These Brown Sugar Bourbon Candied Yams are out of this world good, friends! Tender slices of yams soak up the best warming flavors and compliment the sprinkling of nutty pecans. Serve this one onThanksgiving or for your next special occasion.
The Best Candied Yams Recipe
Table of Contents
Side dishes should be easy to make and delicious, which is exactly what we had in mind when we conjured up this delicious yam recipe complete with fresh yams paired with the best seasonal spices. It’s a great recipe to pair with your other holiday favorites and one that’s even been approved by the kiddos.
Love A Good Sweet Side Dish?
Then you’ve got to try our sweet apple cinnamon yam bake and our sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.
What You Will Need
- yams – A lot of people get yams and sweet potatoes mixed up. We’ve found that our local grocery store labels them interchangeably, making things even more confusing. Just look for a root vegetable that looks like a large potato. It’ll have a rich, orange flesh when cut.
- brown sugar – A little bit richer in flavor than white sugar and accentuates the natural sweet flavor from the yams.
- bourbon – You found the secret ingredient! This brings flavors of vanilla and caramel.
- ground cinnamon & ground nutmeg – Some warm spices to really lean into the cozy season.
- kosher salt – Just a bit to elevate all of the other flavors.
- butter – Helps keep your yams tender and perfectly cooked. Salted or unsalted butter will work just fine.
- lemon zest – Just touch to add some subtle citrus.
- vanilla extract – Compliments the vanilla undertones in the bourbon.
- pecans – For a little bit of crunch in every bite!
How To Make Candied Yams
While your oven preheats to 375 degrees F, gather and measure out all of your ingredients. Then use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to remove the skin from your yams and cut them into half inch rounds.
Now put the sugars, bourbon, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, butter, and a little sprinkling of lemon zest in a small saucepan. Bring it all to a medium-high heat, mix and let butter melt until everything is fully combined into a dark, buttery syrup. Give it a quick taste to decide whether or not to add another teaspoon of bourbon.
Place the slices of sweet potato on the bottom of a casserole dish and pour about half of the sugar mixture over the top of the slices. Then sprinkle with half of the chopped pecans.
Then add the next layer of yam slices followed by the remaining sauce and pecans. Cover the baking dish with foil, place it in the oven, and let it bake for 40 minutes. Then remove the foil and let it bake for another 5 minutes in order to get a nice golden brown color throughout.
Finally, give it a good stir to ensure every bite is covered wit that sweet syrup and serve! This is one of our favorites to serve at Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, or any other special occasion during the cozy winter months.
What To Serve With Candied Yams
Seeing as how this is a fan favorite at Thanksgiving dinner and the fact that it’s on the sweeter side, we love pairing this classic dish with savory sides like our brussels sprouts au gratin and extra creamy mashed potatoes. The great news is that we’ve got over 25 Thanksgiving side dish recommendations for your to feast your eyes on!
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- Dairy-Free: make this dish dairy-free by replacing the butter with a plant based butter.
- Storage: Store leftover candied yams in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- Perfect Make-Ahead Dish: Feel free to make this dish the night before your feast. Just warm them up in the oven before putting them out on the dinner table.
- How to make candied yams from a can? We have an excellent sweet apple cinnamon yam bake that uses canned yams and it is SO GOOD!
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Other Delicious Side Dish Recipes You Might Like
Candied Yams Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven + Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our amazing Brown Sugar Pecan Candied Yams recipe is a decadent side dish that will level up any holiday table!
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized yams
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (can sub coconut sugar)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon bourbon
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick butter (can sub dairy-free)
- scant lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup pecans, chopped, divided
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Yams: Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outside skin of the yams and then cut into 1/2 inch circles.
- Sauce: Put the sugars, bourbon, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, butter, and a little sprinkling of lemon zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a medium-high heat, mix and let butter melt until everything is fully combined. Taste and feel free to add another teaspoon of bourbon, if desired.
- Baking Dish: Place half of the yams in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Pour about half of the butter sauce over the yams, along with half of the pecans. Place the rest of the sliced yams on top, add the rest of the sauce on top, and the remaining chopped pecans.
- Bake: Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 5 more minutes.
- Serve: Give the candied yams a good stir to make sure they are all coated in the delicious sauce before serving.
Notes
- Dairy Free: option to swap out the regular butter for plant-based butter.
- Bourbon: love adding for the depth of flavor but feel free to omit.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 oz
- Calories: 211
- Sugar: 12.8 g
- Sodium: 32.7 mg
- Fat: 12.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.1 g
- Protein: 1.3 g
- Cholesterol: 20.2 mg
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