Black Folks Soul Food Candied Yams On The Stove

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.

1. Wash the sweet potatoes. 
2. Peel and then cut the sweet potatoes into thick round wedges.
3. Soak in a bowl of cool water (6 quarts) to prevent browning.
4. Melt the butter in a medium-sized bowl in the microwave.
5. Add the seasonings and sugar to the melted butter.
6. Stir to mix the ingredients to make the syrup glaze.
7. Drain the sweet potato rounds and add them to a large pot on the stove.
8. Pour the syrup glaze over the sweet potatoes.
9. Cook over medium-high heat on the stovetop.
10. 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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