Candied yams are a staple of Southern cuisine, and this quick recipe is entirely plant-based. Sweet, sticky, and rich, these yams are a mouth-watering side dish.
Candied yams are one of my favorite side dishes. They’re sweet. They’re salty. They’re decadent. Unfortunately, they’re usually dripping in butter, so they’re not vegan. But it turns out that plant-based candied yams are just as delicious!
This is an easy vegan recipe for one of the most common side dishes in the south. Vegan candied yams will make your mouth water with their juiciness, stickiness, and sweetness, and they work well with so many meals. You can put them alongside your holiday feast, or next to a meat substitute for a special weekend treat. Or they can accompany almost any weekday meal.
You might find yourself making this recipe over and over again, because it’s that good, and it’s that easy.
Notes on Ingredients
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page to find the exact quantities for each ingredient.
Yams or sweet potatoes
Vegan unsalted butter
Light brown sugar
Maple syrup – Try to use 100% pure maple syrup, instead of something with artificial flavors.
Orange zest
Ground cinnamon
Ground nutmeg
Ground ginger
Kosher salt
Vanilla extract – Make sure you use pure vanilla extract.
Pecans (optional)
What’s the Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes?
People often confuse yams and sweet potatoes. In fact, many of the “yams” that are sold at grocery stores are actually mislabeled sweet potatoes. Yams have a little bit more starch and are usually less sweet. You can use either for this dish, but yams are preferable.
How to Make Candied Yams
Preheat the oven. Set the oven to 400F.
Prep the yams. Peel the yams and cut them into ½-inch rounds. Place them in a 9”x13” baking dish.
Melt the butter. Place the vegan butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Melt until the butter begins to sputter.
Make the sauce. Add the brown sugar, orange zest, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and maple syrup to the butter. Stir until everything has mixed together, then turn off the heat. Add the vanilla and stir again.
Sauce the yams. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, and toss the yams until they’re coated in the sauce.
Bake. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until the yams are fork-tender. Remove the aluminum foil, and spoon the sauce over the yams. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with pecans if you’d like, and serve while the vegan candied yams are still hot.
Tips for Success
Follow these tips and your plant-based candied yams will come out perfect every time you make them.
Cut the yams evenly. Try to have every yam slice be roughly the same size. This way the yams will cook consistently and you won’t have any undercooked or overcooked pieces.
Don’t under bake. Make sure you cook the candied yams long enough for the sauce to caramelize and get sticky. That’s part of what makes this recipe so delicious, because the caramelized sugars form a complex and rich flavor.
Don’t over bake. While it’s important to not undercook the sauce, you don’t want to over bake it either. Because the sauce has a fair amount of sugar, it will burn and turn bitter easily.
What to Serve Candied Yams With
Candied yams are one of my all-time favorite side dishes, in part because they go so well with almost everything. Here are a few recipes you could serve them alongside
Vegan chicken nuggets
Vegan pot pies
Jamaican jerk tofu
Baked vegan mac and cheese
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Candied yams can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. All you need to do is store them in an airtight container, and reheat them in the oven or the microwave.
Can I Freeze Candied Yams?
Yes! You can keep candied yams in your freezer for 6 months. Place the yams in an airtight container, and store them towards the back of the freezer. You can reheat them in the oven without having to thaw them first.
Ingredients
- 4 medium yams or sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 1/2 cup vegan unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 large orange , zested (about 1 heaping teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- chopped pecans for garnish , optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the yams in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Stir in the sugar, maple syrup, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the vanilla. Pour the sugar-butter mixture over the yams, and toss to coat.
- Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork-tender. Remove from the oven and spoon the liquid over the yams. Bake uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes, until tender and the syrup is thickened. Remove the yams from the oven and serve hot, sprinkled with pecans if you like.
Notes
Candied Yams
Ingredients
- 4 medium yams or sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 1/2 cup vegan unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 large orange zested (about 1 heaping teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- chopped pecans for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the yams in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Stir in the sugar, maple syrup, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the vanilla. Pour the sugar-butter mixture over the yams, and toss to coat.
- Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork-tender. Remove from the oven and spoon the liquid over the yams. Bake uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes, until tender and the syrup is thickened. Remove the yams from the oven and serve hot, sprinkled with pecans if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Candied Yams https://jessicainthekitchen.com/candied-yams-recipe-vegan-plant-based/ October 18, 2022
Yeast is one of the most commonly found ingredients in kitchen pantries around the world. Here’s everything you need to know about this affordable ingredient, which is essential in baking. Including the answer to the question: is yeast vegan?
Yeast is commonly used in nearly every cuisine. You can find it in most people’s pantries, and on the shelves of nearly every restaurant. Yet despite being integral in so many things that we eat, a lot of people don’t know what yeast is, what it does, or if it’s vegan.
Here’s everything you need to know about yeast.
What Is Yeast?
Yeast is a single-celled organism that is technically a fungus. That’s right, a fungus! While many people think of the grains in yeast packet as being one yeast each, it actually takes tens of billions of yeast cells just to weigh a single gram.
In other words, yeast is really small … but it’s also really important.
What Does Yeast Do?
Yeast is responsible for fermenting sugar, which releases carbon dioxide. Yeast is very common in baking, because dough traps in carbon dioxide, and doesn’t allow it to escape. As the gas expands but doesn’t escape, it forces the dough to also expand, which is how dough rises.
While yeast is most famously used for helping breads and other doughs rise, it has other purposes, too. Yeast is used to ferment sugar into alcohol in the production of alcoholic beverages.
What Are the Different Types of Yeast?
When people talk about yeast, they’re usually referring to baker’s yeast. That’s the type of yeast you use in bread and other baked goods. Baker’s yeast comes in three forms: fresh, dry active, and instant. Instant yeast and dry active yeast are both dry forms of yeast, while fresh yeast is a wet cake.
There’s also brewer’s yeast, which is used for making beer and other alcoholic beverages. It is sometimes dry, but usually comes in liquid form.
Finally, nutritional yeast is a common ingredient in kitchens. Nutritional yeast is deactivated, so it won’t cause any fermentation. Instead, it only provides taste and nutritional value. Nutritional yeast is common in vegan cooking because of its cheesy flavor.
Is Yeast Vegan?
Yes! Yeast is simply a type of fungus, so it’s as vegan as any plant or mushroom is. Which is to say, it’s entirely vegan!
How to Tell if Yeast Is Still Good
Yeast has a decent shelf life, but like so many foods, it can eventually start to die. Thankfully it’s very easy to test to see if your yeast is still alive. All you have to do is mix yeast with some warm water and sugar, and wait a few minutes. If the yeast bubbles, expands, and gives off an aroma, then it’s still good to use.
For more detailed instructions on testing to see if yeast is still good, check out my guide .
How to Store Yeast
Now that you know yeast is vegan you’ll want to keep some in your kitchen for spur-of-the-moment baking. If your packet of yeast has not been opened, then you can store it inside a cabinet until it reaches its expiration date. Once the yeast has been opened, you’ll want to store it in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Yeast should last at least 4 months in the fridge and at least 6 months in the freezer, but it’s always wise to test if the yeast is still good.
Some Delicious Yeast Recipes
Yeast is a featured ingredient in almost every bread recipe. It’s also a prominent ingredient in many other forms of baked goods. Here are 3 of my favorite recipes that utilize the magical rising powers of yeast.
Vegan Donuts
The yeast in these donuts gives the treats an airy, pillowy texture. This recipe is luxurious, and the donuts will absolutely melt in your mouth.
Vegan Japanese Milk Bread
The only way to describe this bread is that it’s like eating a cloud. A delicious, slightly-sweet cloud. The yeast gives this recipe amazing lightness and fluffiness.
No-Knead Bread
Making bread doesn’t get any easier than this recipe! Just mix together a few simple ingredients, let the yeast do its thing, and you’re ready to bake some delicious bread.
