Stovetop Candied Sweet Potatoes

Stovetop candied sweet potatoes are cooked in a sweet caramel sauce with orange juice and topped with fresh pecans and flavorful rosemary. Even better, they only take 40 minutes to make!

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I love dishes that make my dinner spread look elegant, but in reality, are simple to make. That’s why I love this recipe for stovetop candied sweet potatoes. In less than 1 hour, you can serve up the best, most tender, caramelized yams that are bursting with spiced citrus and savory flavors.

This recipe for candied sweet potatoes on the stove top is super versatile, pairing well with practically any main dish.

These homemade candied yams add old fashioned Southern flavor to any meal, featuring the most tantalizing caramel sauce with brown sugar for sweetness. You’ll find no marshmallows here, making it naturally vegan if you use plant-based butter.

Learn how to cook yams on the stove in one step — no pre-boiling or blanching necessary. Just mix together your caramel sauce, toss in and cook your potatoes, and you’re ready to serve!

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

STEP ONE: Peel the sweet potatoes, then chop into cubes about ¾ inches in length. The flesh should be firm and vibrant orange in color for the best quality.

STEP TWO: Combine butter, brown sugar, white sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, salt, and orange juice to a pot and simmer over low heat. Whisk until sugar has dissolved — constant stirring and low heat ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn, creating a well-formed sauce.

STEP THREE: Add cubed sweet potatoes to the sugar mixture and stir until every piece is well coated. Place a lid on the pot and cook over medium heat until your stovetop candied sweet potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.

STEP FOUR: Transfer the stove top candied yams onto a platter and serve warm. Garnish with chopped pecans, salt, and fresh rosemary if desired.

So many wonder how to cook sweet potatoes on the stove top that don’t turn out watery, and the answer is simple. Make sure to avoid undercooking! The caramel sauce needs time to develop and thicken with the water and starch released from the sweet potatoes.

Check for doneness with a fork — it should easily pierce the center of the potato cubes without getting stuck (underdone) or breaking them apart (overdone).

The peels are perfectly safe to eat and contain loads of vitamins and minerals. They are also an easy way to provide a little extra texture to your candied sweet potatoes. Just be sure to scrub the outside of the yams and rinse them thoroughly so you don’t end up with dirt in your dish!

So, this step is completely up to you! As you learn how to cook yams on the stove, you’ll get a feel for the texture you prefer.

If you’re simply boiling them for a mash, then yes. But when learning how to cook sweet potatoes stove top for candied yams, this step isn’t necessary! The pieces are small enough that they will become nice and tender while simmering in the sauce.

For larger batches of candied sweet potatoes on the stove top, or if your sweet potato chunks are larger than ¾ inch, it wouldn’t hurt to poke a few holes just to ensure they cook evenly.

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Stovetop candied sweet potatoes are cooked in a sweet caramel sauce with orange juice and topped with fresh pecans and flavorful rosemary. Even better, they only take 40 minutes to make!

This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.

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I’ve always had a love of cooking and creating new recipes, so it only made sense to create a food blog so I could share those recipes with you. This site is designed to provide easy and flavorful recipes with as little ingredients as possible. That means you still get great flavor combinations without all that extra time and effort. Read more...