These incredible Candied Sweet Potatoes are soft and tender and smothered in a maple-brown sugar sauce. Not only is this recipe delicious, but it’s practically foolproof. This sweet side dish is perfect for the holiday season. Your friends and family will love it!
If you’re searching for an easy and crowd pleasing holiday side dish you’ve found it! These Candied Sweet Potatoes are over-the-top delicious and only require a few minutes of hands-on time. Serve these potatoes with turkey, ham, chicken, prime rib, and more! You’ll come back to this recipe again and again.
Try one of our other popular sweet potato recipes: Sweet Potato Casserole or Sweet Potato Souffle.
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These candied sweet potatoes are:
Way better than the canned version: Ever had “candied yams” from a can? This version is SO much better. You’ll never go back to the canned version again.
Easy: Most of the recipe is hands off time, and the few steps you do have to do are practically foolproof.
Flavorful: Sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon. An incredible flavor combo!
Made with basic ingredients: You only need five basic ingredients (plus salt and water) for this recipe.
A crowd pleaser: This is the perfect sweet accompaniment to a savory meal. They’re always one of the first things gone on Thanksgiving.
Easily adaptable: Feel free to play around with flavorings (orange zest, a splash of bourbon, additional spices) or toppings (chopped pecans, mini marshmallows, or candied nuts). Use the recipe as a starting point and adapt it as you’d like.
Recipe tips
- Some grocery stores might have sweet potatoes labeled as yams. Make sure you purchase sweet potatoes/yams with orange flesh and pinkish brown skin. Scrape the skin a little to see the color of the flesh, if necessary.
- Cut potatoes into similar sized pieces so that they bake evenly.
- Bake covered for the first portion of bake time.
- Be careful not to overbake or the potatoes could fall apart.
- Use a sharp knife to check the potatoes for doneness.
- Allow 15-20 minutes of time for the potatoes to cool down before serving. The sauce will thicken up a bit as it cools.

Make ahead option
I recommend cooking the potatoes the day you’re serving them. If you’d like to do some preparation in advance you can make the sauce up to two days ahead of time.
The day you’re baking the potatoes, do steps one and three of the recipe.
Serving and storage
Serve these candied sweet potatoes warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.
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Recipe

Candied Sweet Potatoes
These incredible Candied Sweet Potatoes are soft and tender and smothered in a buttery maple-brown sugar sauce.
from votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 308kcal
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 or similar sized casserole dish. Add the sweet potatoes to the dish, sprinkle with ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt, toss to combine.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add water, syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking occasionally. Simmer for 1 full minute.
Pour the sauce evenly over the potatoes. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully toss the potatoes, making sure they're all coated in sauce, then return to the oven uncovered for another 15-25 minutes, until tender. Use the tip of a sharp knife to check for doneness. Cool at room temperature for at least 15 minutes; the sauce will thicken a bit as it cools. If desired, you can add additional salt before serving.
Notes
*Some grocery stores might have sweet potatoes labeled as yams. Make sure you purchase sweet potatoes/yams with orange flesh and pinkish brown skin. Scrape the skin a little to see the color of the flesh, if necessary. Make ahead option: I recommend cooking the potatoes the day you’re serving them. If you’d like to do some preparation in advance you can make the sauce up to two days ahead of time. The day you’re cooking the potatoes, do steps one and three of the recipe. Serving and storage: Serve these candied sweet potatoes warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.Nutrition
Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 660mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 25951IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
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