Sweet Apple Cinnamon Yam Bake –
is a incredibly delicious side dish for any Holiday meal that is easy and everyone will love!
This recipe is one of my all-time favorites. A must-have for Thanksgiving. I am pulling it out of my Mom’s adorable wooden recipe box where she keeps hand-written recipes on actual recipe cards, which, by the way, more people should do. There is something about combing through all of the worn, stained recipe cards that is completely nostaligic and beautiful. This would be one of the recipes you would come across. It is a wonderfully sweet side dish that will be a stand-out at your holiday meal – I promise.
This is not, I repeat this is NOT, one of my typical recipes 🙂 Most of my recipes, as you may know, are refined-sugar free and light on dairy …. 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). This is one of those recipes. Is it “healthy” … nope. It has quite a bit of sugar and butter in it, but we make it every Holiday and I look forward to it every. single. year. If you want to keep your Holiday recipes cleaner this year, this skip this one! Otherwise, I can’t recommend this recipe enough!
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
Sauce:
- sugar
- cornstarch
- water
- salt
- butter
Filling:
- honeycrisp apples
- canned yams
- Cinnamon
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!
Other Holiday Recipes
- Gluten-Free Stuffing
- How to Make Turkey Gravy (coming soon)
- Gluten-Free Gravy
- Grilled Turkey
- Smoked Turkey
- Deep Fried Turkey
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (coming soon)
How to Make the Sauce
How to Make the Filling
Other Holiday Side Dishes You Might Like:
- Dairy-Free Green Bean Casserole
- Classic Giblet Stuffing
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Gluten-Free Cornbread Muffins
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Love,
E
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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 salt
- 1/2 cup butter
Filling:
- 5 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and cut into wedges (about 12 wedges per apple) (really any kind of apple would work, but Honeycrisp seem to taste the best)
- 2 large (28oz) canned yams (drained)* (see Notes for fresh yams)
- Cinnamon (approximately 3-4 Tablespoons)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In 9×13 casserole pan, layer apples, yams, apple, yams. After each layer, sprinkle cinnamon on top.
- Add all of the SAUCE ingredients (listed above) 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 really work, but I have always made it with Honeycrisp and it tastes amazing!
- Sugar: You could most likely substitute cane sugar 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!
Keywords: apple yam bake
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!