Slow Cooker Candied Yams

My tasty slow cooker candied yams are the easy, sweet side dish you didn't know you were missing in your life. They can be made in your crockpot, with or without marshmallows as a topping. Plus, this simple dish is equally suited to weekday dinners as it is to Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday feasts.

Jump to:

• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 How To Make Slow Cooker Candied Yams
• 🥗🥘🍲 Best Served With
• 💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Notes
• 😋 More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Reviews

Candied yams are hands down one of my favorite holiday side dishes. They are sweet, soft, and I can't get enough of the gooey, melted marshmallows.

To make things even easier, I decided to try my hand at making this classic candied yams recipe in the slow cooker and they turned out delicious! Give it a try yourself and you will be wanting to make these yams all year long.

🥘 Ingredients

The mini marshmallows are completely optional, but they make these candied yams extra sweet and gooey. They're a fun addition and an easy way to get the kiddos to try yams.

• Canned Yams - A 40-ounce can of yams, drained and chopped into smaller pieces if desired.
• Butter - Lots of melted butter to add richness. See my best butter substitutes if you've run out after trying all of my best fall baking recipes.
• Brown Sugar - ¼ cup of firmly packed light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar can also be used for more depth of flavor. See all of my brown sugar substitutes for more easy swaps.
• Molasses - 1 tablespoon of normal unsulphured molasses. You can swap for blackstrap molasses to see all of my molasses substitutes. If you opt for dark brown sugar, you can omit the additional molasses.
• Cinnamon - This is a classic pairing with any sweet candied yams recipe.
• Ground Cloves - Boost the flavor with ground cloves or allspice. If you don't have these, use a bit more cinnamon or try a sprinkle of my homemade pumpkin pie spice.
• Salt - 1 pinch (roughly 1/16th of a teaspoon) to offset the sweetness and highlight the flavor of the yams.
• Mini Marshmallows (optional) - 1 ½ cups reserved for adding at the end of cooking time, just before serving.

🔪 How To Make Slow Cooker Candied Yams

Slow-cooker candied yams are such a breeze to make. Grab your crockpot or slow cooker, a knife, and a small microwave-safe bowl for melting butter.

This recipe yields approximately 8 side dish servings or 6 generous portions. It's also easy to double to feed a larger crowd.

Step 1: Prep. Open your 40-ounce can (1.13 kilograms) of yams and drain out the liquid. Cut any large yams into smaller pieces, if desired. Melt your butter (photo 1, 56.75 grams - the easiest way is in the microwave in short 20-second increments).

Step 2: Combine. Add all of the ingredients besides the marshmallows to your slow cooker (photos 2 and 3 - yams, butter, ¼ cup (55 grams) brown sugar, 1 tablespoon molasses, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, and 1 pinch of salt).

Step 3: Cook. Cook on high for 1-2 hours or on low for 2-3 hours (photo 4).

Step 4: Serve. At the end of the cooking time, add the mini marshmallows (354.88 grams - if using) and heat for 15 more minutes. Then set the slow cooker to warm (*see note) and serve.

🥗🥘🍲 Best Served With

Everyone knows candied yams go with roasted turkey or glazed honey ham around the holidays. However, you can serve them up whenever you want with other meaty mains like fried chicken or cast-iron pork chops. Enjoy!

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Notes

• It's easiest to serve your candied yams from the crockpot. Keep them on the warm setting for up to 2-3 hours. Stir and add water as needed if the syrup is getting too thick or drying out.
• To use fresh yams, you will want to peel 2.5 pounds of yams and slice them into 1-inch slices. Follow the recipe as directed, but cook on high for 4 hours.
• Storing: In an airtight container or freezer bag, leftover candied yams will last for 4-5 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
• Reheating: Reheat single servings in the microwave. Large amounts can be reheated in a baking dish in the oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) for 20-25 minutes.

😋 More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

• Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks
• Crockpot 3 Bean and Cheese Chili
• Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs
• Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
• Crockpot Chicken and Gravy
• Crockpot Green Beans and Potatoes

📖 Recipe Card