Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies

Name: Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2 medium sweet potatoes (or 2 cups sweet potato puree *see Notes); ¼ cup melted coconut oil (butter, or ghee); 2 large eggs; 10 tablespoons maple syrup (½ cup plus 2 tablespoons); 1 cup oat flour; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional); ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon sea salt; ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sweet potato brownies are a fudgy, chocolaty treat that's better for you than regular brownies! This recipe is easy to make for a healthier chocolate dessert that tastes fantastic!

Table of Contents

If you’re looking for a healthier dessert that tastes like the real thing, then this sweet potato brownies recipe is perfect for you!

This treat is so chocolatey and fudgy that no one will guess that it's healthier than traditional brownies!

The best part is, you really won't taste the potatoes - the chocolate flavor overpowers it!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Delicious: Naturally sweet, warm, and fudgy. Serve these brownies warm with a scoop of frozen yogurt!
Easy: Brownies are hands down one of the easiest desserts to make. Mix, bake, and eat! Simple as that.
Healthier: Obviously we love real deal desserts (like these Fudge Brownies), but sometimes it's nice to have a lightened up treat!

sweet potato brownies cut and placed next to eachother

Brownies truly are the best dessert! Who doesn't love a treat that's loaded with chocolate?! Try my recipes for Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownies, S’mores Brownies, or M&M Brownies Recipe.

If you love lemon desserts, you might also want to make some Lemon Brownies!

Ingredients

See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️

Here's what you'll need to make this sweet potato brownie recipe:

sweet potatoes: If possible, use Japanese sweet potatoes. They are sweeter than those grown in the U.S., so they're best for making sweet potato desserts.
coconut oil:
large eggs:
maple syrup: Pure maple syrup adds a healthy sweetness, and its flavor is great paired with sweet potatoes. Use high quality (grade A or B) maple syrup, not pancake syrup, which is essentially flavored high fructose corn syrup.
oat flour: If you don't have oat flour, you can easily make oat flour from old fashioned/rolled oats.
vanilla extract
unsweetened cocoa powder
leaveners: For this recipe, you'll need both baking soda and baking powder. If you haven't used them in a while, it's best to test them for freshness before using.
semi-sweet chocolate chips

📖 Time-Saving Tip - Testing Baking Soda or Baking Powder for Freshness

This simple little test can save you time and money, because if your leavener is expired, whatever you're baking wont rise in the oven! This test works for baking soda and baking powder:

Add about ½ teaspoon of baking soda or powder to a small bowl. Stir in an equal amount of an acidic ingredient, like vinegar or citrus juice.
If the solution doesn't start to bubble immediately, it's time to replace your leavener.

Small bowls with oat flour, mashed sweet potatoes, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, maple syrup, baking soda, baking powder, and coconut oil.

Substitutions and Recipe Variations

sweet potatoes: If fresh sweet potatoes aren’t available, you can substitute with 2 cups canned sweet potato puree instead. One pound of canned sweet potato puree is equal to 2 cups of fresh sweet potatoes. Be sure to use unsweetened puree.
coconut oil: You can substitute melted coconut oil with melted butter or olive oil.
egg: I haven't tested any egg substitutes with this recipe. If you want to do some testing on your own, feel free! For tips and suggestions, read my article, Egg Substitutions for Baking.
maple syrup: Natural sweeteners that work well in this recipe as a substitute for maple syrup are honey and agave syrup.
vanilla extract: You can substitute vanilla extract with almond extract or vanilla essence (an alcohol-free flavoring extract).
leaveners: To create fudgy sweet potato brownies, both baking soda and baking powder are used. If you are out of baking powder, you can use baking soda as a substitute for baking powder. Just mix ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to replace 1 teaspoon of baking powder
oat flour: Using oat flour makes this treat naturally gluten-free. Feel free to substitute the oat flour with a cup-for-cup brand of gluten-free all-purpose flour or superfine almond flour.
chocolate chips: Semi-sweet, milk, or bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks will work with this recipe. White chocolate chips will also work.

How to Make Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies

Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️

Sweet potato brownie batter in a large white mixing bowl.

Make the brownie batter while the oven is preheating to 350°F.

Sweet potato brownie batter in a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Spread batter into a parchment-lined baking pan.

Pan of freshly baked sweet potato chocolate brownies.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove your dessert from the oven when a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Chocolate dessert bars cut into squares on a sheet of white parchment paper.

Let the brownies cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Liz's Tips for the Best Brownies

If possible, use Japanese sweet potatoes. The Japanese variation of sweet potatoes is sweeter than most sweet potato varieties in the U.S., making them an ideal ingredient for making desserts. Their texture is drier, firmer, and starchier too.
Feel free to use air fried or baked sweet potatoes instead of microwaving them.
Be sure to line the baking pan with parchment to prevent the brownies from sticking. For easier removal, leave some parchment hanging over the sides of the baking pan.

A plate piled high with sweet potato brownies.

Storing and Freezing

Storing: These brownies are best when kept in the refrigerator. Because they're so moist, they tend to mold pretty quickly at room temperature. You can store them for up to a week in the fridge, or up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Freezing: You can also freeze sweet potato brownies for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw completely before enjoying.

To freeze, place cooled brownies on a baking sheet in the freezer for 2 hours. Let them harden. Once hard, place in an airtight container separated by parchment paper to avoid them freezing to each other.

12 brownie squares on a piece of parchment paper with chocolate chips scattered around them.

Sweet Potato Brownie Recipe FAQ

Is it better to bake or boil sweet potatoes?

If you want to retain most of the antioxidant powers of sweet potatoes, boiling is the way to go. However, roasting a sweet potato will bring help break down the starch into simple sugars making them sweeter than boiled sweet potatoes.

How long should I cook sweet potatoes for?

For a quickly cooked sweet potato, microwave on high for 7-10 minutes or until soft. Allow them to cool before scooping out the potato. Boil sweet potatoes for 15-20 minutes until tender. Roasting a sweet potato at 425 should take roughly 40-50 minutes for it to become fork-tender.

Other Chocolate Desserts to Make