Maple candied yams feature tasty yams or sweet potatoes tossed in warm spices, maple syrup, crumbled bacon, and chopped pecans! In just 30 minutes, you'll be sitting down to enjoy this delectable dish! Perfect for Thanksgiving, these yams will be a hit with your entire family!
Best Maple Candied Yams With Bacon & Pecans
Candied yams are a Thanksgiving classic that my entire family loves! This recipe adds in some maple syrup, bacon, and pecans to create a nice sweet and savory twist!
Whether or not you are a fan of marshmallows really just depends on your family. For this recipe, I left them out (but no one will blame you if you sprinkle some on top!)
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Whether you're a pro at hosting Thanksgiving dinner and holiday parties or giving it a try for the first time this year, you're sure to find my ultimate guide to planning Thanksgiving a help! Don't forget to safely thaw your holiday turkey early, too!
🥘 Maple Candied Yams Ingredients
This sweet side dish only takes a handful of ingredients. For extra convenience, I like to use canned yams or sweet potatoes but you can always swap them out for fresh ones!
- Canned Yams - One 29-ounce can of sweet potatoes, drained.
- Butter - ¼ cup of butter that has been melted.
- Brown Sugar - ½ cup of packed brown sugar.
- Maple Syrup - ⅓ cup of maple syrup.
- Cinnamon - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Salt & Pepper - 1 pinch of both salt and pepper.
- Allspice - 1 pinch of ground allspice.
- Bacon - 2 strips of bacon that have been cooked and then crumbled.
- Pecans - 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Maple Candied Yams
This recipe is so simple, all you do is stir everything together and bake it! Go ahead and grab your baking dish, a mixing bowl, and some measuring spoons and you are ready to begin!
You'll have 6 servings of candied yams, but it is incredibly easy to double this recipe if you need to serve a larger crowd!
- Preheat. To begin, preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) and lightly spray a medium-sized baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix. In a mixing bowl, add 29 ounces of drained yams, ¼ cup of melted butter, ½ cup of brown sugar, ⅓ cup of maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and allspice. Mix until all of the ingredients are well distributed.
- Pour. Pour the yam mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread out to make an even layer and slice any large chunks into smaller bits if desired.
- Add topping. Sprinkle the 2 strips of crumbled bacon and 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans over top of the yams.
- Bake. Bake in the oven at 400°F (205°C) for 25 minutes or until the yams are nice and tender.
- Serve. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Serve these candied yams with any of your other favorite holiday classics! They will taste great next to some Thanksgiving roasted turkey and butter herb Rhodes rolls! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Marshmallows are completely optional, so you can decide whether or not you want to add them based on your family's preferences.
- Make your maple candied yams a day or two ahead of time by preparing the dish and stopping before you bake it (go ahead and leave off the marshmallows, too). When ready, you can add the marshmallows (if you like) and pop it in the oven!
- If you want to use fresh sweet potatoes, you'll need to use 3-4 medium-sized sweet potatoes. Peel, cut, and cook them (boiled, in the microwave, or oven) before using them in the recipe.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
These yams are so tasty, they are sure to disappear. However, you can keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating Maple Candied Yams
Reheat your leftovers with either small bursts in the microwave or by popping them back into the oven until heated to your liking.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Believe it or not, these root vegetables are not the same thing (though the names are commonly used interchangeably). Yams are not as sweet as sweet potatoes and have a similar texture to russet potatoes.
For more information, take a look at my post about yams vs sweet potatoes!
Sure! It will add in some extra steps, but it is easy to swap the canned sweet potatoes for some fresh ones. You'll need about 3-4 medium sweet potatoes to replace the 29-ounce can. Peel them and cook them (by boiling, baking, or using the microwave) and then use the recipe as directed!
While these yams only take about 30 minutes to make, you can still prepare them ahead of time if you like. Simply prepare the dish as directed, but instead of baking it go ahead and store it in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, all you have to do is pop it in the oven!
🦃 More Holiday Side Dish Recipes
- Bacon Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes - These rich and creamy potatoes are the perfect way to elevate your standard mashed potato dish!
- Campbell's Green Bean Casserole - This classic green bean casserole is ridiculously easy to throw together!
- Cornbread Stuffing - Use cornbread for your stuffing recipe for an extra tasty variation!
- Classic Turkey Gravy - Make sure to save your drippings for this easy and rich gravy!
- Apple Cider Cranberry Sauce - This homemade cranberry sauce is so much better than the canned version!
- Jiffy Corn Casserole - Creamed corn and sweet corn combine with sour cream and Jiffy mix for this easy and scrumptious corn casserole!
📖 Recipe Card
Maple Candied Yams
Ingredients
- 29 oz yams (canned)
- ¼ cup butter (melted)
- ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch each, salt & pepper
- 1 pinch ground allspice
- 2 strips bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- 2 tablespoon pecans (chopped)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) and lightly spray a medium-sized baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, add your drained yams, melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and allspice. Mix until all of the ingredients are well distributed.
- Pour the yam mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread out to make an even layer and slice any large chunks into smaller bits if desired.
- Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and chopped pecans over top of the yams.
- Bake in the oven at 400°F (205°C) for 25 minutes or until the yams are nice and tender.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Marshmallows are completely optional, so you can decide whether or not you want to add them based on your family's preferences.
- Make your maple candied yams a day or two ahead of time by preparing the dish and stopping before you bake it (go ahead and leave off the marshmallows, too). When ready, you can add the marshmallows (if you like) and pop it in the oven!
- If you want to use fresh sweet potatoes, you'll need to use 3-4 medium-sized sweet potatoes. Peel, cut, and cook them (boiled, in the microwave, or oven) before using them in the recipe.
- To store: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: Reheat your leftovers with either small bursts in the microwave or by popping them back into the oven until heated to your liking.
Anonymous says
This is my new go-to candied yams recipe! Love the crunchy, savory additions. Yum!