Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes
Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes are the PERFECT Thanksgiving side dish, made with sweet potatoes simmered in a sweet and buttery sauce with warm spices until tender, then topped with marshmallows!
Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes are a southern classic, made with sweet potatoes simmered in brown sugar, butter, and warm spices. This is definitely a family favorite, and part of my holiday menu this year. If we’re eating family-style, I’ll transfer this to a casserole dish for the table. For a large gathering, I’ll leave it in the crockpot to keep it warm.
If you loved this recipe, you’ll also love this Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole, Honey Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and my Creamy Sweet Potato Soup!
Table of contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
Sweet Potatoes. For this recipe, you’ll need medium to large orange sweet potatoes. Sometimes the grocery store will label these as yams. If you want to read more about the difference between yams and sweet potatoes, you can check it out here.
I don’t use canned sweet potatoes (canned yams), because they’re packed in syrup and softer so they won’t cook well in the slow cooker.
Sugar. I like to use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. Brown sugar has some really nice molasses notes, while granulated sugar helps keep the sauce smooth and sweet.
Butter. I use unsalted butter so I can control how much salt I add later. If you use salted butter, leave the salt out in the recipe later.
Spices. I just use pumpkin pie spice and some ground cinnamon for this recipe, but you could use individual spices like allspice, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, or ground ginger.
I also add a dash of salt to help balance out the sweet notes of sugar.
Vanilla Extract. This helps add flavor to the sweet buttery sauce.
Corn Starch. Adding a little bit of cornstarch helps thicken the sauce so it can evenly coat the sweet potatoes.
Because the slow cooker is closed and liquid can’t escape, the sauce doesn’t have a chance to cook down like it would on the stove or in the oven.
Orange Juice. We’re adding this for flavor, and also to mix with the cornstarch before adding it to the slow cooker.
Mini Marshmallows. The marshmallow topping is completely optional. You can add them at the end right on top, or serve this dish without them. I use mini marshmallows because they melt faster.
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe you’ll need a 6-7 quart slow cooker.
How to Make Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes
In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and spices.
Add the sweet potato pieces to the slow cooker. Pour the sugar mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes evenly.
Whisk together the cornstarch and the orange juice and pour over the sweet potatoes. Add the vanilla extract and stir everything together until the sweet potatoes are evenly coated.
Place the butter on top of everything and add the lid back onto the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
Gently stir everything together, trying not to break the potatoes apart too much.
(Optional step) Once the sweet potatoes are done, top with mini marshmallows and place the lid back on for 5-10 minutes to let them melt.
Recipe Variations
- For a crunchy texture, add a handful of pecans, walnuts, or almonds just before serving.
- Try adding some marshmallows, then close the lid of the slow cooker for another 15-20 minutes to melt before serving.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Cooking Tips
- Try to cut the potatoes evenly, so they finish cooking around the same time.
- Don’t open the lid too often, because every time you do heat escapes from the crockpot and the cooking time increases. You can check it when it gets closer to the end of the cook time to see how soft the potatoes are, but don’t check it too often.
- These are done when the potatoes are fork-tender. For my slow cooker, that’s around the 3 hour mark.
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Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- marshmallows, optional
Equipment
- 1 6-7 quart slow cooker
Instructions
- Add the sweet potato pieces to the slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and spices. Pour the sugar mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes evenly.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and the orange juice and pour over the sweet potatoes. Add the vanilla extract and stir everything together until the sweet potatoes are evenly coated.
- Place the butter on top of everything and add the lid back onto the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender. Gently stir everything together, trying not to break the potatoes apart too much.
- (Optional step) Once the sweet potatoes are done, top with mini marshmallows and place the lid back on for 5-10 minutes to let them melt.
Notes
- Try to cut the potatoes evenly, so they finish cooking around the same time.
- Don’t open the lid too often, because every time you do heat escapes from the crockpot and the cooking time increases.
- These are done when the potatoes are fork-tender. For my slow cooker, that’s around the 3 hour mark.
Nutrition
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