Fudgy Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Brownies

These one-bowl Sweet Potato Brownies get their lusciously fudgy texture from the addition of peanut butter, are made with cooked and mashed sweet potato, have less sugar than traditional brownie recipes and are family favorite!

This might come as a surprise to you, but I don’t personally think we NEED to add veggies to desserts. Yes, I know, I know. Veggie-loading is legit my career, but I am passionate about veggie-loading as a way to HELP you to naturally eat more vegetables in a way that feels good and tastes good. I am also a big believer that foods can be joy, culture, and tradition….and that not every recipe we eat and enjoy has to have a veggie tucked in to make it worthwhile. So, you won’t see me veggie-loading my mom’s pecan pie recipe.

However, I do think sometimes we forget that veggies can add so much more than nutrients to a food. They can add deliciousness, moisture, AND sweetness to a recipe on top of the vitamins and minerals (like in my Pumpkin Brownies). And the cooked sweet potato in these Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Brownies adds all of those things to a truly delicious sweet dessert.

Mixed up in one bowl, these brownies are a true treat that are also easy to make. The blend of cooked sweet potato, cocoa powder, and some chocolate chips makes for the perfect sweet chocolatey flavor without going over the top. Since this is a dessert, I have added in some brown sugar to sweeten things up to legit treat status, but I’ve been able to make these brownies delicious while also using less added sugar than many traditional brownie recipes….in case that is something you are looking for. And because fudgy brownies > cakey brownies (IMO), I’ve replaced the butter found in most brownie recipes with a mixture of smooth peanut butter and a little oil for that ultimate fudgy texture. Mix everything together with some whole wheat flour, eggs, and cinnamon (trust me) and bake these beauties up in under 30 minutes. Once they are baked and slightly cooled, cut them up into 16 perfect brownies and watch how quickly they disappear.

My 3 favorite ways to cook sweet potatoes:

Probably the hardest part of this recipe is making sure you have a cooked sweet potato on hand. Which, actually, is really easy. Here are the 3 ways I always lean on when making sweet potatoes for any of my recipes or meals.

• In the oven: Super Easy Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes
• In the slow cooker: Crockpot Butternut Squash
• In the Instant Pot: 35-Minute Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

How to make these brownies: a step-by-step visual guide

If you are a visual person, here is a picture guide for how the recipe should look at each step. Be sure to grab the exact measurements for the ingredients by scrolling down to the recipe card below.

Suggested Adaptations

• Use canned sweet potato puree. Canned sweet potato tends to have more liquid than cooked homemade sweet potato, so adjust the amount of added sweet potato to 1/2 cup to balance out the moisture in this recipe.
• Use pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree instead of sweet potato. Use 1/2 cup of one of these orange veg purees to replace the baked sweet potato in these brownies.
• Make these sweet potato brownies gluten free. Just replace the 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour with 1/2 cup of cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend.
• Use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat. Since APF doesn’t absorb as much moisture as whole wheat, swap the 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour with 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour.
• Make these nut free by using sunflower seed butter.
• Replace the sweet potato with mashed banana. If you want an extra sweet, not-veggie-loaded brownie…bananas will work great in these brownies.
• Use almond butter instead of peanut butter.

How to store these brownies

Because these brownies have added veggies, I find that storing them in an air-tight container in the fridge keeps them fresher longer. When stored in the fridge, these brownies will be perfect for up to 5 days (though I doubt you will be able to keep your hands off them that long!).

You can also freeze these Sweet Potato Brownies for up to 2 months!

Other sweet potato sweet treats…

• Fluffy Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Muffins
• Moist Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes
• Vegan Chocolate Sweet Potato Frosting
• Sweet Potato Chickpea Blondies
• Sweet Potato Banana Bread

Did you try this One-Bowl Sweet Potato Brownie recipe and now you’re hungry for more? 

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