Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes are a yummy, mapley, buttery, sweet Holiday side dish recipe. This is the same as candied yams, and the marshmallows are optional. A great delicious Thanksgiving side dish recipe.
Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are available all year in most places. With that being said, Candied Sweet Potatoes, or Candied Yams, as some people call them, have a flavor that just says Holidays!
Just a note: Actual Yams are not in those cans of “Yams” at the grocery store. Those are sweet potatoes. We use the two names interchangeably here in the USA.
Since this is a side dish recipe, the portions are often smaller. This allows about 8 servings using 3 pounds of sweet potatoes.
This candied yams recipe is a moderately sweet dish. I don’t care for a sickly sweet recipe, so my sugar content is a bit lower than other recipes you may find for candied sweet potatoes.
About the Maple Flavor
To get the very best tasting result, please use REAL maple syrup in this recipe! The fake pancake stuff is not what you want here.
The key to the sauce is to boil the ingredients after melting and combining them. This helps the sauce become thicker as it cools off a bit.
It won’t be super thick, but will be able to coat the sweet potato slices in the maple-butter goodness nicely.
Pour the hot sauce over the sliced sweet potatoes and gently stir to coat them all before baking.
What About Marshmallows in Candied Sweet Potatoes?
Mini marshmallows are an optional ingredient in candied yams or sweet potatoes. Not everyone likes them.
I’ve included instructions for adding them in the recipe card. Basically, add them towards the end of the cooking time so they don’t melt away into the sauce.
By cooking them without the foil on the dish they have a chance to become nice and golden and puffed.
Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes are wonderful to serve with turkey, chicken, ham, or a beef roast.
This is a traditional Holiday side dish recipe that many people enjoy a great deal!
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If you make these tasty Candied Yams, please let me know! Just leave a comment with a star rating below in the comments section.
I’d love to know how you liked them!
Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4-5 (~3 lbs) medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½-inch slices
- ½ cup Real Maple Syrup
- ¼ cup Unsalted Butter
- ¼ cup Packed Brown Sugar (light or dark)
- 2 Tablespoons Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Optional
- 2 cups Mini Marshmallows
Garnish
- Fresh Rosemary Leaves, chopped
- Candied Pecans or Walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Arrange the sweet potato slices in the casserole dish.
- To a medium saucepan add the maple syrup, butter, brown sugar, water, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until butter is melted. Without stirring, bring mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
- Pour the maple sauce over the potato slices in the casserole dish.
- Bake at 350° F for 50-60 minutes, giving the potatoes a stir 2-3 times during baking. Halfway through baking, cover with aluminum foil to help the potatoes bake more evenly.
- If adding the optional marshmallows, remove the foil and carefully add the marshmallows in a layer and continue baking until they are golden and a little puffed.
- When done, remove from the oven, garnish with rosemary and chopped candied pecans, give it a final gentle stir and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Slice the sweet potatoes to similar thickness to ensure they cook evenly.
- You could cut sweet potatoes into cubes or wedges instead, but cooking time may need to be adjusted depending on the size.
- Vary the flavor by adding some orange zest of desired.
- Sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Jen says
I made these for Christmas and everyone loved them!