Imagine the perfect brownie. Warm and fudgy with crispy corners and chunks of melted chocolate. THAT is what you get when you make these flourless sweet potato brownies.
I know sweet potato brownies have already had their shining star moment, but I am not kidding when I say these are THE BEST flourless sweet potato brownies. I am a big fan of sneaking extra fibre into recipes when I can (chickpea blondies, black bean brownies, chickpea cookie dough), so these brownies were inevitable.
They were a labour of love, I spent over 3 years (off and on) testing different variations of this recipe until I was completely happy with it and I can finally say these are perfect. They are everything you look for in a brownie, they have a moist (sorry) gooey center, a slightly crisp top, and they have the perfect amount of melted chocolate.
The true test of any of my recipes is always to get my brothers approval.
My brother is the type of person who if he knows a recipe has something "that shouldn't be in it" that's all he thinks about. So getting him to test some of my "healthier" recipes has been a challenge. What I've learned to do is give him something to try without telling him what's in it. Once he tells me he likes it THEN I will tell him the ingredients.
That's what I did with these brownies. I left them on the counter and told him I made brownies. An hour later he texted me and said he and his friends had eaten almost the entire tray. His friend actually said "these are the best brownies I've ever had." That was the moment I knew that I had a winner.
Ingredients
Sweet Potato- You can't have sweet potato brownies without sweet potato. This is the secret to getting the fudgiest, moist-est (not a word I know), brownies without adding a ton of oil. To make my sweet potato puree I use a fork to pierce holes in a orange sweet potato then microwave for 3 minutes on one side, flip and microwave on the other side for 3 minutes.
Oat Flour- For these flourless sweet potato brownies I used oat flour as a substitute for all purpose flour. I love using oat flour in my recipes for a little extra fibre and whole grains.
Cocoa Powder- For the rich chocolate flavour we all know and love in a good brownie.
Maple Syrup- Maple syrup adds some natural sweetness to these brownies.
Peanut Butter- For these brownies, I use natural peanut butter (look for one with 1 or 2 ingredients like this one ).
Instructions
To cook your sweet potato:
- *Microwave cooking method* Pierce each potato multiple times with a fork and cook one at a time in the microwave for about 3 minutes each side (until soft, this may vary based on your microwave), carefully remove from microwave and allow to cool.
- *Oven cooking method* Preheat oven to 425ºF. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Bake until tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
In a large bowl combine sweet potato, vanilla, maple syrup, egg, peanut butter and coconut oil
In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Once combined slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring well.
Once a batter has formed, add in the mix-ins you have chosen to add (chocolate, walnuts, marshmallows etc.)
Pour batter into a prepared 8x8 baking pan, bake for 22-28 minutes. Once brownies are done, remove from oven, allow to cool and drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.
Substitutions
To make these brownies....
Gluten free: Ensure your oats are certified gluten free (this will depend on where you are located in the world)!
Vegan: Substituting the egg with a flax egg will work just fine (the brownies may just be slightly on the fudgier side (but what's wrong with that?)!
- To make a flax egg: combine 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoon warm water and set aside for 15 minutes, until a gel-like consistency forms
Nut free: Substituting the peanut butter with additional coconut oil or utilizing sunflower seed butter will work!
Sugar free: Skip the chocolate chips and use a sugar free maple syrup like this.
Missing an ingredient? Try these:
- Oat flour: Can be subbed with all purpose flour (I have not tested almond flour but I believe it SHOULD work)
- Coconut oil: Butter will work as a substitute
- Maple syrup: Honey will work just fine!
- Peanut butter: Any nut butter can work in these sweet potato brownies! Try almond butter or cashew butter!
Variations
The possibilities are endless with these sweet potato brownies! Add chocolate chips, marshmallows, skor pieces, walnuts, raspberries... the choice is yours!
Equipment
- 8x8 inch square baking pan
- Mixing bowls
- Food processor (to help puree sweet potato) you can also use a potato masher
Storage
Store these sweet potato brownies in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
OR
Store them in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To defrost- place a brownie on a plate in the microwave and microwave for about 15 seconds.
Top Tip
Make sure you are mashing the sweet potato until a puree forms to avoid having chunks of sweet potato in your brownies ( a food processor may help with this)!
Frequently Asked Questions
In this case flourless means they do not contain regular all purpose baking flour. This means that these are also gluten-free sweet potato brownies! Rather than using all purpose flour I chose to use oat flour, which you can either buy pre processed OR you can make yourself at home in 5 minutes.
All you need to do is blend an ⅔ + 2 tablespoon oats in a high-powered blender or food processor until the oats have reached a smooth flour-like consistency.
I love using oat flour as an easy way to add more fibre to recipes to help keep you fuller for a longer period of time as well as reducing blood sugar spikes. It's also great because if you use gluten-free oats these brownies are also gluten free!
More Favourite Dessert Recipes
- Salted Caramel Blondies
- Gluten Free + Vegan Sugar Cookies
- No Bake Key Lime Pie Bars
- 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossoms
I love seeing you make my recipes! If you make these flourless sweet potato brownies sure to tag me on Instagram @nourishedbynic or leave a comment here letting me know how it was 🙂
📖 Recipe
Flourless Sweet Potato Brownies
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup sweet potato cooked and mashed (about 1 medium sweet potato)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 + ½ tablespoon coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 1 egg
Dry Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup oat flour
Optional (but highly recommended)
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- ½ cup mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- In a large bowl combine sweet potato, vanilla, maple syrup, egg, peanut butter and coconut oil
- In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Once combined slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring well.
- Once a batter has formed, add in the mix-ins you have chosen to add (chocolate, walnuts, marshmallows etc.)
- Pour batter into a prepared 8x8 baking pan (I like to add additional mix-ins on top here as well!)
- Bake for about 22-28 minutes or until the top begins to brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the brownie pan comes out clean
- Once brownies are done, remove from oven, allow to cool and drizzle with melted chocolate if desired
Rebecca says
Made these brownies tonight for a gluten-free guest and they turned out beautifully. Lovely fudgy texture and chocolatey flavour, definitely not dry or bland like I'd feared! Thanks so much for the work you did to perfect this recipe, it's a keeper!
Nicole Addison says
Hi Rebecca! I am so glad you enjoyed these!!
Val says
What a great recipe, I’m always looking for ways to increase the nutritional value and I love the sweet potato incorporated into this recipe. It was a BIG hit with the grown ups. I have one very picky grandchild who detected a slight texture from the oat flour (I processed it in the ninja, but apparently not long enough). He’s a whole ‘nother story. But, I’m wondering if I could substitute Almond flour which I have on hand. Would I need to add any additional moisture or egg? Thanks so much! I’ll be making again.
Nicole Addison says
Hi Val I am SO glad the grown ups loved this one!! Yes almond flour will work just as well in these! As almond flour does tend to be a little more absorbent than the oat flour I would recommend adding an additional 2 tbsp of almond flour!
Ally says
These turned out so rich and fudgy! Honestly the best brownies I’ve ever made! Couldn’t stop eating them 🙈
Sara says
What variety of sweet potato are you using? The orange basic one, or purple Skinned white Japanese? They have different moisture levels.
Nicole Addison says
orange sweet potatoes! I find they are readily available at all grocery stores so super easy to find 🙂
Patreece says
Hi, do you measure the oats before or after you make the oat flour?
Nicole Addison says
Hi if you are making your own oat flour- the oat flour is measured post blending (you typically need to start with an additional 1/4 cup of oats)
Kathy says
Very moist and fudgy. I subbed butter for the coconut oil. Thanks for a great recipe.
Amy says
As a dietician, maybe you can give me some suggestions. What would you suggest as a substitute for peanut butter (beside other nut butters)? And for the egg? My son has food allergies, but I'd love to sneak in more healthy foods (ie sweet potatoes) into his diet. 😆
Thanks in advance!
Nicole Addison says
Hi Amy! Great questions, I'm so glad you are interested in making these. For the egg I would recommend utilizing a flax egg (which can be made by combining 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed with tbsp of warm water) this should help hold the brownies together. For the peanut butter- I have not personally tried this however I find often in recipes that butter, yogurt or applesauce can work as a great substitute for nut butters! If you decide to try please let me know how they turn out 🙂
Julie says
In response to Nicole Addison, my daughter has a ton of food allergies and I’ve learned a lot of tricks over the years and found great substitutes. If your son can have soy, Wowbutter is a great peanut butter alternative. Sun butter is another one; but I don’t care for the taste as much. Good luck and hope they come out great! I’m planning on making these this week.
JT says
This came out amazing! I didn't have enough maple syrup so I added some honey.
Thank you for sharing.