Sweet Potato Brownies – Quick and Easy Recipe
These sweet potato brownies are incredibly easy to make, don’t take hours, and are loaded with healthy nutrients. This recipe will allow you to indulge in a chocolatey dessert without having to feel guilty about it!
If you are looking for more “healthy” vegetable desserts, try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies or these Sweet Potato Muffins. But go browse my website for more delicious recipes you can try!
Why I Love These Sweet Potato Brownies
I don’t even know where to begin! There are an endless amount of reasons why I love this sweet potato brownie recipe.
Contains Less Fat
For one, it is much healthier than regular chocolate brownies. They don’t contain any vegetable oil, animal butter, or margarine. The creaminess and richness come from peanut butter. While it’s not the lowest in fat or calories, peanut butter contains a ton of nutrients that can benefit you in other ways.
If you’d like, you can substitute it with a different kind of nut-butter spread. As long as the alternative is thick, smooth, and has a creamy consistency.
Low In Added Sugars
These brownies are also much lower in added sugars. With regular brownie recipes, you can add as much as 2 cups of granulated sugar. My recipe only contains 2/3 cup (which can be lowered to 1/2 cup if you want).
The reason I’ve added less sugar is that the sweet potato puree already adds a natural sweetness to the brownies.
These Are Vegetarian (And Can Be Vegan)
In case you want to make it vegan, you just have to ensure that every product you purchase is vegan. This mainly applies to peanut butter, sugar, and chocolate chips.
The rest of the ingredients should technically be vegan, but some manufacturers use non-vegan products to process the ingredients.
Contains More Nutrients Than Regular Brownies
Regular brownies are pretty much filled with empty calories. However, by adding some sweet potato, you are adding some form of nutrients.
So, not only are these lower in calories, but you can also absorb some of the nutrients!
You can have a look here at some nutrients sweet potatoes offer.
Tips And Tricks For Making Brownies With Sweet Potato
- A trick I like to use that helps get the brownies out of the pan much easier, is to line the baking pan with paper that folds up and over two of the sides. This way, after you’ve separated the sides from the brownies, you can simply lift the brownies out of the pan.
- Make sure that the sweet potato puree you use is completely lump-free. When you mash it, pass it through a fine-meshed sieve. Mash it against the sieve using a spoon or spatula. The final product is completely smooth. If it is too wet, you can always cook it over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes. The puree should be cooled before you use it in the brownie batter.
- When slicing brownies, it is best to use a bread knife or another kind of serrated knife. It helps slice through the dense crumb much better than a smooth-edged knife. It will help create clean cuts without the brownies tearing.
FAQs
How many carbs are in sweet potato brownies?
My recipe specifically contains around 24 grams of carbs per serving (2-inch block). A regular chocolate brownie contains about 40 grams of carbs per 2-inch serving. So as you can see, that’s significantly lower!
What makes a brownie moist?
Oil and eggs are what add the most moisture to brownies. Despite the lack of oil and eggs, this sweet potato brownie recipe still contains peanut butter which functions in the same way.
Why are my brownies dry?
The main cause of dry brownies is overbaking. It can also be that the ratio of wet to dry ingredients is off, but it’s unlikely in this recipe (unless you measured out the ingredients wrong). So, only bake the brownies for 20 minutes. Test their doneness and continue baking it (if needed) in 5-minute intervals.
Can you freeze sweet potato brownies?
Just like regular brownies, these can also be frozen for several months. I recommend using them within a month of freezing, but they will easily last up to 6 months. Place the brownies inside an airtight container and wrap them in a layer of foil.
More Quick and Delicious Desserts
Decadent Sweet Potato Brownies – Quick Easy Vegetarian Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- ¾ cup sweet potato puree, smooth and lump-free
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup granulated white sugar
- ⅓ cup cake flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 3/4-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the sweet potato brownie batter
- Preheat your oven to 320ºF (160ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick baking paper. Spray the sides with cooking spray or brush it with melted unsalted butter or margarine. Set these aside.
- Add the peanut butter into a medium saucepan over low heat. Allow it to slowly heat until it has softened significantly.
- Once it's softened, remove it from the heat. Add the smooth sweet potato puree and vanilla extract. Whisk these ingredients together very well until you have a uniform mixture. Set it aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and fine salt.
- Add the mixed dry ingredients to the peanut butter and sweet potato mixture. Mix until all of the dry ingredients have almost been fully incorporated.
- When you can only see a bit of flour, add the chocolate chips. Mix them in until you have a uniform sweet potato brownie batter.
Bake the brownies
- Gently pour the brownie batter into the lined baking pan. Smooth it out on top. Add a couple more chocolate chips if you'd like to.
- Bake the brownies for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The brownies will be very soft but they shouldn't be raw.
- Remove the baked brownies from the oven and allow them to cool at room temperature for at least 1 to 2 hours. They should cool completely before you attempt to remove them.
Remove and slice the brownies
- After your brownies have cooled completely, you can remove them. Glide a sharp thin-bladed knife around the edges.
- Then, flip the brownies directly onto a cutting board. Place it right side up.
- Slice the brownies into the desired portion sizes. I like to make mine about 2-inches.
- Serve the brownies immediately or store them for later.
