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Vegan Orange Candied Sweet Potatoes (No Marshmallows)

Vegan candied sweet potatoes (also commonly called candied yams) are baked in a sweet orange sauce until soft and tender. The entire family will love this side dish. It’s dairy free, gluten free, and a delicious recipe to add to your holiday feast.

Looking for more vegan holiday side dishes? Try my shaved fennel apple salad with kaleharissa roasted cauliflower with fresh herbs, or dairy free green bean casserole.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

  • Family favorite – This candied yams recipe is a Thanksgiving side dish we’ve been eating for years and is loved by all.
  • Allergy friendly – Add this allergy friendly vegan version of candied yams to your holiday table. It’s nut free, gluten free, and dairy free.
  • Delicious orange glaze – Unlike many sweet potato casseroles, this side dish is made without candied pecans or marshmallows and instead is cooked in a flavorful orange glaze. It’s the perfect addition to Christmas dinner or any holiday meal.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these vegan candied yams:

  • Orange fleshed sweet potatoes – such as Beauregard, Jewel, or Garnet (sometimes labeled as garnet yams). These varieties can be found at most grocery stores in the U.S. Although they’re sometimes labeled as yams, they’re actually sweet potatoes!
  • Organic cane sugar
  • Potato starch – helps thicken the sauce.
  • Kosher salt
  • Orange zest
  • Orange juice – either freshly squeezed or from a bottle.
  • Vegan butter

How to Make Vegan Candied Sweet Potatoes: Step By Step

Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!

1. Peel the sweet potatoes, then use a sharp knife to cut them into thick rounds, about 1/2 inch thick. Overlap the sliced sweet potatoes in a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients: sugar, potato starch or cornstarch, kosher salt, and orange juice. Whisk to combine then bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring often until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.

3. Remove from the heat, add the vegan butter and orange zest. Stir until the butter has melted then pour over the top of the yams/sweet potatoes.

4. Bake, covered with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil for an hour to an hour and a half. Uncover and baste the sweet potatoes with the sauce a couple of times throughout the cooking process. They’re done when the sweet potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork.

Helpful Tips

  • The sweet potatoes are done when they’re fork tender.
  • The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the sweet potato slices and how hot your oven runs.

Quick Tip: If you’re short on time, you can bake this dish a day ahead. Then warm it in the oven before dinner.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make this candied sweet potato recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

  • No organic cane sugar? – you could also use brown sugar coconut sugar, or even pure maple syrup. 
  • No potato starch? – use corn starch or tapioca starch (sometimes also labeled tapioca flour) instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of sweet potato is best for candied yams?

White flesh sweet potatoes are too starchy. So you must use orange flesh sweet potatoes.

Candied yams vs candied sweet potatoes. What’s the difference?

Candied yams are made with orange flesh sweet potatoes, despite their name. So although yams and sweet potatoes are not the same vegetable, candied sweet potatoes and candied yams are the same thing.

Can I use canned yams to make this recipe quicker?

Unfortunately no. For this vegan candied yams/sweet potatoes recipe, you must use fresh orange sweet potatoes (often mistakenly called yams).

Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing?

No, yams and sweet potatoes are two different vegetables.

Real yams aren’t widely available in the U.S. They’re long and cylindrical in shape with rough, scaly skin and very starchy flesh. Their colors vary depending on the variety, but overall the taste is more earthy than a sweet potato and minimally sweet, if at all.

You can read more about the differences in my what goes with sweet potatoes post.

More Vegan Side Dishes

I hope you love these Vegan Candied Sweet Potatoes! If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!

Vegan Orange Candied Sweet Potatoes (No Marshmallows)

Vegan candied sweet potatoes without nuts or marshmallows.
Vegan candied sweet potatoes (also commonly called candied yams) are baked in a sweet orange sauce until soft and tender. The entire family will love this side dish. It's dairy free, gluten free, and a delicious recipe to add to your holiday feast.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
 

  • 2 pounds orange sweet potatoes
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon potato starch
  • ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt use ¼ teaspoon if using anything else
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400ºF/200ºC.
  • Peel the sweet potatoes, then use a sharp knife to cut them into thick rounds, about 1/2 inch thick. Overlap the sliced sweet potatoes in a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
  • In a small saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients: sugar, potato starch or cornstarch, kosher salt, and orange juice. Whisk to combine then bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring often until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
  • Remove from the heat, add the vegan butter and orange zest. Stir until the butter has melted then pour over the top of the yams/sweet potatoes.
  • Bake, covered with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil for an hour to an hour and a half. Uncover and baste the sweet potatoes with the sauce a couple of times throughout the cooking process. They're done when the sweet potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork.

Notes

See the blog post for helpful tips, storage, and recipe FAQs.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

No organic cane sugar? – you could also use brown sugar coconut sugar, or even pure maple syrup. 
No potato starch? – use corn starch or tapioca starch (sometimes also labeled tapioca flour) instead.

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