Tahini sweet potato blondies are HERE and ready to rock your world. These fudgy, caramelly blondies are studded with melty chocolate chips, and no one will guess the secret ingredient: sweet potato!
Just 1 bowl and 10 ingredients required for these vegan, gluten-free, maple-sweetened treats. Let’s get baking!
How to Make Sweet Potato Tahini Blondies
These decadent yet nutrient-infused bars start with a combo of mashed Japanese sweet potato and maple syrup for natural sweetness. Japanese sweet potato is perfect for blondies thanks to its pale color and lower moisture content!
Then it’s time for the second not-so-secret ingredient: tahini! Not only does tahini bring added richness with its creamy texture — it also combines with the sweet potato for a totally amazing flavor explosion. They were basically made for each other!
Next, the blondie batter comes together with the addition of our Minimalist Baker Gluten-Free Flour Blend and some almond flour, which provide the perfect balance of soaking up moisture and preventing gumminess. Then, finally, the chocolate chips. Now we’re talkin’!
A quick trip to the oven (ciao, blondies!) and they’re done. The only thing left to do is decide if you’ll share them, or lie and tell your friends “They’re really not that good” — up to you! We support your decision either way.
We hope you LOVE these sweet potato blondies! They’re:
Caramelly
Fudgy
Decadent
Satisfying
& Perfectly sweet & salty!
Dunk your blondie in a glass of dairy-free milk and prepare to swoon.
More Nutrient-Packed Sweet Treats
- Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies (V/GF)
- Pumpkin Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies
- 5-Minute Pineapple Sorbet (Dole Whip Dupe!)
- Vegan Chocolate Protein Pudding (Two Ways!)
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!
Tahini Sweet Potato Blondies
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup mashed Japanese sweet potatoes
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup tahini (creamy, drippy // find our favorite brands here)
- 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil (or sub melted vegan butter, avocado oil, or olive oil)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Minimalist Baker Gluten-Free Flour Blend*
- 1/4 cup almond flour (we like Wellbee’s)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (dairy-free/vegan as needed // we like Enjoy Life)
Instructions
- To make the sweet potato purée, halve a Japanese 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 the 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). Measure out 2/3 cup. Remove any excess sweet potato from the bowl and save for another recipe or enjoy as a snack!
- Adjust oven temperature to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line an 8×8-inch baking pan (or similar-size pan) with parchment paper.
- Return the sweet potato to the mixing bowl and add the maple syrup, tahini, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, baking powder, and sea salt and stir to combine until no flour pockets remain. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer batter to your parchment-lined baking pan and spread into an even layer using a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Bake the blondies on the center rack for 30-35 minutes — they should look golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out mostly clean. Allow the blondies to cool in the pan for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the blondies to a cutting board and slice. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
*Inspired by our Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies.
Joanna Persaud says
I’ve never seen Japanese sweet potatoes in grocery stores. Would regular sweet potatoes work? Obviously they would no longer have the “blonde” colour lol
Hi Joanna, you could try using regular sweet potato! You just might need to add a bit more flour!
Rumy says
Another great sweet recipe! Very easy and quick to prepare and the blondies are AMAZING! They combine a few of my favorite ingredients: tahini,sweet potatoes, maple syrup,almond flour and chocolate.
I baked the potato in the microwave and had to bake the blondies 20 additional minutes in the oven,but that is expected considering our high elevation and low outside temperature.
Dana,
Thank you so much for your continuous creativity!!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Rumy. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Kelly says
I followed the recipe exactly and WOW these are incredible. I will make these again and again. Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Kelly. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Ellie Rivkin says
HOLY COW THESE ARE PERFECTION!! I chose this recipe for a sweet treat that had super low/no sugar and man did it deliver. The smell was incredible while mixing together, so nutty and creamy. I used mini chocolate chips and added some chopped walnuts on top. I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour as written and the final texture was soooo good. Perfect amount of chewy with crispy edges. Well done, as always, MB!
Whoop! We’re so glad you’re enjoying them, Ellie. Thank you for sharing! xo
Sara says
OMG made this tonight and it was SENSATIONAL- everyone loved it (even my extremely picky mom)!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Sara. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Margie says
This recipe (Tahini, Sweet Potato Blondies) is SO UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS. They taste like butterscotch. I am really having so much difficulty not eating the whole pan. I am beyond impressed Dana!! Soooooo yummy–like every single one of your recipes. THANK YOU!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Margie. Thank you so much for your kind words and support! xo
Fonda says
Hello, I am sugar- free and maple syrup is too sweet for me. When I need a sweetener such as in tea, I use local honey. Since sweet potatoes tend to be plenty sweet for me, would I need to add in the maple syrup? If so, what could I substitute for it?
Hi Fonda, we don’t think the sweet potato will be sweet enough for this recipe without a sweetener because of the tahini and flours. You could try adding half of it and see if it’s the right flavor for you! The maple syrup also gets the blondies to the right consistency. Hope this helps!
Allison says
Hi Dana! I made these yesterday. I love one bowl recipes and the addition of sweet potato. Super fudgy and decadent! The only addition I would make is flaky sea salt to top the blondies. Thank you for sharing!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Allison. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Arafat says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. it was really good. i love it. and also i made this the test was amazing
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Arafat. Thanks so much for sharing!
cathy anderson says
Saw this recipe pop up in Instagram while my hubby was driving us home after grocery shopping. Got home. Baked a purple sweet potato immediately. Felt like it was meant to be, had all the ingredients on hand. SO good. Really soft but not in a mushy way. I used AP flour in place of GF and didn’t have quite enough maple syrup so i made up the missing maple with date syrup. Made the brownies a little darker than blonde, more like a blonde with major roots showing but delicious all the same. Will for sure make again. think I would add a little extra salt next go but only bc I like the salty sweet thing very much. THANK YOU! 16 year old son approval
Ha, blondies with roots! Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Cathy!
Nicki says
I saw your post on Instagram about this recipe and immediately saved it to try this weekend – I am SO pleased! Granted, I love all of the ingredients individually, so I might be biased, but this is such a satisfying, wholesome dessert. I removed it from the oven when it was just cooked, but next time I’ll leave it in to brown up a little bit more, as the outsides had the beginning of a lovely crispy crunch. Thanks for this one!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Nicki. Thank you so much for your kind words and support! xo
Ashley says
I’m thinking of making these next week for my co-workers. Do you think I could replace the maple syrup with brown sugar and add non-dairy milk to aid the consistency?
Hi Ashley! We haven’t tried it but we think the brown sugar should work, we would suggest only adding the non-dairy milk at the end as needed! The brown sugar should melt into a liquid when combined with the other ingredients. Let us know how it goes!
Bea says
I love it when you post an intriguing recipe and I have all of the ingredients! I made these with a purple Japanese sweet potato. Used half the sweetener and unsweetened chocolate chips; they are plenty sweet. If I were to use sweetened chocolate chips, I’d use even less maple syrup. The texture is like fudgy brownies, and so super yummy….kinda dangerous! Thanks for another winner!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Bea!
Mandi Michielsen says
I made these yesterday, by chance our local grocery had the white flesh sweet potatoes! I made it with white flour and reduced the maple syrup to my taste. I didn’t care for them while they were still warm, but now that they are cooled off I can’t stop eating them. Will be making these again!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Mandi!
Lisa says
I made this recipe last night and my husband and I both loved it.
I used Bob’s 1/1 gluten free flour and added a little bit extra and it turned out perfect.
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
We’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed them, Lisa! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Jenna says
What do y’all think about subbing….butternut squash?!?
Hey Jenna! We think it might make the blondies a little too moist. If you try it, we suggest adding a bit more of both flours to reach the right consistency, (check out the photos and video above to gauge that)! If you do try it, let us know how it goes!
Karin says
Made these but with regular sweet potatoes as my WF didn’t have the Japanese which I think are also a little dryer in texture. Wonder if that made a difference as I found them too moist after cooking for 40 min & also wonder if leaving them in the pan for less than 30 min would make a difference too. I liked that they weren’t too sweet & were easy to make.
Hi Karin! It’s definitely the regular sweet potato that made them too moist! Next time we would suggest using a bit more flour to make them closer to the right texture! Thanks for sharing. xo
Stuart says
I just made these as written, they are terrific! Taste is amazing as described.
Many thanks
We’re so glad to hear it, Stuart! Thank you for the lovely review!
Jess says
Hello-I’m entirely grain free and would love to make these…can you suggest an alternative for the GF flour? Thanks!
Hi Jess. We haven’t tried these grain-free and can’t guarantee results, however, you could try adding a bit more almond flour and some cassava flour. The texture might be a bit different, but it might work! Let us know if you try it. xo
Jess says
I subbed 1 to 1 with casava for the GF blend and they are yummmmmmmmmy! Thank you!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Jess! We will have to try them this way! xo
Darlene says
I’m not concerned with GF so I used AP flour along with the almond flour as recommended. The brownies were on the gummy side but the taste was very good and not to sweet. I’m not sure where I went wrong.
Hi Darlene, glad you enjoyed the flavor! Did you use the same amount of all-purpose flour as listed for the gluten-free flour? Also what kind of sweet potato did you use?
Ab2023 says
Tried this recipe today . Turned out well but I ran into a few issues :
1) the mixture was so thick and solid it would not move / mix. I used Soom tahini and I see that’s one of the recommended ones . The tahini was also very solid so I had to use a lot of arm muscle and added sesame oil from the tahini box (as I imagined if that lump were creamy it would be more blended w it’s own oil) plus 2 tbsp more coconut oil and 3 tbsp water, to get consistency somewhat mixable. Eventually it was nowhere near as beautifully creamy as the video and somehow was wrestled with and smoothened out.
2) I used honey for the sweetener and only about half of the prescribed quantity and it was plenty sweet.
The end product is soft and delicious however I’m wondering what I could do better next time if I don’t want it as sweet as the recipe suggests but still creamy and nice like in the video .
If it matters, I was using Cup4cup gf flour.
We’re so glad they turned out in the end! Tahini should be very drippy to begin with for best results. We suggest stirring the jar VERY well when you first open it to ensure the oil and the solid part of the tahini is combined, they separate naturally. Honey will also make the mixture thicker than maple syrup and possibly sweeter!
Mandi Michielsen says
Mine was also very think (perhaps since I reduced the maple syrup in mine). I oiled a spatula to smoosh it down and smooth it in the pan.
Hi Mandi! Great catch, the maple syrup does help them get to the right consistency! Thanks for sharing. xo
Jamie says
Hello, so excited for this recipe!
Would oat flour be an appropriate substitution for the gf flour blend?
Thank you!
Hi Jamie! We think oat flour might make these a little too gummy, but it could work! Let us know if you give it a go. xo
Gemma says
Could whole wheat flour be substituted in if not gluten free?
Hi Gemma! We think whole wheat flour might be too absorbent for this recipe and leave you with a crumblier blondie. However, all-purpose flour should work!
KAREN WITEK says
Hi
Can I use tapioca flour instead of GF flour as I cant have any of plan or GF flours would it still work
Karen W
Hi Karen, we wouldn’t recommend using just tapioca flour – it would likely be gummy. If you can make your own GF blend, that would be the next best option. Otherwise, maybe oat flour or brown rice flour would be okay, but we can’t guarantee the result will be the same.
KAREN WITEK says
thanks for that I guess I wont be making it as I cant have any of those flour but thanks for the quick answer
Sonia Gomez says
Maybe tiger nut flour,tapioca , and cassava
Ally says
Hi,
Is this best with hulled or unhulled tahini?
Thank you
Hi Ally, hulled works best!
Niyah Love says
Hello!
I just have a question…
Would it be okay if I use a regular potato (instead of sweet potato), and if so, what substitutions would I need to make?
Hi Niyah, a regular potato won’t work in this recipe unfortunately!
Sheryl K says
What would you substitute for the almond flour in the case of a nut allergy.?
Hi Sheryl, almond flour helps keep these from getting gummy. However, you could try using a bit more gluten-free flour. You most likely will use a little bit less! We suggest checking the photos above to get the batter consistency right!
Jessica says
Hi- if I’m not concerned with it being GF, can equal parts AP flour be substituted? Thank you!
Hi Jessica! We suggest replacing the gluten-free flour with all-purpose flour and keeping the almond flour the same if possible!
Debby says
I’m definitely planning on making this. Not gluten-free, but would prefer to use the almond flour & oat flour or chickpea flour or whole wheat pastry flour. Which of those 3 do you recommend? If none of them–I’ll use all-purpose flour. Thanks!!! Looks SO GOOD!
Hi Debby! We suggest using all-purpose flour in place of the gluten-free flour and keeping the almond flour the same! We hope you enjoy! xo
Almond buttter addict says
DANA!!! This recipe looks amazing. The only thing is… I don’t have access to Japanese sweet potatoes (which, I understand, are integral for providing that nutty, delicate, rich flavor) and only the regular orange general grocery store ones. Tips on how to best sub reg sweet potatoes? Use less so they don’t over power?
xoxo your largest fan!!
Hello! You could try using regular sweet potatoes! We think the final taste and texture will be a little bit different, think fudgier and definitely more orange! Let us know if you try it! xo
Michele says
If you roast an orange sweet potato long & slow-350 for 1-1/2 hrs depending on size (whole, poke steam holes) until collapsed & oozing caramel, you will get as sweet or more than Japanese sweet potatoes, just lacking that slight floral note.
Also, really roasting a dense winter squash like butternut or kabocha can achieve similar texture & sweetness
Btw, Trader Joe’s always has the Japanese sweet potatoes in winter
Kayla Stewart says
I only have all purpose flour and almond meal on hand. Any way I can make that work? These look delish!
Hey Kayla! That should work, the color might be a bit different!
Jennie says
What’s a good sub for the almond flour? Would coconut flour work? Or just more gf flour?
Hi Jennie! Coconut flour would be too drying in this one! The next best sub for almond flour is cashew flour or you could try adding a bit more gluten-free flour, the texture will be slightly different. We recommend checking out the photos of the batter above for texture
Colleen says
Hi
Can I use the more common type of sweet potato?
Hi Colleen! A regular sweet potato will change the color and the texture will be slightly fudgier, but it should work!
Cat says
Can you use runny peanut butter instead of tahini?
Hi Cat! Runny peanut butter should work!
Carrie says
I can’t wait to make these! Would they possibly work with a regular (orange) sweet potato?
Hi Carrie! An orange sweet potato would change the color and the texture will be a bit more fudgy, but it should work!
Jen says
Do you think I could leave out the oil altogether and maybe just add an additional 2 Tbsp of tahini? I never use any oil (especially not coconut oil) in my cooking.
Hi Jen! We much preferred the texture with oil, but it should work with extra tahini! Let us know if you try it. xo
Joanne says
Can you use normal flour?
Hi Joanne! We think the best result would be to substitute all-purpose flour for the gluten-free flour blend 1:1 and leave in the almond flour as is. However you might be able to substitute all-purpose flour for both, you will just need a bit less. We suggest checking the batter consistency in the photos to get it right!
Carly says
If not gluten free do you think it would work to just use regular AP flour+almond flour? Would you use less or same amount?
Hi Carly! We think the best result would be to substitute the gluten-free flour blend for all-purpose flour 1:1 and leave in the almond flour as is. However you might be able to substitute all-purpose flour for both, you will need a bit less. We suggest checking the batter consistency in the photos to get it right!