This amazing Sweet Apple Cinnamon Yam Bake is an incredibly delicious side dish for any Holiday meal that is easy and everyone will love! It is a staple on our Thanksgiving table every year!
The Best Sweet Apple Cinnamon Yam Bake
This recipe is one of my all-time favorites. A must-have Thanksgiving recipe! I am pulling it out of my Mom’s adorable wooden recipe box where she keeps hand-written recipes on actual recipe cards. There is something about combing through all of the worn, stained recipe cards that is completely nostaligic and beautiful. It is a wonderfully sweet side dish recipe that will be a stand-out at your holiday meal – I promise. It’s NOT, one of my typical recipes …. BUT I also believe in balance and I believe in enjoying important Holiday traditions because that makes people happy (and it only happens a couple times a year).
Looking for even more delicious Thanksgiving side dish recipes? Checkout our complete list of 35+ Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy to Prep: This is one that we make (sauce and all) and then we set it aside and pop it in the oven right after the turkey comes out!
- Delicious: I can’t tell you enough how good this recipe is – it is what my kids (and I) look forward to every year! The combination of the buttery sauce and the soft yams and tart apples… it’s just amazing!
- Indulgent: As I said before, this is a 2-3 time per year recipe for us! And it is so worth it!
What You Will Need
- sugar – bringing all the sweetness! You could probably substitute with cane sugar if you don’t want to use granulated sugar.
- cornstarch – the thickening agent for the sauce that is poured over the top!
- water – a simple base to help mix up the syrupy sauce.
- kosher salt – just a little bit for some added seasoning.
- butter – bringing lots of delicious flavor and smooth texture to the creamy sauce on top.
- fresh apples – our favorite apple variety are Honeycrisp apples, but you can use any of your favorite apples.
- canned yams – this is what we have traditionally used, but we also have notes in the recipe card for using fresh yams.
- ground cinnamon – the perfect flavor addition to baked apples and yams!
How To Make Sweet Apple Cinnamon Yam Bake
You can start this simple recipe by making the perfectly smooth sauce that will be poured over the top of the dish. This can be done by placing all of the sauce ingredients (except the water) in a small sauce pan.
Then pour the water into the pan with the rest of the ingredients.
Warm the saucepan on medium-high heat to melt the butter. Continue whisking consistently to thicken the sauce to a syrupy texture. You want to keep it at a simmer, just under boiling.
Now it is time to prep all of the filling ingredients.
Begin the filling prep by peeling and slicing your fresh apples.
Quick Tip
If I have one tip for you with this recipe it would be to use an apple peeler if you can! The most tedious part of this recipe is just peeling the apples – I used this peeling attachment for my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer and it was a game changer! Otherwise here is a good apple peeler too!
Place some of the apples and canned yams in the bottom of a baking dish and generously sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Continue to layer the apples, yams, and cinnamon until you have filled the dish.
Now pour that delicious sauce on top over all of your filling ingredients.
Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour and enjoy!
What To Serve With A Sweet Apple Cinnamon Yam Bake
This easy side dish recipe is always apart of our holiday dinner table! So we typically serve it with all the trimmings, like Grilled Turkey (+ turkey gravy), Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, & Cranberry Orange Sauce. Just don’t forget the Pumpkin Pie for dessert!
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Holiday Side Dishes You Might Like
Sweet Apple Cinnamon Yam Bake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 10–12 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sweet Apple Cinnamon Yam Bake – an indulgent Holiday side dish that will quickly become a family favorite!
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter
Filling:
- 5 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and cut into wedges (about 12 wedges per apple)
- 2 large (28oz) canned yams (drained)*
- 3–4 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In 9×13 casserole pan, layer apples, yams, apple, yams. After each layer, sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
- Add all of the Sauce ingredients in a small/medium saucepan. Bring saucepan to medium/ medium-high heat and let the butter melt. Once butter has melted, stir to combine. When the saucepan starts to just barely simmer, start whisking (try not to let it boil). Continue whisking as it continues to thicken.
- Continue whisking until sauce thickens quite a bit (it should have the consistency of a very thick syrup) – this whole process should take about 15 minutes.
- Pour sauce evenly over the top of the apples/yams.
- Bake for 1 hour, uncovered.
- Let cool slightly and then serve.
Notes
- Apples: any type of apples would work, but I have always made it with Honeycrisp and it tastes amazing!
- Sugar: you could most likely substitute cane sugar for the granulated sugar with similar results.
- *Fresh Yams: you can use fresh yams if you want – simply bake approx. 4-6 yams ahead of time. Let cool completely and peel. Cut into large chunks and use as directed in the recipe card above.
- Dairy-Free Butter: I have not yet tested this with a dairy-free/vegan butter. I am optimistic it would work, but I haven’t personally tried it.
- Leftovers: These leftovers are so amazing! Just store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Peeled Apples: If I have one tip for you with this recipe it would be to use an apple peeler if you can! The most tedious part of this recipe is just peeling the apples – I used this peeling attachment for my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer and it was a game changer! Otherwise here is a good apple peeler too!
Cortney says
This dish has become a Thanksgiving staple for my family. Easy and delicious- WIN, WIN!
Erin says
Yasss! We make these every year as well! And thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review – I really appreciate it!
Mike says
I have used your recipe for a couple years now and it’s absolutely amazing. So easy and my family love it
Erin says
A fam favorite! Thanks for leaving a rating and review!
Sarah says
Making this ahead of time! Would you recommend assembling it and baking when needed, or cooking it halfway and then finish baking when needed? (concerned about the apples browning!)
Erin says
Hi Sarah! Oooh I LOVE this recipe (And will be making it on Thanksgiving this year!) – I have never made this the day before, but I have made it the morning of Thanksgiving and I just cover it with foil and put in the fridge and the apples never turn brown – they are pretty covered in the sauce so I actually don’t think much air will get to them. That being said, you would also be fine to cook them partially and then finish them off before serving – so I don’t think you can go wrong either way!
Sarah says
Thank you so much for your response & recommended bake ahead tip! I baked it almost fully the day before, and reheated it the day of Thanksgiving – it was delicious! A total hit! Thanks again 🙂
Amy says
So good!
Erin says
Yay! So happy to hear that, Amy! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!
Christine says
EVERYONE LISTEN: this made my kitchen smell like a Cinnabon and this recipe was the hit of thanksgiving dinner. So easy and got so many compliments!! You will not regret making this. YUM!!
Erin says
Oh my gosh I LOVE this comment 🙂 Isn’t it just the best holiday recipe! So glad you all enjoyed it as much as we do! Thank you so much for the amazing feedback – I really appreciate it!