While attempting to create a more nutrient-rich brownie, we ended up creating our new favorite brownie recipe! It’s happening.
Introducing super fudgy, naturally-sweetened, whole grain, healthier brownies made with just 10 ingredients. Let’s bake!
First, we make sweet potato purée by baking a sweet potato, removing the skin, and mashing in a bowl or food processor.
The sweet potato purée is then mixed with maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla, and avocado oil.
Cocoa powder adds a rich, chocolatey flavor, oat flour keeps these whole grain and healthier than your average brownie, baking powder adds rise, and sea salt brings everything together.
Pecans and chocolate chips (optional) are added to the top for morsels of melty chocolate and a little toasty crunch with each bite. We highly recommend!
We hope you LOVE these brownies. They’re:
Fudgy
Rich
SUPER chocolatey
Naturally sweet
Healthier than your average brownie
& Incredibly delicious!
These brownies are delicious on their own but elevated with a scoop of vegan ice cream (vanilla, salted caramel, and coffee ice cream would all be incredible).
Love Brownies? Try Our:
- 4-Ingredient Easy Vegan Brownies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies
- Easy Raw Vegan Brownies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies (V/GF)
Ingredients
BROWNIES
- 1 cup sweet potato purée (see instructions)
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup almond butter or peanut butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ Tbsp avocado oil (or sub melted vegan butter, melted coconut oil, or olive oil)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder or cacao powder (the higher quality the better // such as this one)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2/3 cup oat flour (we also tested almond and coconut flour, and while they did work, we preferred oat // GF all purpose should also work)
- 1/2 cup chopped raw pecans (or sub walnuts, but we liked pecans better)
- 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)
FOR SERVING optional
- Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream (for store-bought, we prefer Luna and Larry's vanilla coconut ice cream)
- Salted Caramel Coconut Ice Cream
- Vegan Coffee Ice Cream
Instructions
- To make sweet potato purée, halve sweet potato and brush the cut sides with oil (optional). Add to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for ~25-30 minutes or until tender to the touch. Move to one side of pan and wrap the parchment paper over top to steam. Let steam for 5 minutes. Then peel away skin and mash in a mixing bowl (or food processor). Set aside.
- Adjust oven temperature to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line an 8×8-inch baking pan (or similar-size pan) with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add sweet potato purée, maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, and avocado oil and stir to combine.
- Add cacao powder, sea salt, and baking powder and stir to combine. Then add oat flour and stir until a thick, scoopable batter is achieved (see photo).
- Transfer batter to your parchment-lined baking dish and spread into an even layer using a spoon or rubber spatula. Then top with pecans and chocolate chips (optional).
- Bake on the center rack (at 350 F / 176 C) for 28-32 minutes. The brownie edges should appear slightly dry and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out mostly clean (a few crumbs are okay, but it shouldn’t be overly gooey). Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
- Lift out of pan and slice. Enjoy warm or room temperature. Store leftovers covered at room temperature up to 3 days, in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days, or in the freezer up to 1 month. These brownies are delicious on their own but elevated with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream.
Video
Notes
*Photos show batch sliced into 9 brownies.
*Prep time includes preparing sweet potato purée.
Addie says
they were really fudgey, witch made them really good!!! i’d give it five stars!!!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed, Addie! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Elaine says
I made these with honey and they came out great! I did find them a little bit too sweet, would I be able to drop the honey/maple syrup to 1/2 a cup? Would it make a difference to hiw the brownies bake?
Thank you for the recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Elaine! We think using half a cup of honey/maple syrup should work! If the bake time is different it would probably only be a couple of minutes less! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Sara says
I love these so much. I want to make them and turn them into little “birds nests” for Easter by individually baking them in a silicone mufffin tin. Do you think there would be a difference in bake time or temp?
Hey Sara! We’re so glad you enjoy them! The baking temperature would be the same, but the baking time would be less. We suggest starting with 15 minutes for the bake time and checking them at 3-5 minute increments from there! Hope this helps. xo
marianne fulton says
Love! Love! Love! these rich fudgy brownies
I made them with tahini and mixed the pecans into the batter and when the brownies came out of the oven I sprinkle the chocolate chips and once they were soft I spread the chips into a smooth topping.
Thank you for creating a smashing recipe.
Sounds so lovely, Marianne! We’re so glad you enjoy them. Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
K says
Hi! Do you think I could sub the maple syrup for honey instead? Thanks!
We haven’t tried them with honey and can’t guarantee results, but we think it should work! The batter might just be a little thick. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
K says
I made this with homemade oat flour, honey and olive oil and it came out with a crumb texture on the outside and a delicious fudgy interior. The sweet potato gives it a nice natural sweetness too. I can’t believe it tastes just like the real thing! Thank you!
We’re so glad you’re enjoying them! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications. xo
Jess says
Hello,
Would i be able to use an 8×8 glass dish to bake this. I do have a metal 9×9 but your instructions say for an 8×8. Otherwise I cannot wait to try this recipe.
Thank you
Hi Jess, yes! Either of those options will work.
Pepper says
I used peanut butter, homemade oat flour. I could taste the sweet potato very much in the raw batter. After cooked I could very barely taste it. I cooked the brownies about 37 min as the toothpick test had a coating at 25 and 32 minutes. At 37 it still had the same amount of coating so I took them out. They are done just fine. Brownies have a moist crumb texture, they are very good. Not too sweet but certainly sweet. Next time I will put the pecans on top, I didn’t take the time to do it today. Husband had seconds and gave the 5 star rating! I haven’t told him yet they have sweet potato in them! LOL I will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing
Amazing! We’re so glad you and your husband both enjoy the brownies and that you’ll be making them again. Thank you for the lovely review, Pepper! xo
Rachel Moore says
These are the most delicious brownies in the entire world. I am consistently blown away by them and make them often. I have found I like them best with almond flour and I add an egg! I use the Lily’s no added sugar dark chocolate chips too. Thank you for creating a plant based dessert that’s got protein and fiber and so much delicious-ness! (PS I always top them with Maldon salt and whipped cream)
YUM! Flaky salt and whipped cream sound like amazing additions. We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe and keep coming back to it. Thank you for sharing, Rachel! xo
AAA says
I make this all the time now. I even adjusted the recipe to make a sweet potato blonder by replacing cocoa powder with oat flour. Favorite brownie recipe ever!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy this one and keep coming back to it. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your fun blondie version! xo
Lizzie says
Thank you! I love this recipe. I made them this morning with peanut butter and they were the perfect brownie texture! I had to use agave as I had run out of maple syrup and it worked fine. The prep was a lot quicker even with making my own oat flour. The smell was amazing! 🥰
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Lizzie! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Amanda says
H! Would like to try this recipe – looks very delish! Is there something I can add to make it more spongey like milk or greek yoghurt (I would like to make it more high protein) Thank you!
Hmm… We haven’t tried them with yogurt or milk! Some readers said substituting the oat flour for GF flour blend made them more cakey if that’s what you’re looking for! Let us know if you do any experimenting!
Paula Rothman says
do you think subbing tahini for nut butter would work? or half and half?
Hi Paula, We think it could work, but tahini may add more bitterness. Half nut butter and half tahini might be better. Let us know if you try it out!
Ef says
Wonderful recipe I have made it with 3-4 different alterations depending on what I have available and it was successful every time! Vegan classic butter, almond butter, normal butter, normal flour and all were great!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy this one and have had success with several modifications. Thank you for sharing! xo
Daniela says
Hey there! Any substitute for the nut butter I can use?
Hi Daniela, a seed butter (such as sunflower) would be the next best option! Otherwise, maybe a lesser amount of oil?
lisa nordstrom says
The picture looks like a yam rather than a sweet potato. Will this still work with the white fleshed sweet potato?
Hi Lisa, a white fleshed sweet potato is a little more dry, so the brownies will be slightly less fudgy, but it should still work!
Marta says
Hadn’t done this recipe for a couple of years and decides to it today for big family lunch. Added one twist: half an expresso. I knew I liked it, no surprise there, but my teenager asked me to do it again, my other pre-teen, the house’s ‘normal’ brownie baking specialist, also had to admit she liked it, and so did the rest of the non-vegan, meat and sugar eaters family members. A success ;-).
Yay! We’re so glad the brownies were a hit with all eaters. Thank you for the lovely review, Marta! xo
Autumn says
I tried this double the ingredients using purple sweet potatoes and it has just had its 1 hour rest post- baking, and I’m genuinely impressed. Tastes amazing. My son, who has lots of allergies will be able to eat this, so it’s perfect. Looks great too. I’m inspired to try the other recipes now too.
We’re so glad you enjoy these brownies and that your son will be able to have them as well! Thank you for the lovely review, Autumn! We hope you enjoy the other recipes just as much as this one :)
Nevz says
Is there an option to use canned sweet potato or butternut squash for this recipe? How might you suggest tweaking it to use that instead of fresh sweet potato?
Hi Nevz, roasted is best here because it dries out the sweet potato slightly and enhances the flavor. However, you could try canned! Maybe just add a little extra flour if the batter is looking too wet?
devi says
i am very very pleased with this recipe!! it’s amazing knowing that it tastes delicious and is nutritious! i used almond flour and worked out wonderfully. just one note that i’d like it to be a little sweeter, is there anything i can sub in for without changing the integrity of the texture?
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Devi! You could try stirring some chocolate chips into the batter for extra sweetness. They will make it slightly more fudgy, but shouldn’t have a huge impact on texture!
Isha says
I have tried many of your recipes. This is one of the best brownie I ever had.. cannot believe that it’s healthier. Love love the flavor, sweet potatoes add an amazing smooth texture to it. Its a keeper!
Whoop! We’re so glad you love this one and will be making it again, Isha. Thank you for sharing! xo
Ashley Valentine says
So easy to throw together and was gorgeously smooth using the immersion blender! i put some pecans, choc chips and white choc chips on top. I used sunflower butter and olive oil. while i love chocolate, i sometimes have a stronger histamine reaction to such high amounts of cocoa powder. I was wondering if i could just use a tbsp or two and sub the rest of the 1/2 c with more oat flour? or even better, could i melt a bar of chocolate down and incorporate it with the wet ingredients, then add a 1/2 c extra oat flour? i have far less of a reaction with bars than i do powder, but i love my chocolate! thank you for the lovely recipe!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Ashley! Thank you for sharing! Hmm, we think subbing more oat flour instead of cocoa powder wouldn’t cover up the flavor of the sweet potatoes as well and wouldn’t have a classic brownie flavor, but it could be okay. Melting chocolate could work, but you would also need to reduce the amount of peanut butter/oil and play around with it because the melted chocolate will have a higher fat content. Another idea would be to try our sweet potato blondies. Hope that helps!
Leilani says
These look delicious! Can I use coconut sugar instead of the maple syrup for this recipe?
Hi Leilani, this batter is already quite thick, so it might not stir very easily with coconut sugar in place of maple syrup. But it should work in terms of sweetness! Let us know if you test it out!
Katrina says
Do you think I can sub greek yogurt instead of a nut butter? Or do you have other options besides a nut butter? I am trying to avoid nuts.
Hi Katrina, we haven’t tested with that modification, but we think it could add too much moisture, creating brownies that are too dense/gummy. Can you use a seed butter? That would be the next best option. Or perhaps a lesser amount of oil?
Lisa Margaret Sachleben says
would it work ok to add an egg?
That could work! They will be more fluffy with an egg. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Lisa Margaret Sachleben says
They came out good, but more cake-like than fudgy. I also used GF flour 1:1 which may have contributed to the dryer results. The batter was impossibly thick so I also added about a third cup of milk. However, they are quite tasty.
Hi Lisa, it was likely a combination of both! Egg does make baked goods more fluffy/cakey, and GF blend is less fudgy than oat flour. We’re glad they were still tasty!
Autumn Ridley says
Hi! quick question how do we know what size the brownie should be for the nutritional information? Do you know how many grams per slice for it to equal the 204 calories?
Hi Autumn, the nutrition information is for 1 of 12 brownies. We don’t have the specifics on grams per slice, but you could cut them into 12 pieces and weigh on a kitchen scale to get that information!
Joanne says
I steamed the sweet potato in the oven so that it didn’t lose too much moisture. These came out so good and fudgy. They taste so indulgent. 10/10 recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoy the brownies, Joanne! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
R Har says
Thank you so much for your reply and the subsequent reply. I’ve bought my sweet potato and hoping to have a go tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted.
Of course! Always happy to help :) Excited to hear what you think of the brownies!
Miss H says
Will recipe work if I just cook sweet potato in water?
Roasting the sweet potato provides the best flavor and dries out the sweet potato a bit. It would likely work okay with steamed/boiled sweet potato, but we haven’t tested it that way and you may need to bake longer to dry it out. Let us know if you try it!
Isha says
My friend boiled the sweet potato for another sweet potato brownie recipe I sent her – she said it came out super water-y and sloppy. I would bake it for sure.
Brenna says
About how much sweet potato is one? 1 cup? 2 cups? Thanks!
Hi Brenna, 1 medium sweet potato should yield ~1 cup.
Sylvia C says
I found this to be quite dry. I used GF all purpose flour vs oat flour. I will look for another recipe to make sweet potato brownies.
Oh no! We’re so sorry your brownies turned out dry, Sylvia. This is usually a favorite! Is it possible you were using a GF flour blend that has beans or coconut flour in it? Those will be a lot more absorbent and lead to dry brownies that also don’t taste as good.
JS says
Is there something we can use to sub the nut butter? Maybe avocado? My kids have a slight allergy.
We would recommend using a seed butter (such as sunflower) instead!
C. says
Forgot to rate the recipe in my previous review… Also, if it’s useful, I used sunflower oil and regular wheat flour in my two bakes of these and both ingredients worked well.