Sweet Potato Brownies
I think it’s about time that pumpkin had some competition around here. Also, if the proliferation of Halloween candy at your house looks anything like it does at mine, a healthy dessert alternative like these Sweet Potato Brownies is a wise addition to the pantry.
Easy, ultra chocolaty, and clean-eating approved, these thick and chewy Sweet Potato Brownies are just about the only thing preventing me from pairing a plate of Butterfingers with my coffee right now. They are dense and fudgy and fully satisfy my chocolate craving, but since they are whole wheat and refined-sugar free, I can eat them without having that nagging “oooooohhh I maybe shouldn’t have done that” feeling afterwards.
Also, these Sweet Potato Brownies DO NOT TASTE LIKE SWEET POTATOES. I feel like I should tell you this right away. Sweet potatoes = mega brownie moisture and natural sweetness. Sweet potatoes ≠ brownies that taste like veggies. Cross my heart, hope to die, and promise you my secret stash of chocolate chips that they do not.
Healthfully satisfying sweet cravings (especially ones of the chocolate nature) are A Big Important Deal, because chocolate needs are real needs. Also, I have a giant pile of shiny, unopened Three Musketeers hanging out in my entrance hall right now, and I feel a dark, universal force pulling me towards them.
I don’t even LIKE Three Musketeers that much. They are just sort of there, and I just sort of want to eat them. Does this happen to you?
If you were to swing by our house today, I could promise you a small gas station’s supply of leftover candy and a Sweet Potato Brownie to balance it out. Our neighborhood trick-or-treat happened over the weekend, and I wayyyyy overbought. We’re swimming in Hershey’s here friends. Send milk!
The fact that some neighborhoods hold their trick-or-treats early surprised me the first year we moved into our house. Growing up, we always trick-or-treated ON Halloween night, even if it fell on a school night. It was an evening when kids ruled, grown ups battled sugar highs, and teachers were tempted to call in sick the next morning. My sisters and I would stay up late into the night, counting our haul to see who’d scored the most candy pieces, then elaborately barter until no more trades could be made. It was a fine example of the free market at work.
These days, I’d happily swap 99% of the candy out there for a sweet potato brownie (that important remaining 1% is for dark chocolate and Almond Joy).
Since these Sweet Potato Brownies are refined sugar free, whole wheat, and contain only a scant two tablespoons of coconut oil, I cannot in good conscience promise you that they are dead ringers for the ultra buttery, sugary ones you’ll find in bakeries. You’ll need to bake my One Bowl Brownies for that.
I can, however, pinky promise (which we all know is even better than a regular promise) that these Sweet Potato Brownies are rich, fudgy, and chockablock with chocolate. Forget the tricks—today, it’s all treats!
Tools I used to make this recipe:
- 8×8-inch baking pan
- Precut parchment paper sheets (SO easy and worth it!)
Sweet Potato Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes — about 8 to 10 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder — I recommend aluminum free
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips — or chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper so that you have some overhanging the sides, then lightly coat with baking spray. Set aside.
- Place the sweet potatoes in the microwave and cook on high for 7 to 10 minutes or until completely softened. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out 2 cups of the flesh and discard the skin. Place in a larger mixing bowl, then beat until mashed and fairly smooth. Beat in the melted coconut oil (or butter) until combined, then beat in the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the white whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix gently, just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely. (The brownies taste better the longer they sit). Gently lift the brownies out of the pan onto a wire rack. Slice and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Store leftover Sweet Potato Brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days or freeze for 2 months.
- I enjoyed my brownies best either right out of the refrigerator or warmed in the microwave.
Nutrition Information
Amount per serving (1 g) — Calories: 134, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 42mg, Carbohydrates: 24g, Fiber: 3gDid you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!
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I still can’t believe there’s HEALTHY brownies. Or at least those that you can eat without feeling guilty afterwards. Looks so good, I looooove gooey brownies :P And I can imagine you must be devastated to have all that candy leftover, haha!
I love brownies too Vivian. and LOL on the leftovers. Finally sent some to the office with Ben!
My husband can have a little treat if it is made with wheat flour. Thank you for the pie crust recipe. Will it work without adding wheat gluten. One son is gluten free.
Hi Sally! Are you referencing my whole wheat pie crust? That doesn’t actually contain vital wheat gluten, though some of my bread recipes do. If your son is gluten free, you’ll need to avoid any recipe that has flour, including these sweet potato brownies. You could try swapping a 1:1 All Purpose Flour Baking Blend for the wheat flour. I haven’t done this myself so I can’t guarantee the results, but it might at least give you a place to start. This is one I’ve used and liked in the past.
These look so fudgy and rich! Love it!
Hi Erin,
I don’t have white whole wheat flour…can reguar whole wheat be used instead? Or would I just use white flour?
Is there a measurement difference?
looks yummy!
Wanda, you can definitely use regular whole wheat flour, but it will have a more pronounced “wheat-y” taste and the brownies will be more dense. If you don’t want to purchase white whole wheat flour, I would first recommend doing a 50/50 blend of all purpose flour and regular wheat flour. No measurement difference!
I’m so going to try this since my hubby is crazy for sweet potatoes. And I’m totally with you on the Three Musketeer Sentiment.
I hope you both love this recipe Susan! And WHAT IS IT about those Three Musketeers??
Sweet potatoes come in lots of shapes and sizes. Can you please give me an idea by weight (grams or ounces) or cups as to the quantity needed? Thanks!
USDA says that a large baked sweet potato is 180g ( 6.34ozs) and has 37g of carbs.
Hi Paul and Carol! The large sweet potatoes I see are actually larger—about 8 or so ounces. You need 2 cups mashed in the end, so you can always go bigger, then save any extra you have for a quick side or mix it into a smoothie.
Hi Erin: forgive my ignorance but sweet potatoes are the same as yams?
Not an ignorant question at all! Yams are actually drier and starchier than sweet potatoes. Here’s an article that gives lots of helpful info: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-yams-and-sweet-potatoes-word-of-mouth-211176.
Do you think you could use coconut flour with this recipe. I don’t have an aversion to whole wheat flour, I just have coconut flour in my pantry and wouldn’t have to buy an additional type of flour.
Hi Cheryl! I would actually not recommend this substitution. Coconut flour is VERY dry and won’t act like wheat flour in the recipe. I’m afraid the bars would turn out very dry and crumbly. I know that’s not the answer you were hoping for, but I want these to turn out for you!
No, it’s exactly the answer I was looking for. If it won’t work then I’d rather know about it prior to going through all the effort and then finding out. I’ll try to pick up some wheat flour next time I’m at the story and give these a whirl.
Thanks for the reply.
THESE PHOTOS THOUGH. MACRO?
YES!! Macro + I’m standing on a table about to bite it, lol. I just got a new 50 too. You need to come check it out :)
These were really good. They were so fudgey and my 4 year old even loved them. I just started following you on instagram and I really enjoy your approach to cooking! In just one week you have posted two recipes that were reasonably simple and delicious and worked well for my family. I plan on making the chilli tomorrow.
Jessi, I am smiling from ear to ear reading this. THANK YOU! I am so happy that you and your little one both enjoyed these brownies and the other recipes too. I hope you love the chili just as much!
Hi Erin! Thanks so much for this recipe :)
I was wondering out of interest whether it is possible to leave out the maple syrup, or if there is an alternative?
Cheers!
Hi Ellen! You can swap honey (though it will have a different flavor profile) or experiment with light agave. Some sweetener is needed though, both for moisture and for flavor. I hope that helps!
mine look great! they look a lot darker than the ones in your picture. Won’t try them until Friday night. Taking them to family dinner. Very excited because I made them with my sweet potatoes from our local urban farm CSA share. Can’t wait to try them!
Amy, it might just be the lighting or the brand of chocolate we each used. I hope you LOVE yours. Thanks for trying the recipe!
These look HEAVENLY! Can’t wait to give these a try :)
My mom made these healthy brownies as a way to get my son, a picky eater to get more veggies. My son said these brownies are not good; they are the best brownies in the world. He ate five small brownies the first day and basically wanted to eat all the brownies. Thank you for the recipe.
Awesome, Sarah! I’m so glad to your son loved them…what a great endorsement! Thanks for leaving such a nice review!
When I put the sweet potatoes in the microwave do I add water or how do I do this part?
Hi Joelle! I simply microwaved mine on a plate, nothing added. I hope that you love the recipe!
I was desperate for a sweet potato recipe without dates when I finally found your recipe! Now I am so looking forward to baking them. But I have a problem with the cups because we don’t measure with cups in Germany… Do you possibly know what one of your cups is in tablespoons? Or in any other measurement? That would be fantastic! Thank you for your recipe! Have a nice Christmas holiday!
Hi Erie, 1 cup is 16 tablespoons. I’d suggest searching online for metric conversions, as that might be helpful as well! I hope you love these. Wishing you a nice holiday too!
Thanks for putting the nutrition, but how many slices do you cut the pan into? Wondering how large those 134 calorie brownies are so I can cut the right size.
Hi Crystina! If you look at the recipe yield, you’ll see it’s 16 brownies. That’s how many slices I cut the pan into. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can you use can yams instead of the sweet potato
Theresa
Hi Theresa, I’ve never tried it that way, but if the canned yams are unsweetened, that may work!
What an awesome recipe!!! What is the serving size? 60g?
Hi Rebecca, I cut the 8×8 pan of brownies into 16 squares. The serving size listed is for 1 square, but unfortunately I don’t have a precise weight measurement for it!
Made these not hard to make at all. Did not look like picture and yours looks like it has icing. There was no instruction on putting chips on top…oh well ?
Hi Roger, I’m glad you found these easy to make! There’s no icing on top, but I did add chocolate chips on top for presentation purposes for the photos. When I bake them and am not taking photos, I skip that step, since it’s just for at-home enjoyment. I apologize if you were disappointed with appearances, but I hope they still tasted wonderful!
Would it possible to swap stevia for the maple syrup?
Hi Aimee, I would not recommend that swap as maple syrup is important to the recipe and stevia is quite different and tastes different too. I know that’s probably not the answer you were hoping to hear, but I want to make sure the recipe comes out for you if you do decide to give it a try!
I have some canned sweet potato puree in the cupboard (I use it often to make sweet potato biscuits. I’m in the South. LOL). Anyway, wondering if that would work instead of fresh sweet potatoes and how much?
Hi Lisa, I haven’t tried the recipe that way, but I think you could experiment as long as the puree doesn’t have added sugar already. The recipe uses about 2 cups mashed sweet potato. If you do decide to try, I’d love to hear how it comes out.
I tried it with 2 c pureed sweet potatoes (which is the exact same consistency and look of pumpkin) and they worked perfectly. Thank you!
Awesome! Thanks for reporting back, Lisa!
is it possible to swap out the wheat flour with oat flour and the maple syrup with agave?
Hi Gina, I have not tried swapping the flour for anything else, so you’d be experimenting. I think the agave substitution should work fine! I hope you enjoy!
These look fabulous, I want to try them! If I don’t have a stand mixer, do you think it’d be possible to mix things by hand, or should I wait til I can swing by my mom’s and borrow hers? :)
Hi Jessi, I think a hand mixer would work fine for this recipe! I hope you love them!
I ended up making these at my parents’ anyway, for an Easter dessert! They are a big hit, so fudge-y! We used butter instead of coconut oil, and since it was a double batch, made it in a bigger pan for 40 minutes total. Thank you so much for this recipe, I’ll definitely make it again! :D
YAY Jessi, I’m so glad to hear the brownies were a hit! Thanks so much for taking the time to report back. :)
I guess I need to leave a new comment for a rating!
Hi! I am looking forward to making this recipe! I am curious though, why white whole wheat flour rather than regular? I have regular in my pantry – will there be a big difference in outcome?
Erika, white whole wheat flour offers the same nutritional benefits as regular whole wheat flour, but is much less dense in texture and strong in flavor. For this reason, I prefer it in dessert-type baked goods, as you can’t taste the strong “grain” flavor (which I love in a loaf of bread but not in desserts). It’s also a little less dry so it keeps baked goods from drying out. If you want to use regular whole wheat flour, I’d substitute the amount called for in the recipe for a 50/50 blend of regular whole wheat flour and all purpose flour to lightened it up.
Gotcha. Thank you!
Wow. It looks delicious. I love sweet potato brownies. So, I will try to make it. Your recipe will help me. Thanks for sharing.