Candied Yams with Marshmallows

These candied yams with marshmallows are the dish I get asked about more than anything else I bring to a holiday table. Yams in a thick spiced brown butter syrup, baked until they are soft but still holding their shape, then buried under a full layer of marshmallows and toasted until the tops go golden.

The brown butter is what makes them different. Most candied yams start with melted butter and sugar, so you get sweet and not much else. Because this syrup starts with butter cooked until it is nutty and toasty, you get a deeper, almost caramel flavor underneath all that sugar.

The other thing is the resting step. After the syrup goes on, the yams sit in it for 45 minutes before they ever see the oven. That is when the sauce thickens and every piece actually takes on the spice instead of just wearing it.

If you are building a whole holiday spread, go make my Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble, my Cornbread Dressing, and my Fresh Green Bean Casserole next.

Are Yams and Sweet Potatoes the Same Thing?

In this recipe, yes. What American grocery stores label “yams” are almost always sweet potatoes, and that is what you want here. A true yam is a different vegetable entirely, starchy and dry with rough bark-like skin, and it is mostly sold in West African and Caribbean markets.

So when you shop for this, look for the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes sold as yams. They are sweet, they hold their shape, and they are the thing everybody actually means when they say candied yams.

Why Everyone Loves These Candied Yams

Make them once and you will understand why this is the pan that comes back empty.

• Brown butter, not melted butter. It takes five extra minutes and it is the whole reason these taste like something more than sugar.
• The yams hold their shape. Soft enough that a fork slides through, firm enough that they do not break apart when you stir. That is the target.
• A real marshmallow top. Regular-size marshmallows in a full even layer, toasted until they puff up and go golden.
• Almost all of it is hands-off. About twenty minutes of actual work, then the resting time and the oven do the rest.
• It feeds a crowd. One 13 x 9 covers a holiday table, and it reheats better than most sides.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Everything here is at a regular grocery store, so there is no specialty shopping to do first.

NOTE: The full list of ingredients with measurements is provided in the recipe card below.

The yams themselves

• Yams: Two 3-pound bags, peeled and cut. Look for the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes sold as yams, because that is what this dish is built around.
• Butter for the pan: Butter the 13 x 9 before anything goes in, otherwise the syrup welds itself to the dish.

Warm spice mix

• Cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cloves: Stir them together in a small bowl before you start. Cinnamon leads, ginger backs it up, and the allspice, nutmeg and cloves sit underneath. Measure the cloves carefully — a half teaspoon is plenty, and more will take over.

Brown butter syrup

• Butter: Two sticks, browned. Keep cooking past the melted stage until it smells toasty and the solids at the bottom go golden.
• Brown sugar: One cup, packed. The molasses in it is part of why the syrup goes so dark, and it looks thick and grainy when it first hits the butter, which is exactly right.
• Orange juice: Half a cup. It thins the syrup and the acid keeps all that sugar from reading flat.
• Maple syrup: Two tablespoons, for depth rather than sweetness.
• Cognac: Optional, a quarter cup, stirred in off the heat. It gives the syrup a warm background note. Leave it out and nothing else changes.

Marshmallow topping

• Marshmallows: About a bag and a half of regular-size marshmallows. Not mini, not jumbo. Minis melt into a flat sheet and jumbo never toast through. Buy two bags so you are not rationing.

How to Make Candied Yams with Marshmallows

First, butter the dish and cut the yams, because everything after that moves quickly.

Build the syrup

1. Prep the pan and the spices: Butter a 13 x 9 dish. Peel the yams and slice them into rounds, then cut each round into quarters. Stir the cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cloves together and set the bowl aside.

2. Brown the butter: Melt the two sticks and then keep cooking. It will foam, quiet down, and start to smell nutty. That is when it is ready.

3. Build the syrup: Add the brown sugar and stir, although it will look thick at first. Then stir in the orange juice and maple syrup, pull the pan off the heat, and stir in the spice mix. If you are using the cognac, it goes in here too.

Sauce, rest and bake

4. Sauce the yams: Put the cut yams in the buttered dish, pour the hot syrup over them, and toss to coat.

5. Let it sit for 45 minutes: Leave the yams in the syrup on the counter. Meanwhile the sauce thickens and the spice works its way in. Do not skip this.
6. Coat again: Toss everything once more. By now the syrup should be thick and glossy, with a layer pooling on the bottom of the dish and every piece fully coated.

7. Bake covered at 350°F: Cover and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until a fork slides through. They should be soft but still whole, so they do not break apart when stirred.

8. Marshmallow it: Take the dish out and cover the top with a full, generous layer of regular-size marshmallows.

9. Toast at 400°F: Back into the oven until the marshmallows puff up and go golden. However, this step moves fast, so stay at the oven and watch it.

My Best Candied Yams Tips

• Cut them medium. Not too small, not too big. Small pieces turn to mush, and big ones are still firm in the middle when the marshmallows are ready.
• Do not rush the brown butter. Melted butter is not brown butter. Wait for the foam to settle and the smell to turn toasty, because that is where the flavor is.
• The 45 minute rest is the recipe. It thickens the syrup and seasons the yams, so skipping it gives you sweet yams sitting in thin liquid.
• Cover the pan for the bake. Uncovered, the syrup reduces too far and the edges catch before the middle is tender.
• Regular-size marshmallows only. Minis melt flat and jumbo ones brown outside before they warm through.
• Stay at the oven for the toasting. Golden to burnt takes under a minute at 400°F.

What to Serve With Candied Yams

• The turkey, obviously. My roasted Cajun turkey is what sits next to this pan at my table.
• Something savory to balance it. Cornbread dressing or creamy mac and cheese, because this dish is sweet and it needs company.
• Something green. A fresh green bean casserole cuts through all that syrup.
• Bread for the table. My honey butter cornbread belongs here.

Storage and Make Ahead

To store, cover the dish and refrigerate for up to 4 days. The marshmallow layer softens overnight, although the yams underneath are just as good.

To reheat, cover the dish and warm it in a 325°F oven for about 20 minutes. If you want the top crisp again, pull the foil for the last few minutes or add a fresh handful of marshmallows and toast them.

Freezing works too: freeze the yams in their syrup without the marshmallow layer for up to 3 months. Then thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat, and marshmallow it fresh.

Make ahead is where this one shines, and it is the side I prep first. Bake the yams a day early, cool and refrigerate them covered, and then reheat, marshmallow and toast right before you serve. Because the oven is crowded on a holiday, that one move saves you.

Candied Yams FAQs

Can I use canned yams?

You can, although the texture will not be the same. Canned yams are already cooked and soft, so they break down quickly in the syrup. If that is what you have, drain them well, skip the 45 minute rest, and cut the covered bake to about 20 minutes.

Why are my candied yams watery?

Usually the rest got skipped. That 45 minutes is when the syrup thickens around the yams, so without it you are baking them in thin liquid. The other cause is baking uncovered too early, which cooks the water out of the yams and into the pan.

Can I make candied yams ahead of time?

Yes, and I always do. Bake them the day before, refrigerate covered, then reheat at 325°F and add the marshmallows at the very end. Because the top is the only part that needs to be fresh, everything else holds beautifully.

Do I have to use marshmallows?

No. Without them you have straight candied yams, which is how plenty of people prefer them. However, if you are skipping the marshmallows, bake the last 10 minutes uncovered so the syrup tightens and glazes the tops.

Can I make this without alcohol?

Yes, easily. The cognac is the only alcohol anywhere in this recipe and it is optional, so leaving it out gives you a completely alcohol-free dish. If you do use it, a quarter cup stirred in off the heat adds a warm background note behind the spices.

Why did my marshmallows burn?

400°F is hot and marshmallows go from golden to black in seconds. Stay at the oven, keep the door cracked if you need to, and pull the pan the moment the tops are the color you want.

How far in advance can I cut the yams?

Up to a day. Keep the cut pieces submerged in cold water in the refrigerator so they do not oxidize, then drain and pat them dry before the syrup goes on.

If you love this recipe, please leave a review! It means the world to me! Xo Toni

More Holiday Sides

Holiday Recipes

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble

Side Dishes

Cornbread Dressing

Side Dishes

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

Holiday Recipes

Roasted Cajun Turkey Recipe