These super moist and rich sweet potato brownies taste delicious and make for a perfect healthy treat. They are paleo-friendly, gluten-free, grain-free and dairy-free. Perfect as a healthy Christmas or Thanksgiving treat or to bring to a birthday party or any other gathering.
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These amazing sweet potato brownies are hands down the most popular recipe on my website. They have been cooked by many people, shared around, commented on and received both amazing feedback and some questions.
I made a few batches of these chocolate brownies and have amended a couple of little things based on everyone’s feedback and comments. I also took some new pics including step-by-step instructions to make it easier for you guys to follow. I believe all recipes are meant to evolve, so I hope you can adapt them to suit your own taste.
I originally got this recipe from a lady called Karen from Canada. Karen made me her paleo chocolate brownies while I was visiting and they were so moist and delicious that I had to steal the recipe to share with everyone. Thank you, Karen!
What You’ll Need
Here is what you will need for these sweet potato brownies. Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
Sweet potato: Sweet potato adds a lot of vitamins and fibre to these brownies as the main ingredient. It’s shredded and added to the batter raw, then cooked and softened in the oven, providing a lot of moisture, a lovely texture, and a naturally sweet flavour. This means that you don’t need as much sweetener. Instead of refined sugar, I am using a little honey.
You can use orange sweet potato (kumara) or purple skin white sweet potato or yams. You will need to grate it using a hand-held grater with larger holes or you can use a food processor as well. The potato is raw when starting but it will cook and soften while baking and will give the body and moisture to the brownies.
Flours: There is no regular flour or almond meal in this recipe and the batter is bulked up by the cocoa powder and coconut flour, which is tree nut-free.
Cacao powder: the cacao powder also acts as the flour in this recipe. Because the sweet potato and the cacao powder add a lot of body to the batter, we don’t need to use many additional flours. You can replace coconut flour with twice as much cassava flour/tapioca flour or almond meal if you need to.
I love using raw cacao powder (more on different types of cacao stuff here) because it’s superior from a nutritional point of view, but you are welcome to use regular Dutch chocolate powder. A dark or light powder will both work but might affect the final colour of the brownies.
Fat: Coconut oil is our primary fat for these brownies.
Extras: baking powder, bicarb soda, vanilla and eggs.
For an egg-free or vegan version, try this brownie recipe from Salted Plains or try using an egg replacement like soaked chia seeds or flaxseeds and maple syrup instead of honey.
Nutrition Notes
- The recipe makes about 12 brownie pieces and each serving (1 brownie) has 150 calories, about 13 grams of carbohydrates (2.3 g fibre), 10 grams fat, and 2.3 grams of protein.
- These brownies are paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and nut-free (if you don’t count coconuts as nuts).
How To Make Paleo Sweet Potato Brownies
The full recipe for the brownies is below but here is a quick video and a few points I want to mention.
- Step 1. Preheat the oven to 185 Β°C (365 Β°F).
- Step 2. Line a baking tray with lightly greased baking paper. I used a 9″/23cm square tin.
- Step 3. Combine the grated sweet potato, eggs, vanilla, honey and coconut oil in a large mixing bowl and stir together.
- Step 4. Add the cacao powder, baking powder and baking soda and combine. Stir in the coconut flour last.
- Step 5. Pour the mixture into a baking tray and pop in the oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes.
- Step 6. Remove the tin and cool for 10-15 minutes (or longer) before carefully removing the brownie cake from the tin. Cut into squares and dust with a little extra cacao powder or melt some dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water or in a microwave and drizzle it over the top.
Serve with raspberries or strawberries and maybe some fresh cream or coconut yoghurt.
I hope you enjoy these amazing chocolate brownies and if you’re a fan of all things cocoa.
More Healthy Chocolate Recipes
- All My Healthy Chocolate Recipes Are Here
- No-Bake Chocolate Caramel Slice (Paleo & Raw)
- 5-Ingredient Chocolate Cake (Keto & Paleo)
- Paleo Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart
- Healthy Homemade Paleo Chocolate
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 185Β° C (365Β° F), making sure the oven is hot before you put the brownies in. Line a baking tray with lightly greased baking paper. I used a 9 x 23-cm square tin.
- Combine the grated sweet potato, eggs, vanilla, honey and coconut oil in a large mixing bowl and stir together until well incorporated. Then, add the cacao powder, baking powder and baking soda and combine. Stir in the coconut flour last.
- Once combined, pour the mixture into a baking tray and pop in the oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the tin and cool for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing the brownie cake from the tin. Cut into squares and dust with a little extra cacao powder or melt some dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water or in a microwave and drizzle it over the top.
- Serve with raspberries or strawberries and maybe some fresh cream or coconut yoghurt.
Yum!!! I need to make these ASAP… they look so good. Thanks for sharing! Xx
These taste like absolute disgusting, dry ass cakes
I wonder why yours turned out dry? They come out very moist for everyone else.
omgoodness Irey omgoodness I want to eat the computer monitor LOL. These look amazing. I’ve had the white flesh sweet potatoes before they are sweeter and oh so yummy. I think or at least the ones I’ve had are called Japanese Sweet Potatoes they have a purple skin or jacket. Most delicious little gems. I will makes these for sure and I’ll come back and tell you what I think. Oh to have good brownies againβ₯
This sounds divine! I’ve been following your for months now and really love your site! I have a question about the sweet potato. Unfortunately, I just moved to Colombia where they’ve never even heard about sweet potatoes. I used to eat them every day in San Francisco and miss them so π Is there something I can replace them with that would work in this (or other) recipe? Thank you and keep up the good work! π
I am surprised they don’t have sweet potatoes or yams as root vegetables are usually common in Latin America but I might be wrong. I would investigate what other root vegetables they have that’s similar to sweet potatoes. Maybe yucca root? Plantains could potentially work and even pumpkin and carrots. I know even grated beetroot can be very nice in brownies. I would say that if the root vegetable you use is not as starchy as sweet potatoes (carrot or beetroot), add some starchy flour like tapioca or arrowroot.
I’ve got yucca root! π And I tried it and its amazing! A bit on the drier Tapioca and arrowroot are impossible to find here as well. Not even organic stores have them. Thank you for the tips!
Sweet potatos are actually Kumara not yams. These are two totally different foods.
Hi Miriam…ask for batatas they are purple skinned potatos. I just made the brownies and they are really nice the only substitution I made was coconut oil instead of olive oil…..saludos desde santa marta
Do we use sweet potatoes (kumara) or yams please. I love the look and sound of these brownies and cant wait to make and eat them π
Either of those will work fine, the texture and flavour are very similar.
I am sorry to dissapoint but no they are not the same thing. A kumara is similar to a potato, they are medium/large sized but can cum in red or yellowy colour they are also similar flesh as a potato. You can mash, roast, boil, chip them. A yam is a little (about 2-3 inches) orangy reddy skinned, hard pale flesh which goes soft and watery when cooked. You cannot chip yams and can be quite stringy sometimes.
Hi Serena: from your comment I’m assuming you’re from New Zealand? I am too but have recently moved to the States so hopefully can clarify this for you: they don’t have anything called kumara over here (as its a Maori word it is unique to NZ) but they do have sweet potatoes, of which kumara is one type. So, using kumara should work fine for this recipe: I know they call for white fleshed sweet potatoes but you don’t tend to see them in NZ. And as for the yam issue – some types of sweet potatoes are called yams over here, but they look exactly like kumara, i.e. reasonably big. I haven’t seen any trace of what we would call a yam, i.e. the wee little red skinned thing, which is a tragedy as I love (NZ) yams!! Anyway, hope that clarifies things for you a bit!
Serena, that is very good information but you are too quick to correct. Imacri said they “are very similar.” She did not say they are the same but you are arguing that they “are not the same thing.”
Those brownies look amazing! I’ll make it next time I find an excuse to eat brownies.
Like you need one π
Would this work as well using orange sweet potato
And also could you use coconut nectar instead if honey?
Yes, sweet potato should work as well. Coconut nectar or good quality maple syrup should work fine as well. I know coconut nectars can be quite concentrated so experiment with the amount.
Yay, no nuts! So many grain-free recipes call for nut meals, which of course is not good to bake with. So it’s nice to find a yummy-looking recipe that leaves out the nuts.
This looks unreal, I am definitely making it, thanks so much for posting!!
Aimee
Hey Irena, do you think replacing honey with rice malt syrup would be ok? I’m trying to avoid fructose – even the natural kind.
Wowee.. Thanks for this recipe . It was a comedy of errors making these this afternoon. First batch I mistakenly swapped the bicarb and baking powder quantities. YUK!
So straight back on the horse, I made another batch and dropped a third of it on the floor. (Very sleep deprived today.. Prob shouldn’t be anywher near the kitchen)
However 2/3 of the mix fit perfectly in my tin, and tonight we have delicious brownies for dessert. Great recipe.. I prefer them really cold and chewy xx
You made me laugh π
IS there any way to make these sugar free? I am having a really difficult time with my sugar but would love to try these….
You could definitely try using something like green leaf Stevia if you don’t want to use honey. However, sweet potato also contains natural sugars so I don’t think you can completely avoid it. Just depends on the type of sugar you’re trying to avoid.
I just made these with stevia (1/3 cup granulated), and they were perfect! You need to lower the cooking time to about 15-20 minutes though, as they can be a bit dry otherwise without the moisture from the honey. π
well, I know what Im making this weekend!!
Can I replace the olive oil with Coconut Oil?
You could but the flavour will be more coconutty and once cooled the texture might be different.
Can I use almond flour instead of coconut flower?
You should be able to, I would increase the amount from 1-2 tbsp to 3 tbsp as almond meal doesn’t absorb the moisture as much as coconut flour does.
Just checking–I’ve never made a baked good that called for a tablespoon of baking powder. Is that a typo by any chance? A half tablespoon of baking soda is pretty hefty, also. These look great, otherwise!
No that’s correct. I normally would use a lot less as well but it’s a friend’s recipe and I watched her make it. I even asked the same question. I haven’t experimented with using less so I don’t know if the results would be quite different. For this post I kept the recipe as it was given to me.
Looks delicious! Do you start with a raw sweet potato or cooked?
Raw sweet potato. It cooks while baking π
You should absolutely replace coconut oil for the olive oil in this recipe. Olive oil should never ever be heated above 350β’F. With it’s high ratio of monounsaturated fats olive oil should never be heated and should only be used for finishing a dish or in cold salads. Saturated fats like pastured lard, cold pressed unrefined non-GMO coconut oil and palm kernel oil are appropriate fats for baking. Adding a pinch of salt to coconut oil also helps avoid that coconut-y flavor that not everyone cares for. For more information on cooking with fats check out Dr. Mary Enig’s book, Know Your Fats.
Sarah
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
Actually, there is a difference in smoking point temperatures for different olive oils. I would never cook with extra-virgin olive oil unless it’s for very light sautΓ©ing under 300F. Virgin olive oil can be heated up to 365-370F as it’s much more stable that extra-virgin. And then if you get into more refined olive oil like ‘light’, the temperature goes up – although it’s not as nutritious.
agreed. There are plenty of studies done on this.
can’t wait to try the recipe with coconut oil though π
Is there any way to replace eggs in this recipe?
Hi, what can I use instead of eggs for this recipe….I dont seem to have much luck with egg replacer mix or do you think that would be ok here? Thank you π
I’ve had a few people asking about replacing eggs. I assume it’s for allergic reasons. Some people were going to try and experiment with some chia seeds soaked in a little water but I haven’t tried it. You can also try adding some mashed banana or coconut cream instead of eggs.
I used flax seed and water to replace the eggs. (1Tblsp flax with 3 Tblsp water per egg) This worked out just fine. I also used coconut oil as many others did. Half of the brownies disappeared when my husband’s friends walked through the door and my 3-year-old was “sneaking” them when he thought I wasn’t watching! I have to alter recipes due to the elevation here (6500ft) and wasn’t sure they would work out but I only decreased the baking powder to 1 level Tablespoon and the baking soda by half. This was right on the money! Unfortunately, I have been informed that having a constant supply of these on hand and maybe some for back up is a must!
That’s awesome to hear. I had so many people asking about egg replacement so I now have the answer for them!
Thanks
Hey! coconut is a seed! If you are willing to eat white yams then check out Daonuts No-Grain Flour Blends. I am starting production next Monday, Oct 7th. It’s just me and my honey, John bagging no-grain flour blend as fast as we can in Taos, New Mexico.
Check the Daonuts Creations Tab to see the most delectable no-grain goodies ever.
Daonuts consists of nut and seed flours like coconut, millet (a seed) and almond meal with a bit of arrowroot or potato starch. I have some info regarding the benefits of arrowroot/potato starch (yes, there are benefits) on my website.
In gratitude,
Deborah Lapatina
Any chance you could estimate grams or cups your “medium” sweet potato makes? Thanks!
From my visual memory – and I will do another test batch and check exactly – it was 2 to 2 1/2 cups of shredded sweet potato.
Could you quantify the amount of sweet potato used? I can’t find anything I’d consider a ‘medium’ here and I’d like to have a ball park of what the goal is here so I can get this right π 2c shredded? 4c?
Thanks!!
2 to 2 1/2 cups of shredded sweet potato. I will do another test batch and check exactly.
Mercy that seems like an awful lot of work…gosh darn, having to make brownies AGAIN!!! Whew, so glad you’re willing to ‘take one for the team’ with that effort π
Oh mylanta, I have died and gone to heaven!!! This is the PERFECT dark chocolate brownie!
these look amazing!
I would do less of the cocoa. Mine tasted bitter and almost burnt(even though I cooked only 20min). I may also try coconut sugar next time. The honey is so light I couldnt taste the sweetness. With the right chocolate dressing it tastes good. I will try again with less cocoa and coconut sugar.
What size pan works for this recipe?
About 8-10 inch square pan.
These are really good! I didn’t have any coconut flour so I just used organic flour. Also substituted cacoa for cocoa. I also wanted to mention that I never use a microwave! They kill all nutrition in food, including water!
Hi, I was about to roast or steam the sweet potatoe as I thought it would have to be pre cooked. I’m going to give this a try. Thanks.
Raw potato π It will cook in the oven. I just updated the recipe to clarify that too.
Greetings from Norway…I made this cake last friday and it is absolutly fantastic. No more brownies with flour and sugar in our family. π
Thank you so much for a very informative and inspiring website – love to try more recepies.
Thank you and I am glad your family enjoyed them!
You’re welcome!
Hey, thank you for the recipe. I just wanted to point out that 1 tbsp of baking powder and 1.2 of soda was way too much… I believe you had a typo there and meant teaspoon?
Thank you.
Hey Marina,
It’s a recipe from a mate and I put the exact measurements she gave me. I even watched her put it in. I haven’t experimented with adding less so I don’t know how that would affect the result for this specific recipe but give it a go.
That’s the only kind of sweet potato we get in Canada Miss Paleo. The other which you describe is a Yam.
Looks good, this recipe and the whole site. The only complaint I have is the sexist advertising mid page every page. Blurrrrgh.
Made them and they are unbelievable!! I used half honey half stevia and they still turned out incredible! Thank you for sharing this!
Hi Andrea! I would love to try these with Stevia. I was wondering the amount you used? And was it Sweetleaf? I love using Stevia but am not very good at judging amounts.
I’ve been looking for a healthy nut free brownie recipe for a while now – made these last night and super happy with them. Will definitely be making again. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you liked them.
I just wanted to post and say that I made these brownies w/some changes and they came out delicious!! They taste exactly like “real” brownies. First off, I baked a sweet potato yesterday in anticipation of making these brownies today, not having read that the recipe called for the potato to be raw. Well, I forged ahead and made them w/the sweet potato already cooked. I also used palm coconut sugar (1/2 c.) and a few extra tablespoons of honey. And I sprinkled in some Trader Joe’s chocolate chips b/c my kids are very picky and the chocolate chips cover any hint of these being “healthy”, lol!
Different journey, the same tasty result π
Just made these! They are absolutely divine. I used yam instead of sweet potato because I was out, and they are still delicious. Mmmm… I cannot believe these are paleo. Thank you! π
Good, aren’t they?!? Good to know that yam (orange sweet potato) worked well too.
Wow! I love the ingredient list on these! YUM. Think it would work with zucchini instead of sweet potato?
Not sure about zucchini because they’re not as starchy and I think that’s what gives the brownies such great body and texture. I think if you were using zucchini, I would use more coconut flour or add almond meal and maybe half of the sweet potato if you’re trying to reduce the carb content.
I don’t have access to white sweet potatoes locally. Do you think regular orange sweet potatoes will do? Thanks!
Yes, in fact Rose in this comment thread said she used orange sweet potatoes and the worked great.
Can I use maple syrup instead of honey? I’m allergic to honey.
Absolutely, any natural sweetener will do – maple syrup (natural kind), coconut syrup or sugar, or even brown rice malt syrup. Natural stevia powder can also be used, just use less and check the measurements conversions online or on the packet.
These were amazing! Thank you!!! I am allergic to eggs so I subbed chia eggs and they turned out great. Instead of melting dark chocolate and adding it later I tossed a handful of Enjoy Life chunks on top during the last few minutes of baking them spread them around…worked well. I also used an orange sweet potato and have no complaints on the flavor or texture. And used coconut oil. I will be making these again!! I’ve been craving brownies lately but wanted a nut free one I could make without eggs. This one is fabulous!
That’s great to hear. I had quite a few people wondering about egg replacement. How did you use the chia seeds? Did you soak them in a bit of water? Irena
What virgin olive oil do you use? I can only find organic EXTRA virgin olive oil.
I made these exactly according to your recipe, and unfortunately they were disgusting. lucky for me i didn’t purchase the book before i made them.
If you read the post, it’s not actually my recipe π But regardless, it’s a personal taste and most others seem to love them.
I used coconut oil to grease the pan, and nothing stuck to the sides. That works for most everything with that issue.
I had to cook these a little longer than recommended (10 more minutes, I think), because I had a big sweet potato. However, I just used the toothpick method to check the center, and they came out perfectly. Very good recipe!
This sounds good. But what is Gluten Free Baking Powder? does a regular grocery store carry it? same thing with coconut flour?
Hi Theresa, most baking powders should be gluten free, just check the packaging. Coconut flour can be found in most health food stores and online.
Thank you so much for sharing. I have made this 5 times and my kids LOVE them (We use less cacao to cut down on the bitterness for our taste preference). One time, I forgot to put in the coconut flour and it came out so fluffy like cake, so now I have a recipe for cake! BTW, what brand of olive oil do you use? I can easily find organic EXTRA virgin olive oil, but not expeller pressed plain ole virgin olive oil.
Just made these tonight…. Yummy!!! Quite light in texture but lovely and bitter just how I like it. Thank you very much.
So the correct amount of Flour is only 2 tablespoons?
Yes, that’s correct. The sweet potato, when it cooks, will expand and provide most of the starch. The coconut flour is there just to absorb some of the moisture at the start. You can experiment by putting a little extra but my friend Karen said she found that the brownies can get a little dry.
Strictly speaking – potato is not paleo, just so you are aware, your website is more a recipe site than a paleo site, so many of your recipes are not paleo
Thank you for clarifying my take on paleo and why paleo police shouldn’t visit as they will probably not like my sweet potato recipes. Everyone else is totally welcome π For my readers, tubers and root vegetables are paleo and if you’re interested I will send post a bunch of literature to read.
Sweet potatoes are absolutely paleo and always have been.
How big is a medium sweet potato? Either inches diameter or grams would be helpful. I think the sweet potatoes we get out here are larger than average, but I really have no idea!
2 to 2 1/2 cups of shredded potato. I’ve added to the ingredients.
I made these last night – amazing! Subbed in some coconut oil, coconut sugar and took out a bit of cocoa. Spread the top with some pureed dates whizzed up with peanut butter (could use a nut butter for paleo). Such a great texture! No one at work has guessed the secret ingredient yet… π
Ha! That’s great. Don’t tell them π
I made these and they taste amazing. But the middle sunk and was pretty much mush, how I avoid this? The outside of the brownies were great but middle I couldn’t get out of pan. Help??
Lisa
What size pan did you use? Sometimes if it’s too deep, the brownie layer is to thick to cook evenly in the middle. It could potentially be the oven as well as they’re always different and the temperature or cooking time might need to be adjusted.
Hey there
Nice job on the recipe. I was thrown off by the microwave bit. I wouldn’t microwave delicious raw honey. Might as well buy the pasteurized stuff. If you’re going to go through all the trouble of getting fit, eating and drinking paleo, it might make sense to just get rid of the microwave.
I agree with you. The recipe came from a friend so it’s exactly how she did them. Personally, I haven’t had a microwave for 10 years. The honey can be heated on a stove if it’s too thick. Cheers
Does the sweet potato become disguised in the batter as it cooks (like mashed into it), or does it stay in the same kind of consistency and stringy nature that it would after being grated? I ask because I have a family of VERY picky little detectives that will investigate each bite lol. If the brownies have ‘strings’ of sweet potato throughout them, then I doubt my kids will give them much of a chance π
It goes mashy when cooked!
Yum! Best Paleo dessert recipe I’ve tried! I made one batch using orange sweet potato and the next using carrots as I was out of sweet potato – both were moist and delicious! I also decreased the amount of baking soda / bicarb by accident. I used teaspoons instead not reading the recipe properly obviously, but it worked perfectly both times! Thank you!
I made these a few days ago and added a mashed banana, maple syrup, yogurt, and coconut and vegetable oil instead of olive. My partner doesn’t like vegetables so I also microwaved the grated sweet potato to help it break down more. He rated the brownies 9/10. I give them 10! Thanks for this amazing recipe π
Hey,
Can i use coconut oil instead of olive oil and maple syrup instead of honey??
Thanks
I tried this recipe this afternoon and also question the baking powder and baking soda quantities. I followed the recipe and found it to be very crumbly and with a bit of a metallic taste to it. I only mixed the ingredients with a wooden spoon, should I have used a blender? And the metallic taste…is that due to the baking powder and soda?
Hi Adriana,
I’ve never experienced the metallic taste. I don’t think the spoon would make a difference. You can try using less baking soda and powder and it could also depend on the quality/age of those.
I wonder if anyone else has experienced similar thing.
Irena
This was delicious! I have done this twice, once with the orange sweet potatoes and one with the regular white, both was amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe!
You are welcome! Glad you enjoyed them.
I made them into cupcakes for my son to take to,school. They turned out amazing! Thanks
Hi There :0)
I made these last night and they were AWESOME! my sister loved them and so did my work buddies :0)..
I used almond meal instead of coconut flour and it worked GREAT :0) next time I think I might use a little less cocoa powder.
I also used a Paleo avocado chocolate icing recipe for the icing and I was in heaven…. extreme deliciousness.
In fact no one believed they weren’t bad for you!
Oooh, avo icing sounds nice.
Sorry, but how much almond meal did you use??? I really want to make these and have run out of coconut flour π π Rooooooookieeeeeeeeee
Hi Ana, there is no almond meal in this recipe, just some coconut flour and sweet potato. π
Perfect! Amazing! My sister who has zero interest in anything healthy LOVED them… my mom was impressed with how moist and chocolatey they are. I was wondering though what would happen if I used coconut oil vs. olive oil? It’s perfect how it is though.. π
Personally I always use coconut oil in this recipe.. Its awesome. I dont even feel guilty eating these brownies for breakfast every now and then π
Yeah, I think coconut works just fine, even better I would think. Will try using that next time.
Just made these in my Thermomix with orange sweet potato and coconut oil!! They are amazing !! Kids are going nuts over them π I used 400gms of sweet potato … So yummy even when not cooled yet lol we couldn’t wait!
That’s good to know as I had a few people ask about using Thermomix. Any particular settings you used that you could share with us?
Holy cow! These are absolutely AMAZING! I used macadamia oil instead of olive and that turned out fine. So soooo super rich though; no icing needed for me π
Just a thought – I noticed a very few people didnt like them. Perhaps they used extra virgin olive instead of virgin olive. Ever done that? Yuck! Pretty much everything is extra virgin in the supermarkets.
This recipe is dangerous Irey! xx
Hey, it could be and some extra-virgin olive oils can be a little bitter. I also wouldn’t use it as it’s too delicate for cooking. Virgin is much more stable as it’s not as fragile. Also, could be a couple of factors – different ingredients, maybe different ovens and of course different palates.
Maybe because I’m in a country on the other side of the world… but I didn’t even use 1cup of cocoa and even that was waay too much. And really not sweet enough. Wasn’t dense and fudgy looking like your pictures, was more of a cake texture. Maybe our raising agents are better than yours. If I have more time I might play with the recipe, otherwise I won’t be making it again. I’m pretty disappointed.
I agree. I just made them, and mine came out not very sweet at all, plus more like cake than a fudge brownie. I’m hoping once they cool, they’ll be edible. I’m wondering if as another person mentioned, that it’s the cocoa powder? I used a baking cocoa powder, but was tempted to use my raw cacao powder, which is much more mild.
I am very disappointed as well, and I don’t know why I just don’t stick with my tried and true fave vegan healthy brownie recipe!
I’m wondering if anyone has made this with little to no honey? I would like to π
Hey Jenn, I think if you reduce the amount of cacao, you can use less honey. You could also use something like rice malt syrup or stevia instead of honey or even some apple sauce.
Made these for Thanksgiving dinner and LOVED it. Also made paleo cran-cherry sauce and my brother used it as a topping to the brownie!! Totally satisfied my sweet tooth tonight. May use less cocoa powder to make it a little less intense next time but will DEFINATELY be making again. Thank you!
Great idea for a topping. Glad you enjoyed them!
I tried out the recipe and it worked out well for me. I’ve converted the measures from volume to weight and put it up on my blog as I thought it might be helpful for others – http://nilbarcodefood.tumblr.com/post/68718279519/paleomg-vs-eat-drink-paleo-sweet-potato-brownies.
As for the terrifying amounts of cocoa powder and baking soda – could it be because your friend uses natural cocoa powder, which is naturally acidic? If so I think the recipe should be clarified because if one uses alkalized/Dutch-processed cocoa powder (might be more common in Europe) then the results would be too terrible to contemplate π
Yes, it is possible the types of cocoa are different. I will clarify! Thanks
Hi Nilbarcodefood, thanks for translating the recipe into weights. I too like to use weights as volume can be imprecise.
I notice however, that you still refer to tablespoons without specificying whether it’s an Australian tablespoon (15ml) or a ‘most of the world’ tablespoon (20ml). Your blog is Australian, you’re translating a recipe from another Australian blog, but the original recipe is from a Canadian woman.. so it’s anyone’s guess. An Australian tablespoon is 33% more – that’s a lot when it comes to things like baking powder, baking soda etc π
I’ve made these twice and they are delicious but my shredded sweet potatoes are still visible inside the brownie and look stringy. I wonder if I have to shred them on the smaller side?
Just made this! These turned out to be so delish! Only thing I’d change the next time I bake these is reduce the amount of baking powder as its given the brownies an airy texture and a slightly (barely there) after taste. Maybe its my baking powder and the quality of it. However, great healthy recipe to satisfy my cravings! Thank you!
Hello,
I made these today and the texture was great but they tasted burnt?!?! I followed the instructions exactly as written baked for 25 minutes…not sure what happened? Anybody else experience this??? So disappointed and I was looking forward to them after reading all the great reviews :(((
Some people were saying that it depends on which cocoa powder you use. The Dutch one seems to be stronger and therefore you might need to use less of it. The bitterness is most likely from the chocolate powder you used so just reduce the amount next, maybe by a third.
Hi. .I made them for the family tomorrow. How do I store them? Fridge? In air tight container?
Hi Lilly,
Yeah, in the fridge is good. They will probably be ok in an air tight container out of the fridge for a day or two but it depends on how warm/cold the space is. I’d just keep them in the fridge, covered up.
Irey
They were pretty good, it is like a moist fluffy chocolate cake though, nothing brownie-like to them for me. I don’t know how you get the density and richness of a brownie.
these look amazing, gonna try them!
Ok so random question.. I thought I would get prepped to make these brownies and *shamefully* never having seen a white sweet potato, I bought the only sweet potato at Coles that had white skin. Turns out that it was a Hawaiian Sweet Potato which is in fact purple. YAY ME! Haha anyway.. will this work the same or should I venture down another path with my trusty Hawaiian and go in search for a new White Sweet Potato? Ta!
Purple should work as well.
Thanks for the recipe, they look amazing.
I, too, am wondering about the quantities of baking soda & baking powder – are they Australian (20ml) tablespoons or NZ/US/Canadian tablespoons (15ml)?
I made these tonight…wow you’re right – they do blow your mind.
I couldn’t find a white sweet potato so I just used a regular one and I substituted virgin olive oil with coconut oil and brownies still came out fantastic. Next time I will just tone down the cocoa powder – the 1 cup cocoa powder was a bit too much for me so will next time will add only 3/4 cup, maybe less…
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I loved these brownies. I had made a different paleo brownie recipe and they were no good. I did make these with butter though and the next time I make these I plan to blend the sweet potatoes so they have a more brownie like texture.
I’m finding this recipe very interesting. It’s amazing how the sweet potato makes a texture so like a traditional brownie. After making it once, I changed it by using a smallish sweet potato and a small zucchini, both cooked and peeled and pulverized in a food processor, which worked out really well. I’m also using only a 1/4 cup of honey because I want to cut back on the sugar. So I’m putting in a little stevia, xylitol, and tapioca syrup to try to make up for that other 1/4 c. of honey. The taste is still a little off but I’m wondering if it’s the huge amount of baking powder and baking soda. Next time I’ll cut back on those and play with the sweeteners more to try to get it perfect.
Also, if you go to the Paleo Plan website, it looks like they’ve stolen your recipe, made a minor change, and put it on their site as “sweet potato brownies” without giving you any credit.
Hmmm, thanks for letting me know. I will check it out. Keep adapting it to suit your taste.
These are so good! I made a slight change and use two cups roasted sweet potato flesh for a more moist, fudgey consistency. I found that some of the raw grated sweet potato didn’t cook as well as others. Thank you for a delicious recipe that I’ve made four times in two weeks!!
These are seriously the BEST Paleo brownies EVER. Super easy and the closest thing to real cake I have had in a long time. I steamed my sweet potatoes. I found that Trader Joe’s organic Sweet Potatoes work the best because 3-4 equal 1 cup of puree. I also used coconut oil instead of olive oil. I like the taste better. I added some raw pecans and some dark chocolate chunks. My picky husband was super impressed as well as my non-Paleo co-workers. I suggest these to EVERYONE! I would really like to play around with the batter a little and make a banana bread or something else.
I made these beauties today. (They were so good I even wrote a post about baking therapy in which they featured http://thebopfblog.com/2014/02/09/we-all-need-therapy-brownies/).
I used a good old orange sweet potato, subbed coconut oil for the olive, and only used a tsp of baking powder and half a tsp of baking soda (from my reading of the comments, I decided this would be best). Plus I used just over half a cup of raw cacao powder, adding a quarter cup at a time and tasting. Glad I did, because a cup would probably have melted my face off!
Excellent recipe, easy to modify, and they turned out perfectly π Thanks!
I made these today. I am only just starting to experiment with grain-free/paleo desserts. I thought they were quite good and not so sweet as to cause cravings. I did put the grated sweet potatoes in the food processor to pulverize them a bit before mixing. Thanks for posting!
I love these brownies and have made them several times now. I changed a couple of things, but the main thing that I found MAKES these brownies and makes them more like regular brownies (literally where no one would know they are made with sweet potatoes) is to blend the potatoes with ingredients after shredding them. This makes the texture the same as regular brownies.
I made these yesterday as a Valentine’s day treat; I think they’re fantastic! I love that they are not too sweet, but moist & rich. (I used approx 3/4 cup of cocoa & they are still very chocolatey!) My boyfriend, who eats ‘normal’ baked goods like chocolate muffins on a regular basis, thought they tasted too ‘earthy’, but I am a fan & will absolutely make them again when I am craving a decadent treat, or for a special occasion for a Paleo or GF friend. In addition to topping with melted dark chocolate (70%), I also sprinkled crumbled walnuts on top. Super yum!
I was wondering if you had a calorie count on these?
Best not to think about it π
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/41939449
I worked it out on myfitness pal (subbing the coconut flour for buckwheat because it’s what I have on hand)
w/o the chocolate on top they are about 167kcal each
Ok, I made my final adjustments and put this on our new website The Paleo Scoop, giving you credit of course!
http://thepaleoscoop.com/
This is the best paleo dessert I’ve come across yet and I’ve made quite a few. The sweet potato is a perfect substitute for flour and makes the brownies more moist. I cooked and mashed the potato first, cut the baking powder to 1 tsp, the baking soda to 1/2 tsp, the cocoa to 1/3 c., the honey to 1/4 cup, and added a little stevia and xylitol.
I must say, the texture and moistness was great, but the olive oil flavor was overpowering for everyone in my family. I will try making these again, but will definitely replace the olive oil with coconut oil!
I had great success with this receipe. They tasted great, but I did substitute the olive oil with coconut oil and butter. However, now wondering if it is possible to entirely substitute the sweet potato for a zucchini in order to lower the carb count? Thanks!
Oh my! I made these yesterday and they are soooo good, if you love dark chocolate like I do, I mean real cocoa dark. I was very apprehensive about the amount of honey it called for, but it all works together to make a very cake-like brownie. Yummmm! I am curious about nutritional info.
Oh my! I made these yesterday and they are soooo good, if you love dark chocolate like I do, I mean real cocoa dark. I was very apprehensive about the amount of honey it called for, but it all works together to make a very cake-like brownie. Yummmm! I am curious about nutritional info?
Ha Ha love it! Have a mental picture of you leaning over your desk and licking the screen!
made me smile and thats before i have even eaten one of these treats.
So good i use 1/2 cup orange sweet potato for moistness and leave it a couple of days on the bench to gain more flavor and moistness before i eat, but after making these only using 3/4 cup raw cacao powder, i sprinkle coconut over the dark choc icing I love them i still cannot get it in my head its a guilt free treat and i can’t eat regular chocolate cake anymore tastes fake to me, great recipe.
Any suggestions on what size pan to use? 9×13? 8×8?
Thanks!
Also, does it really matter if you remove the brownie cake from the pan after it only cools for 5-10 minutes? Could I just leave it in the pan until we are going to eat it, and then serve directly from the pan?
I made these and go to the instructions about the pan, you mention, “Karen used a square tin where the thickness came to 1 inch” but confused as to what height the brownie mix should be poured to? How do I know whether they’ll rise to 1 inch or pan size?! Anyway, sadly poured to 1 inch and once cooked they were a bit dry- more cake like. A nice recipe generally if you accept it’s very raw and dark chocolate tasting.
You know what would really make these – drizzle them with salted caramel… oh my π
.
These are so yummy!
so what size eggs? i understand the little things can really influence success with baking, egg size being important to note.
Medium size eggs π
These were amazing! My friends were blown away with what was in it and what it didn’t have. As a bonus, my son got more veggies in today. π
hmmm. I made these and they ended up tasting like…well…nothing. They didn’t taste like anything. Very disappointed. Perhaps I should decrease the amount of cocoa powder?
Hi Anna,
It’s one of those recipes that so many people made them and loved them and there have been few who think they’ve had too much cocoa or something else went wrong. There are so many different brands of cocoa and raw cacao on the market that I do recommend experimenting. It’s not my recipe as I state in the post so I was being true to what was passed on to me but by all means try reducing the cacao or adding more sweetener. I also know different types of sweet potato (white vs orange coloured) have different sweetness levels so that might have impacted them as well.
Irena
I used a regular orange sweet potato and followed the rest of the recipe exactly. I used a muffin pan so I had 10 perfectly sized choco brownies!
I’ve been learning that there is a difference in baking between alkalized Cocoa powder and non-alkalized. Which did you use? Looking forward to trying these!
Could I use tinned pumpkin instead of sweet potato?
I would say not for this recipe as it would be too runny. The idea is that when sweet potato cooks, the starch makes it bulk up and go fluffy, giving the brownies body and binding everything together.
they smelt amazing but when we had them they tasted a bit blah. The taste of the olive oil kills all the other flavours. Do you think coconut oil would be a suitable substitute?
WOW! I just made this brownie and I can’t believe how rich and moist it is. Can’t wait for my family to try this. I made my own chocolate to drizzle on top.
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/4 cup of coconut oil
3 Tbsp of maple syrup. **I used 4 Tbsp because I like my chocolate sweet. Feel free to use whatever sweetener you wish
Do you think that coconut oil would be okay to substitute with the olive oil?
has any tried it with the coconut oil
Yes, should be fine. Melt it first so it’s not solid.
Fantastic recipe. Made with a few changes – subbed rice brain oil for the olive oil, dropped the baking powder and soda to teaspoons instead of tablespoons and put in a bit under 2/3 cup of raw cacao. Cooked 20 mins on 160 in my fan forced oven, really moist and lovely π
Couldn’t resist, my little helpers and I just ate these for breakfast straight out of the oven…hmm sensational recipe!! Have to make another batch for the party this afternoon!
These were fabulous!!! I just brought them to a friend that always jokes about my”crazy” eating. Didn’t tell her they were paleo and everyone at the table was raving… I told them afterward that they were made from sweet potato and nobody believed me!!! I used coconut oil instead of olive oil and they were super moist and delicious. Thanks for the recipe!!
White sweet potato is that the purple one on the outside but when you cut into it is white? Just wanted to clarify it. Thank you.
Yep, you can either use the purple (white inside) or the orange sweet potatoes. π
These. were. completely. amazing. !!!
I looove brownies, its my absolute favorite treat/guilty pleasure. I have tried my share of regular brownies, and now I have been trying to find the perfect recipe for a more healthy version of this god given food a while now – and finally I have!
Made these with melted (raw) cocoa mass and one flax egg (and one regular) because I just had one egg in the fridge, maple syrup (grade B) and a little less baking powder and soda, and oh my.. they were just fantastic. It did _not_ leave you craving for “more” as some of the other clean eating treats I have tried did.
So, bottom line – thank you for sharing!!! I guess it’s weird how much a “simple” brownie can mean for someone, but you really saved my day (/life?!) with these – thank you!
Made them this week-end and they were, actually still are (eating one now with a cup of mint tea) A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!!!!!!!
I live abroad and can’t find coconut flour to save my life! Do you think that tapioca or almond flour could be used in its place? All I can find is shredded coconut, which I’m assuming won’t work very well with this recipe.
Hi Tara, you can use tapioca or almond flour but double or even triple the amount as coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture and is used sparingly. Have you tried ordering coconut flour online? I often buy online from amazon or local online stores.
The brownies turned out horrible and bitter. I followed your recipe. The sweet potato has a horrible texture. Inedible. Very disappointed what a waste of good ingredients :(They’re not moist or sweet like brownies should be either.
Just wondering your thoughts on using stevia instead of honey to sweeten this (and other paleo desserts), half a cup of honey is still quite a lot of sugar isn’t it?
You can use whichever sweetener you like. The recipe makes about 8-10 servings so it’s actually about a teaspoon per serve.
I tried these today and although they taste amazing, they just crumbled when I removed them from the tray after they had cooled. Any suggestions? I used 2 cups sweet potato and followed the other quantities exactly. Should I have squeezed the moisture out the sweet potato?
LOL so…. due to two toddlers ‘helping’ me in the kitchen, it was only once the brownies were 10 minutes in the oven when I realized I forgot to put the coconut flour in! Hey, new recipe I made ‘Sweet Potato Souffle’ and it was delicious!!!
Thank you for the recipe. It really does look delicious.. I’ve tried it last night and unfortunately, it tasted really bad. They might have been a bit overbaked. However, the taste of olive oil was all we could taste.. I am dying to know where I went wrong. I am a brownie freak and I have tried many paleo recipes that I loved. But none of them look like yours.
1. I used a glass rectangular baking dish greased with a bit of olive oil.
2. the olive oil i used was extra virgin olive oil
3. the sweet potatoes did not look like they were the freshest
4. i sifted the coconut flour and the coco powder.
Hi Aisha,
Here are some tips you can try:
1) Extra-virgin olive oil can taste quite strong and there so many varieties out there, with some more pungent than others. I recommend using Virgin olive oil or Mild/Light Olive oil, which is usually more refined but is better at higher temperatures. Some people have tried this recipe with melted coconut oil instead.
2) Depending on which cocoa powder/cacao you user, it’s possible you might need to use less. The lady whose recipe this is likes hers quite dark but could be quite strong and bitter for some so just adjust the amount.
Irena
Hi Aisha,
I use 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil instead of olive oil- because I don’t like using olive oil in baking- and it tastes great. I love it. Maybe you could try that next time π
Could I use a yellow sweet potatoe as I use all organic produce and I rarely see white ones
Yes!
Alisha. I had the exact same problem with the olive oil taste and mine was bitter too. I used cacao powder. Maybe Ill try the coconut oil as suggested and possibly some coconut sugar to counteract the bitterness. I wish it turned out like the picture. Mine looked over baked.
I’m gonna try making them again but with organic butter instead. Mainly cuz I’m not a big fan of coconut oil. Also, I think my baking dish was too big which means the batter made a thin layer that got over baked quickly. Will let you know!
It will probably be even better π
Is there any other veges that can be used instead of sweet potato or normal potatoe?? Ta.
You could try pumpkin, beetroot or carrot but they are not as starchy and have more moisture so you would need to add more starch from coconut flour and maybe tapioca.
I just made these. They are really wonderful! And you can totally fool ANYONE with the sweet potatoes. I will reduce the amount of coconut flour to one tablespoon next time to have an even more moist texture!
Oh wow these look amazing. I must make these this week end.
Wow! These are amazing! I had to use oat flour instead because I am allergic to coconuts. I also used pure maple syrup instead of honey and these are perfection. Bake temp and time were right on. Thank you!
Forgot to mention–I also only bake with Valrhona cocoa powder. Most people in the states use Hershey’s but I find Hershey’s to be too bitter.
Hi Irey, thanks for sharing this recipe. Can’t wait to try it! Just wanted to check – is the temperature meant for a conventional or fan forced oven? Thanks π
Conventional ovens!
Just made these. Amazing. First successful brownies I have made in a long time. I used orange sweet potato so it’s more obvious in the brownie but doesn’t affect taste at all!
Can I use something other than coconut flour? I bough oat flour a while back and haven’t used it. Can I use this instead? Or does it not fall in as a Paleo ingredient? I’m new to the whole Paleo thing and I’m still trying to learn what I should and shouldn’t use.
Thanks
Oat flour is not really paleo but if you really want to use it up, go for it. Coconut flour is VERY moisture hungry, hence we’re only using a little bit in this recipe. You will need to use double or triple the amount of regular flour…to be honest I haven’t experimented but that’s my gut feeling.
I made it (double batch), I ate it (about 1/2 of what I made – so maybe the equivalent to a full batch all to myself) and then i pinned it, tweeted it, instagram-ed it & text this recipe to everyone i knew hahaha It’s AMAZING! and mine looks like yours so it’s the real deal. I used orange sweet potato, and i only had coconut oil so I used that instead. but I don’t think they’re too different to your recipe π
Well done! this is delicious, and guilt free.. and delicious π
Delicious! I used what I had on hand. Coconut oil instead of olive oil, carob instead of cocoa, pure maple syrup instead of honey and regular sweet potatoes. My brownie recipe search ended tonite. These are perfection. Thank you!
My partner and I are detoxing from fructose right now…any thoughts on whether I could use rice malt syrup instead of honey? And raw cacao instead of cocoa? Looking forward to these!
Hi Rachel,
Rice malt syrup will work just fine, I often use it as well. Raw cacao is preferable to cocoa, but use less as it’s usually stronger.
Irena
These Brownies were amazing. I am intolerant to Gluten, dairy, and lactose, and used dairy free chocolate chips to melt and drizzle on top. My son and I were amazed at the taste…and my house smells beautiful!
Thank you!
I tried these brownies last weekend and they came out really dry. They look so good on the pictures and reviews were all great. Any ideas as to what I can change to make them more moist? I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Trader Joe’s baking powder, baking soda and unsweetened cocoa powder.
Aslo what type of dark chocolate did you melt on top? I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate and after it cooled down it got pretty hard.
Any suggestions would be so appreciated!
Thank you!
These look fantastic! So creamy inside!
Could you swap coconut oil for olive oil?
thanks!
Oh I love all those paleo recipes, with all the stuff available in pleolithic times: cocoa, vanilla extract, baking powder and so on. But IΒ΄m still waiting for the real stuff, HΓ€agen dasz paleo ice cream, nutfree, glutenfree, lowcarb tabwater, paleo chewing gum, paleo theplacewherethefrenchlivetoday fries, paleo pop corn, the famous McPaleo.
Wow, thereΒ΄s a new trend every week and we all want to believe itΒ΄s ever so good.
Poor Mr. Atkins and Mrs. Lowcarb
hi Irena, it looks yummy but can i use sweet potato as we dont have white sweet potato , i can only find the regular one?
thank you
Yes, that will work.
Hi I was just wondering if there’s another kind of flour I could use? I’m in a small town and our supermarket don’t have the coconut flour in this store but they have another all purpose gluten free flour made from rice and tapioca! Thankyou! X
Hi Maddison,
I am sure you can use other flour. The trick will be figuring out how much. Coconut flour is highly moisture absorbent, hence we’re only using a little bit. So if you’re going to replace it with something like rice/tapioca, which is a very fine starch powder, you will need to increase the amount. I would say maybe 1/2 cup at least. If you can add almond meal, then I would maybe add half almond meal and half of that flour.
Oh. My. Lordy. This brownie is seriously good! So simple to make, so moist, so chocolaty, so moreish, so dang delicious. I have made this twice within a week. It’s the best chocolate brownie I’ve had since going gluten-, sugar-, dairy-free! It gets fudgier the second day, making it even better! Thank you so much for sharing! Non-paleo folk will have no idea that this is nutritious!
Unfortunately I really didn’t like mine π I’m wondering if the olive oil I used was too strong in flavour? I just made them and there is a very strong flavour – I’m pretty sure it’s the olive oil. Would these work with coconut oil do you think? The texture is amazing! π
I made these but they are sadly quite dry. The batter looked really moist, too. What could be the cause of this? I had to bake it in a pyrex dish (without the lid) so I turned the temperature down a bit, so that might be it. Otherwise more olive oil next time?
Thank you, that was excellent. The texture is great and makes a fine cake base as well.
I used mashed sweet potato and these were delicious and moist. No need for extra chocolate topping.
I hate cup measurements! Is the sweet potato jammed in tight or just loose! Weights please!!!!!
Just loosely. You can see the step by step photos to see the size of sweet potato that was used.
I’m still tasting baking soda? Any suggestions?
Hi Kristi,
I would suggest reducing the baking soda to say 1/2 teaspoon and increasing the amount of baking powder. Or just try with no baking soda and just baking powder.
Irena
What sauce are you pouring over here? Can’t wait to try these
hi, its melted dark chocolate, she says so in the write up
Best brownies ever! I used an orange potato with extra honey and only half a teaspoon of baking soda and baking powder. I combined everything in a food processor and they came out with the same consistency of regular brownies after baking. My husband isn’t Paleo and I’m having to keep him away from the brownies, which says a lot! I recommend all the way!
Did you bake the sweet potato first or just put it in the food processor raw? Thanks!
Raw and grated π
Love this recipe but i did find the brownie was a little too spongy almost oily should i reduce the cocunut oil?
I used 1/2 cup and 2tbsp of cocunut flour but they still were a bit soft for a brownie
Hi Irena,
When the recipe says 1 tablespoon of baking powder and half a tablespoon of baking soda does it actually mean teaspoons? Tablespoons of these raising agents in a baking recipe is very unusual.
Thanks,
Louise.
Sorry, please ignore my previous question! I realize now on more careful reading that you reduced the amount of baking soda and powder in your adaptation of the recipe from Karen’s original recipe.
Made these tonight WOW! They were amazing.
I often find that Paleo baking is more time-consuming, not sure why. But I didn’t get that feeling here. It was quick to put together.
I reduced both BS and BP as mentioned.
I used orange flesh potato and actually reduced honey a bit (trying to cut sugar as much as possible)
Wonder if these freeze well? Anybody try?
Yes, I would also be interested to know if anyone trying freezing them. Glad you found them easy!
These brownies are amazing! They are so good! I love brownies. I have this one really good recipe for paleo coconut flour brownies if you wanna try it out. http://www.tomboycardio.com/55845ca5e4b0601295909b13/2015/6/19/paleo-coconut-flour-brownies
Has anyone had success using chia instead of eggs?
So delicious! Thank you for this. The kids want to make the third round!
You’re welcome!
What other flour can you use other then coconut?
You could use some almond meal but you will need to use more than specified in the recipe. Buckwheat flour or quinoa flour could also be used, also in larger amounts as they don’t absorb liquid as much as coconut flour does.
I’ve made it without coconut flour. Still comes out good but it has more moisture and tends to fall apart but the flavor is still good.
Just confirming, the sweet potato is uncooked? Just grated raw? Thanks
Yes, raw and grated. It cooks during the baking process.
Just made these 20 mins ago, used regular flour as that is what i had – they cam out FABULOUS! so perfect and moist in the centre (i used to disposable baking tins 4.5×7″ and baked for 20mins) although i dont think i put enough honey in (i was eyeing out the measurement)
Thanks for this great recipe! Going to make some more tomorrow for my visitors!
Welcome!
I made this and we loved it!!!! It did turn out more cake like, would it work as cupcakes?
Thank you!
Probably, you might need to adjust baking time as they are smaller portions and will cook faster.
What about rice flour?
You could use rice flour in these as well. If using rice flour instead of coconut flour, I would add quite a bit more as coconut flour is very moisture absorbent when compared to other flours.
I just made these today! I don’t like the taste of honey so I used 1/2 cup of maple sugar instead and YUM!! So moist and delicious. Might try maple syrup next time (cheaper than the maple sugar!) Such a wonderful treat. Will definitely make these again. Thank you!
You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed them.
Has anyone tried freezing these? I’m wondering if I’d be able to make them a few days before I need them!
I haven’t tried freezing them but my gut instinct says that they should be fine. They will keep in the fridge for a few days too.
Coconut flour can be substituted with which ingredient? I don’t have it, here we don’t get it.
You can add some almond meal but make it 3 x the amount of coconut flour or tapioca flour. Any other gluten free flour can also be used.
Should I cook the sweet potato before a grate it. For the brownies
No, use it raw.
Could I use oil eggs or flax eggs in this recipe? Thank you!
I haven’t tried with either of those so I’m not exactly sure how they would turn out but you could try making a small batch.
Hi Irena,
I was wondering about the taste and texture differences between the original and updated recipes.
Thanks!
About the same.
Will these freeze ok?
I haven’t tried but my gut instinct says they should be fine. You might want to throw them in the oven quickly after defrosting.
How long will they keep? Can’t wait to try this recipe:)
Up to a week in the fridge (air-tight container)
These are simply delicious! I had my doubts when mixing everything together, but I was blown away. I think next time I’ll try using less coconut oil as mine are a little greasy but practice makes perfect, and I shall enjoy eating the trial attempts.
Yes, make them your own!
These are amazing! Made them with Chocolate Avacado Icing! So good!
I agree with a previous comment, they are definitely on the greasy side. I like the idea of this recipe but it needs some work. Also I think there is way too much honey for it to be truly paleo. But thank you for the inspiration anyway.
You hit the jackpot with these. I added dark chocolate chips and almonds – amazing! Best chocolate brownies ever and filling too.
Thanks Nola!
I made these brownies last night and served them to my husband for a sweet treat. I had to serve it with peppermint bark gelato…he only eats brownies with ice cream. I didn’t tell him what they were made of and he was ooohhing and ahhhing at how good the brownies were. I finally told him the ingredients…he kept asking “are you sure they’re made with sweet potatoes?” I said, “you saw me grate them.” He is very picky about his desserts. I brought it to one of my co-worker at the office and he said it was so good that he would never think that it was made from sweet potatoes. It was refreshing to try a brownies recipe without almond meal. I ate it plain and I think it tastes so much better the next day! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! I plan to bring them to my Sunday morning Crossfit class as a treat.
Thanks Huong! I’m glad it was such a hit with everyone π
Ahhhhmazing! I made these last night and took them to work… They only lasted 10 mins! Mine turned out perfectly, not greasy, not dry. I didn’t use the vanilla as I didn’t have any at home, and melted some dark chocolate for the top. Will definitely be making these again!
Thanks Melissa π
and again… and again… and again!!!
I made these today! So simple but yet so yummy delicious!
I partially cooked my sweet potatoes used a food processor to mix it all came out I also used purple sweet potatoes made them super dark chocolate color. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for recipe!
Thanks for sharing your version. x
I was so excited to try those as my little one can’t have grains or sugar, but my first attempt turned out pretty lame. I used the orange sweet potatoes, but that’s the only change I’ve made. For the rest, I followed the recipe to the dot, and they turned out rather bitter, still moist but too crumbly to eat with anything but a spoon… Any suggestions of improvement welcome!
How fine did you grate them? I think that perhaps the grated on a finer setting/holes of the grater the texture will be better. They won’t have exactly the same texture as regular brownies anyway but you should be able to pick them up ok.
These are so yummm…were an absolute hot with hubby and kids too ?
For anyone that is skeptical about trying these brownies shouldn’t be! I used two orange sweet potatoes and microwaved both of them for two minutes to help the grating process. I ended up grating over three cups of sweet potato, but only used about two and three-fourths cup. Mine baked for 30 mins. in a round 8′ pan, sprayed beforehand with coconut oil. Once they were cooled I dug in and helped myself to many servings. Thank you for sharing this recipe, it is definitely a keeper!
Can you use plain or all purpose flour instead of coconut flour?
If you’re fine with wheat flour, then I don’t see why not. I would use 3 times the amount of listed coconut flour.
Followed the recipe exactly and they were absolutely amazing! So moist and delicious served with fresh raspberries and strawberries.
Glad you like them. Berries on top are delicious!!! Irena
I am volunteering at a place where the mom is lactose intolerant and gluten intolerant and the little one is soy and nuts. Is there another oil you can recommend?
how would you store these?
has anyone freezed a batch?
I have never frozen them, they will last for up to a week in the fridge though.
This is the only recipe I love! I use itas a cake recipe doe my family and they love it, but I wanted to ask of this is okay to use as cupcakes too. My son turned 4 and I thought I could do this with a delicious chocolate frosting on top. Any recipes for a good frosting? π
Frosting is pretty easy i think. I dont have quantities coz im a throw it in kind a gal haha. But I mix together cacao with either grapeseed oil, coconut oil or butter along with a sweetner of choice, rice malt syrup or pure maple syrup.
Turned out fabulous. Used my Vitamix out of laziness. Put pieces of sweet potatoe through lid on slower speed.
Very moist. While still hot had to eat with a spoon. Due more to impatience. When cool could be picked up. Also used Camino Cocoa instead of nibs. Reminded me of a molton lava cake.
Thank you Irina for sharing
One more thing — didn’t have any coconut oil so used some melted organic ghee. Left the edges nice and crispy with moisture inside. Will be my go to recipe for birthday cake for family and friends with dietary restrictions. Will dress it up with Paleo ice cream.
Seems amazing! I don’t agree with throwing away money by cooking honey and kill its amazing properties, therefore, I will use maple syrup
I wanted to convert these to cupcakes and one giant wilton cupcake for my 4 year old son. Would it come out good if I doubled the recipe or trippled?
I would imagine so but you might need to adjust the cooking time for something much bigger in size.
Should I adjust heat to 350 f?
White sweet potato? In nz we call them kumara (i think!) But i have never seen white flesh ones only orange… and yelliw flesh with purple skin?
When u mean unsweetened cocoa powder can you use raw cacao powder or will that change the flavour
Yes, you can use raw cacao powder – even better!
Do these have a coconut flavor? I’m not a big fan of coconut unfortunately. Any suggestions on substitutes if it does? Thanks!
Not really, not too coconutty.
These brownies were amazing! I grated (on regular grater) orange sweet potato (because that’s what I had), and used almond meal instead of coconut flour (again, it’s what I had). My husband and three year old absolutely loved it, and I got a whole lot of satisfaction out of seeing my non-vegetable eating three year old wolfing it down. π I’m really looking forward to exploring the website further!
I’ve made these a couple of times now and they are delicious! My go to easy chocolate evening treat! Amazing and without the guilt! Can you pls let me know calories per server? Thank you!! X
Hey Danielle, glad you enjoyed these. I would add the ingredients to one of the calorie calculators available online and you should get the calorie info per serving. I would suggest to limit these to a few times per week rather than a daily evening treat π
What can I use to replace the baking powder? Since that isn’t paleo …
Personally, I am not really into ‘is it paleo or not paleo’ dogma, so I use modern cooking ingredients like gluten-free baking powder and bi-carb soda. They are both widely accepted in the paleo community. If you’re avoiding ALL processed ingredients like that, then it’s probably best to stick to fruit for dessert π Nah, just being cheeky. Seriously though, you can try making these brownies without the baking powder. They might turn out a little flatter, as they won’t rise as much. Egg whites provide a bit of fluffiness anyway.
If I use oat flour how much will I need to use?
I would use 3 times as much, although I haven’t used oat flour too much so I don’t know how absorbent it is.
How much oat flour should I use to replace the coconut flour? And is it ok if I omit the honey?
Have eaten the sweet potato brownies today they were amazing!!
Better brownies than ever before all gluten free and rich chocolate beautiful. A delight for the tastebuds.
Yum! I made these last night and they were delicious! Thanks for sharing
These are delicious and so easy to make!
To avoid the drying effect of a bit too much coconut flour l’ve started to sieve some into a bowl BEFORE measuring the quantity given in a recipe then tipping the excess back into the storage jar. It’s amazing how well this works in all the paleo recipes where l’ve tried it.
Another idea l tried was to add 1/2 cup of drained no sugar organic cherries (from a jar) and it turned into pretty much a little Black Forest cake. Really moist Yum! Thanks again Irena x
I was impressed with the sweet potato brownies! I’m picky about texture and mouth feel, these are pretty good, I made a couple substitutions, I use grapeseed oil instead of coconut, and used cream coconut milk for half the oil. They’re more cakey but that’s what I wanted. I also used a muffin pan, wonder about partially cooking sweet potato first since the cupcakes don’t bake as long, the sweet potato may absorb a bit more but it really isnt that noticeable. I’m definitely making these again!
Would you recommend using zucchini instead of sweet potato and stevia/erythritol to try for a keto version?
I think zucchini won’t work in this particular recipe and you would have to add more flour or nut meal. I would suggest looking for paleo zucchini chocolate brownies or muffins on Google, I am sure I’ve seen some around.
Used the first recipe and OMG, these are awesome. I had tried a recipe for Paleo brownies and they were awful tasting. I had honestly lost interest and hope in finding anything that tasted good on this diet. This recipe totally changed that thought. Thank you.
OK, you got me!! I don’t ever make gluten free stuff out of things that shouldn’t be gluten free. You know, pancakes, bread, cookies, etc. In fact, I brag about not missing the entire gluen filled category of food. However, my niece requested something chocolate for her birthday and she’s newly gluten free so I gave these a go as a favor. Wow…and WOW!! I followed the directions exactly with only the addition of some chopped nuts & a handfull of Enjoy Life chocolate chunks. Super fantastic!
These brownies are so !@#$ good that I have now made them 2 days in a row…I even fed them to a buch of gluten-eating, non-cave people, and they ate the whole pan!! I really wanted some leftovers.
Great recipe!
Thanks Kim π So happy you enjoyed it.
These were outstanding!
Thanks so much xx
Love this recipe. I love this website!!!
This recipe looks delicious.. I’m definitely trying this one….mmmmm!
Thanks for sharing
Viv x
I will defenitely make these brownies!! They look yumm.
Thank you
Viv?
Nice but I feel it’s missing “something”. Maybe a bit of crunch from nuts and I’m going to add dates next time to sweeten the brownie instead of maple syrup which I used instead of honey (I find the taste of honey too overpowering). Will definitely make them again though, they were very easy.
I really loved it! I didn’t know that sweet potato can be used as one of the ingredients in brownies! I’m totally hands down with this recipe! βΊοΈβΊοΈ?β€οΈ I’m just curious How many calories per slice this brownies?
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Hey Nads, I am not sure what the calorie count is but you can easily use something like MyFitnessPal calorie calculator and punch in the ingredients to get the macros.
Thanks for the awesome recipe! Tonight I morphed it into a self saucing pudding, came out great! I popped the batter into a greased pie dish, mixed 1cup boiling water with 2 tbsp rice malt and 2 tbsp cocao, gently poured it over the batter and baked for an additional 15 min.
My co-workers all thank you for the original recipe. It is always a treat when I make them some.
Ha! I am glad you could share something yummy and not so naughty with them.
AHHH MAZING!!!
these brownies are bloody amazing! not too sweet but still rich and delicious! I drizzled some dark chocolate over the top and let them chill, My partner has eased the entire batch already!!
Thank you for such an awesome recipe! π
AHHH MAZING!!!
these brownies are bloody amazing! not too sweet but still rich and delicious! I drizzled some dark chocolate over the top and let them chill, My partner has eased the entire batch already!!
Thank you for such an awesome recipe! π π
Thanks Ziggy π
Where is the nutrition info?
Perfect treat for Valentine’s Day… or any day, really. This should hit the cravings spot π
Just made these tonight and everyone loved them!!! Amazing recipe ?
Thank you π Glad you love them
These are ridiculously good brownies, paleo or not. Thank you!
Thank you, Nadia.
These brownies are so good! I’ll be honest, I put some chili in mine as I love a nice kick with sweet food. With some blackforest fruit these went down very nicely!
I made these and they were absolutely delicious!! They were sweet and moist and divine! Highly recommend!
Thanks, LJ π
Quick question, does the sweet potato have to be cooked first? I wondered if raw would produce a chunky texture. Thx!
Raw to begin with and it cooks (and softens a lot) during the baking process π
Thanks – super yummy and easy!
Question: I donβt have coconut flour, do you think chickpea flour would work instead?
Hey Katrina, yes, I think it would work but you would need to use a little bit more. Coconut flour is very moisture absorbent and I don’t know exactly how the chickpea flour behaves but my inkling is that you would need to use more of it. maybe double the amount.
Just made these – wow dark chocolate heaven. I subbed brown rice syrup for the honey so a little less sweet but very nice indeed. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you!
These brownies are amazing for a guilt-free snack! My boyfriend eats them so quickly he cannot control himself!
Was looking for Paleo and nut-free brownies recipe and this one was the 3d i tried and the best, definitely the keeper.
was a popular mum packing chocolate cakes for kids school snack without feeling guilty π
Thank you Irina!
Glad you liked them, Anna. Hope the kids enjoy them as well.
This recipe looks amazing – thank you! Iβm so looking forward to making it! Just a quick question, should the grated sweet potato be tightly packed into the 2-3 cups or just lightly filled? Also, does it not matter whether 2 or 3 cups are used? Just want to make sure Iβm getting the consistency right.
Somewhere between tightly filled and lightly filled. It won’t make a huge difference if there is a little too much.
Hi Please can you give the fat/carb breakdown for these, I’m worried that it will be too carby due to the honey
Many Thanks,
Tina
It will also be rich in carbohydrates from the sweet potatoes, probably more so than honey. I’ll try to find some time to copy/paste ingredients in MyFitnessPal or something similar, so I can find the count for you guys.
Tina, not sure you figured it out but per 12 brownies in this recipe:
143 calories
9.3g fat
5.8g saturated fat
48mg Cholesterol
124mg Sodium
14.8g Total Carbs
2.7g fiber
8.2g Sugar
2.3 g Protein
Really disappointed by these – I used the amounts specified and they were more like cake than brownies. I would add more sweetener and choc chips. I saved the batch by dosing it in coffee buttercream.
Made this today because it just looked so easy, and it was! i’m not into baking but had to whip something up because i was after a healthy,chocolatey snack. Mine cooked in just 20 mins. And my 3 year old devoured her portion! Next time though, as i found it a bit too rich and bitter even for my liking, i’ll decrease the cocoa amount, and increase the honey amount. Maybe add either a few choc chips, or coconut sugar in for good measure π and strawberries on the side.
But thankyou so much for the main recipe. Good for tweaking to personal preference. i’m going to make another batch tomorrow with the personal tweak ;P
Instead of coconut oil, and coconut powder what others substitutes for the theses item can I use in the sweet potato brownies
I haven’t made these yet but I certainly plan to! And I think they would be even more wonderful topped with roasted strawberries; I’ve spooned them over a delicious chocolate cake and the combination is fabulous!
Just made these for the family get together and they we very well received. Thank you Irena :0)
Glad you liked these π
Made this a few times and we really like it. Taste like brownies, though not as sweet.