Candied Sweet Potatoes

November 20, 2022

Candied sweet potatoes are quite possibly one of the most indulgent dishes served prior to dessert on any given holiday table. Sweet potatoes are already naturally sweet and once they are roasted in a sweet syrupy glaze, they are transformed into something magical, something fabulous and something that disappears very quickly…

My candied sweet potato recipe uses a combination of brown sugar, maple syrup, warm winter spices and a little fresh orange juice that creates the most delicious, caramelized slices of decadent sweet potatoes that I have ever experienced. Everyone will love them and chances are, you will wish you had made a double batch.

Let’s get them started…

Begin by peeling 4 or 5 medium sweet potatoes. I try to choose the potatoes shaped longer and uniformly round, so the slices have a good chance of all turning out roughly the same size. Once they are peeled, cut them into quarter inch slices (as in the photo above) using a mandolin or a steady hand and a very sharp knife.

In a large bowl, combine 8 tablespoons of melted butter with 1/3 cup of maple syrup, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

This combination of ingredients, spices and maple syrup creates a well balanced flavor that is warm and comforting, but also sweet and caramel-y. After you melt the butter and whisk everything together, I like to squeeze the juice from a fresh orange or clementine into this sauce.

This step is optional, but the brightness that it adds to the overall flavor of these sweet potatoes. You should add about 2 tablespoons of fresh citrus juice and give the sauce one more whisk to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Add the sliced sweet potatoes into the bowl with the sauce and carefully mix. Since we are stacking the sweet potatoes in a pretty pattern, you want to be careful to not break them apart as you mix them with the sauce. You do, however, want to be sure to break apart all of the little stacks. The sliced potatoes like to stick together, but you need to have every little sliced coated in the sauce to make sure that you don’t have dry, unflavored portions.

Grease a 3 quart deep baking dish and arrange the coated sweet potatoes inside the dish. You can use any shaped dish and arrange the sweet potatoes in straight lines, shingled or spiraled. I like to stack them together tight enough that they will maintain the position as they roast, but loose enough that the sauce and heat can work in between.

You will have some sauce left behind in the bowl, spoon about half of it over the sweet potatoes and set the remaining sauce aside for now.

Tightly cover the dish with foil and roast the sweet potatoes in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

After the first 30 minutes, carefully transfer the dish onto a heat proof surface and remove the foil. Use a baster or pastry brush to add the remaining sauce over the sweet potatoes and return the dish to the oven uncovered.

Roast for another 20-30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Transfer the dish back onto the heat proof surface and let it rest for a few minutes to allow the sauce some time to thicken.

Look at how beautiful this dish is! Quarter inch thick sweet potatoes are the perfect thickness to both maintain their pretty shape and pattern as they roast, but to also become ultra soft and tender.

Now I prefer to enjoy these candied sweet potatoes just as they come out of the oven, but there are a few different ways that you can garnish them before serving…

Candied sweet potatoes can be topped with crushed nuts (pecans and walnuts work best) to add a touch of texture and if you want to add a layer of savoriness to the flavors of this dish, sprinkling some fresh thyme, oregano or rosemary will bring a little kick of herbiness to the the sweet flavors of these sweet potatoes.

Sweet Topping Options:

Option #1: If you are more into the old school marshmallow topped sweet potatoes then I have two more options for you. If you are familiar with my marshmallow meringue topped sweet potato casserole then you can definitely top these candied sweet potatoes in the same way.

Option #2: If you want a still beautiful, but slightly more simple option then you can melt a few small marshmallows with a splash of heavy cream and vanilla extract to form a sweet marshmallow drizzle to pour over the entire dish. It will add a beautiful layer of color and a subtle marshmallow flavor.

Option #3: The quickest and most simple option is to add a layer of mini marshmallows over the dish and slide the dish under a broiler for 30-60 seconds or until the marshmallows are lightly golden brown.

However you decide to top these candied sweet potatoes, two things are for sure… first, you are going to love them (and want to go back for more) and the second thing is that your Thanksgiving table will be better off with this gorgeous, delicious dish involved.

As soon as you roast a dish of these candied sweet potatoes, you are going to be so thankful that you did…

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