Sweet Potato Brownies (vegan)

These sweet potato brownies are ultra fudgy, rich, and packed with real chocolate! Even though they're vegan, are sweetened with maple syrup and made without butter, they will satisfy any chocolate craving!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Australian, British, Vegan

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 17

Total Time 37

Servings

Calories 181

Author Anthea

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

1 cup (170g) roughly chopped vegan chocolate
½ cup (125g) dairy-free milk
1 cup (250g) sweet potato puree (note 1 for homemade sweet potato puree)
½ cup (170g) maple syrup (note 2 for other sweeteners)
½ cup (125g) runny almond butter or any other runny nut or seed butter (note 3)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry ingredients

1 cup (125g) all-purpose plain flour (note 4 for gluten-free)
¼ cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch-process, but natural will work)
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt

To decorate (optional)

roughly chopped vegan chocolate or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Add the chocolate and milk to a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix and melt until smooth. If the mixture thickens, add a dash of maple syrup from the recipe and mix until smooth. Let the mixture cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 23 cm (9-inch) square baking pan with parchment paper.
Add the chocolate mixture, sweet potato puree, maple syrup, almond butter and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Mix until smooth and well combined.
Add all the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Be careful to not overmix. The brownie batter should be thick and fudgy.
Scoop the brownie batter into your baking pan and smooth the top. If desired, sprinkle extra chocolate or nuts on top and gently press them into the batter.
Bake the brownies for 15-20 minutes (shorter for fudgy brownies, longer for cakier brownies). The brownies are ready when you can insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Allow the brownies to cool in the baking pan for 30-45 minutes.
Cut the brownies with a sharp knife. They're easier to cut if you use a hot and dry knife, or after refrigeration (note 5 for more tips). The brownies are delicious with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt or served warm with a scoop of vegan ice cream.
Store leftover brownies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day, in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Notes

For homemade sweet potato puree, peel and chop 1 large sweet potato or 2 small sweet potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Boil or steam for 8-10 minutes until tender, let cool and puree until smooth. You can prepare the puree ahead of time and keep it in your fridge for around 3 days.
Canned sweet potato puree will work but it tends to have more moisture so you may need to reduce the milk. Start with 1/3 cup (85g) and add more if needed.
Any other liquid sweetener will work. Alternatively, you can use 1 cup (160g) of coconut sugar or 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar and add it with the wet ingredients. You don't need to increase the milk.
Other runny nut butters such as natural peanut butter, or sunflower seed butter will work. Tahini will probably work but its flavor will be more noticeable in the brownies.
For gluten-free sweet potato brownies, use 1/2 cup (50g) almond flour and 1/3 cup (40g) gluten-free all-purpose flour.
These brownies are extra fudgy and will probably stick to your knife when you cut them. For a neater cut, let the brownies cool fully or chill them in the fridge until firm. This will set the chocolate in the brownies and make them firmer. Alternatively, use a hot and dry knife - dip the knife in very hot water, dry with a kitchen towel and cut as desired.

Nutrition