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Southern Candied Yams

Southern candied yams bake in a 9x13-inch dish under a buttery brown sugar syrup until tender and bubbling. A final uncovered bake thickens the syrup around the sweet potato rounds.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 9 minutes
resting 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 39 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern
Calories: 440
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the yams
  • 1 nonstick cooking spray for the baking dish
  • 4 lb sweet potatoes peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
For the syrup
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup water
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 9x13-inch baking dish

Method
 

Prepare the yams
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. Arrange the sweet potato rounds in overlapping rows in the dish.
Make the syrup
  1. Combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugars dissolve, 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
  3. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Bake the yams
  1. Pour the syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes.
  2. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
  3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
  4. Remove the foil.
  5. Spoon the syrup over the sweet potatoes.
  6. Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the syrup is bubbling.
  7. Let the yams rest for 10 minutes before serving so the syrup can thicken.

Notes

For thicker syrup, let the yams rest for the full 10 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. For a dairy-free version, use plant-based butter.