These flourless fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies are paleo, gluten free, dairy free, AND refined sugar free! They’re naturally sweetened with sweet potatoes along with coconut sugar and a little bit of honey. It’s a healthy brownie recipe but you’d never even know because they’re just THAT good!
This post is sponsored by Wholesome Sweeteners and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Butternut Bakery possible!
Why these are the best sweet potato brownies
I absolutely love this Sweet Potato Brownies recipe because they’re super fudgy and practically guilt free! Zero refined sugar is used in these brownies because it’s sweetened with all natural ingredients.
The sweet potatoes alone aren’t enough to sweeten these brownies, although they sure help. That’s why I add Wholesome Organic Coconut Sugar and Organic Raw Unfiltered Honey.
I love baking with Wholesome’s coconut sugar because it’s completely natural but bakes just as well as regular white sugar. It’s the perfect alternative to refined sugar because it’s a 1-to-1 replacement. For every cup of sugar, replace with one cup of Wholesome Organic Coconut Sugar!
Honey is an additional layer of natural sweetness that helps make these brownies extra delicious. I always trust Wholesome’s Organic Raw Unfiltered Honey because they only source from bees that pollinate in the wild… meaning no pesticides or GMO’s.
Trust me, you won’t be missing your white sugar after trying these brownies. They’re super chocolatey without being overly sweet… just like brownies should be!
Baking the sweet potatoes for brownies
First things first, you must prep your sweet potatoes before baking these brownies. This recipe requires 1 to 1 1/2 large sweet potatoes so you’ll be baking 2 potatoes to make sure you have plenty to bake with.
I like to prep the potatoes the day before because A, it saves time and B, you want to make sure the potatoes are completely cooled before adding them to the brownies.
If you prep the day ahead, just mash the potatoes and place them in a container in the fridge. Then, blend them when you’re ready to make the brownies.
Why don’t these brownies need any flour?
Not only are these brownies naturally sweetened, but they’re also flourless! AKA completely gluten free brownies.
The reason why these brownies DON’T need flour is because of three ingredients: sweet potatoes, almond butter, and one egg. They all work together to work as the glue for these brownies.
The egg helps to bind the sweet potato puree and the almond butter reinforces that while adding some moistness from its natural oils.
But with all that moisture, the brownies need a few dry ingredients to help balance them out. The cocoa powder helps soak up some of the liquid in the sweet potatoes to give these brownies a perfect silky texture and rich chocolate flavor and color.
Dairy Free Chocolate Ganache
We can’t forget the added bit of chocolate on top. To make these brownies COMPLETELY dairy free, I added a vegan chocolate ganache on top.
Luckily, it is very easy to make and adds an extra bite of chocolate to these rich sweet potato brownies. It’s like adding a layer of chocolate truffle on top! All you need is dark chocolate and coconut cream.
I sourced the coconut cream from the top of a can of coconut milk as the cream floats the top while the water sinks to the bottom. You can also purchase a can of JUST coconut cream but they’re a little tougher to find.
Simply heat the coconut cream in the microwave for about 1 minute or until it’s hot to the touch. Then, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for another minute.
Mix it all together until it’s silky and smooth. As it cools, it will begin to thicken so it’s important to spread it on your COOLED brownies right after you’ve made the ganache.
Pop it in the fridge to set, sprinkle on a little sea salt and serve!
FAQs
Of course! I know people have made these with walnuts and they worked really well.
Don’t worry, this sometimes happens and is totally natural. Just beat the mashed sweet potato with a fork until you’ve mixed the liquid back in and proceed with the recipe.
For more naturally sweetened dessert recipes, check out my:
- Healthy Peanut Butter Cups with Coconut Oil
- Healthy Vegan Snickers Bars
- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Banana Bread Bars
- Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
- Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Muffins
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram or leave a comment below if you make these Sweet Potato Brownies. I love seeing my recipes come to life in YOUR kitchen! To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
PrintSweet Potato Brownies
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 16 brownies 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These sweet potato brownies are flourless, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, AND refined sugar free! They’re naturally sweetened to make a healthy brownie recipe that everyone loves.
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Brownies
- 1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, baked and pureed
- 1/2 cup natural almond butter
- 1/3 cup Wholesome Organic Coconut Palm Sugar
- 2 tbsp Wholesome Organic Raw Unfiltered Honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder*
Dairy Free Chocolate Ganache
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate
- 3 tbsp coconut cream
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- To bake the potatoes, poke some holes in the tops with a fork and bake at 400F for 1 hour. They’re ready when they start to bubble and you can easily sink a fork into them.
- Once they’ve cooled, peal off the skin, measure out 1 1/2 cups, and blend in a food processor until completely smooth.
- I also recommend baking these the day before so the sweet potatoes can chill in the fridge. It speeds up the baking process for these brownies. If you’re prepping the potatoes the day of, just make sure the puree is completely cooled before adding it to the brownie batter.
- Preheat your oven to 350F and grease and line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper, letting some hang over the edges so the brownies are easy to lift out later.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sweet potato puree, almond butter, and coconut sugar.
- Once combined, mix in the honey, egg, and vanilla.
- Finally, mix in the cocoa powder.
- Pour the batter into your baking pan and spread it even. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the top is no longer glossy. They will not rise so don’t be alarmed when they remain flat.
- Let the brownies cool COMPLETELY before slicing or adding the ganache.**
- For the ganache, pour the chocolate into a bowl then heat the coconut cream in the microwave for about 1 minute.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for about a minute, making sure the chocolate is completely covered. Then, mix until it’s smooth and glossy.
- Spread it onto your cooled brownies. Place them in the fridge for about 30 minutes then sprinkle with a little sea salt before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- *Dutch processed cocoa powder also works or regular cocoa powder. But with regular, they might not turn out as dark as they are in the pictures seen here.
- **These brownies are somewhat delicate but are much more stable once they’re covered in ganache and refrigerated. That’s why it’s important to not dig into these until they’ve had time to completely cool.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sweet potato brownies, flourless brownies, gluten free brownies
Does this recipe yield 2 8×8 pans?
Nope! Just one 8×8 pan
I loved them….i added walnuts in the mix…..any idea on the calories per serving? I cut the 8×8 into 16 small aquares….thanks for a great recipe