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Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes

Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes in baking dish

Growing up in  Louisiana we never had a sweet potato casserole during the holidays . We always had these Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes , I had never seen a sweet potato casserole until I was in my teens. Don’t get me wrong , I love a good casserole with marshmallows melted on top . Seriously though, nothing beats a good old fashioned sticky candied sweet potato. If you have never had candied sweet potatoes , well you are missing one of life’s little treasures.

A small serving of southern candied sweet potatoes

This recipe for southern candied sweet potatoes was given to me by one of my Mother’s best friends and it isn’t one of those recipe you just throw together.  It has simple ingredients and it is cooked with lots of love, meaning it takes a little extra time . Don’t be scared of all the steps because the end result is worth the work . This dish is perfect for Thanksgiving, but it’s so good that it can be made for any meal . Another great recipe for Thanksgiving is Southern Smoky Green Beans.

boiling sweet potatoes

Start off by boiling the sweet potatoes for about 20-25 minutes. They should only be partially done at this point.

hot sweet potatoes

Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool.

boiling simple syrup

While potatoes are cooling make the simple syrup . Combine the water and granulated sugar, bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat a little and let the mixture cook to a thickened syrup.

simple syrup cooked

The mixture should be reduced by about half , this should take about 30 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in vanilla.

peeled sweet potatoes

Peel the cooled sweet potatoes by hand. The skin should peel off easily.

slices of sweet potatoes in baking dish

Slice the sweet potatoes in long strips and place in a casserole dish.

slices of sweet potatoes in baking dish with simple syrup

Pour the simple syrup over the sweet potatoes .

pats of butter on sweet potatoes

Cut cold butter in small pieces and place it evenly over the sweet potatoes.

cinnamon and sugar pour over the sweet potatoes

Mix together the cinnamon and sugar then sprinkle it over the sweet potatoes. Baked in a preheated 400 degree oven uncovered for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes turn the oven off, don’t open the door. Allow the potatoes to sit in the oven for an hour, but if it’s a little longer it’s even better.

Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes with serving spoon

The end result is a gooey sticky candied sweet potato. Make sure when serving, spoon all that yummy syrup from the bottom on your potatoes. Trust me, if you show up with this dish at Thanksgiving you will be the things legends are made of. They will speak of your legendary sweet potatoes for years.

Small serving of sweet potatoes on a plate

Enjoy!!

 

 

Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes

These Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes are an old fashioned recipe with simple ingredients. These sweet potatoes are a perfect addition to a holiday meal.
3.56 from 204 votes
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American/Southern
Servings 6
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 6 Medium Sweet Potatoes
  • 1 stick butter

Simple Syrup

  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover the potatoes with water
  • Bring to a boil for about 20-25 minutes, you want the sweet potatoes to be partially cooked
  • Drain them from the water and allow them to cool
  • While the potatoes cool make your simple syrup
  • Combine the sugar and water ,bring up to a boil and then slightly reduce the heat
  • Stirring from time to time you want it to thicken and reduce , this will take 25-30 minutes
  • When the syrup is thickened turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Now by hand peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes
  • Slice the sweet potatoes in long strips by slicing them in half length wise and then slice those halves in strips
  • Place the strips in a casserole dish..I used a 4 quart dish but a 9x13 baking dish would work also
  • Pour the simple syrup over the sweet potatoes
  • Slice the cold butter into small squares and evenly place them over the sweet potatoes
  • Mix the sugar and cinnamon together
  • Poor the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes
  • Bake uncovered for 25 minutes
  • Turn off the oven and do not open the door
  • Allow the sweet potatoes to set in the oven for one hour, if they sit for a little longer it's okay . The longer they sit the better they get
Keyword candied sweet potatoes, candied yams, southern candeied yams, Southern candied sweet potatoes, vintage recipes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Jacqui Debono
4 years ago

Last year was my first year of trying sweet potato done the American way. Loved them far more than I thought I would. Think everyone will love me forever if I make this for our Thanksgiving get together!

Aleta
4 years ago

Whoa, these candied sweet potatoes look insanely delicious! I’ll be making these for Thanksgiving for sure!

Anna
4 years ago

Goodness me, these sweet potatoes look so good! I can only imagine how wonderful they must taste! I have never tried making them with syrup, butter and sugar, but I can imagine it must create this delicious, sticky and jammy texture!

Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen

Oh yummy! These look so delicious and full of flavor! Perfect for Thanksgiving!

Jacque Hastert
Jacque Hastert
4 years ago

These are perfect for the holidays and I can’t wait to make them. I know that they won’t
last long around my family.

pineneedlechef
pineneedlechef
4 years ago

Oh my goodness! I have never had candied sweet potatoes, but I can tell this must be AMAZING! I can already tell I much prefer your recipe over the marshmallow casserole types. I will make this for Thanksgiving! Yum. Thank you for sharing. These treasured family recipes are always the best.

Mama Maggie's Kitchen
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
4 years ago

Yum! This Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes looks sooo delicious! I must say that this is really perfect for the holiday. My family will love this!

Kushigalu
Kushigalu
4 years ago

I have never tried something like this with sweet potatoes before. Looks fantastic.

annelawton
4 years ago

These are perfect for Thanksgiving or any holiday. I just happen to have sweet potatoes that I need to use up, I will give this a try

Shanika @ Orchids + Sweet Tea

These Candied Sweet Potatoes looks so good! This recipe is the perfect side for the upcoming Holiday season!

Tammy
4 years ago

Can I make these a day ahead and then bake the next day just long enough to heat through?

Sandy
Sandy
4 years ago
Reply to  Tammy

I would say you could make the potatoes and pour the “syrup” over them, refrigerate. Take out an hour before you bake them, to get to about room temperature. Then top with butter and cinnamon/sugar mixture and pop in the oven. We have made candied sweet potatoes for years the day ahead and it works out fine. Happy Thanksgiving!

Pat
Pat
4 years ago

These potatoes are wonderful. I made them for Thanksgiving. Now I am making them again for New Year’s Day. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

Ruby
Ruby
4 years ago

Recipe indicates one and cup but did not say what

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NANCY M MARKS
NANCY M MARKS
2 years ago

How many does this serve?

Virginia Watson
Virginia Watson
2 years ago

Fourteen “reviews” and only one person actually made the dish. This has become the trend on recipe sites. “Looks sooo delicious” “Can’t wait to try it!” These kinds of comments are not of any value. Please, make the sweet potatoes and tell us what you think, for Pete’s sake!

carolyn
carolyn
2 years ago

4 stars
I totally agree. Feedback is needed on those who have made the recipe. Thanks for your observation.

Virginia Watson
Virginia Watson
2 years ago

No confusion, Debbie. You have a fabulous recipe, but the “gee, looks good” reviews are useless. My tirade was aimed at your commenters, not at your recipe. Gosh, if I have to visit Pinterst and Facebook to get actual testimonials, I guess I’m sunk!! Too old for that!!

Glenda K Smith
Glenda K Smith
2 years ago

Virginia, I agree with you 100%. People wear me out with all this “the recipe looks good” or “I can’t wait to try this”. Review, to me means you have tried the recipe and you are stating the outcome. That being said, this dish was outstanding. Everyone raved about them.

Clemence
Clemence
2 years ago

Hi Debbie, thanks for sharing your recipe. Do you think cinnamon can be omitted if we don’t like it?

Sherrykavas@gmail.com
2 years ago

Hello, I was wondering if I could make these candied sweet potatoes a day ahead and heat them in the oven? Thanks,
Sherry

Ruth
Ruth
1 year ago

4 stars
this looks yummy…but so much sugar..has anyone cut the sugar back or used monkfruit instead?

Ketrina
Ketrina
1 year ago

5 stars
Made this recipe and it was fast, easy and absolutely delicious! I made the recipe with Bruce’s Yams (canned) and was pleasantly surprised on how amazing it tasted. I will make with actual boiled sweet potatoes per recipe next time. I didn’t have them on hand but did have 2 tall cans of the yams. My whole family enjoyed!

Kimberly’s
Kimberly’s
1 year ago

Can you make these a day or 2 before thanksgiving

Keith Miller
Keith Miller
4 months ago

5 stars
My Grandmother’s house keeper made one like this, I do remember brown sugar and nutmeg too. I will try these this year!

Sweetie Pie
Sweetie Pie
4 months ago

Hey, Y’all: Sometimes I switch off to make my ‘sweet potato side dish’ like this preparation. I prefer to use cane sugar always (as opposed to granulated beet sugar), dark brown cane sugar if I can find it; I like fresh grated nutmeg added to the simple syrup ~.5 to 1 tsp as the syrup cools. Holiday thoughts from a cookin’ buddy!