Classic Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes
There are recipes that don't need to be reinvented. Candied sweet potatoes are one of them. Tender slices of sweet potato slowly cook in butter, brown sugar and warm spices until the potatoes become soft and the cooking liquid turns into a glossy syrup. This is also a particularly nice recipe for the beginning of sweet-potato season. A freshly harvested sweet potato hasn't yet developed all the sweetness it will gain during curing and storage, so a preparation like this doesn't depend entirely upon the natural sugars in the potato.
By: Cottage Kitchen Finder September 11, 2026
- Category: Dinner, Family Recipes, Farmers Market Finds, Holiday Favorites, Homemade Classics, Side Dishes, Winter Comfort Foods
- Season: Fall
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Cook: 50 to 60 minutes
- Total: 75 minutes
- Servings: 6 to 8
Ingredients
3 pounds sweet potatoes
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, optional
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, optional
Directions
Heat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them crosswise into slices about ½ inch thick. Arrange them in the baking dish, overlapping them slightly where necessary.
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir until the butter has melted and the sugars have mostly dissolved. Allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer for about 2 minutes, then remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla and optional orange juice.
Pour the warm syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and carefully spoon some of the syrup from the bottom of the dish over the potatoes. Return the dish to the oven uncovered and continue baking for approximately 20–30 minutes, spooning the syrup over the potatoes once or twice, until they are completely tender and the sauce has thickened into a glossy glaze.
Let the sweet potatoes rest for about 10 minutes before serving. The syrup will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.
From the CKF Kitchen
Don't rush the final uncovered portion of the cooking. That is when the butter-and-sugar mixture reduces and begins coating the potatoes rather than simply surrounding them. You want tender slices that still retain some shape, covered with a rich syrup—not sweet-potato soup.
If your potatoes have been properly cured and are already particularly sweet, you can reduce the granulated sugar or leave it out entirely. Taste and variety matter; recipes don't always have to pretend every sweet potato is identical.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them crosswise into slices about ½ inch thick. Arrange them in the baking dish, overlapping them slightly where necessary.
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir until the butter has melted and the sugars have mostly dissolved. Allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer for about 2 minutes, then remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla and optional orange juice.
Pour the warm syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and carefully spoon some of the syrup from the bottom of the dish over the potatoes. Return the dish to the oven uncovered and continue baking for approximately 20–30 minutes, spooning the syrup over the potatoes once or twice, until they are completely tender and the sauce has thickened into a glossy glaze.
Let the sweet potatoes rest for about 10 minutes before serving. The syrup will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.
From the CKF Kitchen
Don't rush the final uncovered portion of the cooking. That is when the butter-and-sugar mixture reduces and begins coating the potatoes rather than simply surrounding them. You want tender slices that still retain some shape, covered with a rich syrup—not sweet-potato soup.
If your potatoes have been properly cured and are already particularly sweet, you can reduce the granulated sugar or leave it out entirely. Taste and variety matter; recipes don't always have to pretend every sweet potato is identical.
