It’s a simple well seasoned candied sweet potato recipe. Basically just add all of the ingredient to a pot. Let it come to a boil then simmer and cover. Until the yams are nice, sweet and tender. Then uncover to let the liquid reduce.
- They're rich, sweet and buttery with warm spices and orange flavor. Definitely not diet food but perfect to eat once a year for Thanksgiving.
- It cooks on the stovetop. This way you can keep an eye on it and occasionally stir to prevent the candied sweet potatoes s and the cooking liquid from burning. You can even adjust the flavors to your liking when your making it this way.
- Lastly, candied yams are a wonderful inexpensive side dish.
HOW TO MAKE CANDIED YAMS
My mom and grandmother used to make these the old fashioned way, by boiling the potatoes first but that's not necessary. Here's my recipe:
Scrub, peel and slice your yams into ½ inch rounds. In a medium pot combine the yams and the rest of the ingredients. Stir the sweet potatoes until coated in the sugar and butter mixture. Let it come to a boil. Cover then simmer for about 50 minutes or until the yams are nice and tender. To test their doneness, take one out and taste it. If it's still a bit hard. Let it cook a bit longer.
Remove the cover and set stove to medium. Let the cooking liquid come to a boil. Stirring occasionally until the cooking liquid reduces about 10 minute or until the syrup coats the yams.
Remove the pot with the candied yams from the stovetop. Next place the pot of sweet potatoes into the oven until you are ready to serve them. These taste best warm.
TIPS TO MAKE STOVETOP CANDIED YAMS
- This can be made up to 3 days in advance. The flavors will be even better! Store with an airtight lid in the refrigerator. Heat it up on the stove-top until warmed through.
- Look for long small thinner sweet potatoes. They're easier to peel and cut. I get mine from Aldi's.
- Try to cut the yams the same size into ½ inch slices.
- Once the candied yams are done, carefully stir them into the sauce. If you stir to roughly the yams may break apart but no worries. They'll still be super tasty!
- To test their doneness, take one out and taste it. If it's still a bit hard. Let it cook a bit longer.
- This dish is best served warm.
Southern Candied Yams
Ingredients
- 2lb sweet potatoes
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar or light brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 stick butter
- 4 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate thawed
Instructions
- Scrub, peel and slice your yams into ½ inch rounds. In a medium pot over medium high heat, combine the sweet potatoes and the rest of the ingredients. Stir the sweet potatoes until coated in the sugar and butter mixture.
- Let it come to a boil. Cover then simmer for about 50 minutes or until the yams are nice and tender when slightly pierced with the tines of a fork or taste. If the yam is still a bit hard. Let it cook a bit longer.
- Remove the top then set stove to medium. Let the cooking liquid come to a boil. Stirring occasionally until the cooking liquid reduces about 10 minute or until the syrup coats the yams. Remove the pot with the candied yams from the stove and place them into the oven until you are ready to serve them. These taste best warm. Please share this recipe, so other people can enjoy it!
Video
Notes
QUICK TIPS
- Double or triple the recipe if you like.
- I always add a bit more vanilla extract to the candied yams once they're almost done cooking.
- These aren't too sweet in my opinion but you can adjust the amount of sugar to your taste, since everyones taste is different. Start off using less sugar, taste then add more if needed. If you end up adding too much sugar, balance it out by adding a bit of water or even butter.
- If the syrup becomes too thick, you can thin it out with a bit of water.
- You can assemble this in advance. Up to 3 days. The flavors will be even better! Store it with an airtight lid in the refrigerator. Heat it up on your stove-top until warmed through.
- Look for small sweet potatoes. They're easier to peel and cut. You can usually find them at Walmart. If you can't find them medium or larger sweet potatoes will work.
- Cut the sweet potatoes into ½ inch rounds. If you slice them any thinner they may break apart as they cook.
- Once they're done, carefully stir them into the sauce. If you stir to roughly the yams may break apart.
- To test their doneness, take one out and taste it. If it's still a bit hard.Let it cook a bit longer. when the tines of fork can pierce the sweet potato easily, it's done.
- This dish is best served warm.Follow Whisk it Real Gud on Instagram.
If you think this candied yams recipe looks good, save it to your Pinterest Board or share it on Facebook. Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest too!
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YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE OTHER SOUTHERN RECIPES:
Laura
I am hosting Thanksgiving this year and have never made sweet potatoes from scratch. I found this recipe and made it last week (2 weeks before the holiday) to make sure it was a good one to use at Thanksgiving. Well, not only will I be using this recipe at Thanksgiving, it will be used all year round. Absolutely delicious! I was worried about the orange juice, but it tied in perfectly with the other flavors. Yum!
April Boller Wright
You made my day! I can't wait to make more this Thanksgiving! Thank you so much Laura!
Teresa
April,
Just wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe! I was looking for a candied yam recipe that didn't have marshmallows (not a family favorite) and made yours last year for Thanksgiving. They were a hit! The texture is perfect and my mom was obsessed. Your instructions are thorough, clear, and informative. Fail-proof!
I will remake them this year and I'm drooling just thinking about it.
April Boller Wright
I'm so glad you all enjoyed it 🙂
Ralph
To the amazing person who shared this, Thank you! I vre up eating candied yams from the can. No matter how you dressed them up, they never looked like these. We actually gave up about a decade ago when I told my wife her sister's recipe just rarely worked. She started making sweet potato casserole instead, which I love. But this year, or maybe this week, I'm making these!
Meme
Best candy yams I have ever made. I thought I made the best yams before. This recipe took it to another level. Amazing thanks for sharing. I did add 1/2 tbsp of lemon extract and 1/2 cup water
April Boller Wright
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you!!
Ali
My mom made this this the old school way too. This is much easier and absolutely delicious! So glad I found this recipe.
April
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much!
Diana Seebode
They were superb. I didn't have concentrated OJ but I did have one orange. I used about one teaspoon of the zest and then squeezed the juice and used that. It was fantastic. Definitely will make again.
April
Thank you so much for the great feedback Diana! 🙂
Amber
I made these for thanksgiving this year. I wanted to free up stove space so I followed the recipe but put everything in the crockpot. I cubed my potatoes so they would hold up better and cooked them on high for about 2.5-3 hours. They came out perfectly tender and with tons of that lovely sticky yam syrup (so much so that I can freeze the extra syrup and use again on another day!). The syrup was thick enough to coat on its own but I may add a little cornstarch if it’s too loose in the future.
Great recipe and I’ll definitely throw them in the crockpot next time I make them.
April
Great crockpot tips! Thank you so much Amber!!!
Mona
I love this recipe! So easy and yummy
April
Thank you Mona!
Gina
Water is not on the recipe. Do You put water in the pot?
April
Hi Gina. Good question! A lot of old fashioned candied yam recipes use water, but you actually don't need it.
Rosa
Can you add marshmallows when baking?
April
These aren't baked they're made on the stovetop. I don't want to say the recipe works in the oven with marshmallows because I've never tried it, but some people on Pinterest have had success baking them.
Anonymous
Hi I'm Linda,
I tasted as the yams cooked every so often. The flavors exploded into aroma through the house. This recipe isn't overly sweet. I think it's perfect! thank you so much.
April
Hi Linda! I love the great review! Thanks for taking time out to comment. Happy Holidays!
Anonymous
These yams were delicious.
April Wright
Thank you so much!
Alexandria
Hi, can I do this recipe the same way but In the oven?
April Wright
Hi there. Thanks for your question. I usually just cook it on the stove-top. I've seen Pinterest reviews regarding this recipe and they successfully baked it. If you try it let me know how it goes!
Monique
Listen!! These yams were excellent!
April
Awww thank you so much Monique! I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Janiya J
Yasss! My momma used to make hers with lemon too! They were so good! I never tried candied yams with oj concentrate tho. I'll be trying this recipe real soon! I love the tip to buy small sweet potatoes cause chile cutting the big ones ain't no joke! It's a freaking workout! Thanks for saving me some time in the kitchen April! OH and I think you have the best looking candied yams on the internet! They look amazing! My mouth was watering the whole time watching your video! Keep up the good work!
April
Your mom too?! She must be a great cook! You're too kind Janiya! Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm glad you like the tips! I'll never use the big ones again lol.
Diana Seebode
I made this for Thanksgiving and they were delighted. I was wondering if the recipe would work using butternut squash. I have 2 I want to use up.
April
I'm so sorry for my delayed response. I have not tried using squash but I don't see why it wouldn't work. If you do try it let me know how it went!