Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows are a cozy, beginner-friendly side dish with tender sweet potato rounds, a buttery brown sugar glaze, warm spices, and a soft golden marshmallow topping. They’re especially practical for holiday dinners because most of the cooking happens hands-off in the oven.
This is the kind of side dish that fits naturally beside a big family meal. The sweet potatoes bake slowly enough to become tender while still holding their round shape, and the brown sugar and butter turn into a glossy syrup that coats every slice.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger keep the sweetness from tasting one-dimensional. Instead of simply being sugary, the potatoes develop a warm, spiced flavor with lightly caramelized edges once the baking dish is uncovered.
The marshmallows go on only at the very end, so they stay soft and fluffy instead of disappearing into the glaze. A very short trip under the broiler gives them that familiar toasted finish without overcooking the potatoes underneath.
Ingredients
Sweet potatoes: Use two large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into even 1/4-inch rounds. Consistent slices are important because they help everything cook at roughly the same speed.
Brown sugar: Packed brown sugar creates the sweet, caramel-like glaze as it melts together with the butter and moisture released from the potatoes.
Unsalted butter: Small pieces of butter melt throughout the baking dish, giving the glaze richness and helping the sugar coat the potatoes smoothly.
Ground cinnamon: Cinnamon provides the strongest warm-spice note and pairs naturally with both sweet potatoes and brown sugar.
Ground nutmeg: A small amount adds deeper holiday-style warmth without overpowering the sweeter cinnamon flavor.
Ground ginger: Ground ginger contributes a gentle spicy note. Finely minced fresh ginger can also be used when you want a slightly brighter ginger flavor.
Kosher salt: Just a little salt balances the sweetness and makes the buttery, spiced glaze taste fuller.
Miniature marshmallows: These are technically optional, but they create the traditional soft, gooey topping and become lightly golden when briefly broiled.
Cooking Steps
STEP 1: Heat your oven to 375°F. Peel the sweet potatoes, then cut them into uniform rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Try to keep the slices close to the same thickness so thinner pieces do not become overly soft before thicker ones are tender.
STEP 2: Combine the brown sugar, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a small bowl. Mixing the spices into the sugar before adding them to the potatoes helps distribute the seasoning more evenly throughout the finished glaze.
STEP 3: Arrange the sweet potato rounds in a baking dish. Slight overlapping is completely fine. Scatter the small pieces of unsalted butter over the potatoes, then sprinkle the brown sugar and spice mixture evenly across the top.
STEP 4: Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Covering the dish traps steam, which helps soften the sweet potato slices while the butter, sugar, and natural moisture from the potatoes begin creating the syrup.
STEP 5: Carefully uncover the dish, watching for hot steam. Gently stir or turn the potatoes so more of their surfaces become coated with the melted brown sugar mixture. Bake uncovered for another 20 minutes, stirring once about halfway through. The glaze should gradually become more concentrated as the potatoes finish cooking.
STEP 6: Remove the dish from the oven and switch the oven to broil. Scatter the miniature marshmallows evenly over the hot potatoes and place the dish under the broiler for approximately 30 seconds. Watch continuously and remove it as soon as the marshmallows soften and become lightly golden.
Helpful Tips
- Slice the potatoes evenly. Uniform 1/4-inch rounds are much more likely to finish cooking at the same time while retaining their shape.
- Stir gently once the potatoes soften. After the first covered bake, the slices will be more delicate. Turn them carefully so they become coated without breaking apart.
- Never walk away from the broiler. Miniature marshmallows can go from pale to deeply browned very quickly, so keep the baking dish in sight the entire time.
Why Do You Cover the Sweet Potatoes First?
The covered portion of baking serves an important purpose. Trapping steam inside the baking dish helps the raw sweet potato rounds soften without requiring a long uncovered baking time that might cause the sugar around the edges to cook too quickly.
During those first 30 minutes, the butter also melts into the brown sugar and spices. Once the foil comes off, you can redistribute that developing syrup around the potatoes and let the excess moisture evaporate. This two-stage method gives you tender potatoes along with a more concentrated glaze.
Can I Leave Off the Marshmallows?
Yes. The sweet potatoes are fully cooked and glazed before the marshmallows are added, so you can simply skip that final step if you prefer.
Without marshmallows, the dish will have a more straightforward buttery brown sugar finish. With them, you get the softer, sweeter topping traditionally associated with holiday candied sweet potatoes.
Serving Ideas for Candied Sweet Potatoes
These potatoes work particularly well as a warm side dish for meals where you want something sweet to balance savory foods.
Serve them alongside roasted turkey or chicken for a classic holiday-style plate. The cinnamon-spiced glaze contrasts nicely with simply seasoned roasted meat.
They also pair well with baked ham, where the sweet glaze complements the salty, savory flavor of the main dish.
For a larger gathering, add a less-sweet vegetable side such as green beans, roasted vegetables, or a crisp seasonal salad. That contrast keeps the meal balanced when several rich dishes are on the table.
How to Store & Reheat
Let leftover sweet potatoes cool before transferring them to a covered container. Refrigerate them for about 3 to 4 days.
Because the marshmallow topping changes texture after refrigeration, leftovers will not look exactly like the freshly broiled dish. The flavor will still be good, but the marshmallows may become softer and more integrated into the glaze.
For reheating, place the potatoes in an oven-safe dish and warm them gently until heated through. Oven reheating is particularly useful when you want the glaze to loosen gradually without aggressively stirring the tender slices.
You can also reheat smaller portions more quickly, but avoid overheating them since the brown sugar glaze can become extremely hot.
For freezing, the glazed sweet potatoes can technically be frozen, although their texture may soften after thawing. For the most appealing texture, this dish is better prepared fresh or refrigerated for short-term storage rather than frozen with the marshmallow topping already attached.
Can I Prepare This Dish Ahead of Time?
You can do most of the work ahead. Bake the sweet potatoes with the butter, sugar, and spices until tender, then cool and refrigerate them without adding the marshmallows.
When you are ready to serve, reheat the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Add the marshmallows only after the potatoes are hot, then briefly broil them just before bringing the dish to the table. This keeps the topping much fresher.
How Do I Know When the Sweet Potatoes Are Done?
The sweet potato rounds should feel tender when pierced with a fork but should not completely collapse when moved. Because they are only 1/4 inch thick, they should soften well during the covered and uncovered baking stages.
The glaze should also look more syrupy after the final 20 minutes of uncovered baking. If the potatoes are still noticeably firm, give them a little more oven time before adding any marshmallows.
Why Are My Marshmallows Burning So Quickly?
Broilers produce intense direct heat, and miniature marshmallows contain enough sugar to brown extremely quickly. About 30 seconds may be all they need, depending on the strength of your broiler and the distance between the baking dish and heating element.
Stay beside the oven and watch the topping continuously. As soon as the marshmallows puff slightly and develop a pale golden surface, remove the dish. They will continue to soften from the heat of the sweet potatoes even after they leave the oven.
Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided into small pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows optional but recommended for a traditional finish
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon preferably freshly ground for a more pronounced aroma
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them evenly into 1/4-inch rounds. Maintaining an even thickness helps the potatoes become tender without losing their shape during baking.
- In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the packed brown sugar, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger so the seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the sugar.
- Arrange the sliced sweet potatoes in a baking dish, overlapping them slightly where necessary. Distribute the small pieces of unsalted butter across the potatoes, then scatter the brown sugar and spice mixture evenly over the surface.
- Cover the baking dish securely with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, allowing the trapped steam to soften the sweet potatoes while the melting butter and brown sugar begin forming a rich glaze.
- Carefully remove the foil, taking care to avoid the escaping steam. Gently stir the potatoes to redistribute the developing syrup and coat the slices more evenly.
- Return the uncovered dish to the oven and continue baking for 20 minutes. During this period, the glaze will reduce and become more concentrated while the sweet potatoes develop lightly caramelized edges. Gently stir once halfway through this stage to maintain an even coating.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and change the oven setting to broil.
- Spread the miniature marshmallows evenly across the hot sweet potatoes. Place the dish beneath the broiler for approximately 30 seconds, monitoring it continuously, until the marshmallows soften and develop a pale golden-brown surface.