Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies
Try oil-free vegan sweet potato brownies for a healthier twist on this classic dessert! Infused with the natural sweetness and velvety texture of sweet potatoes, these brownies are ultra-moist, fudgy, and decadent. Plus, they’re made with just 7 ingredients and come together in 1 bowl!
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Naturally sweetened: The combination of sweet potatoes and maple syrup provides a natural sweetness that’s pretty hard to resist.
- Rich & fudgy: Thanks to sweet potatoes and nut butter, these oil-free and healthier-for-you brownies have a perfectly moist and fudgy texture.
- Easy to make: We’re all about fewer ingredients and dishes, and this 7-ingredient, 1-bowl recipe brings a whole new meaning to “easy breezy!”
- Customizable: Feel free to add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or a drizzle of extra nut butter on top to tailor these brownies to your taste.
If you’re a fan of chocolatey desserts, you’ll also love our classic vegan brownies, edible brownie batter, chocolate gluten-free mug cake, and vegan chocolate recipe.
🍠 Fudgy sweet potato brownies
If you’re on the hunt for a guilt-free treat, these vegan sweet potato brownies are everything you need and more! They merge healthier ingredients with a traditionally rich and very indulgent dessert.
And don’t be afraid of including vegetables in your baking! The addition of sweet potatoes makes them every bit as fudgy, dense, and slightly chewy as their not-so-healthy counterpart without imparting any flavor.
You just need 7 ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand, 1 bowl, and 40 minutes for a balanced treat that’s decadent enough for dessert but healthy enough for breakfast. What more can you ask for?!
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- Sweet potato purée: The nutrient-dense star of the show, providing moisture and natural sweetness! It’s best to use homemade, but canned sweet potato purée will work in a pinch. We prefer roasting ours to bring out the caramelized notes, but you can also boil or steam them.
- Maple syrup: Adds natural sweetness and moisture. Agave, coconut nectar, or date syrup are also good options.
- Nut butter: Provides richness and binds the ingredients. Some of our favorites include peanut, almond, cashew, or sunflower seed butter. Or, try tahini for some bitter notes to complement the sweetness of these brownies.
- All-purpose flour: Gives structure to the brownies. For a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend like from Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Baking.
- Cocoa powder: For that decadent chocolate flavor. We use either natural cocoa powder or cacao powder to keep the recipe antioxidant-rich, but you can use Dutch-process cocoa powder for an even richer chocolate flavor.
- Baking powder: The leavening agent that helps the brownies rise, which is important since sweet potatoes make them more dense.
- Fine-grain salt: To enhance the chocolate flavors and bring out the sweetness.
- Soy milk: Optional, to adjust the batter consistency if your sweet potatoes are on the drier side. Any plant-based milk will work here.
- Optional toppings: For added chocolatey goodness and texture, we love to add a layer of dark chocolate chips and chopped pecans before baking. Walnuts or almonds are also great choices.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 How to make vegan sweet potato brownies
Step 1: Prepare the sweet potatoes
If you don’t already have sweet potato purée, you’ll need to cook your sweet potatoes. Wash and scrub them before pricking them all over with a fork. Roast the whole potatoes at 400F until fork-tender, then puree them to create a smooth base for your brownies.
Step 2: Mix the batter
Start by blending the sweet potato purée with maple syrup and nut butter. Gently mix in the flour, cocoa powder, and other dry ingredients to form a thick batter.
Depending on how dry or wet your sweet potato purée is, you may need to add some soy milk. If the batter seems too thick, incorporate it, a tablespoon at a time, until it’s spreadable. However, this brownie batter should be on the thicker side.
Step 3: Bake the brownies
Spread the batter in a lined 9×9 baking pan, spreading it out evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with optional dark chocolate chips or chopped nuts before popping the brownies into the oven. Bake them until the center is just set.
Remove the pan from the oven and let your vegan sweet potato brownies cool in the pan before removing and slicing them. Happy eating!
If you have questions about this vegan sweet potato brownies recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🌡️ Storage & reheating
Follow these simple storage and reheating tips to keep your sweet potato brownies fresh:
- Room temperature: You can keep them at room temperature in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 days.
- Fridge: Let the brownies cool, then store them in an airtight container or bag for up to 5-7 days.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or bag. It’s best to wrap each brownie in aluminum foil first to prevent freezer burn.
- Reheating: Thaw and serve your brownies at room temperature or reheat them in the oven at 350F for about 5 minutes for a warm, gooey texture again.
- Prep ahead: The sweet potato purée can be made in advance and stored in the fridge to make your batter prep even quicker.
♻️ Variations
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for gluten-free and vegan sweet potato brownies.
- Nut-free: Replace the nut butter with sunflower seed butter or tahini.
- Double chocolate: Mix extra chocolate chips directly into the batter.
- Protein-packed: Add a scoop of your favorite vegan protein powder in place of some flour.
- Whole wheat: Replace half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for added health benefits.
- Double layered: Top your brownies with a layer of vegan cream cheese frosting from our vegan pumpkin bars.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Fresh sweet potatoes: For the best flavor and texture, we suggest using freshly roasted sweet potatoes over canned purée.
- Don’t overmix: To keep the brownies tender, mix the ingredients just until they’re combined.
- Spread the batter: Ensure the batter is evenly spread in the pan so the brownies bake at the same rate.
- Doneness check: The toothpick test isn’t as accurate with these vegan sweet potato brownies. You’ll know they’re done when the center still looks soft but set.
- Cool completely: Let the brownies cool completely before slicing for clean cuts.
- Clean the knife: Make sure you clean the knife between cuts for the perfect edges.
💬 FAQ
Since the water content can vary between sweet potatoes, you may need to add some plant milk. If your batter is looking dry, add a little soy milk (1 tablespoon at a time) until you reach a thick but spreadable consistency.
If your brownies aren’t holding together, you likely didn’t give them enough time to cool. Let them cool in the pan for around 30-45 minutes before removing and slicing them.
Absolutely! You can mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher or ricer, though the texture might be slightly more chunky.
🍴 More chocolatey vegan desserts
If you enjoyed these vegan sweet potato brownies, check out some more of our favorite chocolate-forward desserts:
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies: Soft, tender, and moist cookies flavored with pumpkin purée.
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies: Chewy cookies studded with vegan chocolate chips.
- Vegan Chocolate Muffins: Rich, indulgent, and loaded with chocolate.
- Chocolate Chip Mug Cake: A single-serving dessert made in minutes.
7-Ingredient Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies
Equipment
- Food processor
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl
- 9×9 baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sweet potato purée (about 3 small-medium potatoes)
- ⅔ cup maple syrup (or agave)
- ¾ cup nut butter of choice (peanut, cashew, almond, etc.)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine-grain salt
- ¼ cup soy milk (optional if needed)
Toppings optional
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Sweet potatoes
- If you don’t already have sweet potato purée, wash and scrub the potatoes and then prick them all over with a fork. Roast the whole potatoes at 400°F for 30-35 minutes until fork-tender (the total time depends on the size of the potatoes).
- When they’re cool enough to handle, peel them and process the flesh in a food processor or mash them by hand with a potato masher or ricer until smooth to make 1 ½ cups of purée (we used 3 small potatoes).
Brownie batter
- Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and grease the bottom and sides of a 9×9 baking pan with oil or cooking spray. Then, line it with parchment paper so both sides overhang to make removal easier.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweet potato purée, maple syrup, and nut butter. Stir together until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and fine-grain salt to the wet mixture. Stir the batter until it’s just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Depending on how dry or wet your sweet potatoes are, you may need to add some soy milk. If the batter seems too thick, mix in up to ¼ cup, adding 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s spreadable. Note: This brownie batter should be on the thicker side though.
Bake
- Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared baking pan. Use the spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top with optional chocolate chips and chopped pecans.
- Bake the brownies for 30-35 minutes until the center is soft but set. Remove the pan from the oven and let your vegan sweet potato brownies cool in the pan for 30-45 minutes before removing and slicing them. Happy eating!
Video
Notes
- Fresh sweet potatoes: For the best flavor and texture, we suggest using freshly roasted sweet potatoes over canned purée.
- Don’t overmix: To keep the brownies tender, mix the ingredients just until they’re combined.
- Spread the batter: Ensure the batter is evenly spread in the pan so the brownies bake at the same rate.
- Doneness check: The toothpick test isn’t as accurate with these vegan sweet potato brownies. You’ll know they’re done when the center still looks soft but set.
- Cool completely: Let the brownies cool completely before slicing for clean cuts.
- Clean the knife: Make sure you clean the knife between cuts for the perfect edges.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate and should not be taken as health advice.
Nutrition
Justine Drosdovech is a food writer, photographer, and one of the founders of Broke Bank Vegan. She is a self-taught plant-based chef but uses her healthcare background to craft dishes that are both delicious and nourishing.