Classic Candied Yams

Ingredients for the Best Candied Yams

Here are all the ingredients you need to make your very best homemade candied yams or sweet potatoes!

Yams or Sweet Potatoes: The star of the show, these root vegetables are naturally just a touch sweet. They create a hearty, colorful base for the dish. And there is a difference in texture and color between the two! More on that below.

Brown Sugar: Brown sugar enhances the natural sweetness of the yams. When heated with other ingredients for this candied yams recipe, it melts down to create that delicious, syrupy glaze.

Butter: Melting butter along with the brown sugar also helps create the smooth, rich glaze that coats the yams.

Water: A little bit of water goes a long way, especially when it helps thin out and make the base for this candied yams glaze.

Salt: A bit of salt helps to balance out the sweetness of the dish, providing the perfect savory contrast to complete this candied yams recipe.

How to Make Candied Yams

This candied yams recipe is wonderfully simple—and the results are delicious! Let’s take a quick look at how to make candied yams. Once you’re ready to get cooking, find the full ingredients list and step-by-step instructions below.

Cook Yams

Fresh sweet potatoes and yams come with dirt on them, so you’ll want to give them a good rinse or wash with a vegetable scrubber if needed. There’s no need to peel them—since the skins will slide right off after cooking. Place your scrubbed yams in a Dutch oven with enough water to cover them. Heat to boiling, then simmer until tender. Drain, and let cool.

Prep Yams

Remove the skins by hand. After boiling, they should slip right off under the pressure of your fingers. If you ’re having trouble getting the skins off, your sweet potatoes or yams may not be fully cooked through yet. Once the skins are off, cut your yams or sweet potatoes into ½-inch slices. Feel free to vary the thickness of your yams or sweet potatoes to suit your personal preferences, but keep in mind that this may change how long you need to heat the dish.

Make Glaze

Here’s where the magic happens! We’ll make a glaze with brown sugar, butter, water and salt, stirring until the mixture is bubbly and smooth.

Combine and Enjoy

Gently stir in the pre-cooked yam slices until each is coated and heated through. And that’s it—one delightfully sweet side ready to go!

What to Serve with Candied Yams

Homemade candied yams are an easy, delicious side to serve for casual family meals, but they’re particularly popular during the holidays. Pair them with other tried-and-true holiday sides for a truly memorable meal with family and friends.

Need a few serving suggestions? The sweetness of candied yams perfectly complements a savory turkey (try this turkey recipe if you’re cooking a whole bird). Add a cream green bean casserole, and you’ve got all the fixings of a fantastic meal. If you’re serving your candied yams as festive Thanksgiving yams, be sure to check our other Thanksgiving side dish recipes for more tasty choices to add to the dinner table. Buttery mashed potatoes? Corn on the cob? Sign us up!

How to Store and Reheat Homemade Candied Yams

These stovetop candied yams are so good we’d be surprised if you end up with leftovers after feeding a crowd! But if you do happen to have some Thanksgiving yams remaining after the big meal, you can store them to reheat with other delicious leftovers. Keep in mind that the delicate texture of this dish means your candied yams are likely to fall apart when reheated and stirred. They’ll still be tasty, but not quite as pretty. If you’re hosting, we recommend making a fresh batch to really wow guests!

Refrigerating Candied Yams: Let your candied yams cool to room temperature before transferring them to an airtight container and covering them with any remaining glaze. Be sure to refrigerate within 2 hours of serving. Homemade candied yams will last for 2 days when stored properly in the refrigerator.

Freezing Candied Yams: For longer-term storage, transfer your leftover candied yams to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag, removing as much air as possible before sealing. Store your leftovers in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Reheating Candied Yams: When you’re ready to enjoy your leftover candied yams, all you have to do is heat them up! If heating from frozen, let leftovers thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, reheat your candied yams on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave, ensuring that the dish is steaming and hot all the way through. Stir very gently to help prevent yams from falling apart.