Sweet Potato Brownies: Allergy-Friendly Date Sweetened Coziness
Sweet potato brownies, sweetened with only are dairy free, naturally gluten free, and an easy cozy everyday dessert that’s perfect for Fall. In the tradition of my Black Bean Brownies, White Bean Blondies, and Beet Brownies, this is a real foods dessert that does not make you feel like you’re giving up anything.
| Taste | Texture | ||
| Chocolate, | Very moist, fudgy |
| Active time | Total time | Yield | Difficulty |
| 10 minutes | 1 hour 50 minutes | 16 small brownies or 9 large ones | Easy |
Why Sweet Potatoes Are Such a Good Addition to Brownies
The natural sweetness in sweet potatoes tastes amazing with chocolate. These brownies are actually a riff on a soup that’s a favorite in our house which combines roasted sweet potato with coconut milk and cocoa. That soup has seen us through the recovery after stomach flu more than chicken soup!
This is one of those life-affirming recipes which just makes you feel good after you eat it. The fiber in the dates and sweet potatoes keeps your blood sugar stable, so you get to eat a treat that tastes like a treat and yet won’t make you feel terrible afterwards.
Why You’ll Like Sweet Potato Brownies
- Blend and Go: Outside of soaking your dates, you can make this recipe entirely in the food processor .
- Healthy Treat: If you’ve been overdoing it on sugar lately but still want a treat, this is a great option. These brownies are naturally Paleo and gluten-free, and can be easily made vegan or AIP compliant meaning that you have a recipe just about everyone can enjoy. If you’ve ever had to live with food sensitivities, you know the psychological need to have a treat under the day to day difficulties of such restriction.
- Cozy cozy cozy: These brownies are a little moister than my other healthy brownies recipes with a texture that’s a little pudding-like. I know as someone whose dealt with severe stomach problems in my life, that sweet potatoes are one of the foods that ALWAYS makes my stomach feel good. These brownies are like a warm hug for your gut.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Brownies
Sweet Potato Brownies
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Dried dates (Deglet Noor or Medjool)
- Coconut oil
- Cocoa
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- Dark chocolate bar (85%)
You can use chocolate chips, though if you’re trying to keep your refined sugar to a minimum, chocolate bars like Lindt’s 85% or higher is best. Almost all higher quality chocolate bars marked with their cocoa content don’t contain dairy unless they’re explicitly milk chocolate, making them more suitable for more diets. Lindt 70% bars are also very good without adding too much sugar.
How to Make Sweet Potato Brownies
- Roast Sweet Potatoes: Wash 1 large or 2 smaller sweet potatoes. Prick them with a fork, and then roast at 375 F (190 C) for about 40-45 minutes, until you can easily slide a knife into the sweet potato. Cut open the sweet potatoes to cool. You can do this step up to a week ahead of time. If you do so, refrigerate the sweet potatoes until you’re ready to bake.
- Soak the Dates: Cover the dates in a small pot with water. Bring the water to a boil and then soak the dates for 5 minutes just to soften up. Strain off the water, pressing down on the dates to remove as much water as you can.
- Prep the Pan: Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Lightly spray an 8″x8″ pan with cooking spray, and then cut a piece of parchment to line the bottom and sides of one side. Spray over the top of this piece of parchment , then cut another one to go across the remaining 2 sides of the pan.
- Blend: Scoop out enough sweet potato into a measuring cup to make 1 and 1/2 cups. Add the sweet potato and the rest of the ingredients except the chopped chocolate to the bowl of a food processor . Blend until smooth. Add in all but a handful of the chopped chocolate. Pulse a few times to distribute the chocolate through the batter.
- Bake the Brownies: Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter the rest of the chocolate over the top of the brownies. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the brownies are set and the top begins to look dry. Refrigerate the brownies for 30 minutes before cutting into either 9 large brownies or 16 small brownies.
Tips for Making the Best Sweet Potato Brownies
- Roast Your Sweet Potatoes Ahead of Time: If you have a toaster oven, you can very casually toss in a sweet potato or two ahead of time so that you’ll be ready to make these brownies when you want. Roasted sweet potatoes easily keep in the fridge for up to a week, making this even easier. You can also do this in an Instant Pot, air fryer, rice cooker or slow cooker too.
- Adjust Your Water Content: Sometimes sweet potatoes roast up more watery than others. If you have a drier sweet potato or very dry dates, soak your dates for longer. If you have a particularly moist sweet potato, either soak the dates for only a couple minutes or not at all as I recommend in my Beet Brownies. The consistency of the brownie batter should be like that of peanut butter.
- Refrigerate Before Cutting: Before you cut up the brownies, pop them in the fridge for about 30 minutes. This will give them a chance for the sweet potato and the chocolate to firm up.
How to Adjust Sweet Potato Brownies for Different Diets
- Vegan: Substitute 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water for the egg.
- AIP: Mix 1 tablespoon of gelatin with 3 tablespoons of water to use in place of the egg. Use carob powder in place of the cocoa. You can omit the carob chips or use homemade carob chips in place of the chocolate.
- GAPS Diet (after gut healing stage): Substitute 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water for the egg. Omit the additional chocolate or use unsweetened chocolate.
More Healthier Baking Recipes
Sweet Potato Brownies
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 small brownies 1x
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo
Description
Based on naturally sweet roasted sweet potatoes, these cozy brownies are one of the healthiest desserts you can make up. Naturally dairy free, gluten-free, these brownies are easy to make for just about any diet (see notes for Vegan, AIP, and GAPS).
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Brownie Batter
- 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes
- 1 cup whole dates, any seeds or hard bits removed
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (60 mL)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (20 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ounces dark (70-85%) chocolate, cut up into chocolate chip sized chunks (85 g)
Instructions
Roast Sweet Potatoes:
Roast the Sweet Potatoes
- Wash 1 large or 2 smaller sweet potatoes. Prick them with a fork, and then roast at 375 F (190 C) for about 40-45 minutes, until you can easily slide a knife into the sweet potato.
- Cut open the sweet potatoes to cool.
- You can do this step up to a week ahead of time. If you do so, refrigerate the sweet potatoes until you’re ready to bake.
Soak the Dates*
- Cover the dates in a small pot with water.
- Bring the water to a boil and then soak the dates for 5 minutes just to soften up.
- Strain off the water, pressing down on the dates to remove as much water as you can.
*Skip this step if your roasted sweet potatoes seem watery or if your dates are sticky and squishy instead of hard.
Prep the Pan
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Lightly spray an 8″x8″ pan with cooking spray, and then cut a piece of parchment to line the bottom and sides of one side. Spray over the top of this piece of parchment, then cut another one to go across the remaining 2 sides of the pan.
How to Make the Sweet Potato Batter
- Scoop out enough sweet potato into a measuring cup to make 1 and 1/2 cups.
- Add the sweet potato and the rest of the ingredients except the chopped chocolate to the bowl of a food processor . Blend until smooth.
- Add in all but a handful of the chopped chocolate.
- Pulse a few times to distribute the chocolate through the batter.
Bake the Brownies
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan.
- Scatter the rest of the chocolate over the top of the brownies.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the brownies are set and the top begins to look dry.
- Refrigerate the brownies for 30 minutes before cutting into either 9 large brownies or 16 small brownies.
Notes
How to Adjust Sweet Potato Brownies for Different Diets
- Vegan: Substitute 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water for the egg.
- AIP: Mix 1 tablespoon of gelatin with 3 tablespoons of hot water to use in place of the egg. Use carob powder in place of the cocoa. You can omit the carob chips or use homemade carob chips in place of the chocolate.
- GAPS Diet (after gut healing stage): Substitute 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water for the egg. Omit the additional chocolate or use unsweetened chocolate.
Storing Sweet Potato Brownies
These bars have never made it more than 4 hours in my house, but you can store them at room temperature for up to a day and up to a week in an airtight container. These bars do not freeze well due to their higher water content.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Bar cookies
- Method: Baking, Food Processor
- Cuisine: American
