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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The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.
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.
Ingredients Needed
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Sweet Potatoes - 2 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and sliced about ½ inch thick, and a little salt.
- Syrup Base - unsalted butter, brown sugar, granulated white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice.
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 13x9 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
How to store
To store candied sweet potatoes, first, allow them to cool completely after cooking. Then, transfer the cooled sweet potatoes to an airtight container or cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or aluminum foil before refrigerating them for up to 3-5 days.
If you want to store them longer, you can freeze them by placing them in a freezer-safe airtight container or wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To serve, simply thaw the frozen sweet potatoes overnight in the refrigerator and reheat them according to the reheating instructions provided below.
To prepare this dish ahead of time
You can prepare candied sweet potatoes ahead of time for convenience. Cook them slightly underdone, cool them, and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes and reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 20-30 minutes.
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 but want a quicker version, try my stovetop candied sweet potatoes. Or get your bake on and make this sweet potato pie or this sweet potato casserole.
Watch this video tutorial and see how I make these sweet potatoes from start to finish.
The Best Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lay Sweet Potatoes flat in a 13x9 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.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!This post was originally published on October 3, 2019. It has been updated with additional helpful tips.
Patricia says
This recipe was so easy and delicious. Took me back to my childhood when my grandma used to make these.
Tanya says
Thanks Patricia, so happy you liked the recipe 🙂
Rob E says
Delicious & easy! I use to do these on the stove top… Never again!
Thanks so much, and for sharing.
Rob
Tanya says
Thanks, Rob! So happy you liked the recipe 🙂
Jane says
Oh my goodness!! I will be making this every time I’m asked to make yams or sweet potatoes! It will become a go to recipe for anything I am involved with. I will share this one far and wide!! ❤️
Tanya says
Thanks so much Jane! So happy you like the recipe 🙂
Debbie Towndrow says
I love sweet potatoes, when I always make veggies I put them in a ziplock bag with all the other ingredients and shake it up so all of the veggies are covered. I’m going to do this with the sweet potatoes after I salt them. After they are completely covered then I will put the sweet potatoes in a greased pan and bake it.This is a great recipe.
Charlotte says
I didn't have nutmeg or orange juice. So i substituted more brown sugar and cinnamon and used peach mango juice and they taste great. next time ill be sure to have the original ingredients.
Tanya says
Thanks so much Charlotte! So happy the recipe worked out for you 🙂
jeanne byers says
I have canned sweet potatos should I drain juice? cut baking time in half?
Tanya says
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 says
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 says
Hi Sabrina, yes, it can be. I suggest reheating in the oven on 350F until heated through.
Vanessa says
Your candied sweet potato recipe is delicious!! My family can’t get enough of it.
Tanya says
Thanks Vanessa! So glad you all like it.
Robert says
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 says
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 says
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.
Jessa says
This is exactly what I've been looking for, thank you so much, they are perfect! I'm in the same boat of "Mama doesn't write down what she puts in stuf" and I never quite get it right, but this is it! I can't wait to try your other recipes!
Tanya says
Thank you Jessa! So glad you liked it.
Donna says
These were a hit this past Thanksgiving! My husband almost cried because he couldn't believe how good they were! Thank you for this recipe!
Stephanie B says
True story. I brought these sweet potatoes to a family dinner. I was a little nervous to try a new recipe, since my mother-in-law — the acknowledged great cook in the family — was going to be there with some of her best dishes. Well! Everyone LOVED these sweet potatoes, and my father-in-law asked my mother-in-law to make sure she got the recipe from me! That certainly has never happened before, and I really enjoyed it. 😉 Thanks Tanya!
Tanya says
Thanks for the feedback, Stephanie! So glad everyone liked it. I know the fear of bringing a new dish all too well. So happy it turned out well for you 🙂
Tyler Fordham says
Words cannot tell how grateful I am for this recipe. I've been hounding my mother for her candied yam recipe for YEARS and she's never gotten around to giving it to me (Some of the excuses: "I don't write anything down! I don't use measurements"). This recipe tastes just like hers and I got a piece of my childhood that I honestly thought would be lost forever.
Followed all the ingredients to the letter with the exception of the butter. Used a little less (6 tablespoons). I also used a dutch oven to make it a one-pot recipe. Definitely will need to mix the potatoes after that first 30 minute period since there isn't enough liquid to cover them all. But they were perfectly moist after all that baking and just scooping the liquid on top.
All in all, a perfect recipe that's quick to prep and really easy to make.
Tanya says
Thank you Tyler! My family is the same way when it comes to recipes lol. I'm so glad these brought back good memories.
Sherrell says
I made these tonight for dinner and they were AMAZING! Made me wanna go back to her site and cook everything else. So yummy!
Tanya says
Thanks so much Sherrell! So glad you liked them 🙂