Description
This Old-Fashioned Candied Yams recipe is a classic holiday side dish made easy with canned yams, butter, brown sugar, warm spices, and topped with toasty miniature marshmallows for a delightful sweet finish. It captures the nostalgic, comforting flavor that’s perfect for holiday dinners or anytime you crave a cozy, sweet potato treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Yams
- 29 oz canned yams (such as Bruce’s)
Sweet Sauce
- ¼ cup salted butter, sliced into 8 half-tablespoon pieces
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1 ½ cups miniature marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375° F to ensure it’s hot and ready for baking the yams evenly.
- Prepare Yams: Drain the canned yams thoroughly and place them in the bottom of an 8×8-inch baking dish, spreading evenly.
- Add Butter: Slice ¼ cup of butter into eight half-tablespoon pieces and arrange these butter pieces evenly on top of the yams for rich, melted flavor.
- Mix Brown Sugar and Spices: In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined to create the sweet, spiced topping.
- Sprinkle Sugar Mixture: Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar spice mixture over the yams and butter in the baking dish.
- First Bake: Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes to let the yams absorb flavors and the sugar dissolve.
- Add Marshmallows: Remove the baking dish from the oven and evenly top the yams with miniature marshmallows.
- Final Bake: Return the dish to the oven and bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until marshmallows are melted, puffy, and lightly toasted to your desired doneness.
Notes
- To make with fresh sweet potatoes: Peel and rinse 2 pounds of sweet potatoes, slice ⅛–¼ inch thick uniformly, layer them in the baking dish, top with butter and brown sugar mixture, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes until tender. Then remove foil, add marshmallows, and bake until melted.
- Traditionally, candied yams do not include marshmallows. For a classic version, omit the marshmallows.
- Cut butter into even pieces and evenly spread the brown sugar mixture on top for best flavor distribution.
- You can gently stir the yams with the sugar mixture before adding marshmallows to coat evenly, but leaving some brown sugar bits on top adds extra texture.
- This recipe easily doubles when made in a 9×13-inch or larger casserole dish for bigger gatherings.
- For a less sweet version, reduce the brown sugar to 1/3 of ¼ cup (approximately 3 tablespoons).