Name: Southern Candied Yams with Canned Sweet Potatoes
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup butter; 1 cup brown sugar; 40 ounce canned sweet potatoes (reserve the liquid)

Tender, caramelized candied yams made right on the stovetop with just three ingredients, canned sweet potatoes, butter, and brown sugar. No oven, no peeling, no fuss. The butter and brown sugar cook down into a rich, glossy glaze that coats every piece. Ready in 30 minutes and one of the easiest holiday side dishes you’ll make.

A bowl filled with southern candied yams and sweet potatoes in a thick, caramelized sauce, sitting on a light blue surface with a gray cloth in the background. — *Southern candied yams simmered in a buttery brown sugar glaze, made entirely on the stovetop with just three ingredients.*

Three Ingredients, One Pan, No Oven Needed.

Most candied yam recipes call for fresh sweet potatoes, which means peeling, chopping, and fighting for oven space on an already crowded holiday. This version skips all of that. You start with canned sweet potatoes, which are already cooked and tender, and let butter and brown sugar do the rest on the stovetop.

The trick is patience, low heat and time are what turn that simple glaze into something deep, rich, and sticky.

My Mom Never Saved These for the Holidays

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My mom made these for every holiday, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, but she also made them on a random Tuesday when she felt like it. That’s always been my approach too. With only three ingredients and 30 minutes, there’s nothing stopping you from putting them on the table for a weeknight dinner, a cookout, or a Sunday supper. Sweet potato recipes go well with ham, pork chops, roast chicken, and grilled ribs.

A close-up of baked candy yams in a skillet, coated in a glossy, caramelized brown sugar glaze, with a spoon lifting a portion.

Sweet, But Not Sugary

One of the things I love most about this recipe is that it’s sweet without being over the top. The brown sugar and butter cook down into a rich glaze, but the sweet potatoes balance it out so it never tastes like dessert. I’ve been making this recipe for over 40 years and I’ve never felt the need to change it.

If you want to take sweet potatoes in a different direction for the holidays, my sweet potato casserole with apples has a savory pecan topping that’s a nice contrast. And if you prefer to skip the can and start with fresh potatoes, try these candied sweet potatoes that use the same stovetop method.

The One Mistake That Ruins the Sauce

The question I see most often is whether the sauce will actually thicken. It will, you just have to give it time. The biggest mistake people make is turning up the heat when the sauce looks too thin. Don’t do it. Keep the heat low and let it simmer, and it will thicken on its own. You’ll know it’s ready when you spoon some sauce over the potatoes and it coats them and clings instead of running straight off, like it would coat the back of a spoon

Featured reader review

“My husband hates sweet potatoes. I had a can of sweet potatoes about ready to expire. I found this recipe that is simple and quick. It’s a winner and my husband is a believer!”
Jeanne

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Tips for the Perfect Candied Yams

Look for canned sweet potatoes packed in juice, not syrup. If syrup is all you can find, pull back on the brown sugar by about ¼ cup. Before you open the can, turn it upside down and give it a shake to mix up the liquid, you’ll use about ¾ cup of it to start the sauce, so add it slowly rather than pouring it all in at once.

Too much liquid is harder to recover from than too little, and the sauce will just take longer to thicken if you overshoot. And whatever you do, don’t stir the potatoes once they’re in the pan, just move them around a little so that they get covered with the sauce. They’re soft enough that stirring will turn them to mush. Spooning the sauce over the top is all they need.

While other recipes take up precious oven space, this one simmers away on the stovetop. Which means your oven’s still free for things like creamy corn pudding or a batch of fluffy homemade rolls.

Only 3 Ingredients

The ingredients for stovetop sweet potatoes in a skillet. — Gather the ingredients.

Canned Sweet potatoes – Try to find ones that are not in a heavy syrup. If that’s all you can find, cut back on the brown sugar.

How they come together

Step 1- Make the glaze

Brown sugar and butter in an iron skillet. — Melt the butter and brown sugar together until combined.

// cast iron skillet //

Step 2: Add the sweet potato liquid

Slices of golden-brown cooked apples in a skillet, covered in a glossy syrupy sauce reminiscent of southern candied yams, with a metal spoon resting inside the pan on a light blue textured surface. — Pour in the liquid slowly and stir until the sauce starts to thicken.

Step 3: Add the potatoes and simmer

They will turn dark brown and the sauce will thicken as they cook. My mom always just spooned them straight from the pan to the table, but if you’re feeling fancy, you can put them into a serving dish.

Chunks of caramelized pork belly coated in a glossy, rich brown sauce, served alongside sweet candied yams from a can in a black skillet with a metal spoon resting on the side. — Spoon the sauce over the potatoes as they cook, don’t stir or they’ll fall apart.

These candied yams are the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your rotation, simple enough for a weeknight, good enough for any holiday table.

A collage of four cooked dishes, with text reading "Just getting started in the kitchen? Shop my favorite cooking essentials to help find everything you’ll need!" and icons of a shopping cart and whisk at the bottom.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.

A bowl filled with southern candied yams, coated in a thick, caramelized brown sugar sauce, with a silver spoon resting on the side.

Southern Candied Yams with Canned Sweet Potatoes

Author: Barbara Curry

Tender, caramelized candied yams made right on the stovetop with just three ingredients — canned sweet potatoes, butter, and brown sugar. No oven, no peeling, no fuss. The butter and brown sugar cook down into a rich, glossy glaze that coats every piece. Ready in 30 minutes and one of the easiest holiday side dishes you'll make.

5 from 14 votes

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PREP: 0

COOK: 30

TOTAL: 30

Servings:

Equipment

Cast iron skillet

Ingredients

▢ ¼ cup butter
▢ 1 cup brown sugar
▢ 40 ounce canned sweet potatoes reserve the liquid

Instructions

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add brown sugar. Reduce to low and bring to a simmer.
Slowly add about ¾ cup of the liquid from the sweet potatoes to the skillet, it will sizzle. Stir until it is incorporated and it becomes slightly thick.
Add the potatoes to the skillet and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until they turn a deep brown and the syrup has thickened. Occasionally, scoop the liquid in the skillet over the potatoes, but don’t stir them or they will turn to mush.

Barbara’s Tips + Notes

Turn the can upside down and shake before opening to mix the liquid — you’ll use about ¾ cup of it for the sauce.
Keep the heat on low the entire time. Turning it up when the sauce looks thin is the most common mistake and it won’t end well.
Don’t stir the potatoes once they’re in the pan or they’ll turn to mush. Spoon the sauce over the top instead.
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over low heat.