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Fudgy, rich, and perfectly sweetened, it doesn’t get better than sweet potato brownies! Made with no added sugar or flour, I can’t over how decadent they are!
Looking for more dessert recipes using sweet potato? Try my sweet potato blondies, sweet potato muffins, and sweet potato cake next.
I’ve made my friends and family eat some pretty wild things, but out of every oddball flavor combination I’ve tried, none has been more successful than this sweet potato brownie recipe.
Naturally sweetened with–you guessed it, sweet potatoes–these brownies have the perfect texture and just the right amount of sweetness.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- 4 ingredients. Aside from the sweet potatoes, everything else is simple baking staples.
- A healthy treat. Without even trying, these brownies are dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and sugar-free. Plus, sweet potatoes add tons of antioxidants and fiber.
- One blender and one baking dish. That’s all you need to get these brownies on the table.
- Baked in 20 minutes. That’s half the time of traditional brownies!
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Made these as directed (minus chocolate chips) and they were perfect for a late-night sugar craving. Next batch, I’ll try with vanilla extract and maybe a few walnuts.” – Joanna
Ingredients needed
- Sweet Potato. Mashed with a fork until smooth, then cooled completely. This will give the brownies a starchy base and replace the eggs.
- Maple Syrup. My favorite sticky sweetener, especially for pairing with sweet potatoes. I used 100% pure maple syrup.
- Almond Butter. Drippy and smooth almond butter adds healthy fats! Be sure to use one that has no added sugar or salt.
- Cocoa Powder. For the chocolate flavor, of course! I used unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Avoid using cacao powder, which is much stronger and bitter in comparison.
- Chocolate chips. Optional, but there’s no such thing as too much chocolate in brownies, right?
- Frosting. Optional, but I love a generous lathering of either my 2 ingredient chocolate frosting or healthy frosting.
How to make sweet potato brownies
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and grease a baking pan.
Step 2—Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until a smooth batter remains.
Step 3- Bake. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use an electric mixer instead. If I don’t feel like breaking out the blender, I’ll mash the sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl and stir everything together with an electric hand mixer.
- Save time. Use store-bought sweet potato puree instead (I like the Del Monte canned variety- it only has sweet potato).
- If I don’t have enough sweet potato puree for the recipe, I’ll fold in a little pumpkin puree. It’s not cheating if it works!
- Swap the almond butter. Any type of nut butter will work, like peanut butter or cashew butter. For nut-free brownies, use tahini or sunflower seed butter instead.
- Adjust the consistency. When I tested this recipe, sometimes I noticed the brownie batter turned out quite thin and liquid. If you notice this, add a tablespoon or two of coconut flour or oat flour to thicken it back up. It should be the consistency of traditional brownies.
- Add flavor. Fold in 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, or top the brownies with sea salt for an extra boost of flavor.
Storage instructions
To store. Place cooled brownies in a sealed container and keep them in the fridge. Brownies refrigerated will keep fresh for up to 1 week.
To freeze. Wrap brownies individually in parchment paper and place them in a ziplock bag. Brownies kept in the freezer will keep fresh for up to 6 months.
More brownies to try
- Cherry brownies
- Flourless brownies
- Eggless brownies
- Strawberry brownies
- Or any of these brownie recipes
Sweet Potato Brownies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked sweet potato mashed
- 1/2 cup almond butter can sub for any nut or seed butter of choice
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips Optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and grease a loaf pan and set aside.
- In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients and blend well until a smooth brownie batter remains.
- Pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake for around 20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. If desired, add frosting, then slice.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 2015, updated November 2019, republished April 2024.
I made these but they never set up. I cooked them for over 30 minutes and they did not set up. Not sure what I did wrong.
So fudgy and rich!
Great recipes! Thank you so much!!
You are so welcome!
What size pan please??
8 x 8-inch
Made following recipe with exception of adding walnuts instead of chocolate chips. Brownies came out great and I will make again. Next time around I’ll mix in a bowl rather than use Vitamix. Getting the batter out was a challenge and there’s probably more waste than if mixing by hand. Will also use a smaller pan for thicker brownies. Recipe instructions were somewhat vague regarding what size pan to use. Used 8.5”x8.5” and brownies were on the thinner side. Biggest challenge now is that I can’t stop eating them.
Made these as directed (minus chocolate chips) and they were perfect for a late-night sugar craving. Next batch I’ll try with vanilla extract and maybe a few walnuts.
Being a diabetic, I am always looking for a healthier alternative to baked goods. I was excited when I saw this recipe and I had to try it. I am not a big fan of maple so I substituted honey for the syrup. I wasn’t certain if I could use stevia. I omitted the chocolate chips and replaced them with toasted almonds for a little crunch. Great recipe! Thank you for sharing with us
I made these brownies last night. They are so delicious. The kids don’t even know the difference. Thank you.
Hello Arman,
This is mind-blowingly good – thank you so much for sharing! I also tried it with natural crunchy peanut butter, it’s fantastic.
HELP! I DON’T HAVE ALMOND BUTTER. WHICH WOULD BE BETTER –
AVOCADO MASHED, BANANA OR UNSALTED BUTTER? I AM NOT CONCERNED WITH DAIRY ISSUES.
Hi! I’d go with peanut butter.
I cant do nuts but sunflower seed butter works and tastes great too
Absolutely!!
I loved these‼️ They were soooo good…I shared them with all of my friends.
I just used a mixing bowl abd added a tsp of vanilla extract to them…and some walnuts on top lol…but it totally did not need it…
I’ll be making it again this weekend!
I loved these‼️ I added a little vanilla extract to mine.
These brownies are amazing! They have so much flavor and although they are a bit gooey, they are perfectly naturally sweet and super easy to make.
I am addicted to eating and making them. I used NuttZo butter. I also added orhanic shredded coconut to one batch about 1/4 cup.
I never would’ve thought of using sweet potatoes in brownies before! I definitely have to give this a try now. Thank you!I never would’ve thought of using sweet potatoes in brownies before! I definitely have to give this a try now. Thank you!
Thanks, Kenny!
Hi we absolutely love these brownies!! Question do you think I could make these into a cake by adding baking soda/powder? My kids have allergies so I have to make their cakes, let me know your thoughts!
I haven’t tried- Let me know how it goes if you do 🙂
Found another “gems”. Made these. Enjoyed the experience. Not quite perfect, but close enough. Next time will be better. Thank you again for the useful recipes!
These brownies are delicious!! Even people that don’t like sweet potatoes will like them. Will definitely be making them again. I cooked them a little longer
Is there anything I could substitute for the nut/seed butter?
Not that I’ve tried!
These were delicious!!
Hi do I use natural cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder?
Can I use 8” x 8” (I only have that)? Btw, love your recipes, all super yummy 😋
Does it matter how the sweet potatoes are cooked? Do they need to be boiled or can the be roasted?
Either works 🙂
This recipe is full-proof and has exceptional good taste. I followed the recipe exactly, making for a a truly well thought out brownie. The ingredients all go together perfectly, without tasting one particular flavor over another. Served with mint chocolate chip ice cream makes it even more sensational.
YES!!! Another mint chocolate chip ice cream fan (I get so much flack for loving it!)
I made these with pumpkin instead of sweet potatoe and used almond flour for the butter (one cup) & half the sugar.
DELICIOUS!
Love that!
Just made this with the peanut butter option and it was delicious! A big hit with my book club, and I’m always glad to add another GF recipe to my repertoire when the occasion calls for it. Plus they’re basically “healthy” brownies so…guilt-free, right?
That is what I like to hear! 🙂
As always, these look delicious! Super moist and I’m loving the addition of the sweet potato.
Fantastic!
I prepared as usual but topped with chocolate chips they are a great substitution for traditional brownies.
Thank you for the feedback, Carmen!
Made these yesterday because I had some sweet potato lying around that needed using up. I used a little less maple syrup and increased the cocoa powder because I like my brownies VERY chocolaty. 😁
They turned out amazing (albeit pretty mushy – but that’s probably because I added some extra liquid).
Thank you for this recipe, so easy to make and so delicious! 😋
😀 Thank you for the feedback, Lucie!
Love this recipe! So easy and quick. I will defo add choc chips next time for that extra deliciousness. Thanks for he recipe!
I made these brownies and my family never knew they contained sweet potatoes and they loved them.
Love it!
How can I substitute nut butter in your recipe? Thanks
You can use sunflower seed butter or tahini
I just made these and they are so darn good! I used Japanese sweet potatoes so I did have to add a little plant milk because I think they are not as wet as orange sweet potatoes but sweeter and milder. Added a little pink salt and vanilla too. Thank you for this healthy delicious treat.
That sounds like fantastic additions 🙂
My go-to dessert for the fam! I’ve made these many times and we loooove them! I use a beater to mix the batter so the potatoes get fully mashed and everything gets incorporated. I find almond butter MUCH better than peanut butter in this recipe. These are amazing when cold and disgusting when warm, so keep in the fridge and make sure they’re cold before you try them! I always top mine with coconut cream icing (coconut cream, cocoa, maple syrup and vanilla).
These are VERY fudgy! If you are waiting for your testing knife to come out clean, you will be baking these forever! I usually double or 1 1/2 times this recipe and bake about 30-35 minutes.
The whole household is pumped when these are being made!
Love it! 😀
Yummy recipe, thanks! I omitted the chocolate chips, used peanut butter for the nut butter of choice, and used date paste instead of maple syrup, to make it sugar-free. Haha, I didn’t even bake it–I was too impatient to eat, so I scarfed down the dough plain!
Hahahaha I love that.
the beauty of no flour and no eggs.
Stay safe, Heather!
I just made these and the taste is great, but it’s so mushy and sticky, even though I cooked it an extra 5 minutes :'(
I’m going to refrigerate them and see if that will improve the texture…
Refrigerating them gives them an amazing texture!
OMG!! i wanna thank you for this brownie recipe!! it was absolutely delish, and healthy. i’m a sweet lover but i’m cutting my sweets, sooo grateful i check out your blog.. MORE healthy desserts please!!
You are so welcome, Pen! 🙂
Would this work using a food processor instead of a mixer? I’m currently without a hand mixer for a while, but craving brownies…
Hi Alexandra! Absolutely! 🙂 Just between us, I even use my mixing bowl and spoon…
What can I use if I am nut and oil free ?
You can use sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter 🙂 Enjoy!
So for a truly dark chocolate treat misread the directions. Here’s what I did and I am loving the heck out of it. One large white sweet potato, 1/4 C EACH black cocoa and regular cocoa powders, 2 Tbsp Lucuma powder (just because) and 2 Tbsp of collagen powder (ditto). Bake at 325 for 25 minutes in loaf pan.
I sliced an entire end off and I think I’ve consumed enough chocolate for the month.
So, if you’re a fan of deep, dark cocoa go for it.
And, thanks for the recipe even if I am an idiot who can’t follow instructions.
I would love to use this for a “cake”. Any idea what I could use sub the coco powder with as son cannot have any legumes (and I think coco powder is in that category)
Hi Angela! You can make this recipe- https://thebigmansworld.com/2015/11/08/three-ingredient-flourless-sweet-potato-blondies/
I was curious if it was possible to leave out the maple sugar and them still taste amazing (that would also include the chocolate chips, no sugar here!). Also with the banana protein ones and leave out the protein powder?
Hi Monika! Here are protein-powder less brownies- https://thebigmansworld.com/2015/10/05/healthy-3-ingredient-flourless-brownies/
You can try it without, I prefer it for some added sweetness 🙂
Thanks very much for these! Made them with a slight tweak—crunchy almond butter in the place of smooth, and chopped toasted almonds instead of chocolate chips, since I didn’t have any on hand. A very respectable substitute for traditional brownies.
OH wow, those substitutions sound absolutely delicious- I LOVE crunchy pieces in brownies!
Hi. May I ask you what type of oil/butter do you use for the oven/pan? Thank you so much.
Hi there! I always spray coconut oil 🙂
Thank you for prompt reply. Could you elaborate what is so special about pure maple syrup? Benefits and is heat stable? Why is it used in cooking. Could it be substituted with anything? Thank you!
Are you supposed to cook the sweet potato first, so it’s soft?
Hi Jenny! That is correct- It needs to be pre-cooked!
How long do these take to cool before edible? Can’t wait!
Hi Nadia! You can eat them soon after, but for the best texture, it’s best to let them sit for until completely cool- Even better once refrigerated.
Hi,
First of all, thanks for the recipe. I have three questions.
1. Do I steam, boil or oven the sweet potatoes?
2. Do i keep the skin on?
3. Do I cook them completely or enough to mix with the cacao powder?
Thanks,
Qing
Hi Qing! You can definitely cook them any way you prefer, but remove the skin once cooked. Enjoy!
I just tried these and they are amazing! I did have to leave them in for longer than 20 min though, but maybe it’s just my oven. They are also better once they are cooled down because they firm up. Thanks for recipe! 🙂
You are so welcome, Erika! 🙂
Could I sub xylitol for the maple? And maybe add an egg?
Hi Stephanie! I haven’t tried it with those substitutions but please let me know how it goes 🙂
About how many sweet potatoes does it take to make a cup of mashed? Obviously depends on the size, but how many medium or large would you estimate it takes?
Hi Elise- I reckon around 2 medium/large ones 🙂
Do you cook the potato first?
Hi Layla! Yes, you’d need to use a pre-cooked sweet potato 🙂
Can you provide the nutritional information per brownie from this recipe? Calories, protein, carbs, etc. It would be much appreciated!!
Hi Kelsey! For sure- If you go to myfitnesspal or caloriecount.com, it will provide it for you, depending on how many pieces you make 🙂 Enjoy!
This may be a silly question but how do you know these are cooked through? I’m unsure if ive’ve left in long enough to cook? Tasty though just quite mushy is this right?
Hi Trish! They firm up once cooled and refrigerated- Saying that, they are still incredibly fudgy!
I’d like to try this! Curious what kind of sweet potato you use? The common orange flesh type us Americans use for thanksgiving?
Hi Emily! The orange ones would be great- I use those ones, others have tried it from a can with success 🙂
I just popped these into the oven. First time making them. I chose not to add choc chips. The batter was good as I licked it off the mixers. 🙂
😀 Oh fantastic- That’s why I love this recipe- The batter has no eggs so totally acceptable to eat 🙂
Hi! I really really want to try this recipe but Nut allergy alert. What can I sub nut butter with? Thanks !
Hi Jev! You can sub it for sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter 🙂
May I know how much will this yield? If I wanna make this for my 1 year old baby during his birthday celebration, around 30 people, how will the amount of ingredients changed? Kindly advise ><
Hi Candy! I made around 6-8 generous portions, if you need to make it for 30, I’d make 5-6 batches 🙂 Enjoy!
Are the sweet potatoes supposed to be cooked first before mashing them?
Hi Robert- Definitely cook them prior 🙂 A quick hack is to poke holes in it and microwave, covered, for 7-8 minutes 🙂
I made these today because I was going to make some sweet potato brownies and realised I didn’t have any dates (which I normally use) so was frantically googling to find a recipe that didn’t have dates in and came across this. The brownies have turned out absolutely amazingly! They’re fairly gooey so I think I probably should have baked them for a little longer but oh well! I subbed the nut butter for vegan chocolate spread, which was a very good idea on my part because oh my they are beautifully chocolatey!
😀 Lottie! Thank you SO much for your feedback- Absolutely appreciate it!
If you refrigerate it, it will firm up more and be even better tasting 🙂
Just a quick question…Can you substitute pumpkin for the sweet potatoes?
Hi Wynter- You sure can! Enjoy! 🙂
These are great. I added 1/2 of a banana, sliced and mixed in with the hot yams before adding the cacao powder. I also increased the cooking time another 10 minutes. Perfection! The banana helps take away a bit of the chalkiness.
Oh fantastic- Thanks for the feedback, Greg!
Not sure how to mash sweet potatoes, do I peel and cook first?
Hi there- That would be ideal 🙂
This recipes looks so good..I have a diabetic grandson,so I need to know how many carb’s are in this recipe ,if you could help me out, I would be very grateful
Hi Joyce! For sure- If you add the ingredients into myfitnesspal or another calorie calculator, it will provide it for you 🙂 You can then be more specific depending on how many pieces you get from a batch! 🙂
These are so good! I skipped the choco chips and used chocolate vegan protein powder cause didn’t have cocoa – worked out perfect. Thank you!!
Oh fantastic- Thanks so much for the feedback, Yana!
OMG! This is lush!
I made it without the sugar and used 100% cacao drop.
Soooooo pleased I made double quantity!!
Oh YUM!!!! You must be like me, Caroline- I am obsessed with dark cocoa tastes and would totally hve gone that route too!
Hi!
How many brownies come out from this recipe?
Hi there! I got around 9-10 pieces, but you can adjust it to whichever size you like! 🙂
So, where or u from Big Man cuz these did not rise @ all here in Colorado & they took about 40 min to cook
Hi Christina! I’m in LA- They aren’t supposed to rise, but cooking time varies! 🙂
What size pan did you use? Would 8×8 work? I don’t care for really thin brownies.
Hi Tricia! I often use a loaf pan which makes beautiful, thick brownies 🙂
The recipe sounds really incredible and simple and I’m definitely going to try this out as soon as I can (i/e tomorrow) 🙂 Can I just ask how many brownies this recipe would make? Thank you!
Hi Isabelle! Depending on how big your pan is, you can get around 8-9 large slices 🙂
Maybe a silly question but how you make mashed sweet potatoes? Just the potatoes mashed… Or use them after adding milk etc? I’m anxious to try this recipe out in my picky eaters!
Hi Ashlee! Not at all- I steam them in the microwave like a normal potato and allow it to cool then mash completely 🙂
Thank you!!
Sir! Since WHEN are chocolate chips optional?! And no food hangovers here, but I wish I had something to explain why I’ve been dragging so hardcore in the morning. Let’s go with the fact that the sun doesn’t rise until 8:30. It just makes me want to stay in bed and be lazy.
Urgh. Today I got up randomly hence…this. But. T minus… something until I veg out!
Yum! What a great addition – personally made sweets from you!? COUNT ME IN! I am thankful to have so many great blogs to read that provide me with amazing recipes and food motivation! 🙂
Right? I love the blog community for that! 🙂
Can the sweet potato brownie be made without maple syrup for someone on a sugar-free diet for diabetes? Can Stevia be substituted?
You can use sugar free maple syrup.
I did celebrate Thanksgiving and even though we had a big meal I didn’t eat tons more than normal. I did eat quite a bit. 😀 However, I think I normally eat quite a bit for a 5’3″ gal.
Nice! Hope you enjoyed it!
Fabulous! I I substituted honey for the maple syrup since that’s all that I had on hand and added in some vanilla, cinnamon and salt but other than that followed your directions to a tee. They were a bit hard to cut out of the oven, but straight from the freezer are just delicious. Even my husband, a certified sweet potato hater, enjoyed them
oh YES! thanks so much for the feedback, Kate! The texture is so on point when eaten cold 🙂
Your ending questions are prfect because I am always nursing a food hangover. I also had three servings of pie on Thanksgiving. These look so soft, so luscious, so..delicious.
SOOO luscious!
Are these the same brownies you gifted to the Hubby and I because if so, THEY ARE AMAZING. I ate them for lunch. Now I can say I had my veggies. 🙂
Oh no! I shared a special one with you guys yet to grace the blog- Coming soon!
Armani can I add chocolate protein powder to this recipe? I’m so excited to have all the ingredients…but always looking for opportunities to add protein. 🙂 Thanks!!
Hi Marissa! Try out my four ingredient flourless protein brownie recipe- Use sweet potato instead, it works a treat 🙂
I can’t wait for these sex pots to grace the shelves of my freezer. #sevenpoundsstrong
Hi I’m waiting to go for breakfast and lol’d at this. I just legit replied to your text.
I just had a ginormous plate of Thanksgiving leftovers. Too bad I don’t have one of these lil guys to finish the epic meal with!
I’m jealous!
Brownies as part of food prep? Now that’s an idea I can get on board with. And overlook the sweet potatoes ;).
No food hangovers yet but I have a family gathering coming up on the weekend and there will likely be a few kale food babies for some family members. We’re talking not kale chips or salad but traditional German ‘Grünkohl’ with a certain kind of greasy sausage (Pinkel) and meat. Not for me, obviously.
That actually sounds delicious! Yum!
In my opinion the choc chips are not optional! Love my brownies with choc chips – and sadly I’m nursing a fever (my own – blah) instead of a food hangover!
I just made a new brownie and added maybe a whole package of them..never a bad idea 😀
Hope you’re feeling better!
I am surprisingly well digested after yesterday. I ate a lot of sweet potato cheesecake and pie. It was great. Do Aussies celebrate Thanksgiving?
They don’t, it’s an American tradition 🙂
Yum! I make these as fudge bites, so good and you would never know it’s sweet potato as the base! I think I added mini chocolate chips too. I need to make them again! Been meaning to do so, I wanted to try it with Skoop’s new chocolate protein powder to see if I like it in place of/with the cocoa powder.
Oh nice! I never thought to eat this raw but without eggs, of course it would work! Maybe I should do a protein bar of this ha!
It definitely works with Skoop, I made it for Alexis using her Skoop protein powder.
Just found your site. Love it!!!!! Nicely done.
Is there (or have I missed it?) a printable version of your individual recipes? I’m old school. 🙂 thanks!
Hi Sherry! 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind words- There should be an option to print right above the recipe 🙂
Just copy & paste the text you want into a Word doc 🙂
AMAZING! My friend doesn’t like sweet potatoes but loves these brownies! He didn’t know they were in there until I told him. He was SHOCKED!! 🙂
I suddenly can’t get enough sweet potatoes!.. I have tried the black bean brownies and they were meh… I think these will be better, I do have realistic expectations of course! I wonder if I can sub honey for the pure maple syrup, I don’t have any on hand. ?
Hi Traci- Definitely give it a go 🙂