My mother in law gave me this recipe for Mother-in-Law Candied Yams and she got it from her mother in law! These are the best way to mix dinner and dessert!
Mother-in-law Candied Yams are so simple to make! I mean just look below, there are only 3 ingredients!!! Not only do these taste amazing, super simple and only 3 ingredients, but they can be made the day before and just warmed up in the oven before your big feast is served!!! These are seriously the best holiday dish EVER!!!!!
MOTHER-IN-LAW CANDIED YAMS
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When my husband and I first started dating we spent Easter over at his Mom’s house. One of the dishes she made was these monther-in-law candied yams. We went through the buffet line and he tried to get me to take a spoonful. I quietly let him know that I’ve never cared for yams and he said I HAD to have these. They’re sooooo good, like candy! I took a SMALL spoon of them and let me tell you they are AMAZING!!!!! I’m going to be real clear here. There is NO nutritional value in this dish. I mean the yams are good for you, lots of vitamins but they are drenched in butter and brown sugar soooooooo, that takes steps them up to completely decadent.
We only make these bad boys three times a year because otherwise you’d have to roll us out of the house and a heart attack would be soon in our future. There is no such thing as self-control when it comes to these yams. When it came time for me to cook the holiday meals years later, she gave me the recipe and told me that she got the recipe from her mother-in-law, hence the name.
You’ll notice that I don’t peel the yams before boiling but after. This is how I was told to do them. I thought it was strange so I decided one year to peel then boil. They weren’t the same. It is totally worth boiling, waiting for them to cool THEN peeling. Plus, that just makes them that much easier because the peels just come right off. When you add these yams to your holiday meals your family will praise you for finding a way to serve dessert for dinner!
Want more holiday side dish recipes?
- Mamaw’s Rolls
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Easy Balsamic Glazed Carrots
- Green Beans with Honey Pecan Butter and Cranberries
- Syrian Rice
- More side dish recipes…
Tools used to make this Mother-in-Law Candied Yams recipe
Large Pot: This pot is a kitchen essential for everything from dinner to desserts. I use mine all the time and with proper care, it’ll last for years and years.
Baking Dish: This baking dish is a must-have for any home cook. I actually have 3 of them in my cupboard, and each dish comes with a lid for storing leftovers or taking your dishes on the go.
Medium Saucepan: I don’t what I’d do without this saucepan. It gets used in my kitchen every day. The glass lid even has strainer sides so I even have a colander for pasta!
Ingredients
- 3 large yams
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups brown sugar firmly packed
Instructions
- scrub the yams clean and cut into 2 inch thick slices (do not peel)
- place in a large stock pot and cover with cold water
- place over medium high heat and bring to a boil
- allow to simmer until fork tender, about 15 ;minutes
- carefully drain water and allow yams to cool to the touch
- once they can be handled remove the peel
- place into a 13 x 9 baking dish in an even layer
- melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat
- stir in the brown sugar until combined
- allow to boil for 5 minutes
- pour over top of the yams
- if making ahead of time cover with foil and allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator
- when ready to serve
- preheat oven to 350 degrees
- uncover yams and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until warmed through and slightly bubbling around the edges
- be very careful when serving and enjoy!
Video
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Patricia says
I cannot tell you how excited I am to find this recipe! This looks very similar to the candied yams I grew up eating at Thanksgiving that my mom made–which I absolutely adored. My mom couldn’t tell me how to make it and no longer had the recipe (she has dementia). I love the fact the yams are in chunks–not whipped. Thanks for the memories, this recipe is going in my perm file and I’m making them this week!!!
Aubrey says
Patricia this story just made my month!!! I’m so glad you found the recipe and I hope that it lived up to expectations but I know nothing is ever as good as mom’s! 🙂
SHARRON Henry says
Your recipe is totally like the one I’ve been making for the last 40 years. Except that I add a little bit of cream towards the end, and I cook them in a cast iron skillet on the stove. Really, really sinful!!!!
Aubrey says
That sounds amazing!!!!
Deb Fox says
As I am sitting in my 87 degree living room two days after Hurricane Irma, without electricity, I’m trying to be creative with our Hurricane rations. Looking in my pantry I found a can of yams. My problem is most recipes with yams call for baking in oven. Not an option right now. What can I cook on my gas grill or Coleman stove that doesn’t require a half hour cooking time or more (can’t waste precious propane you know.)? My cast iron skillet is the answer! Thanks for sharing your comments! My husband will be pleasantly surprised with dinner tonight😋
demelzabunny says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it.
BTW: DId you know that in England, your name is a boy’s name?
Aubrey says
It’s both here but in the last 15 years there have been more girls named Aubrey. I was actually named after my grandmother’s uncle! Well, that and a Bread song from the late 70’s. 🙂
Amanda Nichole says
I made this variation with carrots for dinner last night. They were scrumptious with garlic & herb roasted chicken and potatoes. Yams will have to be on the Thanksgiving menu….seeing how the holidays are right around the corner… ackk!
Oh! & I found ya via Pinterest. 😉
JBAn says
This is how my Mom always made her sweete, and so do I. Nothing better!
Liz says
I just made these according to your instructions and the caramel sauce was chunky. Is that right, or did I cook it too long/not long enough? Very tasty, but the sugary bits were a bit off-putting.
Liz says
With advice from my mother-in-law (!), I cooked them in the oven at 450 for an extra 10 minutes and the sugar finally dissolved and the yams were even tastier!
Christina says
Is the “candy” supposed to solidify completely whenever cool? I made these today to serve at thanksgiving tomorrow, and as soon as the candied part cooled, it became very crunchy and solid. Hope I did it right, and it’ll melt back down to normal tomorrow in the oven 😬🤞🏼
Lisa says
Tried this and the “sauce” basically turned into caramel….and I didn’t even boil it the full 5 minutes.
Pam says
I️ tried this and while cooking the syrup I️ noticed I️ had a can of canned milk ready for the mashed potatoes. Added 1/3 cup to syrup and boiled for 3 minutes. Tasted it and it was creamy and smooth. It had the taste of Carmel. Poured over yams baked for 30 minutes. Family raved over the flavor.
Coleen says
Is there a reason that you don’t peel the potatoes before boiling them?
Aubrey Cota says
Just considered an added step, when they are finished boiling the skins tend to just fall off. If you don’t like the skins you can just discard them at that time. Mostly preference!
Josie says
That’s what I was thinking.
Arna says
I made this recipe for the family and nit was delicious. Thanks for the share
Aubrey Cota says
Happy that it worked out!
patricia cole says
I too boiled the sugar and butter for less than 5 minutes and it turned hard like I wouod use for caramel popocorn. How can this happen? Is it the pan I used?
Aubrey Cota says
Could be too high of heat used, next time stick more to the medium heat instead of medium high and see how that helps.
Debbie says
My mom always made candied sweet potatoes for the holidays and was loved by a lot of family members. My brother and I have continued this tradition. We always use sweet potatoes instead of yams. Yes, there is a difference! Yams are orange in color & sweet potatoes are a lite yellowish color. We’ve tried using yams but no. Also, you don’t have to make the sauce in a saucepan, just place thin slices of real butter around on the top of the cut up cooked potatoes & sprinkle with brown sugar & bake.
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you, Debbie.
Shelly says
I usually mix sweet potatoes and yams because I can never remember which I should use. Great idea to sprinkle on top. I also liked someone else’s idea to use a cast iron skillet.
Valerie says
I followed directions and boiled butter and brown sugar for five minutes. After pouring on the yams and allowing to cool it is hard like brittle. What did I do wrong?
Aubrey Cota says
Could be over boiled or boiled at too high of a heat, the latter is more likely the culprit. Sounds like you are making these ahead of time, when you place them into the oven to reheat it should hopefully loosen up again.
Robyn Halverson says
Easier yet….choose similar sized yams and boil them whole and skin-on. Peel and cut when cooled a bit.
Carri Benson says
I learned this from my mom but we bake them whole in the oven at 400* . Let cool , peel , cut into chunks and finish like your recipe. Yum!
Kelly M says
My grandma made these my whole life but I never tried them until I was an adult. Now they’re a staple at Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, I boil them whole then slice and peel. I also put them in a non stick deep skillet, one sliced, and place butter in pieces all over and sprinkle a lot of unmeasured brown sugar. I put the lid on and cook on cook for 30 minutes. So very good!! No need for a bunch more ingredients or spices!
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you, Kelly!