Mississippi Candied Yams Recipe (Sweet Candied Yams)
This Mississippi candied yams recipe coats sweet potatoes in a simple brown-sugar style syrup made with granulated sugar, butter, warm spices, and a little lemon. It’s an easy, oven-baked side: you bake until the yams are tender, then baste once or twice so the glaze turns glossy.
Ingredients
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Method
Preheat and prep the pan
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish so the glaze won’t stick.
Mix the spice sugar
In a bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until fragrant.
Build the glaze
Spread the mixture in the baking dish and scatter the cubed butter over it. If you want a slightly thinner glaze, add 1 tablespoon water.
Coat the sweet potatoes
Add your sliced sweet potatoes (par-cooked or cut oven-ready) to the dish. Turn them so they’re well covered in the butter-sugar mixture.
Bake and baste
Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, spoon the syrup over the yams, then bake 20–25 minutes more until tender and the glaze looks glossy and a bit thicker.
Rest and serve
Let it sit for 5 minutes. Serve warm, making sure each portion gets a little of that lemon-spiced syrup.