by 
These Sweet Potato Brownies are moist, sweet and delicious. A great recipe to make with your kids.
Sweet potato may seem like a strange ingredient to make brownies with, but trust me it works really well. When paired with dates and honey, the sweet potato is pretty much undetectable and even the fussiest of eaters won't be put off by the goodness hiding inside!
Top Tips When Making Sweet Potato Brownies
Sweet Potato - You can roast, steam or boil your sweet potato but I find that roasting works best. It brings out the natural sweetness and stops the mash from becoming too wet. Follow my tips for making great sweet potato puree.
Dates - I used fresh Medjool dates. They were soft and plump making them easy to blend. If your dates are dry you will need to soften them by letting them sit in boiling water for around 10 mins. It is important that they are soft so that they blend into the mixture well.
Honey - Honey is used for extra sweetness and can actually be skipped or replaced with another sweetener like maple syrup. Depending on how sweet your dates are, you may not need to add the honey. *Honey can, very occasionally, contain a spore of a bacterium called clostridium botulinum. This can cause a rare form of food poisoning and is not suitable for babies under 1.
Crushed Walnuts - The walnuts add great texture and flavour to the brownies and are probably my favourite part. When serving young children make sure to properly crush the walnuts. If you want to make this nut free you could replace with some chocolate chips so that there is still some texture to the brownie.
Brownie Thickness - I have made these brownies small, perfect for kids. They are thin and cut into small pieces. I used a 20cm x 20cm (8"x8") pan and cut into 25 small squares. If you prefer a thicker brownie you could double the mixture or use a smaller pan. This will change the cooking time. Just keep checking, your knife will come out clean when done.
Cooking with Kids
I like to get my kids involved with all aspects of cooking but, like most children, they just love it when we make something sweet. This is a great recipe to make with kids and is fantastic for showing children how versatile the sweet potato is.
- Blending the potato with the dates: Young kids love to press the buttons on the food processor and watch the food be chopped and blended together. Let them try the mixture at this stage, my 4 yr old couldn't get enough of it!
- Cracking Eggs: Another task that kids love to do!
- Mixing: Ask your children to describe how the mixture feels and what it looks and smells like at the various stages.
- Weighing: This recipe has small amounts of ingredient, perfect for young children to count in by the tablespoon full.
Although this dessert is made from sweet potatoes, like all treats and desserts, it should be enjoyed in moderation. It is still high in sugar (from the dates and honey) and it is important to be mindful of that.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate - Store for up to three days in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Freeze on a baking tray until solid and then transfer to a freezable airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
You may also like
- Sweet Potato Truffles
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Avocado Chocolate Mousse
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Patties
- Sweet Potato Crackers
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Sweet Potato Brownies
Ingredients
- 250g (1 ¼ cups) Sweet Potato Puree (or mashed sweet potato) *See note 1
- 7 Medjool Dates, pitted *See note 2
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tablespoon Honey *See note 3
- 4 tablespoon Cacao Powder
- 2 tablespoon Coconut Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 42g (⅓ cup) Crushed Walnuts *See note 4
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C / 355F and line a baking tin with baking paper. *SEE NOTE 5
- Add the sweet potato puree (or mash) to a food processor along with the pitted dates. Blend until the dates have broken down and mixed with the sweet potato. (See process picture in post for visual)
- Add the sweet potato mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the eggs and honey. Stir until combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the cacao, coconut flour and baking powder and mix together. Add this dry mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir until just combined.
- Add the walnuts and give one final stir.
- Pour the mixture into the lined baking tin and bake for around 20 - 25 minutes or until you can pierce the brownie with a knife and it comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.
- Once cool cut into squares. (I cut into 25 small squares)
Recipe Notes
- I find baking the sweet potato gives the best result. A potato that weighs around 500g will yield enough mashed potato. Learn how to make sweet potato puree here.
- It is important that your dates are soft and plump. If your dates are dry you will need to soak in boiling water, until soft, before blending.
- Honey is not suitable for under 1s. It is there for added sweetness only and can be missed out.
- Crushed walnuts add a lovely texture and taste. If you are looking to make this nut free you should replace with something that will add texture. Maybe coconut flakes or choc chips.
- My tray was 20cm x 20cm (8"x8"), this produced quite thin brownies and I cut them into small squares. If you prefer thicker brownies then you can use a smaller tin / double the recipe but the cooking time may be longer.
Nutritional facts
Becca
Any suggestions as to how to include cooked beetroot in this recipe? A lot of brownie recipes use this and I’d like to try, but not sure how to adapt your recipe to include it.
Amy
Hi Becca. Without testing it I really can't say, sorry. I'd try switching out some of the sweet potato with the same amount of pureed cooked beetroot.
Madelyn
This recipe looks delish! Do you think I can replace the eggs with flax eggs? Or any other suggestions to make it egg free?
Amy
Hi Madelyn, I haven't tested an egg replacement so can't say for sure. I think flax eggs would be a good option though. Good Luck!
Meira
we enjoyed the recipe ! Thank s a lot
Amy
Thanks Meira 🙂
Chloe Beneke
Do you know if you could sub carrot puree for the sweet potato?
Amy
Hi Chloe, I'm not sure how carrot would work, pumpkin could be a good alternative though.
Mirela
This is one of my favorite recipes! I make this at least once a week.
I double the walnuts and bake in a cast iron skillet.
Tonight, we’re trying it with ice cream
Amy
Hi Merela, lovely to know. Double walnuts sound great! I've never tried it in a cast iron skillet, good to know 🙂
Lexi
I used 4 times the amount of plain flour rather than coconut flour and doubled the baking powder. Unsure if consistency was same as original recipe but they still taste amazing, especially considering what's in them. My 8 month old was also having some so I swapped the honey for maple syrup.
Amy
Thanks for your feeback, Lexi. Glad you enjoyed them and good to know that plain flour worked too 🙂
Karen Ruane
I just made this, using ground almonds instead of coconut flour and it's absolutely delicious!! This was a first for me, using dates and sweet potato, so well worth experimenting! Thanks!
Amy
Hi Karen, thanks for the feedback. Great to know that ground almonds work well too. Did you have to add more than the amount of coconut flour?
Karen Ruane
Sorry for the delayed reply - I used the same amount of ground almonds that the recipe called for in coconut flour
Vanessa Papali
Hi Amy I made these for my kids and they loved it...so did I!! The healthiest brownies ever!! Love your recipes
Amy
Thanks Vanessa, such a lovely comment 🙂
Kay
HI there
Can i replace the eggs with flax eggs?
Thank you
Kay
Amy
Hi Kay, I'm sorry I haven't actually tried this recipe with flax eggs so can't guarantee how it will turn out. If you do try it, I'd love to know how it turns out. It will be great to know for other readers.
Marlies
Hi Amy,
My husband and I tried your brownies on the weekend and we really love the taste!! We are amazed by the natural sweetness. Baby Nora is still sceptical 😀
However, the consistency was a little odd. They turned out to be very creamy instead of cake like although we baked them for almost an hour. Are they supposed to be creamy, or could it be because of the sweet potatoes being to watery?
Would be greatful for any advice, Marlies
Amy
Hi Marlies,
Thanks for your comment. This is such an old recipe of mine and I haven't actually made them for a while so can't quite remember, sorry. I do remember them being more a fudgy texture than a cake-like texture. Did they look like the pictures?
LuceC
Hi,
I love your recipes so thank you! I haven't got any coconut flour so am I better to use normal flour or something like ground almonds? Thank you
Amy
Hi LuceC, so sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Coconut flour is a difficult one to substitute as it absorbs so much more moisture than other flours. You would have to add more flour and maybe even remove 1 egg. I'd have to experiment to give you an accurate answer. Sorry.
Dawn
Do you think these would be ok without nuts? I was thinking of making them for my daughter to take into her but free school. Thanks
Dawn
**nut free
Amy
Hi Dawn, I haven't made these in a while and have never tried without the nuts. I'm sure it will still work though 🙂
Mr. Wizard
Ok how many cups would you use. Your recipes are fantastic. I send everyone I know with kids to your website I have never seen such creative, healthy foods for kids. And adults love them too.
Amy
Hi Mr Wizard! Thank you for your kind comment and for spreading the word. It means a lot!
Sorry but I can't tell you off hand how many cups each ingredient would be but I do now try to include cup measurements in all my new recipes..
Mr. Wizard
How many cups does the 550g of the sweet potato equal?
Amy
Hi Mr Wizard, I'm usure how many cups it would be as it would be depended on the size of the cubes. Sorry