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These Pumpkin Sweet Potato Brownies are fudgy, rich and deeply chocolatey. Enjoy them warm from the oven with a melty scoop of vanilla ice cream, or cut them into bite size pieces and store them in the fridge for a cool treat.
Want more brownie recipes? Try my classic homemade brownies or these zucchini brownies!
These pumpkin sweet potato brownies are one of the most decadent desserts I’ve ever made. I know that probably sounds funny, saying something made with a vegetable is decadent. But we all love pumpkin pie right? And how about sweet potato pie? Well, it’s no different here except we’re adding chocolate and making brownies!
What do sweet potato brownies taste like? I would describe these brownies as intensely chocolatey. You don’t need a big piece to satisfy your sweet tooth. They’re also rich and fudgy thanks to the pumpkin and sweet potato, both of which add depth of flavor. There are no eggs or other dairy products in this recipe either, so as it turns out these brownies are vegan if you use dairy free chocolate chips.
What You’ll Need
To make these fabulous sweet potato brownies, you will need a handful of ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.
- Pumpkin puree – Not pumpkin pie puree.
- Baked, mashed sweet potato – You can use my handy how to bake a sweet potato guide for reference.
- Agave – You can also use maple syrup, but I like the more subtle flavor of agave in this recipe.
- Light brown sugar – Or dark brown if you want more caramel undertones.
- Vanilla extract: Always use pure vanilla extract.
- Olive oil – Canola oil also works.
- Almond butter
- Cocoa powder – I like Trader Joe’s.
- Salt – Always use kosher salt.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – I like Ghirardelli chocolate chips. However, if you want these to be vegan brownies you should use vegan semi sweet chocolate chips.
Are These Brownies Vegan?
Yes, if you use vegan chocolate chips. I love to use fresh eggs in my recipes, but in these brownies I used pumpkin and sweet potato as the binding agents that hold everything together.
How to Make Pumpkin Sweet Potato Brownies
These easy sweet potato brownies take only an hour to make! Here are the steps to make this recipe:
- Step One: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with PAM or your favorite nonstick cooking spray. Be sure that the foil hangs over the sides of the pan so that you can easily lift the brownies out of the pan after they bake.
- Step Two: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the pumpkin, sweet potato, agave, brown sugar, vanilla, olive oil, and almond butter until everything is well combined.
- Step Three: In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, salt, and flour. Mix well to incorporate the dry ingredients.
- Step Four: Add the dry ingredients into the bowl containing the wet ingredients. Mix to combine using a spatula and stir until there are no dry spots left in the batter. Then, fold 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips into the sweet potato brownie batter. The batter will be thick at this stage!
- Step Five: Spread the batter into your prepared 8×8 pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips all over the top.
- Step Six: Bake in your preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed gently with your finger.
- Step Seven: Remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes. Use the long edges of the foil to carefully lift the sweet potato brownies out of the pan. Allow them to cool on a cutting board for another 10 minutes.
- Step Eight: Cut into slices and serve. To be extra decadent, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream over the top of your vegan brownie.
Tips for Success
There are a few tricks to ensure you can make the best sweet potato brownies:
- Be sure you can get the brownies out of the pan after baking. This is why I like to use either foil or parchment paper to not only line the bottom of the pan but to create a “handle” in which to lift the brownies out of the pan. If you do not use this trick, you run the risk of the brownies sticking to the bottom and sides of your baking dish.
- Do not overmix the batter. We are using regular all-purpose flour here, which can become tough from overmixing. The more you stir your flour into the wet ingredients, the more gluten develops in the batter. More gluten means tougher brownies. Simply fold your wet and dry ingredients together just until no dry spots remain and you will have tender, light sweet potato brownies.
- Do not add extra moisture to the batter. This sweet potato brownie batter is thick. It may be tempting to add a few drops of plant milk or water to thin it out, but don’t! The brownie batter is meant to be thick, which will bake into luscious, fudgy brownies.
How to Store Homemade Brownies
These vegan brownies are best stored in the fridge. Just allow the brownie pan to come to room temperature before covering it with plastic wrap and placing them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can also cut the brownies into individual servings and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
As I mentioned earlier, these sweet potato brownies are super rich. So I actually prefer to cut them into bite sized pieces (or maybe two-bite pieces, as in, it takes two bites to eat the piece). Then I store them in a Tupperware container in the fridge. Then whenever I want a little treat during the day I can just grab a mini brownie and pop it into my mouth. So good!
Can I Freeze These?
Yes! These sweet potato brownies freeze beautifully. You can make a few batches ahead of time so that you can indulge over the next coming weeks/months.
To Freeze: Allow the freshly baked brownies to come to room temperature. Wrap each individual brownie in a few layers of plastic wrap. Freeze the wrapped brownies until you are ready to eat.
To Defrost: Simply place the number of brownies you need in the fridge from the freezer. Allow them to defrost overnight. You can also thaw them on the counter for a few hours or microwave each frozen brownie for about 30 seconds.
Pumpkin Sweet Potato Brownies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup baked sweet potato, mashed
- ⅓ cup agave
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup almond butter
- ½ cup cocoa powder, I like Trader Joe’s
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided use
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil and spray with PAM or another cooking spray. Make sure the foil hangs over the sides of the baking dish a bit so that you can use it to lift the brownies out of the pan later.
- In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, sweet potato, agave, brown sugar, vanilla, olive oil, and almond butter. Mix well.
- In a medium bowl combine the cocoa, salt, and flour. Mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Stir until no dry bits of batter are left. Add ½ cup of the chocolate chips and stir just to combine. The batter will be thick.
- Spread the batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the brownies have risen slightly and the tops bounce back when pressed gently with your finger.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes. Use the edges of the foil to lift the brownies out of the pan and place on a cutting board to cool another 10 minutes.
- Cut into slices and serve! I especially like these topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.