Sweet Potato Brownies are an indulgent way to get your veggies! Rich, fudgy brownies made with sweet potatoes, then topped with a super easy sweet potato frosting.
Today is a happy day. Today is brownie day!
I LOVE brownies. Any which way you slice them (except maybe old and dry), I’ll eat them. I’ll often list them as one of my favorite foods, because how can you resist that chew, that chocolate, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, that frosting?!
Today I’m sharing sweet potato brownies, which is already a little special, but there’s another secret to this treat. The frosting is made from sweet potatoes too!
I’m not messing around when it comes to brownies, so while these are a little healthier than your average brownie, they definitely don’t taste like it, nor does the texture scream “There are vegetables in my dessert!!”
How do you make sweet potato brownies?
I made my own sweet potato puree by wrapping a couple sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and baking at 400ºF for one hour. Peel off the skin and put the flesh in a food processor until smooth, adding water if necessary. If you have an instant pot, you could save a little time by following the directions in this post for instant pot sweet potatoes.
Once you have your sweet potato puree, you’re going to melt together chocolate and almond butter. Whisk in sweet potato puree, coconut oil, coconut sugar, flour, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Give it a little bake while you make the frosting!
If you can’t find coconut palm sugar at your local grocery store, you can purchase it online (affiliate link) or use brown sugar instead. I think coconut sugar is worth the buy because I use it all the time to make Dana’s General Tso’s Tofu.
Your chocolate mixture should be warm still while you’re mixing in the other ingredients. This will cause the coconut oil to melt as you whisk it in. If for some reason your chocolate has cooled, you may want to melt the coconut oil before mixing it in to ensure it distributes evenly.
How do you make sweet potato frosting?
Sweet potato frosting is SO EASY and you would never know it only has two ingredients, one of which is a sweet potato. There are two ways to go about making sweet potato frosting:
1. Melt the chocolate. Add the sweet potato puree. Mix to combine, and spread on the brownies.
2. Add the chocolate to warm sweet potato puree, and the heat from the warm sweet potatoes will melt it for you. Mix to combine, and spread on the brownies.
Sweet potato frosting will harden as it cools, so it’s best to spread it on as soon as you make it. I like to store the brownies in the refrigerator, where the frosting firms up and everything holds together well.
These sweet potato brownies can be customized! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- If you don’t feel like baking sweet potatoes, just pick up a few sweet potato baby food jars (the thicker the better)
- Skip the frosting and top with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or caramel sauce
- Add chopped walnuts to the batter before baking
- I haven’t tested it but you could experiment with using a flax egg to make it vegan
- Use dairy-free chocolate chips to keep these sweet potato brownies dairy-free
- Try using a gluten-free flour blend to make them gluten-free
Do you love brownies as much as I do? Be sure to check out my zucchini brownies, brownie for one, and edible brownie batter!
If you prefer your sweet potatoes on the savory side, I’d recommend my vegan stuffed sweet potatoes, sweet potato buddha bowl, and sweet potato tacos.
If you make this recipe be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Sweet Potato Brownies
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Brownies
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- ½ cup creamy, natural almond butter
- ½ cup sweet potato puree, from about half a large sweet potato
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ cup coconut palm sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Sweet Potato Frosting
- ½ cup sweet potato puree, from about half a large sweet potato
- 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
Sweet Potato Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment.
- In a small saucepan, heat unsweetened chocolate and almond butter over medium heat, stirring until melted.
- Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sweet potato puree and coconut oil, then whisk in the palm sugar. Next, whisk in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth and shiny.
- Add the cocoa powder, flour, and salt, and fold in just until incorporated with a rubber scraper or wooden spoon.
- Add the chocolate chips and fold gently to incorporate.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and spread out evenly. Bake 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Sweet Potato Frosting
- To make the sweet potato frosting, melt the chocolate chips in 30 second bursts in the microwave, watching carefully and stirring each time to ensure it doesn’t burn. Alternatively, you could melt the chocolate over a double boiler.
- Once melted, add the sweet potato puree and stir to combine. Spread warm frosting over cooled brownies and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
- Brownies will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months.
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