Fudgy, moist, and decadent vegan sweet potato brownies topped with creamy chocolate frosting and sliced almonds. No eggs, no dairy, no gluten, but definitely full of flavors.
Sweet potato is such an amazing vegetable. You can enjoy it in so many ways. We love them as Sweet Potato Gnocchis or in our Vegan Mac and Cheese, but we also love them in our Vegan Chocolate Pudding. Yes, you heard it right. We even use this recipe for the chocolate frosting of this brownie. 🙂
It is especially fun to hide veggies in desserts. We have some surprising recipes using red lentils like our Crispy Vegan Waffles or our Fluffy Vegan Pancakes recipes.
⇒ If you like this recipe, subscribe to get the next recipe right into your inbox. ⇐
Ingredients of vegan sweet potato brownies
Sweet potato brownies are a somewhat healthier alternative to regular brownies. Well, there is a veggie in it, so it can be justified, right? 😉 Right. This healthy-ish, vegan, and gluten-free sweet potato brownie recipe has 9 ingredients:
- sweet potato puree (our homemade baked purple sweet potato puree recipe)
- dairy-free milk (our homemade cashew milk recipe)
- nut butter
- oat flour
- brown rice flour
- ground almonds
- cane sugar
- cocoa powder
- baking powder
In this recipe, I used the puree of a baked purple sweet potato. You will find step photos for ‘How to bake a purple sweet potato?‘ in our Vegan Chocolate Pudding recipe. Surprise! The main ingredient of the chocolate frosting we will use is also a baked purple sweet potato. Tada! Veggies are everywhere.
Why do we call it healthy sweet potato brownie?
Sweet potato is highly nutritious. We love to work with it for the following reasons:
- It gives extra sweetness to any dish…
- …not to mention it has a lovely, candied chestnutty flavor.
- It is extremely high in Vitamin A (beta-carotene).
- The purple-colored sweet potato contains the most antioxidants among all sweet potatoes.
If you would like to read more about nutrition, here is an article about the health benefits of sweet potato on Healthline.
How to make vegan sweet potato brownies?
For this recipe, I used homemade purple sweet potato puree, where I baked the sweet potato and used the soft mashed puree as the main ingredient. It is easier than you think. You will find step photos for ‘How to bake a purple sweet potato?‘ in our Vegan Chocolate Pudding recipe.
Okay, let’s start.
First, add sweet potato puree, dairy-free milk, peanut butter, and vanilla extract to your blender or food processor and blend until smooth (photos #1-4). For one batch I usually use only a small bowl and my hand blender.
In a separate bowl, mix oat flour, brown rice flour, ground almonds, cane sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder with a spatula (photos #1-2). Now, add the wet ingredients (photo #3) and mix them thoroughly (photo #4).
Bake your brownies in an oven-safe pan on 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celcius) for about 30 minutes. It should have a nice, hard crust on the top and should be fudgy and moist inside.
Vegan Chocolate Frosting
We have this amazing 5-ingredient sweet potato-based chocolate frosting we usually use to top these fudgy vegan sweet potato brownies. Both for the frosting and for the brownies we bake the sweet potato from scratch, so it is easier to make a larger batch. For 1-min video, step photos and other top tips, visit our Vegan Chocolate Pudding recipe.
FAQ and Substitutions
Can I use orange sweet potato instead of purple?
Yes, of course. You’re welcome to use baked orange sweet potato puree.
Can I use canned sweet potato puree?
I baked the purple sweet potato from scratch and I haven’t tested this recipe with canned sweet potato. Please do let me know in the comments if you try it. I’d love to know.
Can I use all-purpose flour?
We eat gluten-free so I have never tested this recipe with any type of wheat flour. If you do, please let us know in the comments.
Can this recipe be made nut-free?
Yes, you can use oat flour instead of ground almonds, and regular dairy-free butter (margarine) instead of peanut butter. I tried them with these substitutions and the outcome is as delicious as the original one.
Can I use different sweetener to make it low-carb?
Sure you can, although I only tested this recipe with cane sugar and coconut sugar (the same amount is needed). Therefore, I am not familiar with the measurements for other sweeteners like stevia or erythritol. If you do, please let us know in the comments.
This Sweet Potato Brownie recipe is vegan, so dairy-free and egg-free. It is also suitable for WFPB, vegetarian, and gluten-free diets.
⇒ If you like this recipe, subscribe to get the next recipe right into your inbox. ⇐
More recipes
You can browse through our Vegan and Gluten-free Dessert Recipes or check out
- Chia Seed Pudding with Coconut Milk
- Vegan Baileys
- Sweet Millet Balls with Mixed Berries Sauce
- Vegan Snickers Cake
- Chocolate Peach Galette
Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies
Equipment
- Blender / food processor / hand blender
Ingredients
Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies - Wet ingredients
- 1 cup Sweet potato puree 200 g (for homemade see instructions below)
- 1 cup Dairy-free milk 2,3 dl
- 2 Tbsp Peanut butter -> list of gluten-free brands
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract optional
Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies - Dry ingredients
- ½ cup Oat flour 80 g
- ½ cup Brown rice flour 90 g
- ½ cup Ground almonds 65 g
- ½ cup Cane sugar 110 g
- 3 Tbsp Cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp Baking powder -> list of gluten-free brands
Instructions
How to make baked sweet potato puree?
- Wash your sweet potato and poke with a couple of times with a fork or a sharp knife. Depending on size, bake them for at least 30 minutes on 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celcius) without oil or any additional seasoning. I like to use a glass baking dish. Although you can use any baking tray or baking sheet. You know the sweet potatoes are ready if the skin looks shriveled and soft and you can pierce it easily with a fork. Let it cool before peeling and using its mashed puree for this recipe. For step photos and top tips visit our Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Pudding recipe.
Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies
- Combine all wet ingredients: Add baked sweet potato puree, dairy-free milk, peanut butter, and vanilla extract to your blender or food processor and blend until smooth. For one batch I usually use only a small bowl and my hand blender.
- Combine all dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix oat flour, brown rice flour, ground almonds, cane sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder with a spatula.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix them thoroughly with a spatula.
- Take an 8x8 oven-safe pan and line it with parchment paper. Pour your mixture on it and smooth it to be even.
- Pre-heat oven to 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celcius) and bake your fudgy sweet potato brownies for about 30 minutes. It should have a nice hard crust on the top. If you poke it with a sharp knife, it still comes out a bit wet, but not sticky.
- After the brownies cooled down, I topped them with chocolate pudding (our Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Pudding recipe) and sliced almonds. Enjoy!
Berta Jay
Hey there, Emese and Nandi. I found your site when I was searching for another kind of recipe; but I am so thankful I did. I made your sweet potato brownies but changed them a bit.
Thanks so much for this recipe. It is so good.
Elken
Can you use only brown rice flour I have a lot to use up looking for brownie recipes to use it up?
Thanks so much!!
My Pure Plants
Yes, it could work with only brown rice flour. On its own it is a rather grainy flour, but I think the sweet potato will still give enough moisture to counteract it. Let me know if you try it.
Mary
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I used coconut flour instead of the rice flour and they turned out perfectly soft and moist. I also baked them at 350 degrees for 40 minutes because I just like them soft. I’ll be making these often!
My Pure Plants
We are so happy you liked it. It is wonderful that it works with coconut flour as well.
Elvie Hipolito
Thanks God i came across this article. I love sweet potato and definitely will try this.. one question, is there any substitute for Brown rice flour? Thanks for sharing your recipe
My Pure Plants
Thanks for visiting our page. Do you need a GF substitute? What kind of flour you have on hand?
Elvie Hipolito
Hi Emese,
I have all Purpose flour and oats flour. I don’t think i could find Brown rice flour here in my country Philippines ? . I want to make this vegan brownies for my sister in law .. thank you for a quick reply ?
My Pure Plants
I haven’t tested it with all-purpose wheat flour, but I think it should work with oat flour only. Use 1 cup oat flour instead of the mix (1/2 cup oat and 1/2 rice). Let me know how it turns out.
Tisha
Vegan sweet potato brownies look and sound so chew and perfect. Love this fudgy vegan option!
My Pure Plants
Thanks for your kind words.
Catherine
These look so fudgy and delicious! I’ve never tried sweet potatoes in my brownies before but I have heard of it. Sounds delicious!
My Pure Plants
You should. They make the texture so moist and rich.
Raia Todd
Oh my goodness! These are so easy and I love the texture the sweet potato gives. 🙂
My Pure Plants
Me too. I prefer sweet potato brownies over regular ones because of this moist texture they make.
Megan Ellam
These look so fudgy and delicious. I am so happy you have a low carb version in the notes. I was looking at the recipe thinking of a few possible substitutes and you had it covered. Thanks for a tasty healthy treat.
My Pure Plants
Thanks. I tried to think of all options so nobody has to leave without sweet potato brownies.
Sapana
You had me at sweet potato! I just picked up some purple sweet potatoes from the grocery store last night — I know exactly what I’ll be using them to make. Thank you!
My Pure Plants
They are perfect for this. Be sure to let us know how you like it.