This easy slow cooker candied sweet potatoes recipe is the best Thanksgiving side dish you can make year round. If you loved how we cooked Crockpot Sweet Potatoes Whole this takes this vegetable to a whole new level with cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar you can top with marshmallows.
Made homemade, but just as sticky sweet as canned yams you will likely never buy these at the store again after making them from scratch like this. Sure to become a family favorite Crockpot recipe in just a few hours. (affiliate links present)
Homemade Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe
The key to this perfectly tender texture, cooked in a sticky sweet sauce that smells and tastes like Fall is to give it time. Yes you could use a casserole dish to make Baked Sweet Potato Cubes in the Oven this way but most of the time during the holidays that is always packed full. Using a slow cooker is the answer to this problem and can be kept warm when done for a good hour beyond that.
How can you make sweet potatoes taste like candy?
You will want to cook in the sugar sauce so the potato slices can soak in all of those flavors. It won’t have the same outcome if you just add butter and sugar when done for sure. Tossed with your brown sugar, Fall spices and a bit of cornstarch to make it thicker is the way to go. You can add a drizzle of honey too if you want it over the top sweet.
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Can you make this with canned yams?
You could but the cook time would need to be cut down to about an hour. In this case you wouldn’t really need much added sugar though because the sauce in the can is rather sweet. All you would be doing with a can of yams would be to warm them which would be a good way to go if your oven was occupied.
Then enjoy them as is or you could mash, transfer into a dish and make our version of Sweet Potato Casserole with Canned Yams. Below is what you will need to make this homemade;
Ingredients
- Fresh sweet potatoes skinned
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ground cloves
- A pinch of salt
- Butter slices
- Water or use half apple cider or apple juice for more sweetness
- Cornstarch
Variations
- You can make these smooth by cooking 1 hour longer and making our version of Sweet Mashed Potatoes which is great too.
- Adding chopped nuts and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup over the top is a nice addition.
- Some like a bit of a kick to this with a pinch of red pepper flakes on top with the butter slices.
- You can use dairy-free vegan plant based butter if need be, you’d add the same amount.
- Sprinkle mini marshmallows over each serving
How to Make Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe in Crock pot
- Peel and cut the raw sweet potatoes into half moons, about half inch thick.
- Place them in a 6 quart slow cooker.
- Add the sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt and stir to coat the slices well. Slice the butter on top.
- In a measuring cup, add the cornstarch to the cold water and whisk until it’s dissolved.
- Pour in and mix everything well.
- Turn the cooker to low and let cook for 3 hours, stirring once or twice during the process.
- Once the potatoes are tender, turn off and serve with spoonful of dark brown sugar glaze over the top while warm.
If you wanted to make this faster you could follow our Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes Cubed instructions. Both methods yield a very similar result except that the one in the recipe card below will be sweeter since it cooks in the sweet liquids.
How to use leftovers
If you do have some left that weren’t eaten, save when cooled in a sealed container in the fridge. Within 3 days they should be eaten or made into something like our Sweet Potato Spoonbread Recipe to enjoy the next day(s).
Boiling any food will leach out the flavor and moisture so that should be the last option. Slow cooking or baking will maintain the tenderness and is much better than submerging into hot water to cook.
You don’t want to do this. Compared to regular russet potatoes, these are much thicker and not pleasant to eat or chew. If you consume some it won’t hurt you but too much may upset your stomach because it is hard to digest.
You can put the inner insert from a Crock-Pot (without the lid) in the microwave or into the oven up to 400° degrees F. safely. You may want to do this to brown the top but it is not made to withstand temperatures above 400.
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Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves ground
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter slices
- 1.5 c water or use half apple cider or apple juice for more sweetness
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into half moons, about ½” thick. Place them in a 6 quart slow cooker. Add the sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt and stir to coat the slices well. Slice the butter on top.
- In a measuring cup, add the cornstarch to the cold water and whisk until it’s dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker and mix everything well.
- Turn the cooker to low and let cook for 3 hours, stirring once or twice during the process. Once the potatoes are tender, turn off and serve while warm.