Canned Candied Sweet Potatoes

In the South, candied sweet potatoes are more than just a side dish, they’re tradition. Using canned sweet potatoes means you can bring that same holiday flavor to the table without all the peeling and boiling in 15 minutes or less. I’ve done the hard work for you and worked through the exact balance of sweetener, butter, and spice so your candied yams turn out perfectly caramelized every time.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine soul food, Southern

Keyword canned candied sweet potatoes, canned sweet potatoes

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 290kcal

Author Brandi Crawford

Ingredients

32 oz canned sweet potatoes Drained
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup dark brown sugar or sweetener
½ cup white sugar or sweetener
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Heat a skillet or pot at medium-high heat on the stove and add the butter.
When melted, add the ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir. You want to ensure the sugar melts down, but don't overcook the glaze.
Once the glaze thickens, add the drained sweet potatoes and stir.
Remove the pan/pot from the heat.
Cool before serving.

Notes

Canned sweet potatoes typically come packed in liquid, either water or syrup, to preserve them. If you can, try to avoid the versions packed with syrup, since we are making our own glaze for this recipe. There aren't widely available versions of canned sweet potatoes without any liquid. Be sure to drain and pat dry the sweet potatoes to remove excess moisture before using them.

You can double the recipe by doubling the ingredients.

How to Prevent Mushy Sweet Potatoes

This is the biggest con of using canned sweet potatoes. Because the sweet potatoes are stored in liquid for an extended period of time, when you remove them from the can they will already be super soft. You don’t need to cook them much, you just need to reheat them.

Be gentle when mixing the sweet potatoes with the glaze, and don’t overcook them to avoid them becoming too soft.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 19g