Crock Pot Candied Yams
These Crock Pot Candied Yams are made with sweet potatoes, brown sugar, spices, marshmallows and make the perfect side to your holiday meal! No oven required!
A CROCK POT CANDIED YAMS RECIPE
This Crock Pot Candied Yams has to be one of my favorite ways to make sweet potatoes. It’s more of a dessert than a side dish to be honest but it is a required dish for any holiday meal. The best part, it is SO easy, and you let the crock pot do most of the work for you!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I really enjoy the marshmallows in this recipe as we have them both mixed into the sweet potatoes and on top. If you do not want to use them, you can leave them out. You can also top this casserole with pecans, or just leave it plain.
No, this is optional. If you own a kitchen torch you can also use that to brown the tops of the marshmallows.
Yes. You can mash the potatoes once tender while still in the slow cooker then add the marshmallows.
You can make it earlier in the day and leave it on the warm setting for up to 2 hours. I do not recommend leaving it on for any longer than that.
No, these do not have to be pre-baked or parboiled. They can go into your crock pot raw.
In America, we use the name interchangeably. They are actually two different types of vegetables. Enslaved Africans used the word “yam” to describe sweet potatoes because it was similar to the yams they were familiar with from home and the word stuck. It’s actually not that easy to find a true yam in most American grocery stores.
These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen. Place in a freezer container for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove to the refrigerator overnight until thawed. Reheat in the microwave.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- sweet potatoes
- salted butter
- light brown sugar
- maple syrup
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- vanilla extract
- mini marshmallows
HOW TO MAKE A CROCK POT CANDIED YAMS:
Place the diced sweet potatoes in a large bowl, and set aside.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Place over medium-low heat and continue to whisk until the butter and sugar are dissolved and smooth.
Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Pour this mixture over the potatoes and stir to combine.
Spray the body of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Pour in the potato mixture.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so to prevent burning. Cook until potatoes are softened, and the liquid is thickened.
Add half of the marshmallows and stir them in.
Add the remaining marshmallows on top.
You can let them melt by placing the cover back on for a few minutes, or you can broil them until browned and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
CRAVING MORE?
Crock Pot Candied Yams
Ingredients
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, 1/2 inch diced
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 10 ounce bag mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Place the diced sweet potatoes in a large bowl, and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Place over medium-low heat and continue to whisk until the butter and sugar are dissolved and smooth.
- Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour this mixture over the potatoes and stir to combine.
- Spray the body of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Pour in the potato mixture.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so to prevent burning. Cook until potatoes are softened, and the liquid is thickened.
- Add half of the marshmallows and stir them in.
- Add the remaining marshmallows on top.
- You can let them melt by placing the cover back on for a few minutes, or you can broil them until browned and serve immediately.
Notes
- The marshmallows are a great addition but can be left out.
- This can be made smoother, see above on how to do that.
- You do not need to precook the potatoes before adding to the crock pot.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Made for Christmas. It was very good and everyone emptied the crock pot lol. Thank you!
One more quick question how many sweet potatoes is 4 pounds? Is it 4?!
I highly doubt that you’ll answer this before tomorrow, but how do I broil marshmallows at a crockpot?
I got you, no worries. Today I’m working but definitely not on Thanksgiving day as I’ll be cooking myself lol. I get a lot of comments on Thanksgiving & those unfortunately don’t get answered.
So, if you have an oven safe insert (that’s the important part, many are oven safe up to 400F but check with your manufacturer) just stick it on a rack with enough clearance to the broiler & you can broil on low until brown. It won’t take too long, keep a close eye, don’t walk away. Or you can use a kitchen torch to brown them. Happy Thanksgiving!
You are awesome. I can’t believe you replied back. Thank you so much. So I could stick my whole crockpot in the oven. I had no idea. Thanks and happy Thanksgiving.
Just stick the insert part of the crock pot into the oven, not the whole thing. Use oven mitts because those inserts get HOT. Whether it is ceramic or metal, just be careful to not burn yourself. Generally 4 good sized sweet potatoes will equal about 4 pounds. If your produce section has a scale, use that. It doesn’t have to be exact. If it is a little over or a little under, this recipe still works. Also, if you’ve never cut sweet potatoes before, be very careful and make sure you have a sharp knife. They can be hard little suckers to cut into sometimes so be patient (and careful) 🙂
Can I cook over night on low? And then put on warm? I need to travel and want to make these.
They have to be stirred every so often unfortunately or they can burn. Unfortunately today’s slow cookers run so hot
Does anyone know if we can start the recipe with precooked/canned sweet potatoes?? If so, how do I need to adjust the recipe??
on a similar post someone said to cook for about an hour or so until it’s heated all the way through
This was a hit for my family and very easy to make. In addition, I added white sugar, ample amount of orange juice and a splash of lemon juice.
That sound perfect Dee Dee – thank you!
Can I make the sauce the night before so in the morning i can just throw everything in the crock pot and turn it on?
I suppose you could but honestly I have never tried it so I can’t say for certain if I haven’t personally tested it out. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Yum yum yum yum!!
Can I make this recipe in the oven? I was hoping to make your crockpot turkey breast but only have one crockpot? Any suggestions if it’s possible?
Thank you
Hey Chris – I’ll be honest, I have only ever made this recipe in the crock pot. I never want anyone to waste ingredients and I hate to guess on anything unless I have tested it out fully myself – especially if you are making it for Thanksgiving. No one wants a ruined dish on such a big day. I created this recipe specifically for the crock pot. I would maybe search out a recipe for candied yams that was designed to be made in the oven.
These sound really good. Though I am not a fan of maple syrup/ flavor. Can I just skip the maple syrup? Or is there a substitute I can use?
Traditionally it is corn syrup but I use maple syrup to cut down on the overall sweetness and to give it additional flavor 🙂 So you can use that or just leave it out
usually my mother is n charge of bringing the candied yams for Thanksgiving. However, after finding this recipe, I asked if I could make and bring them. They were an absolute hit. EVERYONE (including my mom) said they were the best they’ve ever had. Needless to say, I’m now the one in charge of bringing the candied yam dish to every Thanksgiving. Not only that but both my children (who never liked them in the past) said they were so delicious. Absolutely, an amazing recipe, I’m very glad to have found it!! Thank you for sharing.
What a wonderful comment! I am so honored you gave my recipe a try and everyone loved it! You are so very sweet to come back and leave a comment!!
Absolutely fabulous!! I saved oven space and everyone raved over how good these were. I probably shared your recipe with at least 10 people because they loved it so much – thank you for making these the highlight of my Thanksgiving!!
This recipe is delicious. I have always used canned yams and stuck them in the oven but this year we are short on oven space. I’m so glad I found your recipe for the crockpot, using fresh sweet potatoes. It is simple and easy to follow. I always try a new recipe out on my husband and adult son before I serve it to a crowd. They loved it, of course I halved the recipe. Now I am ready for Thanksgiving! Thank you!
Can I use canned yams?!
Unfortunately they would more than likely turn to mush. You could try but it might end up more like a wet casserole