These Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes are covered in delicious syrupy goodness and will melt in your mouth with each and every bite. It’s the perfect side dish for every table.

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One of my favorite Southern Sides is a small side of candied yams. It’s something I always grab a small spoonful of to go along with the savory goodness of collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and crispy fried chicken.
Now there’s a difference between a sweet potato and a yam. However, yams are hard to come by in my neighborhood so I usually just grab a few sweet potatoes to make this classic side dish.
You’ll only need a few ingredients to make this Southern dish and you won’t need a ton of spices. The fact is, what makes a delicious southern candied sweet potato is the sweet syrup mixture composed of butter and sugar that gets doused over the slices of sweet potatoes. This is a baked candied sweet potato recipe which makes the sweet potatoes super tender but with the slightest hint of bite.

How to make Candied Sweet Potatoes
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grab 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs) and wash, peel, and cut them into slices, about ½ inch thick. Then lay them flat in a 13×9 casserole dish. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with salt. Set aside.


Then in a heavy-duty saucepan, melt your butter over medium-low heat. Add sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and stir until your butter has melted and your sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add the orange juice. This slight hint of citrus adds a lovely brightness to the dish.
Pour the butter mixture over the sweet potatoes, making sure every single sweet potato is covered.


Cover tightly with foil and place in your preheated oven.
Bake for 30 minutes with the foil on. After 30 minutes, remove the dish from the oven, remove foil and stir the sweet potatoes. Place back in the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender. I usually poke a few pieces with a fork to ensure they are tender to my liking.
Remove from the oven and allow the sweet potatoes to cool a bit. It’ll give that syrup a little time to thicken up.

What to serve Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes with? You can’t go wrong with these Southern staples:
- Fried Chicken (Air Fryer Method)
- Collard Greens (Pressure Cooker Method)
- Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
- Buttered Cabbage (Pressure Cooker Method)
- Corn Souffle
or - Vanilla Ice Cream
Notes on this recipe:
- You’ll absolutely want to make sure that every single potato is covered in that butter-sugar mixture. If not, it may result in some sweet potatoes being very tender and others not so much. That would be the worst.
- I don’t add marshmallows to this recipe as I feel it’s sweet enough as is.
- I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you like this recipe, you’ll love this sweet potato pie and this sweet potato casserole.

Watch this video tutorial and see how I make these sweet potatoes from start to finish.
Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoon orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lay Sweet Potatoes flat in a 13×9 casserole dish. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with salt. Set aside.
- Melt your butter over medium-low heat in a heavy-duty saucepan. Add sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and stir until your butter has melted and your sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add the orange juice.
- Pour the butter mixture over the sweet potatoes, making sure every single sweet potato is covered with the butter. Cover tightly with foil and place in your preheated oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes with the foil on. After 30 minutes, remove the dish from the oven, remove foil and stir the sweet potatoes. Place back in the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
- Remove from the oven and allow the sweet potatoes to cool a bit. Serve and enjoy.
jeanne byers
Friday 16th of December 2022
I have canned sweet potatos should I drain juice? cut baking time in half?
Tanya
Saturday 17th of December 2022
Hi Jeanne, I've never used canned sweet potatoes for this recipe but the modifications sound like they would work. However, I would cook the butter mixture on the stovetop over low heat to thicken it up, then add it to the canned sweet potatoes. Baking the canned sweet potatoes would likely make them just fall apart completely.
Sabrina
Tuesday 15th of November 2022
Can you make this recipe the day before you plan to serve it? If so, what should the method be for heating it up?
Tanya
Tuesday 15th of November 2022
Hi Sabrina, yes, it can be. I suggest reheating in the oven on 350F until heated through.
Vanessa
Thursday 26th of May 2022
Your candied sweet potato recipe is delicious!! My family can’t get enough of it.
Tanya
Sunday 29th of May 2022
Thanks Vanessa! So glad you all like it.
Robert
Sunday 8th of May 2022
I've tried several recipes over the years for candied sweet potatoes but have been disappointed with them. Not this time! Thanks. And I'll be trying some of your other recipes.
Diana Davis
Friday 15th of April 2022
Hello can’t wait to make these for Easter just want to know how you would make a big pan of them? I question because you suggest to do a flat layer for the 2 lbs and I’m doubling it to make a full half pan foil pan? Do you think I can layer it? Or should I just make it on large cookie sheets? Help !!!
Tanya
Friday 15th of April 2022
Hi Diana, I think it may be too much liquid/sauce for a large cookie sheet. However, I think layering it is fine, you'll just need to cook a little longer and stir to ensure it all gets coated.