Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Name: Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe (with Marshmallows)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 256 min
Ingredients: 6 sweet potatoes (peeled and sliced ); ½ cup orange juice; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 teaspoon salt; ¾ cup brown sugar; 2 cups mini marshmallows

Jump to Recipe

4 hrs 16 mins

67 Comments

4 from 1 vote

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Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes are so simple and delicious. Throw them in the crock pot in the morning and let them slowly cook all day long while you prepare your other dishes.

Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe

With Thanksgiving around the corner, you will want to add these Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes to your menu!

I love that I can put these in my crock pot in the morning and have an amazing side dish by dinner time.

Ingredients needed for Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes:

sweet potatoes
orange juice
vanilla extract
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
salt
brown sugar
mini marshmallows

How to make Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes:

Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

Spread chopped sweet potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker.

sliced sweet potatoes with brown sugar spices and orange juice

In a medium mixing bowl, combine orange juice, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and brown sugar.

Pour over the top of the sweet potatoes and place lid on the slow cooker.

sweet potatoes in the slow cooker ready to cook

Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.

Once cooked, pour all the contents from your slow cooker into a baking dish.

Top with marshmallows and broil in oven until marshmallows (about 1-2 minutes – watch carefully!) are golden brown.

sweet potatoes cooked and topped with marshmallows in small white bowls

What is the difference between yams and sweet potatoes?

The deeper copper-colored sweet potatoes are often referred to as yams because they have the soft outside and sweeter skin, like a true yam.

Sweet potatoes, with a lighter skin and inside, have a harder skin. This is how they differentiate the two at grocery stores.

Both the orange and yellow sweet potatoes, are actually sweet potatoes, although label differently at the store.

Either type of potato would work for this recipe.

sweet potatoes covered in browned marshmallows in a white dish

How do I get the marshmallows to golden?

For this recipe, we popped it into the oven for about 40 seconds, and the marshmallows broiled perfectly.

They broil fast, so be sure to keep an eye on them. If they burn, you can always scrape them off and try again.

You could also use a culinary torch to golden them up, but I usually stick to broiling for less than a minutes, and they turn out perfect every time.

sweet potatoes topped with golden marshmallows in 3 white bowls

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More easy side dish recipes for Thanksgiving:

More sweet potato recipes to try:

Serves: 8

Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe (with Marshmallows)

4 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes are so simple and delicious. Throw them in the crock pot in the morning and let them slowly cook all day long while you prepare your other dishes.

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 4 hrs

Broil Time 1 min

Total Time 4 hrs 16 mins

Print Pin

Ingredients

6 sweet potatoes peeled and sliced
½ cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
Spread chopped sweet potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine orange juice, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and brown sugar.
Pour over the top of the sweet potatoes and place lid on the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3.
Once cooked, pour all the contents from your slow cooker into a baking dish.
Top with marshmallows and broil in oven until marshmallows are golden brown (mine took about 45 seconds!).

Notes

If you don’t want to add marshmallows, these sweet potatoes are delicious eaten as is after they are done cooking in the slow cooker! The marshmallows are totally optional.

Nutrition

Calories: 275 kcal · Carbohydrates: 66 g · Protein: 3 g · Fat: 1 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 400 mg · Potassium: 630 mg · Fiber: 5 g · Sugar: 36 g · Vitamin A: 24078 IU · Vitamin C: 12 mg · Calcium: 72 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Equipment

Slow Cooker
9×13 Inch Baking Dish

Recipe Details

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

This post was included in our Thanksgiving Made Easy with Slow Cooker Recipes video – for more inexpensive and delicious recipes like this one, click here to check it out!

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slow cooker sweet potatoes in 3 ramekins with marshmallows on top

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Questions & Reviews

Tiffany says:

Sounds delicious! When do you put the orange juice in? Mix it with the other ingredients in the bowl?
Sherin says:

thats sounds delish.
Liz says:

Nice easy recipe - thanks so much.
gina gentry says:

Can this be made ahead & frozen uncooked then cooked on the day needed???
indy25 says:

I'm French and I used to live in Michigan 20 years ago . I remember having this kind of sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving and I loved it !! Thanks for the recipe !! I will try to do it for my kids (and for myself of course) because I want them to taste this "so american" dish !! the only problem is that it's difficult to find mini marshmallows here in France but I guess I could use the normal size ones !!
Cyd says:

We haven't made these as a freezer meal. So we are not sure how well it would turn out.
Erin says:

Has anyone tried to make this the night before? We have to travel about an hour and a half on Thanskgiving ann addd i would like to make this the night before - pop it in the fridge and then reheat it the next day and then add the marshmellows. Any thoughts?
Cyd says:

After reading over the recipe carefully, I think this would work. We have always reheated leftovers which is basically the same thing. Add your marshmallows at the very end. Best of luck and have a Happy Thanksgiving. :) Cyd (mom of the six sisters)
Jenn says:

Fabulous recipe! My family loved it! I am trying out different recipes for Thanksgiving and this is the winner. I made it Wednesday, put it in the fridge overnight then reheated for dinner Thursday on 350° for about 20 minutes. Added mini marshmallows and broiled for about 3 minutes or so. Trial run worked great!
[email protected] says:

Awesome thanks for the tip! I will do this the night ahead also since I will be returning from a 5 day trip to San Diego the day before Thanksgiving then traveling via car an hour and half to have dinner with family on Thursday!!
Adele says:

What size baking dish do you use?
Cyd says:

I just used an oval baking dish. Probably comparable to a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.
wendy says:

Would this work with just the sweet potatoes straight from the crock pot without putting in a baking dish with the marshmallows? I need to bring a dish to a potluck and wanted to just serve the potatoes from the crockpot if it would still taste good.
Cyd says:

It should still taste good. The marshmallows needed browning in the oven, so that is why that step in in the recipe.
mammadawn2 says:

First off you all are lucky to have sisters, I am theonly girl out of 5. Anyway thank you so much for posting this slow cooker Sweet Potato dish it was exactly what I waslooking for, for my Thanksgiving dinner. I look forward to any new things I find on your blog!
Bev says:

This sounds yummy & easy. One question...how thick or thin do you slice the sweet potatoes?
Erin says:

Thank you! One more question - I need to double this recipe - I have an average size crockpot. Do you think it will all fit?
Shana says:

You could remove the glass part from your crock pot and line the top with marshmallows and broil the entire thing before you go to your potluck. That way you still have the browned marshmallows, but without the marshmallows will be just as yummy.
Cyd says:

I think that would work just fine! I agree, the marshmallows add the yumminess!! :) Happy Thanksgiving!
Cyd says:

I would do it in 2 crock pots if you have them. But if you double this recipe in one you would need to allow for maybe some extra cooking time. They would be piled pretty deep. Not sure how big your average sized crock pot it is. I'm hoping it's a 6 quart one and then you would might be ok.
Cyd says:

We sliced them about 3/4 inch thick.
Dana says:

Ok, lazy person's question. Do you think this would work with canned yams? Perhaps with just a shorter cooking time?
Jessica says:

Can't wait to try this. Do you chop the slices or just keep them round?
Cyd says:

We have sliced them and cut them in wedges. You can really cut them any way you want. Just so it's not too thick.
Cyd says:

We have never used canned yams, we think they would work. Be sure to drain off the liquid.
rachel says:

I have a guest with a citrus allergy... do you think anything could be used as a substitute for the orange juice? Thanks for any help!
Melissa says:

I'm new in the kitchen and I am going to make 2 crockpots of this recipe for thanksgiving. Is there anything I can do to prep the night before to make things easier the day of and if so what? Sorry for the silly question. Thank you.
Cyd says:

We have some other different sweet potato recipes on our blog. Just type in sweet potatoes in the search bar on Sixsistersstuff.com. We also have a lot more sweet potatoes on our sister site - MyRecipeMagic.com. Just type in sweet potatoes under the tab "search by ingredients". Hopefully this will help you find something without the citrus. Thanks so much for stopping by our blog! Happy Thanksgiving! :)
Cyd says:

The only thing you could really do is have the sweet potatoes already cut up and put them in some type of zip loc bag or container. That morning you will just dump it all in your slow cooker and let it do all the work. And it's not a silly question!! :) It will all work out great. Just follow the directions - the slow cooker will do all the work cooking it. Then put it in your baking dish and let the marshmallows grow big and brown a little. So yummy! Crossing our fingers for you!!! Happy Thanksgiving.
Joleen says:

Do you use regular drinking orange juice? Or fresh squeezed orange juice?
Cindy says:

If you use canned yams you could use the the juices from the can, just reserve some when you drain them then use the same amount of juice as the amount of OJ in the recipe.
Cyd says:

We just used the regular drinking orange juice.
Susanna says:

I always find slow cooker sweet potato recipes end up with thin sauce, so I reduced it in a saucepan before placing in the oven. I used a 3.5qt cooker and everything fit. Thanks for the recipe!
Stephanie says:

I'm out of orange juice, so I'll be using apple cider instead since apples & sweet potatoes also work well together.
Sarah says:

This is In the slow cooker now :) worried something isn't right lol. My 5 qt slow cooker is almost filled so I hope that's enough liquid
Precious says:

Did you take the skin off of the sweet potatoes before putting them in the crock pot??
Adele says:

Yes!
Olivia says:

Incase anyone didn't know, marshmallows don't need more than a few seconds under the broiler. Eek. Nothing like a little excitement on Thanksgiving!
Aya says:

Did this for thanksgiving dinner. It was perfect! Rave reviews all around the table. Thanks!
Courtnie says:

Would you cook it for less time if you used canned yams?
Laura says:

This turned out amazing! It was so simple to throw together. I had multiple people ask me for the recipe. Definitely making it into my keeper pile!
Cyd says:

You would cook it for less time because they are already cooked. Not sure the exact time, but just watch it closely.
Cyd says:

Yes, in the ingredients it says peeled next to the sweet potatoes in the ingredients.
Melinda says:

Would this recipe work w canned yams? If so how long would I cook them? Thanks.
Tiffany Clark says:

Are you supposed to boil the sweet potatoes before doing this dish? I attempted to make this last Thanksgiving and I had such a difficult time with it since I didn't boil the potatoes first :(
Cyd says:

You don't boil the sweet potatoes first with this recipe, that is why they cook so long in the slow cooker. Hope this helps.
Mary Jean Coates says:

Love Your recipes. I am a senior citizen and still enjoy baking & cooking. Love to try new recipes! Please put me on your email list! Thanks and Happy Cooking!!!
Carol says:

I am really looking forward to making this! I loved the orange glazed yams the Pirate's House in Savannah served on Sunday afternoons when i lived there forty years ago. I tried making them a few times for our family dinners, but they didn't catch on because my mom has always preferred the traditional candied yams and sweet potato casseroles. They will be on my Thanksgiving menu this year though, and I believe my grandchildren will love them as much as I did! I have a couple questions. What size crockpot is this recipe for? Also, how many pounds of potatoes does it call for...they come in so many sizes and weights.
Cyd says:

We used a 6 quart crock pot for this recipe. Your average sweet potato weighs about 5 to 6 ounces. We used 7 for this recipe.
donna says:

what is the purpose of the marshmallows? It seems like it would be sweet enough without them.
Cyd says:

Marshmallows and sweet potatoes always go hand in hand!!
Erin says:

Hi! I wanted to follow-up on this in case anyone else had the same questions I did - I doubled this recipe and used two crockpots. Cooked this the night before, mashed them up and put them in (disposable with a lid) pans and stuck them in the fridge. The next day I reheated them a little bit, then added the marshmellows, and continued to reheat them. They came out so yummy! I am making them again this year for Thanksgiving and bringing them to our Friendsgiving. I love this recipe! Thanks for sharing - Happy Holidays :)
Cyd says:

Hi Erin! I'm so glad they turned out for you! Whew!! What a relief! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Lisa says:

Has anyone tried this with yams instead of sweet potatoes? Also, I'm wondering if I can make the recipe in the slow cooker at my home, transfer them to a baking dish, and broil them at my folks' house right before they're served. Do you think that would work? Thanks!
Stacey says:

I bought 6 large sweet potatoes and have a 6 quart crock pot. It is filled to the top with the potatoes. A half of cup of liquid does not seem like enough?
Tamara says:

I am wondering the same thing! My sweet potatoes were quite large, should I double the liquid mixture?
Nancy says:

Thanks so much for sharing this - I did figure out my potatoes were more like 11-12 oz size so I doubled the sauce accordingly as my crock was full! I used a crock pot liner and added marshmallows straight to the crock and removed it to put in the oven to broil the marshmallows to a beautiful golden brown! I've searched for a candied yam recipe for a crock for a long time to replace my southern favorite dish. My mother (from Louisiana originally) loved them ! Thanks again and hope your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving !
Bonnie says:

We made this for Thanksgiving and it was just about as big a hit as the turkey. My adult daughter, who only takes a "token bite" each year, LOVED this and has requested it for Christmas & Thanksgiving from now on. Thank you so much for a new family tradition.
Joyce says:

May yams be successfully used instead of sweet potatoes in this recipe? Any adjustments required?
Diana says:

I just made this for Thanksgiving tomorrow and came out great from someone who doesn't cook it came out so good. My husband is the cook of the family so I thank you so much for making this recipe easy and delicious for me to follow.
Cyd says:

Yams work great too!
Megan says:

Has anyone tried using a culinary torch to brown the marshmallows? Thank you for the recipe, can’t wait to try them.
Charlotte says:

Can this be made in an instant pot? If so, how long?
Cyd says:

We wrote a post on converting recipes to Instant Pot. This should help. https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/how-to-convert-recipes-into-instant-pot-recipes/
Charity says:

We love this recipe so much! Are there any new directions to make this recipe in an instant pot?
Wife of a Nerd says:

I was skeptical at first and nervous to try something in the crockpot after only doing an oven version. It turned out fantastic and my Friendsgiving table loved it last November. I want more sauce next time so will figure out how to do that.