With over 150+ positive reviews, these super Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies are a dessert that will quickly become a family favorite. Sweetened with mashed sweet potato and maple syrup, these vegan brownies are a delicious and healthy vegan treat for any time of day!
Because I love vegan brownies so much, I've found healthier ways to enjoy brownies all throughout the day. I often start my day with a bowl of Vegan Brownie Batter Baked Oatmeal or a couple of Tahini Brownie Bites. Then, to end the day, I love to have a Flourless Almond Butter Brownie or one of these incredibly fudgy sweet potato brownies!
With over 150+ positive reviews, I know you guys will quickly fall in love with these vegan sweet potato brownies as well!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe!
- If you have some extra baked sweet potato lying around, this recipe only takes about 10 minutes to prepare
- It's sweetened naturally with only sweet potato and maple syrup.
- These brownies taste even better the longer they chill in the fridge...hello fudge!
- They're sweet enough for dessert and wholesome enough for breakfast.
Ingredients
- Sweet Potato: The next time you bake sweet potato, bake some extra to use for these vegan brownies! You'll want the sweet potato to cool and to remove the skin.
- Almond Butter: Almond butter is a neutral flavored nut butter that adds richness to these brownies. I also use almond butter in my Vegan Date Brownies!
- Coconut Flour: You may not have this ingredient on hand, but you should be able to find it at any local grocery store!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
Good news is that if you don't have all of these ingredients on hand, I (and my blog readers) have all found this recipe to be fairly forgiving / flexible.
- Almond Butter- really any other kind of nut or seed butter should work fine. I personally love using peanut butter as it's inexpensive and I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter! But if you can't eat nuts, try tahini or sunflower seed butter or make my Vegan Tahini Brownies!
- Sweet Potato - yes, you can actually replace the main ingredient in this recipe. I've made these brownies with mashed banana instead of sweet potato and they still turned out fine. You'll just need to increase the amount of coconut flour to ½ cup as mashed banana is a little more liquid-y than sweet potato.
- Coconut Oil - melted vegan butter or another kind of neutral oil should work if you don't have coconut oil on hand. I like coconut oil best, however, because it hardens once chilled so it turns these brownies into fudge if you store them in the fridge.
- Coconut Flour - I haven't tried this personally, but some readers have commented that almond flour worked instead of the coconut flour.
- Dark Chocolate - I love to use a dairy-free chocolate bar and chop it up into chocolate chunks, but you can also just use vegan chocolate chips. Really any kind of mix-in would work! Try chopped nuts, dried fruit, or a combination of all of them for tons of texture!
How to Make Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies
Below is an overview of the baking process with photos. Detailed instructions are in the recipe card.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175 °C and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Set it aside.
Step 2: To start, you'll need to bake some sweet potatoes in the oven until soft and gooey on the inside. Remove the skins and mash them in a bowl, setting aside 1 cups worth for this brownie recipe.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed sweet potato, maple syrup, almond butter, coconut oil and vanilla in a bowl and stir until smooth.
Step 4: Add in the remaining dry ingredients, including cocoa powder, coconut flour, sea salt and chocolate chips or chunks. Stir everything together until a uniform batter forms.
Step 5: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Bake the brownies for 25-28 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Expert Tips
- Whenever I'm taking the time and electricity to bake sweet potatoes, I always baked a few extra so I can make a batch (or two!) of these brownies. That way when the craving hits, I don't have to start by taking an hour to bake the potatoes.
- This is a great recipe if you need a vegan, soy and gluten-free dessert to share with friends!
- Don't eat these brownies right out of the oven! Allow them to cool completely and then store them in the fridge overnight. As they chill, the coconut oil solidifies and turns these brownies into the fudgiest vegan brownies you'll ever eat!
Recipe FAQs
These brownies are vegan! There are no eggs in this recipe as coconut oil and sweet potatoes help to bind everything together. There is also no milk.
This recipe is gluten-free! The only flour used is coconut flour, which is naturally gluten-free.
These sweet potatoes don't taste like sweet potatoes. Instead, they taste like rich, decadent fudge!
When stored in an airtight container in the fridge, these brownies should last for at least 1 week, possibly up to two. Alternatively, you can even freeze them for up to 3 months.
Chill these brownies in the fridge overnight at the coconut oil will harden, turning these sweet potatoes into fudge!
More Brownie Recipes You'll Love
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
📖 Recipe
Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies (Vegan and GF!)
Equipment
- Amazon Basics Nonstick Baking Bread Loaf Pan, 9.5 x 5 Inch, Set of 2
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup almond butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- Pinch sea salt
- ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips ~50 grams
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the sweet potato, maple syrup, almond butter, coconut oil and vanilla until smooth.
- Next mix in the cocoa powder, coconut flour and sea salt until a uniform batter form.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and press down the batter until level.
- Bake the brownies for 25-28 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the brownies to cool in the loaf pan before using the parchment paper to carefully remove the brownies from the pan and cut them into squares.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a few days.
Gail Hackelberg says
These brownies are amazing! I make them almost daily. Well, weekly anyway. I double the batch, and I add one egg. The egg gives them a tad bit of structure without loosing the fudge like texture. I also replace the maple syrup with 1-2 scoops of PureMonk. Thank you for this recipe. I can’t remember what life was like before, they are a staple in my diet!!
Faith VanderMolen says
Thank makes me so happy to hear! I forget about them sometimes, but need to make another batch asap!
Jennifer says
I have had this recipe saved for a while and finally made them tonight. Oh my goodness!! These are so delicious and fudgy. I am beyond happy with this recipe and how these came out. Thank you so much for this! Brownies are my favorite, but I have developed a gluten and dairy intolerance. I don’t even feel like I’m settling for fake brownies with these.
Faith VanderMolen says
So so happy you loved this recipe! Thanks so much for letting me know and for rating the recipe!
Alx says
Hi
These look so good, do you have the measurements in grams too please?
Thank you.
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi! Unfortunately I don't have the measurements in grams at the moment, but we are in the process of switching over our recipe cards so that grams and cups will be available. Stay tuned!
Eleni says
There are of the best brownies Ive had so far! Can't stop making them😋
Faith VanderMolen says
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing!
Skye McManus says
Hello! I’ve made these several times without oil. For all asking about the oil thing: I subbed applesauce —-and it still seemed a little dry so I added maybe two or 3 tablespoons of plant milk.. i’m sure these are not quite as “fudgy” as with oil, but they are quite delicious- texture is just a bit dry- but it still stays together as a brownie - and is super yummy!!-
Jan Ahmed says
I'm thinking about making these, but had a couple of questions. I'd like to sub unsweetened applesauce for the oil and homemade date syrup for the maple syrup. Would this make the consistency too liquid-like?
I'd also like them to be chocolatey, but am looking for cocoa subs that don't contain sugar. suggestions? Trying to go as WFPB as possible.
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Jan! Thanks for your comment. I know people have subbed the maple syrup for other sweeteners but omitting the oil would definitely change the consistency. The oil helps to make the brownies super fudgy when they cool so I don't know how using applesauce would go! And for the cocoa, I just use unsweetened cocoa and you could omit the chocolate chips if you want. If you try out the applesauce and date syrup combo, let us know how they turn out!
Jen in Boston says
So I know I am late to the game, but I love this recipe! I am trying to reduce sugar and eat more plant based, and this was just the ticket. Made two batches: sweet potato with peanut butter for the nut butter- absolutely fudge and delish. Then made banana with sun butter for the nut butter- took longer to bake but is epically good. TBH used two bananas and a ripe pear (what I had on hand!) and they turned out soooo good. Thanks for the encouragement!
Faith VanderMolen says
I'm so glad you joined the family and that you enjoyed these brownies Jen! Thanks for sharing! Now I need to go make a batch 🙂
Beth says
Followed the recipie exactly, but over 1hr in the oven and it's still complete sludge? Yummy, but would prefer it sliceable.
Faith VanderMolen says
That's so strange Beth! I haven't seen anyone have that issue. If you followed the recipe exactly, I honestly don't know what happened except for maybe the oven temperature wasn't on/correct on accident? Sorry that they didn't work out for you!
Claire says
I had exactly the same issue, following the recipe exactly. We are at 30 mins and the brownies are no closer to being a solid, not really sure what to do to salvage.
Faith VanderMolen says
Sorry these didn't work out for you! Some sweet potatoes are super moist on the inside and others are more dry. I hope you were still able to enjoy them after they chilled.
Catherine says
These brownies are delicious! So rich and fudgy. My husband, who’s not a chocolate lover, said “I don’t remember brownies tasting so good”.
Faith VanderMolen says
Wow! Now that's a complement! Thanks so much for sharing Catherine. I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed them:)
Kellie Barnes says
I came across your recipe after a friend suggested making brownies with sweet potatoes. I made using your recipe with only one alternate item. I used almond flour instead of the coconut flour. The taste was amazing! The consistency didn’t turn out as expected… a little more like pudding than brownies. Maybe it was the flour. All in all, I was very pleased. They are so delicious!! Thank you for the recipe!
Faith VanderMolen says
Yes, coconut flour and almond flour--while both gluten free--act very differently in baking. I highly recommend trying these again using coconut flour as they're some of my favorite healthy brownies!
Fallon Marie says
These are super tasty I’m definitely saving the recipe. I was not a big fan of them when I first tried them 30 minutes after they came out of the oven. The next day after I tried one after it sat in the fridge overnight though... wow. I just now noticed a few people in the reviews said the same thing. I think it allows the coconut flour to absorb more of the liquid. At first it has a bit of a gritty texture.
I think next time I will try using canned pumpkin just because I found it a bit of a hassle to cook and mash my own sweet potato but that’s just the lazy chef in me talking.
Thank you so much for this recipe.
Faith VanderMolen says
Yes! I need to write that in the post somewhere as I love these brownies so much more after they've sat in the fridge for a day or two. I'm glad you gave them another shot the next day. Enjoy!
Jessica says
Has anyone tried this ommiting the oil?? I found it to be such a strong taste.
Or even substituting with applesauce?
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Jessica! Have you tried using refined coconut oil? The coconut flavor isn't as strong in that. Otherwise I haven't tried it without the oil, but I know others have used different oils with success. But yes, you could try substituting apple sauce or more nut butter. I haven't tried that before, but that would be my first suggestion if you're trying to go completely oil free!
Marge says
I've made muffins with sweet potatoes twice and both times subbed 1/2C oil with 1/2C DIY unsweetened applesauce, so I know that'll work great with this recipe, too. When I make this recipe (soon), I'll review it and include my tweaks.
Faith VanderMolen says
Yes please let us know how they turn out for you! Thanks for sharing!
Kassandra Cervoni says
Hey! I was wondering if leftovers can be frozen?
Thanks!
Marge Teilhaber says
How about subbing 2 eggs for the coconut oil?
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Marge! I don't think that substitution would work well. I'm thinking 2 eggs would be too much liquid and change the consistency of the brownies a lot...perhaps make them fluffy. Apple sauce or mashed banana could possibly work!