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My flourless vegan sweet potato brownies are dense, fudgy, and deeply chocolatey, with a texture that lands somewhere between a truffle and a brownie 🤤. They’re naturally gluten-free, fully dairy-free, and come together with simple pantry ingredients. Let’s bake!
save this recipe!These brownies deliver that shiny-top, melt-in-your-mouth richness without a single drop of flour. I can’t even count how many versions we tested to nail that structure (have you seen that photo above?!)! The sweet potato gives them body, the chocolate keeps them fudgy, and the flax helps everything set without turning cakey.
Not only is this one of the easiest brownie recipes, but it’s one of those vegan desserts people assume can’t possibly be vegan. Trust me, I tested them!
the sweetest sweet potato brownies
- Great make-ahead dessert because they get even better after chilling
- Customize this gluten-free vegan brownie recipe with chocolate chips, nuts, pretzels, or anything crunchy
- So sweet that no one will know it’s got more fiber than traditional brownies, thanks to the sweet potato
Notes from the test kitchen
- Sweet Potato Texture Test: We tried mashed and blended versions. Blended puree gave the smoothest brownie crumb with no graininess.
- Binder Test: Flax eggs gave the best structure without introducing cakiness. Other binders made the brownies crumbly or too dense. Flax seeds = 🤩
- Bake Time Test: These brownies turn dry fast when overbaked. Removing them while the center still looks soft is how we preserve that fudge texture!
Here’s what you’ll need
Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Sweet Potato Puree: Gives natural sweetness and moisture while providing structure in place of flour. Unlike our sweet potato cookie recipe, you need to fully blend the sweet potatoes to avoid graininess in the brownies.
- Flaxseed Meal: Thickens into a gel that binds the brownies without eggs. By far it produced the best texture in our egg-free brownie recipe.
- Vegan Chocolate Chips: Melt into the base for deep chocolate flavor and truffle-like density. Look for brands labeled dairy-free.
- Almond Butter: Adds richness and helps the fudgy sweet potato brownies hold their shape without oil. Smooth, stirred almond butter works best. Peanut butter works too, but results in a more PB cup flavor.
- Maple Syrup: Sweetens while keeping the texture soft and fudgy.
- Cocoa Powder: Intensifies the chocolate flavor and balances the sweetness of the sweet potato.
Why sweet potatoes work in brownies
There are a couple of things vegan brownies with sweet potatoes have going for them. First off, sweet potatoes naturally sweeten making these helthy-ish brownies. Next, their creaminess lends itself perfectly to that fudgy brownie texture we’re all after! And when compared to a standard vegan brownie, they act as our flour since they are a starch, and help bind like eggs would without the animal products.
no grainy brownies!
If you’re on the hunt for a flourless vegan brownie but aren’t into a black bean brownie, then you’re in the right place. But, when working with sweet potatoes in baked goods, we learned that they really need to be cooked fully and totally blended to avoid any grainy texture.
if your brownies are cakey…
This can happen quickly when baking sweet potato brownies (vegan). The key is to underbake! As soon as the center seems set, then it’s too late and they will likely be cakey. The center should still be a bit jiggly just like for our chickpea blondies.
Fudgy Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies (No Flour!)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pureed sweet potato, 330 g (see notes for prep)
- 4 ½ Tbsp hot water, 66 mL
- 1 ½ Tbsp flaxseed meal, 9 g
- 1 ½ cups vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, 260 g
- ¾ cup creamy almond butter, 192 g
- 6 Tbsp maple syrup, 150 g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, 5 mL
- 6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 30 g
- 1 tsp baking powder, 3 g
- ½ tsp salt, 4 g
- ¾ tsp espresso powder, optional, 3 g
- ½ cup desired mix ins, like vegan chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or pretzels, 90 g
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Sweet Potato: Make 1 ½ cups pureed sweet potato (see notes for making from scratch, or use leftover mashed sweet potatoes)
- Flax Egg: In a small bowl, combine 4 ½ Tbsp hot water and 1 ½ Tbsp flaxseed meal. Stir and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken.
- Melt Chocolate: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 ½ cups vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips and ¾ cup creamy almond butter. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until smooth and fully melted. Let cool slightly.
- Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flax egg, 6 Tbsp maple syrup, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth, about 2 minutes by hand or with electric beater.
- Add Chocolate: Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the flax-maple mixture. Whisk by hand or with electric beater until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. It will have a glossy, shiny appearance.
- Bring It All Together: Stir in sweet potato puree, 6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, and optional ¾ tsp espresso powder. Stir in ½ cup desired mix ins, like vegan chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or pretzels.The batter might get very thick all of a sudden if there’s a large gap in temperature between the puree, the dry ingredients, and wet ingredients, and that is totally normal.
- Bake: Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the edges are firm and the center looks set.
- Cool: Let brownies cool completely in the pan, then chill in the fridge for about 40 minutes before slicing for clean, dense squares.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
My cousin is allergic to nuts. Do you think I could maybe swap the almond butter for some type of oil? Thank you!
Hi Nomes! We haven’t tested this one with an almond butter substitute, so I really can’t say for sure. I think your best bet would be a combination of applesauce and oil!
What about sunflower butter? I’m also allergic to nuts, so sunflower butter is my go-to but not sure if it’s the right consistency for this recipe (like it’s not solid enough to give the brownies structure?)
Sunflower butter would probably work!
I have tried Sunflower Seed Butter!! So yummy!! Gives the flavor and texture of Peanut Butter – which NUTS was listed on my allergy foods!
WOW! I ran across your site looking for information regarding coffee beans (thanks to my fiancé)! I looked further into your site and was amazed. I was diagnosed with some food allergies in 2017 – mainly wheat!! It’s difficult finding good stuff! I also have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which doesn’t help with maintaining weight. I’m looking forward to trying the Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies! Actually, I have seriously considered going vegan hoping to combat the weight issues regarding the Hashimoto’s flare ups! Thank you!
I hope you enjoy the brownies Tracy, it must be hard to find yummy recipes!
Hey Sara these look amazing…can’t wait to try them out! I was curious about the nutrition stats…do you not post that for every recipe?
Thank you!
Jennifer
Oops! I must have just forgotten to add them. I’ll calculate them now and add them in! Thanks for pointing out that those were missing. Happy eating!
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Can I use an egg instead of flaxseed
We haven’t tested this one with egg because it’s meant to be a vegan recipe, but I’m sure egg would work in place of the flaxseed!
Hey sarah, how many eggs should I substitute in place for the flaxseed meal in this recipe?–And comparing both, which one do you think yields a better texture? Thank you so much.
We didn’t test this recipe with eggs so I really can’t say for sure, unfortunately. I would probably use two eggs in place of the flax seed meal! My guess is that the brownies will get a little more lift with the egg.
These brownies are amazing! I used canned pureed pumpkin instead of sweet potatoes. Next I’m going to bake in a round pan and serve as flourless cake, maybe with whipped cream.
Oh yum! I would love to hear how it goes in cake form! 😀
Delicious. Thank you!
So thrilled to hear that you loved it, Brenda. Happy eating!
I made these and ate them all immediately 🤣 question! Do you know how the bake time would change if I made them in a muffin tin?
We actually haven’t tested this one in a muffin tin so I really can’t say for sure, but I think you would reduce the cook time a good bit. I would start checking on them about 20 minutes early!
I would love to make this over passover but can’t use the flaxmeal. How many eggs should I use instead? Will it work?
We haven’t tested this one with eggs so I really can’t say for sure! I would probably do 1 or 2 though!