Easy Thanksgiving Day Yams Recipe
When it comes to classic Thanksgiving side dish recipes, it doesn’t get any more traditional than my recipe for homemade candied yams. They’re soft, tender, sweet, and perfectly spiced thanks to a buttery mixture of cinnamon and sugar, ground nutmeg and cloves, and your choice of either orange or pineapple juice. That sauce is so good I could literally drink it. As the yams bake and simmer away in the sauce — which is chock full of warming spices — your house if going to smell amazing. And the yams are going to become candied. That is, the sauce will reduce, tighten, and thicken up to create a syrupy, candy-like tasting sauce that bathes every inch of the yams or sweet potatoes.
Ingredients in Candied Yams
To make this easy recipe for oven candied yams, you’ll need the following very common and easy to find list of fridge and pantry ingredients. Bonus, everything is very inexpensive which is always a nice bonus when cooking a big holiday meal. Gather the following ingredients:
Sweet potatoes – or yams Unsalted butter Light brown sugar Granulated sugar Orange juice – if you have pineapple juice on hand, feel free to use it for a flavor twist Maple syrup – use real maple syrup and not imitation pancake syrup Bourbon – optional; the alcohol burns off but the depth of flavor that’s imparted is rich and lovely Salt Ground cinnamon Ground cloves Ground nutmeg Marshmallows, optional Pecans, optional Sage, optional for garnishing
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts and more complete directions.
How to Make Cook Candied Yams in the Oven
Making baked candied yams from scratch is a cinch and involves almost no active work time, which is my favorite kind of recipe! Sweet Potatoes: Have smooth brown skin, orange flesh (usually), a football-like shape, and taste very moist and sweet. Yams: Have rough, brown, scaly skin like tree bark, white flesh, are long and cylindrical, and they’re dry and starchy.
More Sweet Potato Side Dishes:
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping — This is the BEST sweet potato casserole ever!! The sweet potatoes are tender and creamy, while the streusel topping adds a delightful buttery crunch thanks to the pecans! To reheat: Transfer leftovers (along with all the lovely sauce!) back into a baking dish. Let it sit at room temp for about an hour, cover tightly with foil, and reheat in a 350F oven until warmed through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Classic Marshmallow Sweet Potato Casserole – An EASY recipe for the BEST sweet potato casserole with pecans! Tender and creamy sweet potatoes, the subtle crunch of a buttery pecan crumble, and gooey marshmallows make this comfort food side dish an automatic family FAVORITE! It’ll be on repeat for your Thanksgiving, Christmas, and holiday celebrations every year! Savory Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Bacon – If you thought sweet potato casserole couldn’t get any better, wait until you taste it topped with candied bacon and pecans! The sweet potatoes are smooth and creamy and the candied bacon topping is the perfect texture and flavor contrast! Sweet Potato Bites with Marshmallows and Pecans — Sliced sweet potato rounds are brushed with a maple cinnamon-and-sugar mixture, baked, and then topped with marshmallows and pecans! Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows — Sweet, creamy, decadent, and reminiscent of sweet potato casserole but individually portioned! FAST and EASY enough for family dinners or make them for more formal holiday celebrations! Either way, these are always the PERFECT comfort food side dish that everyone devours! Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole — A HEALTHIER and DELICIOUS twist on sweet potato casserole!! The potatoes and apples retain some texture with the perfect amount of crumble topping! Put it on your holiday menu!! Honey-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey-Cinnamon Dip – The honey glaze and the creamy cinnamon dip make these potatoes irresistible!!
