Scatter brown sugar over sweet potatoes, paired with 2 ingredients, into slow cooker for a sweet side dish that’s the first thing I suggest

This slow cooker 4-ingredient Amish-style candied sweet potato recipe is my go-to suggestion when someone wants a sweet, no-fuss side dish. It leans into a very old-fashioned, country approach: raw sweet potatoes go straight into the slow cooker, and you simply scatter brown sugar over the top, along with just two more pantry ingredients. The low, steady heat melts the sugar into a glossy syrup that soaks into the potatoes, giving you that classic church-supper sweetness with almost no effort. It’s the kind of recipe you can start in the afternoon and forget about until dinner, and it tastes like something that’s been passed around Midwestern potlucks for decades.

Serve these candied sweet potatoes alongside roasted or grilled meats—ham, pork loin, turkey, or rotisserie chicken all work beautifully. They’re also lovely on a holiday table with stuffing, green beans, and a crisp salad to balance the sweetness. For everyday dinners, I like them with simple baked chicken and steamed broccoli. If you’re leaning into comfort food, pair them with meatloaf and buttered rolls, letting the syrupy sauce mingle a bit on the plate.

Servings: 6

3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Lightly grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with a little butter or neutral oil to help prevent sticking.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into roughly 1-inch cubes so they cook evenly. Place the raw cubed sweet potatoes in an even layer in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Sprinkle the ground cinnamon evenly over the sweet potatoes. If using, add a small pinch of kosher salt to sharpen the sweetness.

With clean, dry hands, scatter the brown sugar evenly over the surface of the sweet potatoes, making sure most pieces get a light coating. This loose layer of sugar is what will melt down into a syrupy glaze as the potatoes cook.

Dot the top with the pieces of butter, distributing them across the surface so they melt evenly into the sugar and potatoes.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the sweet potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork. Avoid lifting the lid in the first couple of hours so the mixture can come up to temperature and the sugar can fully melt.

Once the sweet potatoes are tender, gently stir from the bottom to coat all the pieces in the brown sugar-butter syrup. Taste and adjust with an extra pinch of salt if desired.

Turn the slow cooker to WARM and hold for up to 1 hour, or serve immediately, spooning plenty of the syrup over each portion.

For a deeper caramel flavor, use dark brown sugar or a mix of light and dark. If you like a bit of spice, add 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or ginger along with the cinnamon, or a small pinch of cayenne for gentle heat. To give the dish a more pronounced Amish-style, dessert-like character, stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract right at the end of cooking so it stays fragrant. For a lighter version, reduce the brown sugar to 3/4 cup and increase the cinnamon slightly to keep the flavor full. You can also add 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts during the last 30 minutes of cooking for some texture. If you prefer slices instead of cubes, cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch rounds and layer them in the slow cooker, then scatter the brown sugar over the slices as directed. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave with a splash of water or orange juice to loosen the syrup.