Baked Candied Yams Recipe

5 from 9 votes

A Southern candied yams recipe that's sweet and buttery and features brown sugar and warm spices. It's a traditional soul food recipe passed down from generation to generation.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Total Time1 5

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Soul Food

Servings:

Calories: 469kcal

Author: Krysten Wilkes & Marrekus Wilkes

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray or softened butter
5 medium sweet potatoes orange-fleshed, about 3 pounds
½ cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or ½ teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Generously coat baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
Clean the sweet potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt. Then, peel and slice sweet potatoes into ½-inch thick rounds, and arrange them in prepared baking dish.
Melt the butter in saucepan over medium heat.
Add salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and both types of sugar.
Stir until all the ingredients have combined with the butter.
Remove saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Pour melted butter mixture evenly over sweet potatoes, ensuring that each slice gets coated thoroughly.
Cover baking dish securely with aluminum foil. Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and let sweet potatoes bake for approximately 30 minutes.
After this initial baking period, carefully take baking dish out of the oven. Use a spoon, generously coat sweet potatoes with candied mixture.
Continue baking, with the foil removed, until sweet potatoes become tender when pierced with a fork, and sauce has thickened, enough to coat a spoon., about 15-20 minutes.
Once the sweet potatoes are done baking, remove from oven.
Allow candied yams to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can remove the foil during the last 5 minutes of baking, allowing it to reduce further.

Nutrition