It’s been a few years, but I decided to revisit this vegan recipe for roasted yams with maple syrup, coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, orange juice and more. It still tries to answer the question, “What if candied sweet potatoes had less sugar?”, but I changed the technique and adjusted some of the ingredients. I love how it turned out! It’s a such a delicious side dish for fall, your Thanksgiving table, or whenever you’re in the mood.
This recipe makes ~4-6 servings.
A few things…
- ・No need to buy an entire jug of orange juice. Buy a really big navel orange, and squeeze it.
- ・At the end of roasting, if you taste the yams and they aren’t quite sweet enough, just stir in some more maple syrup. You can always add more!
- ・As a serving variation, smash the maple glazed roasted yams with the back of a wooden spoon.
Please enjoy! And don’t miss out on other UVK recipes, like 26 Great Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes, Arugula and Butternut Squash Salad, Balsamic Reduction, Roasted Garlic, Smoky Roasted Chickpeas, Vegan Pumpkin Soup and more.
Roasted Coconut-Maple Yams
4 medium yams, peeled and cubed (OR ~6 cups peeled and cubed yams)
1 Tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegan butter, melted
⅓ cup orange juice (see notes above)
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Line a large, sheet pan with parchment. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the yams, olive oil, and salt. Stir to coat. Spread in an even layer across the lined sheet pan. Bake at 400º F for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
3. As the yams roast, put together the maple glaze. In the large mixing bowl, add the melted vegan butter, orange juice, vanilla extract, maple syrup, molasses, reduced sodium soy sauce, cinnamon and cardamom. Whisk together.
4. Remove the roasted yams from the oven, and add to the large mixing bowl with the maple glaze. Gingerly stir to coat.
5. Then, spread the yams and the glaze back out across the lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with the shredded coconut. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until most of the glaze has evaporated and absorbed into the roasted yams.
6. Remove from the oven. Taste the maple roasted yams and adjust the flavor, if needed (more maple? salt? cinnamon?). Serve.
