Southern Candied Yams Recipe Is a Must for Thanksgiving (6 Ingredients) Side Dishes Vegetables Holidays Gluten-free Vegetarian Low Sodium Recipes

On Thanksgiving, comfort food is the name of the game! Topping the list are macaroni and cheese, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, vegetable casseroles, gravy, sweet tea and candied yams. And while it's not the healthiest, it is delicious, down-home food.

I grew up eating candied sweet potatoes, which led to more research. Are yams (check out the health benefits of yams) and sweet potatoes the same thing? As it turns out, nope, they're not. Yams have a dark brown skin and the flesh is starchy. Sweet potatoes have a reddish skin, softer flesh and are sweeter. Both are tasty, but different.

This easy vegetarian candied yams recipe has only six ingredients and is the perfect side dish for chicken, pork or beef. You could use sweet potatoes for this recipe if you can't find yams. Be sure not to overcook the yams when they're boiled so they stay together and have texture. This gluten-free yam recipe is low in sodium and would be perfect with that Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham or a weeknight dinner in any month during the year.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 large yams (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into pats

Recipe Notes

• You could use sweet potatoes instead of yams.

• If you like marshmallows on your yams or sweet potatoes, add some on top at the very end of cooking time to melt.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put the yams into a saucepan with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until yams are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking water. Put the yams into a casserole dish in a single layer. 
2. Put 3/4 cup of the reserved water, brown sugar and vanilla into a bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar. 
3. Sprinkle the yams with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour the sugar mixture over the yams. Cover the top of the yams with the pats of butter. 
4. Bake in a 400-degree F oven for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Let the yams cool about 5 minutes before serving (sauce will thicken as they cool). 

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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