Candied sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows are a Thanksgiving dinner staple at our house. The tender sweet potatoes and gooey marshmallows really are a addition to any big holiday meal. Really they would be a great addition to a roast chicken or pork dinner throughout the year as well.

small dish of candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows in front of remaining pan.

This super easy to make side dish is a sweet and tasty addition to your menu. It is a must have at our Thanksgiving table, however it would also be great with pork chops, roasted chicken, pork roasts and more. It is a classic for good reason!

Thanksgiving is one of those holiday meals that you just don’t mess too much with. People expect to have some of their favorites on the table.

At our big family Thanksgivings we usually end up with two sweet potato dishes. My sister isn’t happy unless these marshmallow topped sweet potatoes are available.

My grandpa wants to make sure a pecan topped sweet potato casserole is available. Luckily there are enough cooks and eaters in the family that having both isn’t a problem!

pan of sweet potatoes dotted with butter and brown sugar ready to bake.

pan of sweet potatoes topped with raw marshmallows ready to bake.

We used to always make my great-grandma’s egg noodles for the main meal, but now we tend to make them the day after with leftover turkey and great homemade broth. Luckily any leftovers to these candied sweet potatoes are a great accompaniment to that as well.

What MiMi Said These Sweet Potatoes With Marshmallows

My mom (Maw-Maw) made sweet potatoes like this every year. It’s just not Thanksgiving without them. I’ve made them other ways too, but always have to make these in addition to them if I do. Some things are non-negotiable at Thanksgiving.

The boys want the stuffing to be Stove Top. Kristie must have green bean casserole, Carlee is all about mashed potatoes and gravy, and Chloe must have these sweet potatoes.

It’s egg noodles for me. I called my mom to make sure I got this just right. I know when I asked for the recipe that she would say to get out THE cookbook and look.

She didn’t have to tell me she meant the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Before we were finished with the next sentence I had it out and the recipe was there.

We make a few changes to that recipe and it suits us perfectly. I hope you enjoy it too.

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Spoon dipping into pan of marshmallow topped candied sweet potatoes.

Candied sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows are a Thanksgiving staple at our house. Really they would be a great addition to a roast chicken or pork dinner as well!

The Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams

A note from MiMi: I read the cans and found this interesting. One of the cans says:

YAMS: cut sweet potatoes in syrup – while the other reads

CUT SWEET POTATOES: cut yams in light syrup.

Then I looked at the ingredients and they are the same. Sweet potatoes, water, corn syrup and sugar.

Two cans, one that says Bruce's yams with cut sweet potatoes in syrup in smaller print and the other says Princella cut sweet potatoes with cut yams in light syrup in smaller print.

Carlee’s addition to the note: We debate the differences between true yams and sweet potatoes fairly regularly at Thanksgiving. One year we had out dictionaries and encyclopedias trying to figure it out.

If it comes up this year, I am sure people will just pull out their phones! Either way we saw this on YouTube recently… we thought this might have solved it but the cans bring it back into question!

Here in the United States, we tend to use the terms interchangeably. Some people call root vegetables with white flesh yams and those with orange interiors sweet potatoes.

Add-in ideas:

a dash of cinnamon would be a tasty addition, warm spices go well with yams
you can use maple syrup instead of brown sugar or a mix of both
a sprinkle of chopped pecans adds great texture
a dash of salt is good too

More Recipes To Try

Easy Duchess Sweet Potatoes

Maple Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecan Crunch Topping

Pumpkin Pie With Condensed Milk

Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecans and Marshmallows

4.67 from 15 ratings

Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings

This great sweet potato recipe is easy to make and fun to eat. It is one of our favorite side dishes to make for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Prep: 10

Cook: 55

Total: 1 5

Ingredients

▢ 1 40 oz can sweet potatoes
▢ 2 Tablespoons butter
▢ 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
▢ 1½ cups marshmallows

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 8-inch square baking dish or small casserole.
Drain most of the liquid from 1 40 oz can sweet potatoes. Pour sweet potato chunks in casserole prepared dish.
Dot with 2 Tablespoons butter and sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons brown sugar.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Top with 1½ cups marshmallows and return to oven until they are golden brown, about 5-10 minutes.
Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.

Notes

You can use mini marshmallows or the bigger ones, they both work great.

If you prefer to use fresh sweet potatoes instead of canned yams, cook them first. You can pierce the skin and cook them in the microwave like you would a baked potato or peel them and boil them. Either way, you will want to remove the skin and cut them into large chunks.

To double the recipe, use a 9×13-inch pan.