I consider these to be snacking brownies, rather than full-on dessert brownies. They’re vegan, gluten-free, flourless, and pretty lightly sweetened. They depend on steamed sweet potato for much of their fudgyness and even some of their sweetness. In other words, they’re pretty virtuous as far as brownies go. But not too annoyingly so, since they’re still plenty delicious. They’d make for a great lunchbox snack for kids or a midnight bite for students. They freeze well, too, so it’s good to keep a batch in the freezer to satisfy any kind of sweet tooth emergency.
We are huge fans of using sweet potatoes as an ingredient for good vegan desserts – see these truffles, this pudding, and this nougat. They do so many things: they bind, contribute moistness, add a bit of sweetness, but also largely act as a blank flavor slate. We are currently obsessed with steamed sweet potatoes and found that that method of cooking works beautifully for these brownies. Sweet potatoes come out incredibly silky when steamed, and the process also hydrates them quite a bit, which is crucial for that fudgyness in the brownies. Steaming generally cooks sweet potatoes faster than roasting them, so that’s another little bonus. Just a note that we used a Japanese, white-fleshed sweet potato for this photoshoot because that’s all they had at the store somehow. You can definitely use a regular, orange sweet potato.
Hope you’ll give these a try! Have a great rest of your week :)
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 1 medium sweet potato - steamed until fork-tender and peeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or soft coconut oil, plus more for oiling the tin
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- generous pinch of sea salt
- dairy-free dark chocolate chips - for topping
- optional: nuts, and/or coconut flakes - for topping (we also used rose petals, which should be added after baking)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175° C). Prepare a 12 hole muffin tin by oiling each hole with olive oil or soft coconut oil.
- In a small bowl, combine the ground flax with 6 tablespoons of water. Whisk together and let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, mash the sweet potato until smooth. You should have about 1¾ - 2 cups of sweet potato flesh. Add the oil, vanilla, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl. Mix everything together until smooth. Fold in the flax mixture, which should be thickened to a raw egg-like consistency at this point. You can also do all this mashing and mixing in a food processor if you prefer.
- Distribute the brownie mixture in the oiled muffin tin, patting it down into the muffin holes somewhat evenly. I like to use slightly dampened hands for this, but you can also use a wetted spoon. Top each brownie with some chocolate chips and any other topping of choice, if using. Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the brownies are dry to the touch on the outside but still quite fudgy inside. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before removing the brownies from the pan. Keep refrigerated or frozen in an air-tight container.
Linda says
These look delicious and I can’t wait to make them! Would you be able to specify the rough weight of a medium sweet potato, they’re quite different in size here in the UK? Thanks!
Anya says
Hi Linda,
Thank you! I don’t have one on hand so can’t weight it, but you will need 1 3/4-2 cups of mashed steamed sweet potato flesh. Hope this helps :)
Linda says
That helps, thank you Anya!
Fiona Manoon says
These brownies are really tempting . Never have imagines that brownies can be made with sweet potato. Really very different and interesting recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Keep Cooking !! And Keep Posting !!
Have a Nice Day !
Tracy says
I had to bake these an extra 20 minutes or so . I realized they were too raw after I had cooked/cooked them. But I put them back in the oven and they were fine. They also didn’t rise well. I used muffin paper in the tin. Do you think that is the reason? I’m going to try them again.
Tracy says
I meant “cooled” them…
Anya says
Hi Tracy,
Thank you so much for reporting back! Were the brownies still fudgy after 20 extra min of cooking? These are meant to be very fudgy on the inside with a little dryness on the outside, even after being cooled. Since there’s no eggs and the sweet potato is pre-cooked, it’s ok to leave them like that. That being said, it’s great to hear that they can handle more time in the oven!
I’m not sure about the muffin paper but because the sweet potato is kind of ‘heavy’ and there’s no flour at all, the brownies won’t rise like regular brownies. You can see in our photos that ours don’t rise much as well, but the baking powder gives them just a bit of lift.
Thanks again for your feedback :)
Tracy says
Thanks. I’m going to try them again without the paper liners. My 6 year old liked them more after the second baking. She said “mom, you forgot to cook them” after the first baking. Lol.
Anya says
Hahaha, love that. Hope they work out better without the papers :)
Sue says
Thanks for this recipe Anya! I beaked them ias mini bites and they are terrific.
Anya says
Amazing! Thank you Sue :)
Sofia says
These are delicious ! Thanks for a great recipe.
Anya says
Glad you enjoyed them Sofia :)
Meenakshi says
Can I use maple syrup instead of coconut sugar ?
.
Masha says
Hi,
I’m not sure as I’ve never tried it. I think since maple syrup is a liquid sweetener, it would alter the consistency of the batter and the texture of the brownie might be off. I think you would have to tweak the recipe a little. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Clara Cohen says
Hi! These seem delicious! Could I use chia seeds instead of flax though?
Anya says
Hi Clara! Thank you! We’ve never tried using chia ourselves, but it should work since chia and flax are usually pretty interchangeable. Please let us know how it goes if you try them :)
andrea says
These are really delicious, the recipe worked perfectly! Nobody even realized they were eating a healthier dessert!
Anya says
So glad to hear!!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!