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Candied Southern and Sweet stove top sweet potatoes smothered and cooked in brown sugar and butter are the traditional sweet potatoes of your childhood.

No marshmallows are needed (but you could certainly add them) to enjoy this easy-to-make side dish that compliments so many main dish dinners and holiday meals.

Southern Candied Sweet potoates diced smothered in brown sugar butter for a holiday side dish

Why you will love making Stove Top Sweet Potatoes

There is nothing that says a holiday side dish more than sweet potatoes. It doesn’t matter if you dice them, slice them, eat them baked or throw them in a crock pot, sweet potatoes smothered in butter and brown sugar are a delicacy as delicious as dessert.

I find sweet potatoes underrated – they are inexpensive to buy and feed a ton of people, and any vegetable that goes great with butter and sugar is all right with me!

This simple dish is great for holidays like Easter and Thanksgiving, but do not discount the deliciousness on Mother’s Day, July 4th, and simply a Tuesday dinner. This recipe is a delicious way to enjoy candied sweet potatoes year-round!

If you have not had a chance to dive into many sweet potato side dishes, I hope you love this recipe, and it helps you discover how easy they are to enjoy.

Simple Ingredients

Making a brown sugar candied Southern Sweet Potato is easy – you must gather a few ingredients (listed below).

sweet potatoes
butter
brown sugar
Seasonings – ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt

Prepping Southern Sweet Potatoes

Before making this delicious and often favorite side dish, you must prep your sweet potatoes. (tip: Pressure cooking sweet potatoes is a little less prep)

Peel skin from sweet potatoes
Cut into 1-inch chunks as evenly as possible so your potatoes cook all at the same time. Sweet potatoes are tough potatoes, so it’s best to have a quality sharp knife for this task.

How to Cook Sweet Potatoes Stove Top

Add cut-up and peeled sweet potato cubes with butter to a cast iron skillet and heat over medium heat until butter is melted.
Now combine nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix well.
Add brown sugar mixture to sautéing potatoes and mix well to coat.
Cover skillet and reduce heat to low. Simmer sweet potatoes on the stovetop for approximately 30 minutes.

Combine sugar, cinnamon and make into a mixture for your sweet potatoes side dish recipe

Remove the lid and cook on the stovetop for 20 minutes until the liquid is significantly reduced. Remove pan-fried sweet potatoes from the heat.
Season with salt and serve tender potatoes alongside other delicious recipes for an extra sweet flavor.

Super simple candied southern sweet potatoes on a side dish with brown sugar

Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing?

While the words are often used interchangeably in modern society, yams are brown starchy veggies, and sweet potatoes are softer and vary in color. Yams ARE sweet potatoes, but sweet potatoes are not yams.

You cannot substitute one for the other because of the taste and texture change. We have a stove top candied yams recipe if you have those on hand instead.

Stove Top Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar Butter

Additional Flavor

The depth of flavor is really up to you. For extra flavor, try pumpkin pie spices, a tbsp of vanilla extract, or use large kosher salt.

The sweet potato pieces are forgiving when flavoring the butter mixture, so feel free to turn this simple recipe into something special with warm spices.

Easy Ways To Use Stove Top Sweet Potatoes

There are many ways to enjoy southern candied sweet potatoes year-round, and these recipes are perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.

Full of flavor, these rich side dish options can be served with anything from Thanksgiving stuffed turkey to pork chops to fried chicken!

My favorite sweet potato casserole is loaded with marshmallows and is a no-fail Thanksgiving side dish.
Smooth and savory, sweet potatoes taste amazing mashed.
Brown sugar and bacon make the perfect maple bacon sweet potatoes.

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Stovetop Sweet Potatoes (Brown Sugar Candied)

Author Trisha Haas – Salty Side Dish

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Candied Southern Stovetop Sweet potatoes diced up and made right on the stove top, are delicious brown sugar and butter sweet potato that tastes like candy but are justifiable as a side dish. Great for holidays, rich, delicious, and sweet – exactly how sweet potatoes should be!

Ingredients

Instructions

Add cut up and peeled sweet potatoes and butter to a skillet and heat over medium heat until butter is melted and potatoes are coated.
Combine brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix well.
Add cinnamon brown sugar mixture to sweet potato skillet and mix well to coat all sides.
Cover the pan with a lid and reduce heat to low.
Simmer sweet potatoes for 30 minutes, so they soften.
Remove lid from the skillet and continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes until liquid is significantly reduced and potatoes are tender.
Serve seasoned with salt if desired.

Video

Notes

Skillet sweet potatoes are fantastic as a Thanksgiving side dish or to serve year round with fried chicken or pork. Change up the seasoning by adding pumpkin pie spice or a tiny splash of vanilla extract. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.

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