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Southern Candied Yams

Southern candied yams bake in a brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon syrup until tender and glazed. The two-stage bake creates bubbling syrup and soft sweet potato rounds.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 7 minutes
Resting 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern
Calories: 370
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the yams
  • 3 lb sweet potatoes often labeled yams, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
For the syrup
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.33 cup water
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 9x13-inch baking dish

Method
 

Prepare the yams
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  3. Arrange the sweet potato rounds in the baking dish, overlapping them slightly.
Make the syrup
  1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  3. Simmer, stirring, until the sugars dissolve, about 2 minutes.
  4. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
  5. Stir in the vanilla.
  6. Pour the syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes.
Bake
  1. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
  2. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are nearly fork-tender.
  3. Remove the foil and spoon syrup over the sweet potatoes.
  4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender and glazed and the syrup is bubbling.
  5. Let the yams rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

For an even glaze, spoon syrup over the sweet potatoes after removing the foil. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days; freezing is suitable. For a dairy-free version, use a plant-based butter substitute.