This flourless paleo Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies Recipe will have you swooning over the rich chocolate flavor and fudgy texture. And they’re nut free, grain free, gluten free, and dairy free!
If you’re looking for insanely fudgy and deep, dark chocolately brownies, then look no further. I have you covered 100% and then some with these beauties.
But before we talk about brownies, let’s talk sweet potatoes for a quick minute. I have always viewed them as more dessert than anything else!
No doubt this stems from the fact that growing up my mom always served sweet potatoes with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
There’s nothing at all wrong with that (I mean, yum), but it definitely says dessert to me more than side dish! This is why sweet potatoes was a natural addition to brownies for me.
Healthy Brownies
I’ve seen all kinds of healthy brownie secret ingredients. Things like chickpeas, black beans, kale, bok choy, and cauliflower (I kid you not).
Of course I’m all for sneaking in more veggies when it can be done. However, there comes a point when I think many of us would prefer to sit down to a gorgeous salad, stir-fry, or veggie-laden soup and enjoy it for what it is rather than to add veggies that just don’t belong in desserts.
A chocolate brownie should not taste or smell like a plate of veggies, lol!
If you eat healthy for the most part, I don’t see anything wrong with enjoying dessert that tastes like dessert every now and again. And it’s a total bonus when dessert happens to also be full of healthy ingredients that either a) can’t be detected taste-wise, or b) are a naturally delicious pairing.
Sweet Potato Brownies
Unlike cruciferous veggies, I feel like sweet potatoes are a natural fit with chocolate. I’ve wanted to play around with a sweet potato brownie recipe for a while now!
Even though the flavor of these brownies doesn’t scream sweet potato, it is mildly discernable, especially after the first day. It’s a good thing the two flavors pair well.
But I have to say, if you tried one of these brownies without knowing they have sweet potato in them, I don’t think it would immediately come to mind.
It’s a natural thing; sweet potatoes lend their natural earthy sweetness and give these brownies great fudgy texture.
Paleo Sweet Potato Brownies - And They're Also Nut Free!
To keep these brownies paleo-friendly, I used coconut sugar as the main sweetener in this recipe. Similar to brown sugar, I love the caramel-like flavor notes in coconut sugar. It works particularly well with the sweet potato here.
Pro Tip: If you’re looking to cut back on sugar a bit, scale down from 1 cup to ¾ cup coconut sugar.
And bonus, I was able to keep this recipe nut-free by using golden flaxseed meal! It also adds omega-3 fatty acids and bumps up the fiber content.
Just in Case You Love Brownies, Here Are More to Try:
- Turtle Brownies
- Fudgy Cocoa Brownies
- Cheesecake Brownies (Low Carb)
- Fudgy Guinness Brownies with Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Chocolate Frosted Brownies
- Cheesecake Peanut Butter Brownies (Low Carb)
- Best Keto Brownies
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies Recipe (Paleo)
Ingredients
- 1 medium-large sweet potato peeled and chopped into ½-inch cubes
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil or grass-fed clarified butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup golden flaxseed meal
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips for the top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F; line an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with 2 pieces of parchment paper so it hangs over all 4 sides (so you can easily lift the brownies out later).
- Add the sweet potato cubes to a medium saucepan and cover by 2 inches with cold water. Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer until the potato is very soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well and cool slightly.
- Add the sweet potato, coconut oil, and coconut sugar to a blender or food processor and process until pureed, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Add the eggs, vanilla, and dissolved espresso and pulse to combine. Add the cocoa powder, flaxseed meal, salt, and baking soda, and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Pour the batter into the prepared dish, let the batter sit for 5 minutes (it will thicken), and then sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Bake until the brownies are set along the outside and feel dry to the touch, but a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out wet, about 28 to 30 minutes (be careful not to over-bake!).
- Cool completely before cutting. Store any leftovers wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Faith's Tips
- Choose a sweet potato that weighs about 14 to 16 oz/400 to 450 g. You should have about 2 slightly heaping cups cubed sweet potato.
- If you like your desserts less sweet, reduce the coconut sugar to ¾ cup.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on September 30, 2016. I updated it with more information on April 24, 2020.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
Anna Wright says
YUM YUM YUM!!! I made this recipe on my son's birthday party and people RAVED about it! I made it per your directions and it was wonderful. I even gave you credit for making me shine! THANK YOU!
Faith says
Makes my day to hear that, Anna, thank you so much! And happy (belated) birthday to your son!
Marla Meridith says
Faith, I MUST try these!!!
Jane Campbell says
Hi Faith! I'm not sure I can get golden flaxseed meal in Australia. Do you think I should sub with something else or can I just leave it out?
Faith says
Hi Jane, In this recipe, flaxseed meal acts as a thickener so I definitely wouldn't just omit it (although, hey, you never know - it might work, lol!). Is it just golden flaxseed meal that is unavailable? If so, you could use regular flaxseed meal (from brown flaxseeds). Or if you can find either the golden or brown flaxseeds, you can grind your own meal by pulsing the seeds in a food processor or blender until they're powdery. And if neither flaxseed meal nor flaxseeds are available, you could try this recipe with ground chia seeds instead, or you could play with other gluten-free flours, such as almond flour or coconut flour. If you want to try almond flour, I'd use the same amount (1/2 cup), but if you want to try coconut flour I'd use a bit less (start with 3 or 4 tablespoons and work up from there) because of the way coconut flour absorbs liquid. I hope this helps! Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try.
Debbie says
I would love to try this recipe. I have a 425 g can of organic sweet potato purée. Since the recipe calls for 400 to 450 g of chopped sweet potato, I am asuming is will work? What do you think? Thanks?
Faith says
Debbie, Yes, I think that would work quite nicely here since we're basically just making sweet potato puree! Hope you enjoy these if you give them a try. :)
Laura | Tutti Dolci says
These brownies look fabulous, love the sweet potato addition for the extra fudgy factor!
Kevin | Keviniscooking says
I think I'm in the same boat where sweet potatoes were served with marshmallows, cinnamon and brown sugar and could easily have been a dessert. I can't think of sneaking in a veggie except maybe zucchini in breads, but that's not too crazy. These look outstandingly moist and super chocolatey. Lovely. Have a wonderful weekend Faith!
Heather Kinnaird says
these look insanely fudgy! sweet potato definitely sounds better than beans or cauliflower in brownies, but I have done avocado and they were delicious too