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    Sweet Potato Brownies - dairy free and refined sugar free

    06/09/2015 by thebakingexplorer 24 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Sweet Potato Brownies

    As much as I love sweet things, it is nice to have a healthier treat every now and again. These Sweet Potato Brownies are refined sugar free, full of healthy fats and they're dairy free too. They are also easily adaptable to be gluten free. However, there is absolutely no comprise on flavour and texture. They are super fudgey, deliciously sweet and extremely moreish! (It's healthy if I eat five of them right?!) There is a little bit more work involved in making them than regular brownies, I do tend to find that if you want to put some goodness into your body you usually do have to make a bit more effort. The main thing is making the sweet potato puree, which is basically sweet potato mash and easy peasy to make. You can use leftovers, or buy it ready made!

    Sweet Potato Brownies

    Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

    • Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
    • For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and not an essence.
    • If you don't have maple syrup you can use agave nectar or honey intead.
    • You can use fresh dates instead of dried if you prefer, you can omit the boiling water as you won't need to soak them.
    • The drizzle of dark chocolate on top is optional, but I highly recommend it!
    • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
    • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

    For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

    How to make Sweet Potato Brownies

    Start by chopping, peeling and boiling the sweet potato until tender. Then mash them up with a fork and put in the fridge to cool down.

    Next soak the chopped dates in boiling water and set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and maple syrup.

    Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract, and stir in the sweet potato and dates.

    Finally add cocoa powder, plain flour and baking powder. Pour the mixture into a lined tin and bake for 30 minutes.

    For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

    Sweet Potato Brownies

    How long do the brownies last for and how should they be stored?

    The brownies are best stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

    Can the brownies be frozen?

    Yes! Wrap them well in cling film, or store in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months.

    Can this recipe be made dairy free?

    Great news, this recipe is already dairy free! If you have an allergy or intolerance, please do check the labels of all the ingredients you use in case of cross contamination.

    Can this recipe be made gluten free?

    Yes! To make this recipe gluten free you can replace the plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum for better texture. If you have an allergy or intolerance, please do check the labels of all the ingredients you use in case of cross contamination.

    What kind of sweet potato should you use?

    Red or orange sweet potato (Garnet or Jewel) is best for this recipe. These type of sweet potatoes are more sweet in flavour, and as this recipe is refined sugar free they contribute a lot of sweetness to this recipe. They are also more moist and help to make these brownies lovely and fudgey. I would recommend avoiding the white or purple sweet potatoes as they won't taste as sweet and can dry the brownies out.

    What size baking tin do you need for this recipe?

    This recipe is for an 8" or 20cm square baking tin. If you have a 9" or 23cm square baking tin, you will need to increse the ingredients by 25%, or if you don't mind a thinner brownie, simply bake for less time.

    Who are these brownies suitable for?

    These brownies are suitable for vegetarians. They are also dairy free so they are suitable for anyone on a dairy free diet. They do contain eggs. You can substitute the eggs for flax eggs if you want them egg free. If you have an allergy or intolerance, please do check the labels of all the ingredients you use in case of cross contamination.

    Sweet Potato Brownies

    Troubleshooting

    If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

    Recommended equipment & ingredients*

    • 8" Square tin
    • Mixing bowls
    • Cooling rack
    • Kitchen scales
    • Maple syrup
    • Dark chocolate
    • Measuring spoons

    *I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

    Sweet Potato Brownies

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    • Healthy Cheesecake Pots
      Healthy Cheesecake Pots
    • Vegan Banoffee Pie
      Vegan Banoffee Pie
    • Baby's 1st Birthday Cake
      Baby's 1st Birthday Cake (Healthy & Refined Sugar Free!)
    • Chocolate Courgette Loaf Cake
      Chocolate Courgette Loaf Cake
    Sweet Potato Brownies

    Sweet Potato Brownies

    Refined sugar free and dairy free brownies made with sweet potato
    5 from 14 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: Brownies
    Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 16
    Author: thebakingexplorer

    Ingredients

    For the brownies

    • 300 g Sweet potato puree (350g unpeeled weight)
    • 75 g Dates dried, chopped finely
    • 50 ml Boiling water
    • 100 g Coconut oil melted
    • 125 ml Maple syrup
    • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
    • 3 Eggs large
    • 175 g Plain flour
    • 1 tsp Baking powder
    • 60 g Cocoa powder

    For the decoration (optional)

    • 40 g Dark chocolate melted
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Make the sweet potato puree by peeling the sweet potato and chopping into chunks. Boil until tender, around 20 minutes. Mash with a fork or for a smoother texture use a blender. Set aside to cool, or put in the fridge to cool faster
    • Put the finely chopped dried dates into a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Set aside to cool, the dates will soak up the water and plump up
    • Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and grease and line 8 inch square tin
    • Melt the coconut oil in a pan on a low heat. In a bowl whisk together the coconut oil with the maple syrup
    • Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract
    • Whisk or stir in the sweet potato puree and the date and water mixture
    • Whisk in the plain flour, baking powder and cocoa powder
    • Pour the mixture into the tin, try and level out the top as much as you can, and bake for 30 minutes
    • Leave to cool fully. Melt the dark chocolate and drizzle all over the brownies to decorate
    • Store in the fridge for 5 days, or you can freeze them and defrost as needed
    Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!

    Video

    Notes

    • Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
    • For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and not an essence.
    • If you don't have maple syrup you can use agave nectar or honey intead.
    • You can use fresh dates instead of dried if you prefer, you can omit the boiling water as you won't need to soak them.
    • The drizzle of dark chocolate on top is optional, but I highly recommend it!
    • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
    • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 3648IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg

    If you like this, check out more of my Brownie recipes!

    « Cheese & Caramelised Onion Soda Bread
    Honey & Orange Cupcakes »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Claire Jessiman

      September 06, 2015 at 10:18 pm

      5 stars
      Your recipe is a great way to use up an odd sweet potato lurking in the vegetable basket. #nowastefoodchallenge

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        October 09, 2015 at 11:23 pm

        I completely agree!

        Reply
    2. Camilla Hawkins

      September 06, 2015 at 11:00 pm

      Oh wow your Sweet Potato Brownies look awesome - thanks for a fab #CreditCrunchMunch entry.

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        October 09, 2015 at 11:24 pm

        Thanks Camilla! Glad to be part of the challenge.

        Reply
    3. Stephanie Jane

      September 07, 2015 at 10:34 am

      5 stars
      These look amazing and I am wondering if I could get my BF to try them if he didn't know in advance what was in them! I think there's a lonely sweet potato in our veg trays ...

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        October 09, 2015 at 11:25 pm

        Worth giving it a try for sure!! Let me know what he thinks...

        Reply
    4. Charlotte F

      September 09, 2015 at 10:24 am

      5 stars
      I gave Deliciously Ella's recipe a try earlier this year and was disappointed with the result. Yours looks great! 🙂

      Reply
      • woodenwindowsills

        September 10, 2015 at 3:19 pm

        5 stars
        I did the same too, but the dates were so sticky it ended up really gloopy and then didn't cook properly, whilst then burning on top! I was not impressed at all! These look far better than mine did mind you...!! Alice xx

        Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        October 09, 2015 at 11:27 pm

        Interesting to hear that about the Deliciously Ella recipe as it had rave reviews when I read up on it. These sweet potato ones were really easy to make so I do recommend giving them a go!

        Reply
    5. Flavours of World

      September 09, 2015 at 9:56 pm

      5 stars
      Hmm so yummy! I waiting for your new posts 🙂

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        October 09, 2015 at 11:28 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    6. Emma

      September 10, 2015 at 8:08 am

      5 stars
      These sweet potato brownies have intrigued me, I'm having to experiment a lot with things like these as my dad recently discovered he was diabetic and so everyone in our family has been cutting back on normal cakes and trying out lower sugar alternatives. I think these look great

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        October 09, 2015 at 11:32 pm

        These brownies do have a great fudgy texture so I'd recommend giving them a try!

        Reply
    7. Helen - family-friends-food

      September 17, 2015 at 10:52 am

      Those look really good but I'm still not convinced by vegetables in cake. Carrots are just about OK, but I made a beetroot chocolate cake a while ago which was HORRIBLE! I guess I'll have to give sweet potatoes a try before I make up my mind...

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        October 09, 2015 at 11:30 pm

        I'm not a fan of beetroots at all Helen so I wouldn't put it in cake either, sweet potatoes are amazing though and I've also used courgette in muffins before which works really well!

        Reply
    8. Elizabeth

      October 11, 2015 at 6:35 am

      Your brownies sound AMAZING! Thank you for sharing with the No Waste Food Challenge 🙂

      Reply
    9. Paula

      January 06, 2021 at 9:49 pm

      I made these yesterday- oh my goodness! They are amazing! My 9 year old absolutely loves them! Thank you so much!!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        January 07, 2021 at 8:18 pm

        I'm so pleased to hear this Paula!

        Reply
    10. Donna

      January 15, 2021 at 4:53 pm

      5 stars
      Made these today with sultanas rather than dates, they are yummy without feeling the guilty feeling 😊 i have a 3 year old so something she can enjoy too!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        January 15, 2021 at 5:15 pm

        Thank you Donna! I'm so pleased you enjoyed them and that the sultanas worked well!

        Reply
    11. katy holland

      January 24, 2021 at 2:41 pm

      I made these brownies and really easy to make theyve come out lovely but mine seem to be a lot flatter than yours what did i do wrong ? I had the correct tin and used baking powder!
      Help !!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        January 24, 2021 at 3:00 pm

        Hi Katy, it's hard for me to say what happened without knowing more. Did you change any ingredients or do anything differently? They are probably about 3cm ish thick, how flat were yours?

        Reply
    12. AJ

      February 23, 2023 at 3:51 pm

      5 stars
      Your recipes ALWAYS come out fantastic and impress everyone! I had no confidence in baking before my friend introduced me to your website, because my mum was so good at baking, but now she can't anymore so I get the chance and you have really made me enjoy it! I love your Biscoff recipes and now I've tried this one and it's great (easy and healthy), especially for my sons who are very health conscious but love cakes!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        February 23, 2023 at 5:19 pm

        This has really made my day! Thank you!!

        Reply

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