Candied Sweet Potatoes
These amazing candied sweet potatoes will make your whole family smile at the dinner table! Everyone from kids to grandparents absolutely loves how tender and buttery they turn out. Plus, they’re super simple to make and fill your kitchen with the most wonderful cinnamon scent.
Recipe Details
Timing & Servings: Active Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes, Serves: 8 people.
Nutrition Profile: Soy-Free, Vegetarian, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): 265 Calories, 9g Fat, 44g Carbs, 3g Protein.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Light Brown Sugar: You’ll need ⅓ cup packed tight, which creates that perfect caramel-like sweetness. The molasses in brown sugar gives these sweet potatoes such a rich flavor that white sugar just can’t match!
Unsalted Butter: ¼ cup melted makes everything taste so buttery and delicious. I always use unsalted so I can control the salt level perfectly.
Hot Water: Just 3 tablespoons helps dissolve the sugar and creates a beautiful syrup. Make sure it’s nice and hot from the tap!
Ground Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon brings that warm, cozy flavor we all love. This spice makes your whole kitchen smell like fall!
Vanilla Extract: ½ teaspoon adds such a lovely sweet aroma. Pure vanilla works best, but imitation vanilla will do just fine too.
Salt: ½ teaspoon might seem like a lot, but it really brings out all the sweet flavors. Don’t skip this important ingredient!
Ground Black Pepper: ¼ teaspoon adds a tiny bit of warmth without making things spicy. Trust me, it makes the sweetness pop even more!
Ground Cardamom: ¼ teaspoon gives these sweet potatoes a special, slightly floral taste. If you don’t have cardamom, you can use a pinch of nutmeg instead.
Sweet Potatoes: 4 medium ones about 12 ounces each, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick. Try to keep your slices even so they cook at the same rate!
Toasted Pecans: ⅓ cup chopped adds the most wonderful crunch on top. You can buy them already toasted or toast them yourself in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes.
How to Make Candied Sweet Potatoes
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400°F and lightly coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, melted butter, hot water, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, pepper and cardamom until everything is well mixed. Add your sliced sweet potatoes and toss them around until they’re completely coated with the yummy mixture!
Step 2: Arrange the sweet potato slices in your prepared baking dish, overlapping them slightly like shingles on a roof. Drizzle any leftover brown sugar mixture right over the top. Cover the whole dish tightly with foil.
Step 3: Bake for 30 minutes with the foil on. Then remove the foil and continue baking for another 20 to 25 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender and the sugar mixture looks syrupy and bubbly. Let them rest for 10 minutes, then sprinkle those toasted pecans on top and serve!
Easy and Quick Candied Sweet Potatoes Version
Want to save some time? You can totally use pre-sliced sweet potatoes from the store! Just grab about 3 pounds of pre-cut sweet potato rounds from the produce section. Skip the peeling and slicing – just toss them right in the sugar mixture and follow the same baking steps. This cuts your prep time down to just 5 minutes!
Serving Ideas
These candied sweet potatoes make the perfect side dish for any meal! They go beautifully with roasted chicken, turkey, or even grilled pork chops. I love serving them alongside some simple green beans and dinner rolls for a complete, cozy meal that everyone will remember.
Storage
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days in a covered container. To reheat, just pop them in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes until they’re warmed through. You can also microwave individual portions for 30-45 seconds, but the oven keeps them from getting mushy.
Substitutions
No brown sugar? You can use white sugar plus 1 tablespoon of molasses mixed together. Don’t have cardamom? Try a pinch of nutmeg or allspice instead. If you’re out of pecans, chopped walnuts or even toasted almonds work great too!
Pro Tips
- Even Slicing: Try to keep your sweet potato slices the same thickness so they cook evenly. A sharp knife makes this so much easier!
- Don’t Skip the Rest Time: Those 10 minutes of resting time help the syrup thicken up perfectly. It’s worth the wait!
- Toast Your Own Pecans: If you have raw pecans, just toast them in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes. They’ll taste so much better than store-bought!
- Check for Doneness: Your sweet potatoes should be tender when you poke them with a fork, and the liquid should look thick and syrupy.
FAQs
Can I make these candied sweet potatoes ahead of time?
You bet! You can assemble the whole dish up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Just add about 10 extra minutes to the baking time since it’ll be cold from the fridge. The flavors actually get even better overnight!
What if my sweet potatoes are different sizes?
No worries at all! Just try to slice them all about ¼-inch thick, and the smaller ones might get done a few minutes earlier. You can always take out the tender pieces and let the thicker ones keep cooking.
Can I use a different type of sugar?
Sure! White sugar works fine, but you’ll miss that rich molasses flavor that brown sugar gives. You could also try coconut sugar for a slightly different taste that’s really yummy too.
Do I have to use the foil?
The foil is really important for the first 30 minutes because it helps steam the sweet potatoes so they get tender. Without it, they might get too brown on top before they’re cooked through inside.
I hope you and your family love these candied sweet potatoes as much as mine does! Let me know how they turn out for you – I always love hearing about your cooking adventures. Happy cooking, friend!
