Moist, satisfying and finger-licking chocolatey. A healthy brownie recipe without the sugar rush. Hello, Sweet Potato Brownies!
A brownie with no added sugar is a feat in itself. But healthy brownies that also features a vegetable? A superfood vegetable that’s a major source of vitamin C? Friends, I know. This is almost too good to be true. But here they are: Gooey, moist, chocolatey, superbly satisfying Sweet Potato Brownies.
Sweet Potato Brownies have been making the rounds in the healthy eating space for a while, and I have tried a few of the recipes floating around. Then I started tweaking the ingredients. I have to say, this became somewhat of an obsession.
Round after round of test version Sweet Potato Brownies were consumed in this household. More oatmeal, no oatmeal, less coconut oil, more almond, another egg… Whatever we could not eat was sent home with visitors.
The builders got some, the neighbours got some, and the piano teacher went home with a doggy bag at least four weeks in a row.
Then, one day, these babies emerged from the oven. And they were perfect. Finger-licking perfect!
Sweet Potato Brownies take their sweetness not only from the sweet potatoes, but also from dates. Now, there are a lot of sugar free advocates who demonise dried fruit such as dates because of their high fructose content. Some recommend to completely cut them out of your diet. The question needs to be asked: To date or not to date?
Let’s have a look at the facts.
Dates contain about six times more sugar and calories than most fruit. Five small apples have the same amount of sugar as circa four Medjool dates (the softest and tastiest date around).
But here is the big difference: Unlike sugar, dates are also full of fibre, which slows down the sugar absorption to your liver. And this in turn lets you have a much more regulated and calmer insulin response. Dates actually have a low glycemic index (around 43-53).
The fibre has the added benefit of making you feel fuller faster; and last but not least dates are packed with nutrients and minerals, while sugar is void of any nutrition.
- You cannot see them
- You can only taste their moistness, not their potatoey-ness
- Knowing they are making their way into little people’s bellies with a soundtrack of “AAHs” and “OOOHs” is just awesome.
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Sweet Potato Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 medium to large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped (400g)
- 200 g Medjool dates ca 10
- 150 g / 1 1/2 cup almond flour or ground almonds
- 75 ml coconut oil or substitute with butter
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 5 tbsp cocoa
- optional: cacao nibs to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C and line a small (10x7 inch) baking tin with baking paper
- Peel your sweet potatoes, cut them into pieces, toss in a little oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until they are very tender.
- Throw them in your food processor with the pitted dates and blend until you have a wonderfully gooey mixture.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well-combined
- Pour mixture into the tin a and bake for 25-30 minutes or until you can pierce it with a knife bringing it out almost dry.
- Let it cool a little before cutting!
Notes
Nutrition
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Diana says
What does “ca 10” mean in reference to the dates? My daughter will be making this with her daughter and doesn’t own a kitchen scale.
Katrin says
Circa 10 dates. I used medjool dates in the recipe, they are quite large and soft.
Acacia says
Is there an alternative to the dates? My daughter has a chronic bowel issue so she has to be low fibre.
Katrin says
I have been meaning to rework the recipe without the dates, just haven’t got around to it yet. I have a great recipe for pumpkin brownies you could try instead. If I changed this recipe, I’d probably add a little almond flour (to replace the firmness that the dates give) and use erythritol sweetener.
Stacey W says
Hi I just found this and can’t wait to try it, but curious to know if they are free able, if that’s even a word
Katrin says
Hi Stacey, I’m not sure what you mean??
Nanna says
The best sugar free cake I have ever tasted!!!
used 50 g of coconut flour instead of almond flour, purple sweet potatoes and a little bit of vanilla. Mixed it ll up in a blender. So moist and delicious
it’s addictive – thank you for the recipe
Katrin says
That’s so good to hear!! Good to know the right coconut flour ratio!
Kate says
I’ve only just stumbled across your recipes and have just tried these brownies— my sweet tooth initially thought they were lacking but by the end of the mouthful I was tasting the sweetness from the dates! I used coconut flour instead of almond flour which I couldn’t find, and guessed the quantity (3tbsp) which turned out to be plenty, but I think it’ll depend on how large your eggs are. I was wondering if you could use bananas as a sub for some of the dates or if that would make the sugar content too high? All in all, these are great though, so a big thanks from me and I’ll be trying more of your recopes!
Katrin says
Hi Kate, I think you could definitely swap out some of the dates for banana, but you might be able to taste it as well – it’s such a strong taste. I don’t think banana is higher in sugar than dates. Great you made it work with the coconut flour!
Emma says
Hello- I want to make these but don’t have a food processor. I have a blender so could whizz up the dates and oil and eggs and sweet potato then mix in the flour – would this work as I don’t want to waste the ingredients…?!
Katrin says
I think virtually anything can be made with a regular blender. I didn’t have one until I started the blog. From my experience I’d say choose a tall jug that’s not too wide so you have minimal splashing and you should be fine. Also, try to source dates that are soft. Medjool tend to be a good choice.
Kristen e Procter says
This is the best sweet potato brownie recipe that i’ve come across so far….and one of the simplest! Thank you for this winner; it will be included in the rotation from now on!
I did make one tweak which was the addition of some nut butter- about 3/4c was added actually quite by accident as I was following another recipe and found yours after I had begun and had already pureed the potatoes and nut butter together. Nonetheless, it turned out absolutely delicious. Thank you <3
Katrin says
Fantastic! I’m happy you thought it was a success 😉 Good to know that nut butter works in the recipe!
@theallenappetite says
Honestly amazed by this recipe, the best sweet potato brownie recipe I’ve tried. Even a fussy 8 year old ADORED them. Added crushed hazelnuts and a splash of vanilla extract which worked nicely. Thanks so much for this!
Katrin says
I’m glad you like the recipe! Thank you for your comment. It’s one of the first things I posted when I started the blog. I have since been looking for ways to lower carbs further in my diet and have actually been thinking of playing around with this recipe a bit and giving people the option to make the original or the new version. I’ll let you know when I do – I’d love to hear your opinion.
Kate says
Hello Katrin
Thanks for this recipe. I don’t like to use artificial sweeteners. I made it as a round cake and I think that works well. People have quite narrow expectations of brownies, whereas the taste of dates is fine in a chocolate cake.
Katrin says
Hi Kate, I’m glad you like the recipe – it’s one of the first ones I posted when I started this blog. I like the taste of dates too, but I haven’t used them in sweet recipes for a while now as I’ve been looking at ways to lower the carb count. I’ve been using natural (not artificial) sweeteners like erythritol and stevia and find that when you mix them and only use a little, you cannot actually taste their individual aftertaste. I’ve actually been wanting to update this recipe with an option of how to make it without the dates. I’ll let you know when I do!
Marwa says
May i substitute the almond flour with white wheat flour?
How many grams should i use in this case please?
Thank you..
Katrin says
I am sure you can, though I am not sure if it would be exactly the same amount. It’s probably a similar amount, so I’d try using a bit less, and see if the dough looks a good consistency, adding more if needed.
Marwa says
Thank you so much.. sorry another question.. 75ml coconut oil is how many grams of butter plz?
Thank you
Katrin says
I’d say they have about the same density and therefore weight.
Barbara says
Everyone loved these! When fresh baked they tasted like dry healthy muffins. I stored them in a glass container and the next morning they were moist and delicious!
I didn’t have medjoo dates so I soaked my dried dates in hot water while roasting the sweet potatoes and used those instead. I reserved the date water and ended up adding some to the batter. Also, I substituted 1 1/2 tablespoons of black cocoa powder for the 1 1/2 tablespoons of the regular cocoa (both unsweetened) to punch up the chocolate flavor.
I will be making these again, and we are making your buttermilk pancakes this weekend!
Barbara
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Katrin says
Hello Barbara, I’m glad you are enjoying the brownies! I always love to hear how people adapt my recipes, so thanks for sharing. And I’m looking forwrd to hearing how you like the pancakes 🙂
Mary says
Just made these wee sweet potato brownies and they are the best! Really impressed !!
Katrin says
Great news! I’m glad you like them.Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Kirsty says
Hi Katrin
Thanks for your awesome recipe. I’ve just introduced sweet potato brownies at my son’s school canteen and they were a hit, I was however a bit perturbed about the sugar content.
I knew if ii did a butt of investigating I’d found a sugar free alternative, I found yours.
I’ll try them out at home this weekend and will certainly be making them for school next week.
I will be using 3 to 5 Tbsp of coconut Flour instead of Almonds as suggested in one of your reviews and will let you know how it goes.
I’ll rate the recipe once made but am sure it’ll be great.
Katrin says
Great news! Can’t wait to see how you get on. I’ll be looking out for your comment.
Claudia Klaassen says
Really easy and really yummy. I boiled the sweet potatoes instead of oven roasting them and the brownie was lovely and moist. A friend made them with butter instead but I prefer the taste of the coconut oil.
Katrin says
So glad you liked them Claudia! Good tip about being able to boil the potatoes as well. Thanks for sharing and guten Appetit!
Nicola says
donyounhave the sugar contents of these please.
Katrin says
Ni Nicola, I have just added the nutrition facts to the recipe. It came out as 6.9g of sugars per serving.
Ann Wright says
This recipe is one I’m going to try with t he exact ingredients listed. But, for my grandsons who are allergic to nuts of any kind I’d also like to try the recipe again–this time without the almonds. I’ll need to think of a substitute, but if you or anyone else has some ideas, would love to hear them. Thanks for sharing this very healthful recipe!!!! I’m on board!
Katrin says
Hello Ann,
you could try to make it with coconut flour instead, though you’d have to adjust the quantity as coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid. I would start with 1/3 of the amount and see if the batter has a good consistency. Because of the chocolate in the recipe you will not taste the coconut at all.
Let me know what you decided on and how it worked out! Thanks for stopping by.
Ann Wright says
Many thanks for replying, Katrin. Will give your suggestion a whirl as soon as I can find some coconut flour on my next shopping day in this tiny town of mine. Must confess I’ve never even heard of coconut flour–goes to show just how little baking I do. But, for sure I’ll be trying your original recipe before the week is out. So glad I found your site. Cheers. Ann
Katrin says
Ann, you can always order it on amazon – just in case it is difficult to find in the shops where you are. Coconut flour is great, and even though it might look expensive, one pack lasts forever because you need to use so little of it. Just make sure you start with 1/3 of the amount of almonds, wait a couple of minutes to let it absorb the liquids and then work your way towards a nice doughy consistency. I’ll be very interested in finding out how it went!
Ann Wright says
bertiesbath@yahoo.ca
t-werent no baking over the weekend–too many interruptions but I’m on the case even as I type. The sweet potatoes are roasting now; will complete the recipe, bake and cool following which I will give you a full report. Just know they are going to be delicious. The fact that there is no ADDED sugar and all the ingredients are nutritious is what is so utterly appealing.
Found the coconut flour–at the bulk barn –who’d have thought. Unfortunately, I didn’t buy enough of the dates to complete a second recipe for my grandsons, but before long I’ll be back at the bulk barn to stock up and then will bake another batch sans the almonds
Again, Thanks.
Ann
wssooso
Ann Wright says
OMG, Katrin, the results are phenomenal — Yours is a gem of a recipe. I will be making these sw.pot. brownies many times more. Probably could eat the entire batch (am seriously addicted to sugar). Funnily enough, though,two, two-inch squares of these brownies more than satisfied me AND as undeniably delicious as they are, I am NOT finding myself drawn to eat more. I will, tomorrow–well, of course!!..
I cannot say the same for recipes using cane sugar or worse sugar made from corn. This is a breakthrough for me. The natural occurring Medjool date sugar doesn’t affect one’s insulin levels (particularly when partnered with the almonds and the eggs).
Anyway, I’m thrilled. Thanks again. I look forward to exploring your site further looking for recipes with great ingredients and no ersatz “sugars” which I stay clear of.
Cheers. Do, please, keep up the good work which is a real service.
Katrin says
Hello Ann, I am so thrilled to hear your brownies were a success. I am not surprised you found yourself satisfied sooner than you would have been with a regular wheat flour and sugar recipe – both the dates and the coconut flour you used are filling. Could you share with everyone how much coconut flour you used?
Re: sugar, I have recently been baking with erythritol instead of dates, which is a natural sugar alternative (though it does not sound natural, I know!) and does not raise blood sugars at all. Maybe you give it a try as well and let me know what you think! Check out the coconut blondies, now that you have the coconut flour already… They have been very popular especially with my Instagram readers.
Thank you for leaving such a kind and detailed comment. It’s great to hear that my recipes are being enjoyed 🙂
Mike says
I’ve said this before on other European cook sites but WHY post ingredient measures only in WEIGHTS?!? and in metric to boot! You guys ORIGINATED Imperial measure for crying out loud and when it comes to dry ingredients, cups, tsp, Tbsp are far, FAR easier and superior to weights…
Katrin says
Hello Mike, you have a good point! This is one of my earlier recipes and I have actually bought some cups now for my American and Canadian readers. 150g ground almonds are 1 1/4 cups. Hope this helps.
Judy says
personally I prefer weights . It’s easy to weigh ingredients but how are you supposed to measure butter in ml? As for cups, I’ve never understood them. I have espresso cups and a giant sports direct mug, and just about every size in between. How am I supposed to know what kind of cup to use ?
Katrin says
Hello Judy, in the US they weigh ingredients in cups, which are standardised. A lot of my readers are based in the US, that’s why I have chosen to add cups. You can buy them on Amazon. 1 US cup fits 237 ml of liquid. As for the butter, just use grams instead. Hope you’ll enjoy the brownies!
Judy says
I made these today and they are amazing ! I will definitely be making them again . My children love them and they would never eat a sweet potato . I gave up sugar in the new year and it’s nice to find a cake I can eat. I’ll be experimenting with dates – I hadn’t realised they were low GI
CLAIRE says
What size pan to use?
Katrin says
I used a small baking pan, 7×10 inch
Honey says
Could you substitute cocoa powder for cacao?
And what is cacao nibs?
Thanks
Katrin says
Cacao is the purest form of chocolate you can consume, which means it is raw and much less processed than cocoa powder – but also more expensive. You can use that, or the 100% cocoa powder I used, which is sugar free. I think maybe you mean not cacao, but the hot chocolate powder you can buy in shops? Most of those are packed with sugar and I would not recommend them.
Cacao nibs are cacao beans that have been roasted, separated from their husks, and broken into smaller pieces. They have a chocolatey taste, but they’re not quite as sweet as chocolate, which can make them more versatile. I bought mine at Sainsbury’s (if you are based in the UK) – but every health food shop should have them.
Antonia says
So delicious and easy to make. My children love them
Carolin says
Wonderful ! Very tasty and easy to prepare!
Katrin says
So glad you like it!
Maki says
I made them!! They are very yummy alternative to the real sugary thing. I didnt put in as many dates as was in the list of ingredients. You should. Always follow the recipe….
Katrin says
Hi Maki, what a shame! It’s always a fine line with ‘sugar free’ desserts… too little sweetness, and it’s frowns all around x
Debra says
I made these yesterday but struggled with oven temperature to bake them. What temperature do you suggest?
Katrin says
Hi Debra, what was the problem you had – were they undercooked? Did they burn? The temperature I used was 180 Celsius / 360 Fahrenheit
Dagny Steen says
Das sieht aber lecker aus! YUM Kochst du auch was für mich?Dagny 8 years
Katrin says
Glad you like the look of them Dagny! Why don’t you ask your mum to help you make a portion? Let me know how it went!