Easy Candied Sweet Potatoes

This recipe for candied sweet potatoes is an easy, one-pan wonder. It’s a delicious side dish and perfect for feeding a crowd.

Easy candied sweet potatoes

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Sweet potatoes. This recipe can be used for candied yams too and will be delicious made with butternut squash.
  • Butter. I used salted butter but unsalted butter can be substituted.
  • Brown sugar. I used soft brown sugar but Demerara, Muscavado, etc. will all work.
  • Cinnamon. I used both ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks. Other spices like nutmeg and ground ginger would also be delicious.
  • Lemon juice. Orange juice can also be used.
  • Salt. 
Candied sweet potatoes with cinnamon

How to make candied sweet potatoes

  1. Prep: Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into ½cm / ¼in slices. In a deep pan, add the brown sugar, water, cinnamon, lemon juice and salt. Layer the sweet potatoes on top of the brown sugar mixture then dot with the butter and add cinnamon sticks (optional).
  2. Cook: Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook for 20 minutes, glazing the sweet potatoes every 5 minutes until they are fork-tender and glossy and the sauce has reduced into a caramel. You can bake this in a casserole dish in the oven for 30 minutes, glazing the sweet potatoes every 10 minutes. Sprinkle over chopped pecans for extra crunch (optional).
  3. Serve: Once cooked, glaze the potatoes one final time then serve.

Can I make candied sweet potatoes in advance?

This dish can be assembled and kept covered in the fridge for up to a day in advance. Cooked sweet potatoes can be kept at room temperature for up to 6 hours covered with foil and reheated just before serving.

Candied sweet potatoes

Serving Suggestions

Candied sweet potatoes are a classic Thanksgiving side dish (great for Christmas too!) served with other sides like Mac and cheese, dinner rolls and brussels sprouts, but they are delicious all year round. We love it served with rich cuts of meat like roasts. Roasted leg of lamb, pork belly and beef rump roast will all be fantastic served with sweet, sticky sweet potatoes.

  1. Garlic Rosemary Leg of Lamb
  2. Air Fryer Pork Belly
  3. Garlic Rump Roast

Sweet potato recipes

Candied sweet potatoes

Easy Candied Sweet Potatoes

This recipe for candied sweet potatoes is an easy, one-pan wonder. It's a delicious side dish and perfect for feeding a crowd.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Candied sweet potatoes, candied sweet potatoes recipe, How to bake sweet potatoes
Servings: 6 – 8
Calories: 236kcal
Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

  • 6 sweet potatoes peeled
  • ¾ cup soft brown sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 cinnamon stick
  • 3 tbsp butter

Instructions

  • Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into ½cm / ¼in slices.
  • In a deep pan, add the brown sugar, water, cinnamon, lemon juice and salt. Layer the sweet potatoes on top then dot with the butter and add cinnamon sticks (optional).
  • Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
  • Cover and allow to cook for 20 minutes, glazing the sweet potatoes every 5 minutes until they are cooked through and glossy and the sauce has reduced into a caramel. 
  • Once cooked, glaze the potatoes one final time then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 590mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 24047IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

4.50 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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2 Comments

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    Cathy Silvera
    Vancouver Canada

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