Old Fashioned Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

When you think of the classic dishes for your Thanksgiving table, Old Fashioned Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows often come to mind. This classic side dish is an old-fashioned favorite, which reminds us of Cherished memories shared with loved ones. Sweet potato recipes have come to a long way, but this one is notable for its delightful combination of sweet potatoes, coated in a tempting brown sugar and maple syrup glaze, and topped with gooey marshmallows.

this …

The marshmallow topping adds a light and fluffy contrast to the rich and savory potatoes underneath. It’s this side dish that makes it a Thanksgiving favorite, that everyone loves as part of any special occasion. Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, or any other holiday meal, this dish is the perfect addition.

Preparing this delicious side dish ahead of time allows you to have more time with family and guests on Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner. When you all sit down at the holiday table, you’ll definitely smell the sweet scent of sugars and melting marshmallows. A dish that’s been a beloved staple for generations, it’s a perfect holiday side dish that never goes out of style.

If you’re looking for a classic holiday side dish, look no further than Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow topping. This dish is a traditional favorite for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, featuring sweet potatoes baked in a rich maple syrup brown sugar mixture and with a fluffy puffy marshmallow topping. Delicious and festive, it’s sure to be a hit at any holiday table.

Candied sweet potatoes are also called candied yams. Our family makes this dish every time we make a holiday meal. For Easter Sunday we always make a Crock Pot spiralized ham, scalloped potatoes, and old-fashioned sweet potatoes recipe with a marshmallow topping.  Remember you can use fresh sweet potatoes, or canned sweet potatoes, large marshmallows or mini marshmallows.

For a Complete Thanksgiving Dinner Check Out These Recipes

• Easy Brown Sugar Pineapple Crock Pot Spiral Ham
• Classic Scalloped Potatoes Casserole
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission which helps keep my blog up and running but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Click here to read my full disclosure policy.  

The Difference Between a Sweet Potato and a Yam

From my experience, fresh sweet potatoes and fresh yams in my grocery store are almost the same food. They just have a different color but taste the same.  There are some differences if you are buying true yams from a traditional sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes have an orange color on the outside and inside and are sweeter than true yams.  The fresh sweet potato in the store, like its name, is sweeter and can be used in all your recipes. The sweet potato you’ll find at your local store is the one you need for this recipe.

True yams are less sweet and are dryer when cooked.  You can tell a true yam as it has a bark-like skin. It has a more brown skin that almost looks like tree bark. Being less sweet it is starcher.  Unless your recipe calls for yams specifically I always buy fresh sweet potatoes.

Our Family Recipe for Candied Sweet Potatoes

Back in the 1950s, both our mothers were married and started making traditional Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas dinners at their new homes.   Candied sweet potatoes, often referred to as “candied yams” by my mom despite not using actual yams, became a classic side dish at our Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter gatherings. When our moms were making this perfect holiday side dish, our moms traditionally opted for canned sweet potatoes. It just would not be a family holiday dinner if we did not carry on the traditions at our home. 

Both families cherished this recipe, and it became a Thanksgiving favorite, passed down from generation to generation. Now Jim and I make this recipe for your kids and grandchildren.  

Ingredients Needed for Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow Topping

• 4 or 5 pounds of large fresh sweet potatoes
• 1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons of melted butter)
• 1/3 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of real maple syrup
• 1 bag of large marshmallows (you can also use miniature marshmallows) There is not a specific amount of marshmallows just cover the top 

How to make Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

1. Start by pre-cooking fresh sweet potatoes. You will cook them in boiling water boil until they are fork-tender but a little on the firm side.  This is about 10 to 15 min. max. (My husband and my mom used to make their sweet potato casserole with candied sweet potatoes using BRUCES YAMS. They used these caned potatoes for all the years I was growing up. They work and are convenient and I believe they were used during the depression years.  But I would not recommend using them. The flavors and texture, not to mention the nutrition, are so much better if you start with the real thing.)
2. Start by washing and peeling the sweet potatoes. Cut them into about one-inch chunks or thick slices as you do not want the potatoes to be too small and turn into mush when they are cooked.  
3. In a large pot of cold water add the cut-up potatoes. Cook on medium heat on the stovetop and set a timer for 9 minutes. When done, drain off the water. We are just starting the cooking process not cooking them all the way through. 
4. While the potatoes are cooking, in a smaller pot mix together 1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons of melted butter), 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Heat on low until all the ingredients are dissolved and heated through, about 5 minutes. 
5. Spray a large casserole dish with spray oil for easy cleanup.
6. After the potatoes are cooked and drained place them in the casserole dish in a single layer. 
7. After the potatoes are cooked and drained place them in the casserole dish in a single layer. 
8. Preheat the oven to 350° F and bake for 20 minutes.
9. After 20 minutes, add large marshmallows or mini marshmallows to cover the entire casserole in a single layer and cook for another 10 minutes.
10. Do not leave the oven but watch that the marshmallows do not burn. When the marshmallow top is golden brown remove the casserole from the oven.

How to Store Leftover Sweet Potatoes Casserole

• The best way that I have found to have leftover sweet potatoes the next day is to remove them from the baking dish. You may be worried about the marshmallow top but do not. No matter if the marshmallows are on top or mixed they are delicious. 
• Remove any leftover sweet potatoes and put them in an airtight container in the fridge. They will last up to 3 days but do not not count on it. As the whole family will want leftovers. 
• If you have room in your refrigerator you can just take the casserole and cover it with plastic wrap, and or aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator. As you already know, if you have plastic wrap on top you need to remove that before reheating but if you’re using aluminum foil you can just pop it back in the oven for about 15 minutes.  
• You can also add some additional marshmallows for the reheating process. I usually turn my oven on to 350°F and reheat for 15 minutes.  

Bake and serve in style this holiday season! This versatile deep-dish casserole dish is perfect for all your favorite recipes. You will love this deep dish casserole that is non-stick ceramic,

Print