Sweet Potato Brownies Recipe
Oh, I have been waiting with such excitement to post this Sweet Potato Brownie recipe. After I taught it in my classes, my students were making it like crazy, posting it, and everyone was messaging me for the recipe. The wait is over and just in time for Valentine’s Day. Never say I don’t love you. 😉
The recipe is a twist on my chocolate zucchini cake, arguably one of my most popular recipes ever. If you haven’t made it, you absolutely must! If you can’t eat almonds, swap in another nut butter. If you can’t eats nuts, swap in tahini (sesame seed paste.) Back to these sweet potato brownies. What’s the difference between the two?
The chocolate zucchini cake is more like cake and this recipe is more dense and fudgy. They’re both fabulous and they’re both grain-free. The sweet potato brownie recipe can use avocado instead of oil. I actually prefer them with avocado and it’s a great way to use avocado that’s less than gorgeous.
Because this is also grain-free, it holds up beautifully in the fridge. Even up to 10 days without compromising texture. I didn’t feel the need to add chocolate chips here, but you could if you love chocolate overload. You could also add fresh raspberries on top if you were going to eat them all in a day or two. After that, fresh raspberries become mushy.
What’s life without a little sweet something now and again? I really avoid things that I know will make me feel physically awful after eating them. Not because I feel “guilty” (I’m older and wiser and guilt is silly when it comes to eating food) or afraid (also a little silly – there are many more things to fear in this world.). But I genuinely dislike feeling physically yucky. These sweet potato brownies taste delicious and do not make me feel yucky!
You can indeed have your cake and ENJOY it, too! And if you get a few extra benefits from almonds, sweet potatoes and avocado, so be it. Happy Valentine’s Day, my lovelies! Don’t forget to tag me when you post anything you make from my site, my classes or my cookbooks. I love sharing all your creations with my community!
You can shop the tools I used for this recipe by clicking on the images below:
- 5-6 ounces unpeeled RAW sweet potato, any variety, cut into large chunks
- ¾ cup raw or roasted creamy almond butter or cashew butter (tahini would probably work here)
- 1 large egg ( a flax or chia egg would probably work here)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup pure maple syrup or date syrup
- ¼ cup avocado (about ½ of a small avocado) or ¼ cup melted unrefined coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 ½ Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 inch pan with coconut oil and line with unbleached parchment paper, leaving a tab on either side for easy removal.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process sweet potato until very small, like rice. You want to press "on" or "start," not just pulse it. The smaller, the better. You should have 1 cup of riced sweet potato. If you have a smidge more, that’s ok. Add in all remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until set, but still soft in the center. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days and then stored covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
I prefer these brownies with fresh avocado over oil, but both work great.
34 Comments
Hi Pamala! Happy Holidaus! Thank you for being a light during these dark times. Can I use some zucchini in this recipe or add some sweet potato to the zucchini cake recipe?!
I haven’t tried it but I wouldn’t add either. I would swap in an equal amount if I were going to try that.
Thank you!
Hi Pamela
I was meaning to try this recipe but do not have almond butter. Can I use fresh ground peanut butter instead? Its not creamy
Yes. It will taste like peanut butter and you may notice a mouthfeel of the chunky bits of peanut butter, but otherwise it will work.
OMG! I will definitely be making these again and often. Everybody loved them!! You can’t tell that they’re made with sweet potatoes and not flour. I made this using Japanese sweet potato (Purple skin and white flesh). It was a little dry but so delicious!!! My 98 year old mother is gluten free and on a low sugar diet. She loves chocolate and can’t have it every day. But these brownies are perfect. we shared them with friends (so that we wouldn’t eat the whole pan in two days – HAHA).
Forgot to say that next time I will try them with Southern Sweet potatoes.
Totally! They are a favorite in my house. Glad to hear your grandma will be able to enjoy these.
Recently switched to cleaner eating and this recipe is beyond delicious! Never thought I’d say that I like them better than my go to regular brownie recipe! My new go to brownie! Plus feel great after! Sharing with everyone! Thank you!
This makes me so happy! And I have to agree with you – it’s one of the best blood sugar-stabilizing desserts I have eaten 🙂
can you use a blender instead of a food processor?
Sure! You’ll probably need to chop the sweet potato into smaller pieces to help the blender move things around.
can you use a blender instead of a food processor?
My husband was recently prescribed a low FODMAP diet, and this recipe looks low FODMAP so I’m making it tomorrow. Yay!
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Sure!
Oh my god!! It tastes so delicious . Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this recipe twice now – it’s SO GOOD! I actually halved the recipe (in a 4×4 baking dish, still using 1 egg, baked 30 min) and it came out really well! The middle kind of didn’t fully bake – but it actually gives the brownies a more fudgy center. My new favorite dessert – and as mentioned it totally doesn’t leave you feeling like lead. LOVE your recipes Pamela!
Thank you for sharing, Kathy! When you halve a recipe, you only halve one of the sides. In this case, an 8 x 4 inch loaf would be half an 8 x 8. I’m glad they still turned out well!
OH! That would explain the fudgy center – although I like it that way, haha. Thx Pamela!
These are absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making these again, but may reduce the amount of vanilla – 1.5 tablespoons of vanilla seems like an awful lot – is that supposed to be teaspoons?
I read this recipe quickly and assumed the vanilla extract was teaspoons – it must be because I used that measurement and they came out perfectly! As you spotted, the tablespoons seem like it would be way too much. 🙂
Vanilla pairs nicely with chocolate, but feel free to use less vanilla in the recipe.
I don’t think I’ll ever make regular brownies again! These were absolutely delish, and you would never guess that they are made with healthier alternatives. Can’t wait to make them again!
These are one of my favorites!
i found them really sticky and difficult to cut – did I do something wrong?
Did you allow them to cool enough before cutting into them? I notice it’s easier to cut when they are completely cool.
These were delicious! Not sure how these would last up to 10 days – we have already eaten half of the pan they’re that good!!
Next time will try avocado instead of coconut oil.
(oh and I realize in retrospect that I could have used the parchment in my Breville – it’s new and I was afraid of causing a fire <>)
So great to hear that!
I use parchment paper in my Breville toaster oven all the time and it’s ok as long as the parchment doesn’t touch the heat source.
Worked beautifully! Family adored them. Thank you!!!
That’s so great to hear!
What if we don’t have a food processor? Is there another way to prepare the sweet potato so we can make this recipe?
You need the sweet potato to be ground up into bits. Maybe it’s possible to cut it into pieces and put it in a blender. If the blender doesn’t grind it up, perhaps add a few of the other ingredients to move things along.