Stove Top Candied Yams

Treat your loved ones this thanksgiving to the perfect vegan side dish of uber sweet southern style stove top candied yams. They are delicious yet don't need a ton of sugar and butter to yield the same conventional results.

Course Appetiser, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 247kcal

Author Charla

Ingredients

3 large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped (slices or quarters)
⅓ cup vegan butter (37g)
½ cup coconut sugar (80g)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon pink salt
⅓ cup warm water 80ml

Instructions

Wash and peel the sweet potatoes and carefully cut them into slices then quarters (discard the ends and outer skin).
Using a skillet on medium heat, proceed to melt the butter.
Once the butter is melted, add the coconut sugar along with the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and pink salt.
Continue to stir for about 30 seconds
Gradually pour in the warm water and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Add the sweet potatoes and fold them into the watery syrup (don't worry this will thicken up).
Reduce the heat to low, cover with lid and allow to cook on low-medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Occasionally remove the lid to baste and fold the yams into the syrup.
Once the yams are completely soft (check the readiness with a fork first, this should be around the 40-35 minute mark) leave the lid off and allow the syrup to thicken up (you may need to increase the heat to medium-high, being careful not to burn the potatoes).
Once the cooking time is up, remove from the stove.
Serve piping hot and enjoy!

Video

Notes

The syrup will be a dark hue and this is perfectly normal so please don't be alarmed.

Don't chop and quarter your potatoes too thick about ¼-1/2 inch is fine.

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container (when completely cool) for up to 3 days.

Baste the yams BUT don't constantly fold/stir especially as they soften up as they may start to fall apart.

Increase the heat near towards the end of cooking time, supervised, with the lid off as this will help to thicken the syrup.

The syrup will thicken up more and the yams will darken in colour as they cool down.

Feel free to add some cloves, ginger or even a splash of orange juice to enhance the flavour.

Why not top the candied yams with some vegan marshmallows or chopped nuts.

For best results, it is better to consume the yams immediately or when hot.

My recipe contains a lot less sugar/butter than most recipes because I have found that adding water helps to create a nice rich syrup without relying on excess butter/sugar.

Make sure to baste the sweet potatoes occasionally during the cooking process to ensure each of them are evenly "candied".

Aim to cut the potato slices evenly so that they are cooked evenly.

Feel free to use an unrefined another sweetener such as raw cane sugar, monkfruit or stevia.

Nutrition