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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.
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!