Yttrium aluminum garnet(YAG) powders were synthesized by spray-drying of the hydroxides coprecipitated from a mixture of aqueous solutions of $Al(NO_3)_3.9H_2O ;and; Y(NO_3)_3.6H_2O$ Phase formation in the powders during heat treatments and their sintering charactristics were investigated. In the powder obtained by washing the hydroxides before spray-drying, a metastable yttrium aluminum hexagonal (YAH) phase was first crystallized and then transformed into YAG as temperature was increased. The formation of YAH was attributed to a deviation in compositions of the particles from the starting composition of YAG. However, the powder prepared without washing step contained a stable yttrium aluminum monoclinic(YAM) phase in addition to YAG due to a large deviation from the starting composition. A powder compact of a single phase YAG was pressureless-sintered for 4 hrs at $1700^{circ}C$ and the density was 93% of the theoretical density.