Southern Candied Yams Recipe with Marshmallows

Name: Southern Candied Yams with Marshmallows
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 4 lbs yams ((or substitute sweet potatoes)); ½ cup butter ((salted or unsalted)); 1 cup brown sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 cups mini marshmallows

Jump to Recipe

This Southern Candied Yams Recipe with Marshmallows is pure soul food. Old fashioned candied yams is a Thanksgiving side dish you will love.

Cooked yams with toasted marshmallows on top and a salad and croissants in the background. — Southern Candied Yams with Marshmallows

This easy Southern Candied Yams recipe is the perfect side dish for Sunday dinner or any holiday dinner! The brown sugar glaze along with the mini marshmallow make for a delicious recipe.

This candied yam recipe can be made with sweet potatoes or yams. They become soft and sweet and the brown sugar and butter makes a delicious sauce.

Impress your family at the Thanksgiving table or anytime during the holiday season with this southern yams recipe!

Need another side dish for your special occasion? Check out my Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Dressing recipe!

Try this Kamut Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips for Thanksgiving breakfast!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

There is so much flavor in these tender sweet potatoes!
All of these ingredients are easily found at your local grocery store.
Everyone needs a classic southern recipe in their back pocket!

Yams VS Sweet Potatoes

Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing? Depends on who you ask! Technically, they are different root vegetables. Yams have a dark brown skin that looks like a tree while sweet potatoes are smoother and a red color. Yams hail from Africa and Asia and Sweet Potatoes came from Central and South America.

So why do we get them confused? Years ago in the American South, farmers started using the African word of "yam" to differentiate sweet potatoes from regular potatoes. And it stuck! Most local grocery stores in the United States don't sell true yams. Real yams would have to be found in a specialty store. Even canned yams have a little subtitle of cut sweet potatoes. So feel free to use fresh sweet potatoes or yams in this recipe!

Recipe Ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients to make these baked candied yams with brown sugar:

The ingredients for southern candied yams with marshmallows.

Yams or Sweet Potatoes are root vegetables linked to a lot of health benefits and make for a classic side dish.

Butter adds an amazing, rich flavor to this soul food.

Brown Sugar creates a sweet syrup that begins to caramelize as it cooks.

Salt helps to bring out many of the flavors.

Mini Marshmallows are the perfect addition to this classic southern dish, but can also be left off if you prefer.

How to Make the Best Candied Yams with Marshmallows

Have you ever wondered how to make candied yams with marshmallows? Here are some quick visual instructions. The recipe card with full instructions and ingredient measurements is at the bottom of this post!

Wash and pat dry the fresh yams or sweet potatoes.

Pierce the yams with a fork a few times and then microwave for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. This is the best way to quickly begin softening the sweet potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.

Use a sharp knife to peel the skin off of the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.

A knife cutting peeled sweet potatoes into cubes and putting them in a white casserole dish.

Slice into 1 ½ inch sweet potato rounds and place in the casserole dish.

Cubed sweet potatoes in a white casserole dish.

Put the sliced butter on top of the yams.

Cubed sweet potatoes with butter on top in a white casserole dish.

Mix the salt and brown sugar in a bowl.

Brown sugar and salt in a small glass bowl.

Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes.

Brown sugar on top of the cubed sweet potatoes.

Put in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. They should be fork tender when the are done.

Cooked sweet potatoes in a white casserole dish.

After 40 minutes, add the mini marshmallows on top. Move the oven rack closer to the heating element and broil for 30 seconds. Watch it closely.

Cooked sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows on top.

Remove from the oven and enjoy this delicious side dish!

Candied yams with toasted marshmallows on top in a white casserole dish.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

Do not cover the sweet potatoes with aluminum foil. You want some of the liquid to evaporate and the brown sugar will begin to caramelize.

Storage and Reheating

Storage: Store in a shallow, airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheating: Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Freezing: Store in an air-tight container or freezer bag for 2-3 months.

Substitutions

Brown sugar can be substituted for dark brown sugar or 1 cup of white sugar with 2 teaspoon of molasses.

Variations

Pecans: Add ¾ cups of chopped pecans to these sweet yams for a nutty flavor. Candied yams with marshmallows and pecans are a great flavor combo!
Cinnamon: Add 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon for extra warmth and fall flavor.
Nutmeg: Adding ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg with the cinnamon brings more warm spices to this perfect holiday side dish.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Dressing is the perfect savory side dish for your dinner. Finish the night with this easy no bake pumpkin marshmallow pie! Here are some more unique sweet potato recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make these Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows ahead of time?

You can cook the whole dish minus the marshmallows, store it in the refrigerator with plastic wrap for 2-3 days, and then warm it up, adding the marshmallows at the end.

Why do you put marshmallows on sweet potatoes?

Putting marshmallows on your sweet potatoes is completely optional. It is said to have become a tradition when it was published in a recipe booklet commissioned by Angelus Marshmallows.

Are candied yams and candied sweet potatoes the same thing?

Many people across the United States of America use the name sweet potatoes and yams interchangeably, but they are not the same root vegetable. However, if you are served candied yams or candied sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving or another holiday, you are likely getting a sweet dish made with sweet potatoes.

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📖 Recipe

Cooked yams with toasted marshmallows on top.

Southern Candied Yams with Marshmallows

This Southern Candied Yams Recipe with Marshmallows is pure soul food. Old fashioned candied yams is a Thanksgiving side dish you will love.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 40

Microwave Time: 10

Total Time: 55

Servings: servings

Author: Jen Talley

Cost: $7

Equipment

1 casserole dish approx. 9x13

Ingredients

4 lbs yams (or substitute sweet potatoes)
½ cup butter (salted or unsalted)
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

Wash the yams thoroughly, pat dry, and pierce 5-6 times with a fork. Place the yams on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 10 minutes, turning halfway through.
Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
Use a sharp knife to peel the skin off the yams. Be careful because they will be hot from the microwave.
Slice the yams into 1½ inch pieces and place them in a casserole dish. Slice the butter into pieces and arrange it on top of the yams.
Mix the salt and brown sugar together in a bowl and sprinkle it over the top of the yams.
Place it in the oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Take it out every 10 minutes to stir.
After 40 minutes, add the mini marshmallows on top. Place the oven rack about 6 inches under the heating element and broil for about 30 seconds to toast the top of the marshmallows. Watch it VERY closely!
The sauce will thicken a little as it cools.

Video

Notes

Tips:

Do not cover the sweet potatoes with aluminum foil. You want some of the liquid to evaporate and the brown sugar will begin to caramelize.

Storage:

Storage: Store in a shallow, airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheating: Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Freezing: Store in an air-tight container or freezer bag for 2-3 months.