Sweet Potato Brownies
No flour, no butter, no white sugar - and nobody ever guesses the vegetable. Roasted sweet potato and one black banana give the body and the sweetness, almond butter is the binder that lets it hold without any flour, and the cocoa and maple do the rest. They bake up dark, dense and properly fudgy. The one thing that matters: pull them while a toothpick still has moist crumbs on it, or you have dried out the very thing that makes a brownie a brownie. Contains almonds and egg.
Why you'll love this recipe
- One of the most-requested recipes here
- Not one spoon of refined sugar
- Naturally gluten free
- Makes enough for 9
- Easy, with clear steps and nothing fussy
What you'll need
Everything here is a real ingredient you can find in a normal shop. Nothing artificial, no powders pretending to be sugar. Here is the full list, with the quantities I actually use.
- 1 cup roasted sweet potato, mashed (about 1 medium)
- 1 very ripe banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
- 3/4 cup natural almond butter (or peanut butter)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, plus more for the top
How to make it
Roast the sweet potato whole at 400°F (200°C) for 45-55 min, until collapsing soft. Do not boil it - boiling waterlogs it and dilutes the flavour; roasting concentrates the sugar. Cool, peel and mash.
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8x8 pan with parchment.
Mash the sweet potato and banana together until smooth.
Beat in the almond butter, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla until glossy.
Stir in the cocoa, baking powder and salt. The batter turns dark and thick.
Fold in most of the chocolate chips. Spread into the pan and scatter the rest on top.
Bake 22-28 min. A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, NOT clean - clean means overbaked and dry.
Cool completely in the pan before cutting. They set as they cool. Cut them warm and they slump.
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Storage
Keep it covered in the fridge and it will hold for three to four days. If you are making it ahead, hold back any fresh topping until just before you serve so nothing goes soft. Most of these freeze well too, wrapped tight, for up to three months.
Questions about this recipe
Is Sweet Potato Brownies really made without refined sugar?
Yes. All the sweetness comes from pure maple syrup - there is not one spoon of white sugar in it. That is the whole point of how I cook.
Is Sweet Potato Brownies gluten free?
Yes, it is naturally gluten free as written - there is no wheat flour in it. Do check any packaged ingredient you use carries a gluten-free label, just to be safe.
How long does Sweet Potato Brownies keep?
Kept covered in the fridge it holds for three to four days. Most of these freeze well too, wrapped tight, for up to three months - hold back any fresh topping until just before serving.
How many does Sweet Potato Brownies make?
This makes enough for 9. It scales cleanly, so use the 1x / 2x / 3x buttons on the recipe card if you need more or less.
Sweet Potato Brownies
No flour, no butter, no white sugar - and nobody ever guesses the vegetable. Roasted sweet potato and one black banana give the body and the sweetness, almond butter is the binder…
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted sweet potato, mashed (about 1 medium)
- 1 very ripe banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
- 3/4 cup natural almond butter (or peanut butter)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, plus more for the top
Instructions
- Roast the sweet potato whole at 400°F (200°C) for 45-55 min, until collapsing soft. Do not boil it - boiling waterlogs it and dilutes the flavour; roasting concentrates the sugar. Cool, peel and mash.
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8x8 pan with parchment.
- Mash the sweet potato and banana together until smooth.
- Beat in the almond butter, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla until glossy.
- Stir in the cocoa, baking powder and salt. The batter turns dark and thick.
- Fold in most of the chocolate chips. Spread into the pan and scatter the rest on top.
- Bake 22-28 min. A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, NOT clean - clean means overbaked and dry.
- Cool completely in the pan before cutting. They set as they cool. Cut them warm and they slump.
