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!

Closeup of candied sweet potatoes on a gold spoon.

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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Ingredients needed
Recipe overview
These candied sweet potatoes are:
Recipe tips
Make ahead option
Serving and storage
More holiday recipes
Recipe

Ingredients needed

Ingredients for candied sweet potatoes: sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, syrup, water.

Recipe overview

Sweet Potatoes: These orange-fleshed potatoes are slightly sweet and they bake up tender and soft. Peel and slice or chop the potatoes into large pieces. Toss with a little oil and salt and add them to a baking dish.

Peeled and chopped sweet potatoes in a white baking dish.

Maple brown sugar sauce: This is how we “candy” the potatoes. Simmer a mixture of butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon until smooth and combined. Pour the sauce over the potatoes before baking.

Sauce for candied sweet potatoes (butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, syrup) in a small saucepan.

Bake: Bake the potato pieces until tender and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Stir the potatoes once during bake time to ensure that the potatoes are evenly coated in the delicious sauce.

Brown sauce being poured over chopped sweet potatoes in a white baking dish.

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.

Candied sweet potatoes in a white baking dish.

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.

More holiday recipes

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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.

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 10

Servings:

Calories: 308kcal

Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

▢ 4 pounds sweet potatoes*, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick pieces
▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
▢ 3 tablespoons water
▢ ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
▢ ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢ salt

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.