Instant Pot Candied Yams The Soul Food Way
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Sweet, buttery, and kissed with warm spices, candied yams are the ultimate soul food side dish, and now, they’re easier than ever to make in the Instant Pot! This Southern classic has been passed down through generations, gracing Sunday dinners, holiday spreads, and every soulful celebration in between. With the Instant Pot, you can lock in that same rich, caramelized flavor in a fraction of the time.
Can you make candied yams in the Instant Pot?
The ease of using the Instant Pot for such an autumn classic will reimagine how you approach holiday cooking. I love to make this classic Black folks’ recipe with a contemporary twist in my Instant Pot! You use the same soul food ingredients, and then Instant Pot pressure cooks the yams just right in a fraction of the time—pressure-cooked in only 5 minutes! So, you can get back to all those other side dishes to pair with your Thanksgiving yams or Christmas ham.
Ingredients
You’ll use the same ingredients as my traditional soul food candied yams made in the oven or on the stovetop (sweet potatoes, granulated sugar, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon). However, thanks to the Instant Pot, you’re saving over an hour in cook time!
- Sweet potatoes – Use Jewel, Beauregard, or Garnet sweet potatoes for smooth candied yams with a silky texture. Look for medium-large sized potatoes that have a firm texture without wrinkles.
- Butter – Adds a rich flavor that complements the natural sweet potatoes.
- Sugar – brown sugar adds sweetness with a maple caramel-like flavor, while granulated white sugar adds a variation in sweetness.
- Cinnamon and spices – Add a comforting warmth and heat with earthy flavor.
- Maple syrup – Necessary to create the candied sweet syrupy flavor and smooth, silky texture.
- Vanilla extract – Creates a warm and comforting balance in the flavor profile.
Should you use sweet potatoes or yams?
I’ll use the terms sweet potatoes and yams interchangeably for this recipe. However, sweet potatoes and yams are not the same in texture or taste and should not be swapped. Although the vegetable used in most candied yams recipes in the US is often a sweet potato, African Americans still call this Black-originated dish candied yams.
How to make Southern candied yams in the Instant Pot
Here’s the foolproof way to get tender, buttery candied yams in minutes.
- Melt the butter and add the remaining ingredients to create the syrup glaze.
- Open the Instant Pot and add the water, sweet potato rounds, and the prepared syrup.
- Pressure cook, and optionally, top with miniature marshmallows, then serve and enjoy!
🎙 Listen to the recipe on The Soul Food Pod episode: Black Folks Southern Candied Yams
Do you have to boil yams before cooking?
Not when you’re using an Instant Pot! The beauty of making candied yams in the Instant Pot is an easy and efficient one-pot drop with no pre-cooking or pre-working needed.
Is the candied yam texture different in the Instant Pot?
Soul food candied yams are pressure-cooked to tender, flavorful perfection with the same texture as traditional methods, but in just 5 minutes, instead of the hour-plus it takes to bake yams or simmer yams on the stovetop.
How to top Instant Pot candied yams
To top Instant Pot candied yams with marshmallows, simply sprinkle miniature marshmallows over the yams once they’re done cooking. Rest the lid loosely on the pot (without locking it) and keep the setting on “warm” until the marshmallows melt, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.
Avoiding runny candied yams
To avoid a dish that’s too runny, ensure that you follow the recipe instructions when making the candied yam syrup. If you mistakenly oversaturate the syrup, one or two tablespoons of cornstarch stirred in will thicken it back up!
How to serve candied yams
Candied yams are served with soul food Sunday dinners and holiday feasts, like Thanksgiving, often with other favorite African American side dishes like collard greens, Southern cabbage, and baked macaroni and cheese.
Equipment
- Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
- KitchenAid classic Y-peeler
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes 3 -3 ½ pounds
- 6 cups water cool water
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup butter unsalted butter, or vegan butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar granulated
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon of ground
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon ginger ground or minced
- ¼ teaspoon cloves ground
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups marshmallows *Optional – miniature marshmallows for topping
Instructions
- Wash the sweet potatoes, then peel and cut them into thick, round wedges.
- Then set them aside to soak in a bowl of cool water to prevent browning while you’re preparing the candied yams syrup.
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized bowl in the microwave.
- Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, ginger, ground clove, and vanilla extract to the melted butter.
- Mix the ingredients well to create the syrup glaze for the candied yams.
- Next, Drain the sweet potato rounds in a colander.
- Open the Instant Pot lid and add ½ a cup of water and the sweet potato rounds to the stainless-steel inner pot.
- Pour the syrup glaze over the sweet potatoes.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 5 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
- Optional – Open the Instant Pot lid and sprinkle the miniature marshmallows over the cooked, candied yams.
- With the lid placed not entirely on the Instant Pot (in a resting position, so it doesn’t lock back into position on the pot) continue with the setting on ‘keep warm.’
- After about 5 minutes, check to see if the marshmallows have melted.
- Once the marshmallows are melted, turn off the Instant Pot and transfer your Black folks’ Southern candied yams recipe to a serving dish.
- Serve Southern candied yams right away and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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