Name: Sweet Potato Brownies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup (180 g) mashed sweet potato (pre-cooked and cooled); ⅓ cup (80 g) almond butter (creamy, or preferred nut butter); 4 tbsp (60 g) maple syrup (or honey); ¼ cup (30 g) cocoa powder; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ⅙ tsp salt; chocolate chips

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These 4 ingredient Sweet Potato Brownies tastes so rich and fudgy that you’d never guess they’re vegan, gluten-free, healthy and flourless! This easy recipe is the perfect way to use leftovers and satisfy your sweet tooth without guilt.

recipe summary:

Mix mashed sweet potato with nut butter, maple syrup and cocoa powder. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20-25 minutes and let cool before enjoying.

Sweet potato brownies with chocolate chips shown from the top

I first posted this recipe on February 2023, and it instantly went viral on Instagram. You loved my 3 ingredient brownies with banana so much that I went on experimenting with more flourless chocolate treats. Both my pumpkin brownies and sugar-free brownies were a hit!

But few of you knew that I also have a vegan sweet potato brownie recipe on the blog–made with just 4 ingredients and completely grain-free. It’s one of our favorite, we love them on top of yogurt bowls or as a late-night dessert after dinner. A batch won’t last longer 2 days, so I always bake more whenever a baked sweet potato is left.

Why you will love these brownies
Ingredients and substitutes
How to make sweet potato brownies
Recipe variations
Success tips
Storage directions
More healthy brownies
Sweet Potato Brownies Recipe

Why you will love these brownies

Healthy and vegan – Made from sweet potatoes and almond butter, they are an excellent source of vitamin A, C, E, fibers and healthy fats. Plus, they are sweetened naturally, vegan and flourless.
Rich and fudgy – If the idea of sweet potato and chocolate brownies together doesn’t call you, try this recipe first. These chocolate delights taste chocolatey and delicious like brownies from the box.
Quick and easy – You’ll just need 4 ingredients and 30 minutes of your day. You can cook and mash your potatoes ahead, or use canned puree instead. Mix it all up, bake and enjoy.
Budget-friendly and no waste – This is a keeper for meal prepping. You can bake brownies with leftover sweet potatoes so that no food (and money) goes to the trash.

Ingredients and substitutes

Gather mashed sweet potato, your favorite nut butter, cocoa powder and maple syrup. Here are all ingredient details and substitutes, you can find precise measurements in the recipe card at the bottom.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Brownies – Sweet potato puree, almond butter, cocoa powder and maple syrup.

Sweet potato – I used Beauregard sweet potato (the most common type), but any type of orange sweet potato works. I haven’t tried with yams, purple or Japanese sweet potatoes, but I wouldn’t recommend it as they are less sweet. For convenience you can replace with leftover or canned sweet potato puree, making sure it contains no added sugar, salt or preservatives.
Almond butter – It gives the dessert a rich flavor and fudgy texture. I recommend natural almond butter with no added sugar or oil, little salt is fine. Great alternatives are creamy peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter as a nut-free option.
Cocoa powder – To keep things healthy, choose unsweetened cocoa powder with no sugar. You can substitute it with dutch cocoa, cacao or raw cacao powder. A mix of chocolate protein powder and cocoa works too.
Maple syrup – It’s the main source of natural sweetness beyond sweet potatoes. Honey, agave, date syrup and keto syrups are excellent substitutes.

How to make sweet potato brownies

Step 1 – Mix the batter. In a bowl, combine mashed sweet potato with almond butter, maple syrup and cocoa powder. If you plan to include some mix-ins, add them now. Using a whisk or fork, stir well until you get a smooth batter.

Combining sweet potato brownie ingredients in a bowl – mashed sweet potato, almond butter, maple syrup and cocoa powder.

Mixing sweet potato brownie batter until smooth.

Step 2 – Bake. Transfer the batter to a 7×7 in (15 cm x 15 cm) brownie pan and spread it out evenly with the help of a spatula. Bake in hot oven at 350°F (180°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are no more raw inside. Let cool completely at room temperature before slicing.

Transferring brownie batter to brownie pan for baking.

Sweet potato pancake batter in a baking pan topped with vegan chocolate chips.

Recipe variations

High protein – If you’d like protein sweet protein brownies, add a scoop of your favorite protein powder and adjust the batter with more puree or a dash of milk as needed. As an option, swap part of/all the cocoa powder for chocolate flavored protein.
Nut-free – Swap almond butter for sunflower seed butter or white tahini. I personally love tahini because it gives a slightly earthy flavor, but keep in mind that it tastes slightly bitter.
Low calorie – To cut calories, replace almond butter for powdered peanut butter (PB2 or PBFit) mixed with little water or milk until creamy. You may also consider sweetening them with calorie-free syrups like keto maple syrup or low carb honey.
Extra fudgy – A reader once mentioned adding a couple tablespoons of oat flour for a fudgier texture. I tried making these with almond flour and they were definitely richer.
Mix-ins – A 4 ingredient recipe means you can add a pinch of salt, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, chopped walnuts or pecans, gooey chocolate chips, raisins or dried cranberries. We enjoy them with a chocolate frosting too.
No potato – Feel free to swap mashed sweet potato for pumpkin puree (try my pumpkin brownies), unsweetened applesauce or mashed bananas. If using bananas, you may need less maple syrup.

Success tips

Use SWEET sweet potato – Before starting, taste a bit of the potato. It should have a rich, sweet flavor or the chocolate brownie won’t taste as delicious. If using leftover mashes, remove any water that may have formed on top of.
Add mix-ins – These vegan brownies tastes delicious already on their own. But for extra flavor and texture, I recommend stirring in the batter some dark chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. If you’re into fitness, then grab your protein powder.
Don’t overbake – My flourless chocolate brownies are ready when no more raw inside. As they firm up further while cooling, do not wait for them to get cakey. They’ll get dry otherwise.
Let cool before eating – Preferably in the refrigerator for some hours or overnight. Their flavor gets oh so rich and chocolatey while their texture becomes fudgier.

👨‍🍳Bonus Tip – Make chocolate brownies with baked sweet potato. Of course boiled, steamed or canned options work, but baking the potato ahead makes them extra delicious. Both my girlfriend and I agree that baked they taste sweeter, which makes them excellent for some fluffy sweet potato pancakes or desserts.

Storage directions

Let the brownies cool to room temperature, then slice them into squares and place into an airtight food container. At room temperature they will last for up to 2 days, in the fridge they will keep fresh for a maximum of 4 days.

To freeze, transfer them to an airtight food container or pack into zipping bags and freeze for up to 3 months. You can reheat frozen sweet potato brownies in hot oven at 350°F (180°C) for a couple of minutes or microwave for about 30 seconds. No thawing is required. Freezing is ideal if–like me–you meal prep your snacks and desserts for weeks and months to come.

vegan flourless brownies with sweet potatoes

More healthy brownies

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