Candied yams with marshmallows are the dish that empties first every holiday. Fresh sweet potatoes go into a buttery syrup with brown sugar, cinnamon and a hint of vanilla, then get topped with mini marshmallows and baked until the top is golden and gooey at the edges. There is a stovetop version without marshmallows further down, built on the same syrup, for anyone who would rather skip them.
Why this recipe works
The syrup is what separates this from every other pan of candied yams. Most recipes reach for water, and water gets you sweet. Orange juice gets you sweet with a little brightness behind it, and that brightness is what stops a very rich dish from tasting flat by the third bite. It is three tablespoons and it changes the whole thing.
There are two ways to finish this dish, and in my house only one of them has ever been up for debate. My daughter decided as a small child that the marshmallow topping was the entire point of the recipe, and she was not particularly interested in hearing otherwise. Over 30 years old now, and she still checks before dinner that I have not left them off.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
SWEET POTATOES – Buy sweet potatoes, whatever the sign in the produce aisle happens to say. Look for firm ones without soft spots or cracks, and try to pick them close to the same size so they finish boiling at the same time. Two pounds is about right for a square baking dish.
MINI MARSHMALLOWS – Use the miniature size rather than the large ones. They melt evenly and brown all the way across the top, where the big ones tend to scorch in patches while the middle stays pale. Three cups covers the pan generously. They are optional, and if you would rather skip them entirely, use the stovetop method below.
ORANGE JUICE – This is the one that makes the difference, and it is what I reach for every time. Only three tablespoons goes into the syrup, so you do not need much, and whatever is in the refrigerator is fine. Water works if you have none, and the recipe is still good, just a little flatter.
BROWN SUGAR – White or brown both work and I have made it both ways. I prefer brown for the deeper, faintly molasses note that sits well with the cinnamon. White gives you a cleaner, more straightforward sweetness if that is what you are after.
BUTTER – Salted or unsalted. If you use salted, pull back a little on the added salt.
VANILLA EXTRACT – Pure rather than imitation if you have it. There is only half a teaspoon in the syrup, but it rounds out the sugar and keeps the whole thing from tasting one-note.
CINNAMON – A quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon, enough to warm the syrup without taking it over.
You will need a stockpot big enough to hold the sweet potatoes with room for the water, a cutting board and a sharp knife for slicing them once they have cooled, a medium saucepan for the syrup, and a set of measuring cups and spoons.
How to Make Candied Yams with Marshmallows
The whole thing comes down to three stages: cooking the sweet potatoes, building the syrup, and finishing them under the marshmallows. The one part that surprises people is that you do not peel the sweet potatoes before cooking them. You score a single line around the middle and boil them whole, and the skins come away in two halves afterward with almost no effort.
The syrup comes together in a medium saucepan while the sweet potatoes cool, so everything moves quickly once the boiling is done. With marshmallows, they finish in the oven. Without, the whole dish happens on the stovetop and the sweet potatoes simmer directly in the syrup until it thickens around them.
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- To start, scrub the sweet potatoes and carefully score a line around the entire circumference of the potato and place in a large pot of boiling water.
- Cover the pot and boil over medium-high heat until they are easily pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.
- Plunge the hot potatoes into a bowl of ice water. Once they are cool enough to handle, slip the skins off the sweet potatoes and cut them into slices or cubes.
Baked with marshmallows
- Place cut sweet potatoes into a square baking dish if you will be topping with marshmallows.
- For the syrup, simply bring all the ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- Pour over the sweet potatoes, top with marshmallows and bake until golden brown.
Stovetop without marshmallows
- If you do not want to use marshmallows, combine the syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.
- Carefully add the sweet potatoes and then simmer until thickened.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Because peeling raw sweet potatoes is harder than sliding the skins off after boiling. Scrub them, score a line all the way around the circumference with a knife, then boil them whole. Once they come out and go into ice water, the skins slip right off in two halves. It takes seconds, and once you have done it this way you will never peel a raw sweet potato again.
For this recipe, yes. Boiling whole and slipping the skins gives you tender slices that hold their shape in the syrup instead of breaking apart. It also means the oven stage is only about 20 minutes, which matters a great deal when the oven is busy.
No, though almost nobody uses the words that way. A true yam is a different vegetable entirely: starchier, drier, paler inside, and rarely sold in ordinary American supermarkets. What sits under the yam sign in the produce aisle is nearly always a sweet potato. This recipe wants sweet potatoes, and that is what you will come home with whichever label you followed.
Not at all. The recipe is written to work both ways. Leave them off and use the stovetop method above (or below in the recipe card), which gives you a glossier, more syrup-coated result rather than a baked one with a browned top.
Yes, and it is the method to use when you are skipping the marshmallows. Combine the syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan, add the cooked sweet potatoes, stir to coat, and simmer until the syrup is thick and bubbly, about 5 minutes. It is faster than baking and it frees up the oven, which on a holiday is worth something.
Yes. The recipe calls for three tablespoons of water or orange juice and either works. I prefer the orange juice for the brightness it adds against all that butter and sugar, but if you do not have any, water is genuinely fine and nobody at the table will notice.
Yes. Drain them well first, since they come packed in their own syrup and you want the syrup you made rather than the one from the can. Skip the boiling stage and go straight to arranging them in the dish. Fresh sweet potatoes are what make this recipe what it is, though. They hold their shape and their texture in a way canned yams cannot.
Yes, up to the point of adding the marshmallows. Full instructions are in the Storage and Freezing section below.
I have not tested pecans in this particular recipe, so I cannot tell you how they hold up under the marshmallows. What I can tell you is that if pecans are what you are after, we already have the recipe for it. Chef Antoine’s Kentucky bourbon sweet potatoes are cubed rather than sliced, spiked with bourbon, and finished with sauced pecans on top. You can top those with pecans, streusel, marshmallows, or all three. If you want the crunch, start there rather than improvising here.
Storage and Freezing Information
Leftover candied yams keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. The syrup will thicken and set as it chills, and the marshmallow topping softens overnight, so leftovers never look quite as good as they did coming out of the oven. They taste just as good.
To reheat, microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring gently between each one. Go in short intervals rather than one long stretch. The syrup carries a lot of sugar and it will scorch at the edges if you push it, and the sweet potatoes break apart easily once they are this tender.
You can absolutely assemble these all the way up to the step before adding the marshmallows. Store covered in the refrigerator, removing them from the fridge 30 to 40 minutes before putting them in the oven. One caution though: the marshmallows brown faster than the casserole will heat through from the chill. I recommend bringing the casserole to room temperature first, or you can cook it in the oven as directed and pull it out to add the marshmallows for the last 5 to 10 minutes.
I would not freeze these. It is not something I have tested, and between the marshmallow topping and the texture of the sweet potatoes once they have been boiled and candied, I would not expect them to come back the way you want them to. This is a dish worth making fresh.
Serving Suggestions
These belong on a plate with everything else that turns up on the fourth Thursday in November. Set them beside brown butter mashed potatoes and a spoonful of whole berry cranberry sauce, whose tartness cuts straight through all that syrup, and you have the classic holiday plate. A pan of homemade green bean casserole gives you something savory to break up the sweetness, and garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes work well if you want a second potato on the table that is not sweet at all. For something green and quick that needs almost no attention while the oven is busy, roasted broccoli does the job.
They are also good well past the holidays. A pan of these next to roast chicken or ham on an ordinary Sunday is no stretch at all, and the sweetness works beautifully against the salt of either. If you love sweet potatoes as much as we do, there is also our sweet potato casserole, which goes mashed and smooth under a pecan streusel instead of sliced in syrup, and baked sweet potato fries for a weeknight.
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Kentucky Bourbon Sweet Potatoes
- Homemade Green Bean Casserole
- Perfect Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
- Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
- Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Broccoli
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Rice Dressing – Kitchen Gidget
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Candied Yams
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate It Text ItIngredients
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes
- ⅓ cup white or brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons water or orange juice
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups mini marshmallows optional
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Calorie count includes marshmallows.
- A note about yams or sweet potatoes: In the USA these terms are used interchangeably. My candied yams are actually sweet potatoes. In the grocery store, sweet potatoes are commonly labeled as yams, even if they aren’t true yams, which is confusing. Either way, you’ll want sweet potatoes for this recipe!
- Be sure to watch the video to learn how to easily peel sweet potatoes with just one cut of the knife!
Instructions
- Scrub and score the sweet potatoes around the center and place in a large pot of boiling water. Cover and gently boil for 20-30 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.2 lbs sweet potatoes
- Drain potatoes and place in a bowl of ice water until cool enough to handle then slip the skins off (see our video for this method). Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch slices or cubes.
Baked preparation (with marshmallows):
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- For the syrup, combine the sugar, water, butter, vanilla, salt and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and bring to a rapid boil.1/3 cup white or brown sugar, 3 tablespoons water or orange juice, 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Place sweet potatoes in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and drizzle with syrup.
- Top with marshmallows and bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.3 cups mini marshmallows
Stovetop preparation (without marshmallows):
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, butter, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Add the sweet potatoes, stirring to coat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and enjoy.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
This post was originally published on this blog on Nov 3, 2017.
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Suswani says
This is my first time trying it this way. Very easy and stress free. I made it ahead too.
Elecia says
BEST YAMS EVER!! My granny have been on this earth for 76 years and says this is the best casserole she has ever had!! Thank you for this beautiful recipe. Perfecto!😍😍😍
Kate says
Third year in a row making this winning recipe. TASTE GREAT!! I even converted my stubborn stuck in traditional recipes mom to this recipe.
Brianna Giovannetti says
Made these last year and CAN’T WAIT to make these again this year for Thanksgiving ! I don’t know why or how I’ve waited a whole year to make them again. Thanks Amanda!
Marsha Kiker says
These candied yams were simple to prepare and tongue excitable.I used the marshmallows on top and it was delighteful to the eye. I give it a 5 star plus.
Brittany Vance says
I made this for my family for thanksgiving today and everyone loved it! Even my brother that doesn’t like sweet potatoes loved it. I made it with orange juice and used regular sized marshmallows. It turned out perfectly. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again.
Amanda Formaro says
That’s awesome, thanks for sharing!
Maria says
I’m currently making it as we speak! My question is I prepared the potatoes in a tray and am about to make the syrup should I hold off on these until tomorrow or do you think they will be good if I make them tonight for thanksgiving tomorrow?
Thanks so much 😊 and happy holidays
Amanda Formaro says
They should be fine if you make them now, but I would wait until tomorrow! :) Happy Thanksgiving!!
Lisa says
I did all the peeling and cutting last night. Chopped to the size I like and covered completely with water (do NOT skip the water step!!). I boiled them this morning (they soften quickly), drained and made the syrup in the same pot. I added the not too soft potatoes to the syrup. Tossed and thickened. I tasted a tiny bit (never used this recipe before), they came out wonderful!! Can’t wait to serve them!
Amanda Formaro says
Hooray!! So glad you loved them, Happy Thanksgiving!
Laurie says
Could you make this a day ahead? What adjustments would you make if so? This looks so delicious! I purchased all the ingredients including marshmallows and can’t wait to try it! I’d love to make it Wednesday if I could though!!
Amanda Formaro says
You can make it all the way up to the part where you add the marshmallows. I would take the completed dish out of the fridge and warm it in the microwave. Then add the marshmallows and bake in the oven as the recipe states. Happy Thanksgiving!
Patty says
I always put pineapple in my sweet potatoes. I get pineapple chunks and drain all the juice into a small pan. I use the pineapple juice instead of the orange juice. I also add a tablespoon of cornstarch to the syrup mixture to make it thicker. There’s so many other things you can add to the sweet potatoes. Sometimes I’ll add raisins and sometimes I add walnuts or pecans. Last Thanksgiving I added maple syrup to the mixture. No matter what I do they always turn out so good.
Amanda Formaro says
All of those sound delicious!
Amber says
Every time I make these my marshmellows melt and you can’t see them anymore. How do you get yours to stick around. They are so beautiful like that .
Amanda Formaro says
It could be that your oven runs hotter than mine? Try putting the potatoes in for the first ten minutes then adding the marshmallows after.
Dawn Gaye says
My daughter is 29 this year and won’t be home for Thanksgiving. :(
But for Christmas Eve Dinner I will make her these; thank you! She always turns into her Mommy’s little girl at the holidays and she will love that I remembered to make these for her!
Amanda Formaro says
Aww It’s so hard as they get older!
April says
Can you prepare this with all the ingredients (including marshmallows) and then freeze and bake it another time?
Amanda Formaro says
I have no tried that before, but I feel like you could definitely do that. I would not put it in the oven directly from the freezer because I feel like the potatoes wouldn’t cook fast enough and the marshmallows would burn. So I would say defrost it first. My only real concern is that making the yams as written means that the potatoes are warm, so you are just warming them more in the oven and melting the marshmallows. If you freeze and defrost this, the temp of the potatoes will be cold and will take longer to warm up. To be safe, I would say to not add the marshmallows before freezing. I would defrost the dish, warm it in the oven for 10 minutes, then add the marshmallows and cook according to the recipe.
Jan says
How much does 2 lbs of yams weigh after baking instead of boiling?
I thought I bought enough but when I weighed it out it was shy of two pounds
Donna says
I am going to try these for Thanksgiving but can I add toasted pecans to them
Amanda Formaro says
Absolutely!
LINDA PUMNEO says
Can you mash the cooked potatoes lightly with a potato masher before adding them to the baking dish?
Amanda Formaro says
Sure!
Kathleen Archuleta says
Could you use canned sweet potatoes instead?
Amanda Formaro says
yes! Just drain them and place them in the baking dish, cover with syrup mixture, etc :)
Roger Garrett says
What is the temp to cook the yams i couldnt fine it
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you for pointing that out! I’ve corrected the printer friendly version of the recipe. The oven temp should be 350 F.
Eva says
Great recipe! Do you think that I could replace the sweet potatos with pumpkin?
Amanda Formaro says
I’ve never actually tried that, but I would imagine that squash or pumpkin would work!
Karly says
I just really cannot wait for Thanksgiving to get here. These look absolutely delicious- a classic that just can’t get left off the holiday table!
Inci @ Bella's Apron says
Love me some candied yams and these just look amazing. The pictures turned out really good also