Black Folks Soul Food Candied Yams On The Stove
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Turn up your next holiday gathering by bringing Black folks Southern decadent candied yams to the table!
Sometimes less is more when it comes to comfort foods like these sweet treats. So whether you’re hosting this year’s soul food Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or it’s a potluck at the office, Southern candied yams never disappoint when they’re made the soul food way.
What are soul food candied yams?
Although more sweet than savory, candied yams are a side dish often topped with marshmallows after cooking in a buttery mix of seasonings and spices, elevating this soul food dish to divine perfection!
Candied yams became soul food when enslaved African Americans began calling the softer-than-yam sweet potatoes in the American South “yams” because they resembled the motherland African vegetable they knew and were used to cooking with. This is how candied yams became a Black thing and why many African Americans today still call soft, cooked sweet potatoes “yams.”
🎙 Listen to The Soul Food Pod episode: Black Folks Southern Candied Yams
Ingredients
The most common ingredients for soul food candied yams are sweet potatoes, granulated sugar, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Miniature marshmallows are a soul food recipe recommended but optional topping. *See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients with measurements.
- Sweet potatoes – Use Jewel, Beauregard, or Garnet sweet potatoes for smooth candied yams with a silky texture.
- Unsalted butter (or vegan butter) – Adds a rich flavor that complements the natural sweet potatoes.
- Brown sugar – Adds sweetness with caramel-like flavor.
- Granulated sugar – For variation in sweetness to create the perfect candied syrup.
- Ground cinnamon – Adds a comforting warmth and heat with an earthy flavor.
- Nutmeg – Adds a warm, nutty, and earthy balance to the dish’s sweetness.
- Maple syrup – Necessary to create the candied sweet syrupy flavor and smooth, silky texture.
- Ground ginger (or minced) – Adds a hint of spiciness and a subtle warm kick.
- Ground cloves – Contribute to the syrup’s overall soulful spiciness.
- Vanilla extract – Creates a warm and comforting balance in the flavor profile.
- Miniature marshmallows (optional topping) – Add a soft, sticky texture on top with a lightly sweet taste and texture variation.
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 thing in texture or taste and should not be swapped one for another. Although the vegetable used in most candied yams recipes in the US is often a sweet potato, African Americans still call this dish candied yams.
How to make soul food candied yams on the stovetop
All you need is one pot and some patience! Use the above list of sweet and soulful ingredients, and let the yams simmer until just right – tender, sweet, and citrusy with a buttery caramel toffee flavor—yum! *See the recipe card below for detailed instructions with guided pictures.
- Wash the sweet potatoes.
- Peel and then cut the sweet potatoes into thick round wedges.
- Soak in a bowl of cool water (6 quarts) to prevent browning.
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized bowl in the microwave.
- Add the seasonings and sugar to the melted butter.
- Stir to mix the ingredients to make the syrup glaze.
- Drain the sweet potato rounds and add them to a large pot on the stove.
- Pour the syrup glaze over the sweet potatoes.
- Cook over medium-high heat on the stovetop.
- Optionally, add miniature marshmallows over the top of the dish when finished.
Need a different method?
- You can make baked candied yams in an hour and 25 minutes with my recipe HERE.
- Can you make this recipe with canned yams? Yes, use my canned candied yams recipe HERE!
- Or use the Instant Pot method HERE to save time and make soul food candied yams in only 5 minutes!
Toppings for stovetop candied yams
Toppings for candied yams can vary from the classic soul food Black folks way to more Southern versions. For example, African Americans mostly add miniature marshmallows.
- Miniature marshmallows – The traditional soul food way for topping a candied yams recipe.
- Raisins – While candied yams do not need texture variations beyond silky, syrupy, and smooth, this is a non-African American, possibly Southern variation for topping candied yams.
- Walnuts or pecans – Another Southern variation for topping yams with an earthy taste and bite.
- Pecan praline – A gourmet-style, fancy addition for topping a Southern candied yams recipe.
How to avoid runny candied yams
Make sure you haven’t added too much liquid to the candied syrupy mixture, causing it to become runny. A few tablespoons of cornstarch could resolve this and thicken it up if you’ve oversaturated the dish.
Make ahead tips
Yes, with some planning. To prevent browning, the best way is to peel and cut the sweet potatoes and refrigerate them in an air-tight container soaked in water. Then, prepare the cinnamon sugar syrup and refrigerate it in a separate container.
Preferably within 48 hours, when you’re ready to make this soul food candied yams recipe, drain the sweet potatoes and combine the ingredients.
Can you freeze candied yams?
You can keep leftovers of this sweet potato recipe in its syrupy sauce in the refrigerator for up to three days. When ready to freeze, make sure the yams have cooled down before placing them into a freezer-safe bag or air-tight container for up to 90 days.
When ready to eat, thaw by placing the frozen yams in a pot on the stovetop over low heat until they are warm throughout.
What to serve with soul food candied yams?
You can’t have candied yams without the perfect accompanying side dish! Black folks will serve Southern candied yams with a whole soul food Thanksgiving menu of delicious entrées and soul food side dishes.
From smoked turkey legs, Southern turkey recipe, oxtail, or Black folks pineapple glazed ham.
For soul food holidays, it’d be sacrilegious to serve Black folks Southern candied yams without soul food collard greens. (Uh-uh. Don’t do dat!)
Did you enjoy this soul food candied yams recipe on the stovetop?
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Equipment
- Large pot with a lid
- KitchenAid classic Y-peeler
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes 3 -3 ½ pounds
- 6 cups water for soaking the potatoes once cut
- ½ cup butter unsalted butter, or vegan butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar granulated
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon 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.
- Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into thick round wedges (about ½ an inch thick).
- Then, set them aside to soak in a bowl of cool water (6 quarts) to prevent browning while 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.
- Add the sweet potato rounds to a large pot on the stove.
- Pour the syrup glaze over the sweet potatoes and stir to coat the potato rounds.
- Over medium-hight heat on the stovetop, allow the candied yams glaze to come to a boil.
- Then, cover the pot with the lid and cook for 50 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender but not falling apart.
- Remove the lid, and stir the candied yams to ensure each sweet potato round is covered in syrup.
- Reduce the temperature to medium heat and allow the yams to cook uncovered for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the cooking time is finished, turn off the stove and remove the pot of cooked candied yams. Optionally, sprinkle miniature marshmallows over the top of the dish.
- Once the marshmallows are melted, transfer your Southern soul food candied yams recipe to a serving dish, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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My second favorite holiday side dish
Can’t wait for the holidays to try this yummy recipe.
This will definitely be on our table for the holidays!!!
This is a great blog to belong to. The recipes are easy to use and food comes out delicious without fail everytime!
I had three recipes, picked out to do a test run on my immediate family, before Thanksgiving. I started with this recipe as number one. I didn’t even test out the other recipes. There was no need. THIS IS THE ONE!!!! This will be forever my go to recipe for candied yams.
I’m humbly honored. Happy Thanksgiving!
I don’t have an Insta Pot. I never saw the oven temp or bake time for this recipe. Can you please post
The recipe for Southern baked candied yams is here: https://thesoulfoodpot.com/southern-baked-candied-yams/
I made some for Thanksgiving um um GOOD 👍
I made this and even the ones who claim to dislike sweet potato gobbled it up! My grandmother had tears in her eyes telling me they tasted just like the way her mother (my great gran) used to make them. The only thing I did different was add a shot of bourbon. This is going in the recipe book.
What happened to a recipe using the oven The ingredients look great, but not everyone owns an “insty pot” where’s the oven recipes?
The recipe for Southern oven-baked candied yams is here. Enjoy! https://thesoulfoodpot.com/southern-baked-candied-yams/