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The Best EVER Candied Yams

Tender and sweet, these are candied yams made from scratch!

 

My BEST EVER Candied Yams… Sweet Tender Candied Yams made completely from scratch!

I honestly can’t tell you how good these yams are, simply because there are no words to describe it! These are indeed the BEST CANDIED YAMS EVER!!! Forget what you heard, learned or witnessed in the past. If you ain’t had these yams… Boo Boo, you haven’t had yams yet. Forget about serving your family those canned yams this holiday season ( shame on you for evening thinking it…LOL) This is what you need in your life right now..

Now if these yams look familiar, it’s because I shared this recipe on YouTube, almost two years ago! Yup, it’s the same recipe, but I am going to give you the “written” recipe AND directions this time around.. Why am I sharing the same recipe I shared a few years back? Because this recipe does NOT need to be revised! It is just that BOMB ( yesssss I still say BOMB…. )

So here is the video, and the recipe!

 

5 from 8 votes
yams
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The Best EVER Candied Yams
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

These candied yams are made from scratch and with yams cooking in the sugars to make them sweet and tender. The simple syrup complements the natural sweetness of the yams!

Course: Dessert, Side Dish, Side Dish/ Dessert
Cuisine: Soul Food, Southern, Southern/ Soul Food
Ingredients
  • 6 medium sized yams peeled and sliced
  • 1 stick 8 tbsp butter
  • 3/4 dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows optional
Instructions
  1. Place the peeled and cut yams into a large pot, and cover the yams with water.
  2. Place the pot on the stove top, turn the heat to high, and let the yams boil for about 5 minutes. Then drain the yams, and set the to the side.
  3. In a separate pot, add in 1 stick of butter, and begin to melt it over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted, reduce the heat to low, and add in the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar. Stir, and cook for 1 minute, then turn the heat off.
  4. Sprinkle in the ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger. Stir, and add in the vanilla extract.
  5. Place the yams into a butter bake dish, and pour the candied mixture all over the yams.
  6. Fold in the ingredients. Make sure the yams are well coated with the candied mixture!
  7. Place the yams in the oven, Uncovered, on 375 F for 20 minutes.
  8. Remove the yams from the oven, and add the marshmallows on top.
  9. Place the yams back into the oven for 5-7 minutes
  10. REMEMBER THE MARSHMALLOWS ARE OPTIONAL!
  11. SERVE!!!!

Comments

  1. I have viewed so many videos and yours is the best by far! I am learning how to be a better cook for my soon to be hubby and you have really helped me learned. Your videos are very easy to follow and I can understanding what you are saying. Thank You and keep up the best cooking ever! 🙂

    Reply


      • Rosie, thank you so much for the recipe for these candied yams! I made six pans of these yams for a church event and every couple minutes I had to put out another pan. They were the talk of the event. I have even had members come up to me and ask if I can make them a pan of candied yams for their birthday lol. Keep up the good work and let me know if you have more recipes that you can share.

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      • Another question…Have you made this recipe for a large group and if so, how much longer does the recipe need to bake? Do you use a glass dish or something else? I am planning on using this recipe to feed about 30 adults. Thank you!

        Reply

        • Hi Arlene! This recipe served about 6 people. If you’re making it for 30 adults, you’re definitely going to need to make about 5 platters. I don’t recommend trying to cook it all together.

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        • What size glass dish do you use for this recipe (for 6 servings)?
          Most important– If I double the recipe, what size glass dish do you recommend? Same cooking time if recipe is doubled?

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          • Hi Linda, the recipe can be double. The dish that I used in the video was a 9×13. I’m not sure on which glass dish to recommend for a bigger batch.

    • Hi Rosie,
      I am really excited to make your wonderful candied yams. I was wondering if I can make these a day ahead and bake them the next day?

      Reply

        • Can i combine everything except the marshmallows then tomorrow bake as directed and then add the marshmallows the next day to heat up , melt the marshmallows when i serve?
          Short on oven space! If it will still be as good !
          Thank you and happy t day!

          Reply

  2. Hey Rosie I noticed you only boiled the yams for 5 minutes. My mother-in-law said you have to boil yams for a long time. But since you baked the yams will it still come out tender?

    Reply

  3. Hello I noticed my candied sauce wasn’t liquidy once I added the sugars. It seem like the sugar absorbed all the butter. I used 3/4 cup of sugar and Brown sugar. But it’s grainy. Did I do something wrong?

    Reply

  5. I usually make these just like this in a pan on the stove … never made them in the oven but I will try this way for Thanksgiving! Thanks … looks so good!

    Reply

  7. I’m not a fan of candied sweet potatoes but while searching for a recipe to make for larger than usual crowd tomorrow, I came across this recipe. Looks great, l love the spices it incorporates. Expect to get many thumbs up for this dish. Thsnk You. Happy Thanksgiving.

    Reply

  9. I am getting ready to make this right now, but i have a question. I’ve seen other versions of candied yams where the yams are sort of mashed. If i wanted to do that, when would i mash it, after baking?

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  10. Love your recipes! I love candied yams but I could never seem to get them quite right…that and sweet potato pie! I’m cooking both of your recipes for Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving love!

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  11. I’d like to prepare these a few hours ahead of time (up until the “candy coating” step”) if I boil and candy coat my yams, can I then leave them like that in the fridge for 3 hours or so, that way all I have to do is bake and marshmallow them right before serving? Or will the yummy candy mixture dry out? Hope this makes sense :)Thanks! Can’t wait to make and EAT these! They look divine 🙂

    Reply

  12. So I am thankful for finding this recipe, lol. I just bought sweet potatoes knowing i was going to make yams, but know HOW I was going to make them. I came across a plethora of choices, but then I typed in “THE BEST candied yams…” And boom! Here you are. My yams are in the oven, and I’m about to take them out to taste them. I will come back in the next 5-10 mins to leave my taste review! Thanks for the thorough directions! 🙂

    Reply

      • Ok so they were probably the best yams my guests had!! Girlfriend, these yams are dangerous. My mother in law was stunned how good they were! *bonus points* And they were set off by the marshmallows..I literally have no leftovers. Thank you, these will be made time and time again!

        Reply

  13. Hi, Rosie, just wanted to tell you that I made these candied yams for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit! This was my first time ever making candied yams as I normally make sweet potato casserole for TG. I gotta admit, I was a little nervous about making this, as I was worried it might come out too sweet. But it wasn’t; SO delicious and warmly recieved by my picky family. My husband told me I should make this instead of the casserole from now on. Thank you so much and I look forward to trying out more of your recipes!

    Reply

  14. I made these for Thanksgiving and they were AMAZING!!! I cannot thank you enough! The video and the instructions were so helpful and the recipe was so PERFECT even I could get it right!

    Reply

  15. OMG…this was My first time making candied yams and it was an absolute hit! everyone loved them! this recipe is perfect and simple for first time chefs. Thank You so much for posting this recipe and making it very easy for people to understand

    Reply

  17. I DEFINITELY did something wrong. Mine were still raw, half done. I just put the marshmallows on but I’m gonna have to put aluminum foil on them and let them cook for another 20 minutes or so. Not sure what I did wrong, smh.

    Reply

  18. This was SO delicious!!! I will never make it the “traditional” way again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

  19. Yes Rosie~The Best EVER Candied Yams!!! I’ve tried numerous yam recipes over the years, and this was the BOMB!!! Last year, this recipe was a big hit in our home. I had a family member ask what was in it, so I told him the ingredients, his response was, that was the best yam dish he ever tasted & he hates marshmallows but loved your recipe. I agree with him as I’m not a fan of marshmallows, but I LOVE your recipe. It turned out so good, that I had the yam for dessert, instead of pumpkin pie 🙂 A week later I received a call from this guys wife, saying her husband would only eat your yam recipe. Many thanks from our home!

    Reply

  20. Our family traditional candied yams include the marshmallows and a cup of raisins at the same time. A treasure in our family! Making two batches this year for two families (hope to impress the in-laws). Passed on to me from my Mamsey.
    Bob

    Reply

  21. Rosie this candy is delicious! Thank you for the recipe, i’m bringing to thanksgiving dinner with my family today. Wish you had an apple pie filling recipe up here! lol i’m throwing together an apple cobbler really quick too. I’m sure to get rave reviews on these yams. Thanks again!

    Reply

  22. I have never made yams before so i want to make these. My family wants walnuts to be in it. Can i add them and when in the recipe would i do that? I am making this in 3-4 days. Thanks!

    Reply


  28. This recipe was AMAZING! I was asked to bring something to my boyfriend’s family’s thanksgiving (no pressure) and everyone loved it! The only problem with this recipe is that it it was so good there wasn’t any leftovers! The best candied yams ever!

    Reply

  29. This Christmas made my 3rd time making these utterly sinful yams. My son asked me not to invite people over again because there were no leftovers lol.
    I came on to click every ad on the page ^.^ hope the advertisers come flocking.

    Reply


  32. I made this for thanksgiving and it looked great with the marshmallows it looks so good to eat. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

    Reply


  33. Girl, my Mom’s friends went crazy over these at the Christmas dinner party last night. The only thing though is that I didn’t have any ground ginger. Regardless, it was a hit, and they are the bomb!!

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  34. Made these for Christmas and everyone went nuts! Tasted just like the yams we get from our local soul food restaurant that I’m obsessed with. Crazy good! I never want the leftovers to end… Thanks for the great recipe– it’s my go-to for holiday dinners from now on!

    Reply


  35. I’m not exactly a fan of candied yams… or any other yams for that matter…. my grandmother was the only person who could make them “right” in my opinion so I’ve never tried anyone else’s. She passed away last March. she was my hero, my role model, and the rock of our entire family. One of the things I miss most is her cooking. She was the best, and could cook anything, and while she taught me everything I know about cooking, I no longer have the ability to call her and ask her how to do something and I never got around to asking for her recipe for things like this. I thought there would always be tomorrow….. then she was gone…. The holidays were definitely hard without her here. We tried our best to plan and prepare our family meal, and after listening to descriptions of everyone else’s version of the dish, I thought I’d give it a try because there was no way I was going to let them do it! Lol It took forever to find a recipe with the right combination of ingredients! Your’s is the first I found and it is the only one I need. Its perfect! They’re delicious! I’m making them tonight for the 4th time since the holidays, and none go to waist, I assure you – I’ve put on a pound or two, but so worth it 😉
    I just wanted to thank you for sharing your recipe because it really was exactly what I needed, and every time I make them it takes me back to her.

    Reply

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