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These moist Sweet Potato Muffins are packed with flavors and nutrients. Simple and easy to make, healthy sweet potato muffins are perfect for delicious breakfasts, snacks and desserts.
If you are looking for healthy treats, this recipe is for you. Soft, moist and with a delicious cinnamon taste, these oatmeal sweet potato muffins are hands down a home’s favorite. Just as bananas in banana oat muffins and applesauce in apple muffins, sweet potatoes give plenty of natural sweetness to desserts. They also add moisture, meaning that you’ll need very little added sugar and oil. Believe me, everyone will love this recipe – kids included.
Ingredients and replacements
This easy recipe for sweet potato muffins uses just a couple of simple ingredients that are also very healthy. Sweet potatoes, maple syrup, whole grain flour, you probably already have everything at home. And do not worry if something is missing, because down below you will find plenty of substitutions.
- Eggs. Use two large fresh eggs to make sweet potato muffins moist and rich in flavors. Swap them out for flaxseed eggs, if you want to adapt this recipe to a vegan diet.
- Mashed sweet potatoes. You can choose between sweet potatoes cooked at home and canned sweet potato puree. In the first case, potatoes can be boiled, steamed or baked. Keep in mind that sweet potatoes and yams are not the same. Yams are less sweet and drier, so they are not recommended.
- Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup sweetens sweet potato muffins healthy, without the need for refined sugars. Possible replacements are honey, agave syrup, date syrup and coconut syrup.
- Vegetable oil. I recommend canola oil, it makes muffins moist without changing the flavor. You can replace with avocado oil, vegetable oil, melted coconut oil or melted butter.
- Oat flour. I like making oatmeal sweet potato muffins because they are healthier, rich in fibers and nutrients. Great alternatives to oat flour are whole wheat flour, spelt flour, all purpose flour and almond flour.
- Baking soda. This is going to make your muffins rise and get fluffy. Baking soda can be swapped out for 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Spices and flavors. Make the most delicious, best sweet potato muffins by incorporating sea salt, ground cinnamon and a teaspoon vanilla extract into the batter.
Recipe variations
- Mix in additional ingredients such as chocolate chips, walnuts, hazelnuts or cranberries for extra taste and texture.
- Top your healthy sweet potato muffins with chopped walnuts or pecan streusel.
- Experiment with a combination of sweet potato mash and pumpkin pure or butternut mash to make the recipe lower in carbs. You can also make almond flour sweet potato muffins, to cut more carbs.
- Use a protein powder and flour mixture to make healthy treats that are also packed with high quality protein.
How to cook sweet potatoes for muffins?
Before setting out baking, you will need to cook the potatoes – provided that you are not using canned sweet potato puree. There are three main cooking methods, choose the one you prefer.
- Baking. This is my first recommendation, the potatoes caramelize while they are in the oven – perfect for desserts! Wash your potatoes, pierce with a fork and bake in hot oven at 200°C (400°F) for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Boiling. Wash and peel the potatoes, then boil until they are tender when pierced with a fork. The potatoes can be cooked entirely, or in dices.
- Steaming. To steam sweet potatoes, peel and cut them into chunks, then place them in a steamer basket over boiling water for about 15-20 minutes until tender.
How to make sweet potato muffins?
Prepare the batter. After cooking and mashing the sweet potatoes, add them to a large mixing bowl and beat with eggs, maple syrup, oil and vanilla extract. Once combined, whisk in the cinnamon, a pinch of salt and mix until smooth. Using a rubber spatula or fork, stir in flour and baking soda. Gently mix, until you get a smooth batter.
Bake the muffins. Fill ⅔ of each muffin cup with sweet potato batter, sprinkle with walnuts on top if you desire and bake in hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake – they are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving
Storage directions
To store, first let sweet potato muffins cool completely over a wire rack or plate. Once they have cooled, place in an airtight container and they will stay fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature. In the fridge, they will last for a maximum of 4 days.
To freeze sweet potato muffins, place in zipper bags and keep in the freezer for a maximum of 3 months. Before serving, thaw and reheat in hot oven until they are moist and warm.
Tips for the best sweet potato muffins
- Roast sweet potatoes in the oven, they will caramelize and cook without absorbing too much water, giving your dessert an irresistibly sweet taste.
- Cook the potatoes ahead or use canned mashed potatoes, if you have little time to bake muffins.
- Have fun with additional ingredients such as chocolate chips or nuts and you’ll get the perfect blend of textures.
- Add a delicious flavors to your muffins with extra spices such as nutmeg, ground ginger, or pumpkin pie spice mix.
- Use gluten-free oat flour or other gluten-free flours to make gluten-free sweet potato muffins at home.
- Mix the batter just until all ingredients are well combined, do not stir too much or your muffins may get dry.
- Keep an eye on the baking time, they are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
This recipe requires sweet potatoes, yams are not suitable. Sweet potatoes are sweeter and moister, making them perfect for desserts. Yams instead, have less taste and are drier.
Yes, I strongly recommend poking holes in sweet potatoes before baking or boiling them. Besides preventing them from bursting, this practice ensures even cooking.
Replace the eggs with two flaxseed eggs. No further adaptation is required, because all other ingredients are already suitable for vegan diets.
Yes, these oatmeal sweet potato muffins are a healthier alternative to the original. Made with oat flour and sweet potatoes, they are high in fibers and nutrients such as vitamin A. Furthermore, this recipe uses little added sugar and less oil.
More recipes for healthy muffins
- Greek yogurt protein muffins
- Apple cinnamon muffins
- Chocolate banana muffins recipe
- Flourless muffins
- Chocolate chip muffins
- Banana oatmeal muffins
Sweet Potato Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 230 grams (2 ⅓ cups) oat flour, replace with 2 cups preferred flour
- 1 tsp baking soda, replace with 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 180 grams (¾ cup) mashed sweet potatoes
- 100 ml (½ cup) maple syrup, replace with honey
- 60 ml (¼ cup) canola oil, replace with preferred vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare Sweet Potatoes
- Bake. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Wash sweet potatoes and pierce with a fork. Line over a parchment-paper covered baking sheet and bake in hot oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the inside is tender.Let sweet potatoes cool, then remove the peel and mash until you get a smooth mixture without lumps.Cook or steam. Peel and optionally dice sweet potatoes, then steam or boil until they are tender. This should take about 30 minutes.After cooking, let sweet potatoes cool. Mash until you get a smooth mixture without lumps.
Make Sweet Potato Muffins
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and prepare a muffin mold with muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, beat mashed potatoes with eggs, maple syrup, oil and vanilla extract. Once combined, whisk in the cinnamon, a pinch of salt and mix until smooth.
- Using a rubber spatula or fork, stir in flour and baking soda. Mix wet and dry ingredients together until the batter is smooth.
- Fill ⅔ of each muffin cup with sweet potato batter, sprinkle with walnuts on top if you desire and bake in hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake; they are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving
Excellent recipe with “camote”, sweet potatoe, and is healthy!
Hey dear Liza☺️,
Oh yes I agree! That’s such a delicious way to use sweet potatoes. Or camote I should better say! These healthy muffins are so moist, you should definitely try!