This dish is my spin on classic candied yams — but we’re taking it up a notch. We're talking deep warm spices, brown sugar caramel goodness, and a little grown-up magic with a splash of whiskey and rum extract. It’s rich, sweet, bold, and still vegan-friendly. If you're bringing this to a cookout or holiday spread, don’t expect leftovers.
Ingredients
3–4 whole sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed (small bite-sized pieces or thick slices — your choice!)
2 sticks vegan butter (plus more to grease the dish)
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp rum extract (or a splash of real dark rum if you're feelin’ fancy)
¼ cup orange juice (fresh-squeezed or store-bought)
¼ cup whiskey (optional, but trust me, it adds depth!)
Pinch of salt
Preparation
Prep the Sweet Potatoes Peel and cube your sweet potatoes. I like mine in small, tender chunks that soak up all that glaze, but slices work too.
Grease the Pan Glide one of your vegan butter sticks across the bottom of a large baking dish until it’s coated like a Slip 'N Slide.
Toss in the Potatoes Dump in your sweet potatoes and set the dish aside for now.
Preheat the Oven Set it to 400°F (200°C) and let it get toasty.
Make the Glaze In a medium pot over medium heat, melt your two sticks of vegan butter. Once melted, stir in your brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Let everything start melting together.
Add the Flavor Boosters Pour in the vanilla extract, rum extract, orange juice, and whiskey. Stir it all in, then let the mixture simmer (not boil) for about 2–3 minutes until the kitchen smells like heaven. You may need to turn the heat down to low,
Glaze & Bake Carefully pour the glaze all over the sweet potatoes in your baking dish, making sure everything is nicely coated.
Bake Time! Cover with foil and bake for 35–40 minutes, or until fork-tender. Give them a gentle toss halfway through if you’d like them extra caramelized.