Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe
There are recipes in my family that are so perfect, we don’t alter them in anyway. My mama’s candied sweet potatoes are one of those recipes. What makes them special is they are quite different from ones you see online.
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes (peeled, and thinly sliced on the vertical to ⅛-¼ inch thickness (very thin))
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 3/4-2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- Add sliced potatoes to a large 5 quart pot.
- Fill with 6 cups of lukewarm water, butter, sugar, vanilla extract and nutmeg and give a slight stir.
- Push the potatoes down with a large spoon to make sure the potatoes are covered with water. If not, add more water, starting with ½ cup at a time until potatoes are completely covered. Turn heat on the stove to high to bring the mixture to a rolling (slight) boil.
- After it comes to a rolling boil, reduce heat to medium and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Test how tender they are by sticking the potatoes with a fork.
- Once the potatoes are tender, remove the lid and continue cooking for an additional 30-45 minutes on medium high heat OR until water has evaporated leaving JUST a sweet syrup over the potatoes. That syrup should be thickened so don't stop if it is still thin and super watery. It still needs to be reduced more.
- Sweet Potatoes: My mama peels then thinly slice them on the diagonal so they turn tender and soft as the boil in the syrup. Make sure you don’t slice large than 1/4 inch thickness. We talking super thin. Yams can also be used.
- Salted Butter: Unsalted is fine but add a little salt. My mama says don’t even try using margarine in this recipe.
- Sugar: Keep it simple with granulated but you can also use brown sugar too.
- Spice: My mama uses nutmeg and ONLY nutmeg. No cinnamon in the mix y’all.
How to Make Candied Sweet Potatoes
Step 1: Start by peeling and slicing the potatoes on the vertical very thinly to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. Fill a pot with the water then toss in the butter, sugar, a splash of vanilla, and a pinch of nutmeg.
Step 2: Bring to a rolling boil. Slap a lid on and lower the temperature to medium. Cook for about 20-25 minutes.
Step 3: The sweet potatoes should be tender at this point.
Step 4: Continue cooking on medium-high without the lid for about 35-45 minutes or until the water has mostly evaporated leaving a sweet thickened syrup over the potatoes.
