Name: Easy Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds; 3 tablespoons hot water; ½ cup sweet potato; ½ cup chocolate chips (divided); ⅓ cup plant based milk (warmed slightly); 1 cup white sugar; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon vanilla; 1 cup all purpose flour; ½ cup cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt

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Thick, delicious, and easy to make vegan sweet potato brownies! Perfect texture in between cake and fudge – uses 2 types of chocolate for ultimate brownies. Plus, can be made gluten free!

A stack of 3 brownies on a wood coaster in front of more slices of brownie blurred in the background. — A stack of vegan sweet potato brownies ready to eat.

This is the perfect batch of brownies to make when chocolate cravings hit. It uses the secret ingredient of a sweet potato to make the most unreal texture that is perfectly balanced between a cake-like brownie and a fudge-like brownie. The longer they rest after baking, the more fudge like they become!

Even better, they use simple pantry ingredients and hardly take any time at all to make. That means you are even closer to a batch of these perfect brownies.

In the mood for more chocolate recipes? Check out my perfect vegan brownies, easy vegan chocolate sheet cake, or classic chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies!

Ingredients

Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need to make these vegan sweet potato brownies. For the full list with ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below.

All Purpose Flour: No fancy flours required. Yes, you can make this with a good gluten free flour blend! I’ve always had the best success with King Arthur Measure for Measure.
Sweet Potato: The star of the show! This is what provides a lot of moisture and richness to the brownies, as well as giving it a more fudge like texture. Make sure that you really mash the sweet potatoes well so you don’t have chunks.
Chocolate: This gives double the chocolate flavor to the recipe. I typically use Enjoy Life Chocolate chips, but any vegan chocolate or chocolate chips will work.
Cocoa Powder: Use a simple, unsweetened natural cocoa powder for the best results. I find double Dutch cocoa powders to be overwhelming in this recipe.
Plant Based Milk of Choice: Try to have this be room temperature or slightly warmed for the best results. Unsweetened and unflavored soy milk is my go-to.
Brown and White Sugar
Ground Flax Seeds + Boiling Water
Salt + Baking Powder

Variations

Mocha Brownies: Add a teaspoon of instant coffee / express powder to not only make these a mocha brownie, but also to really intensify the chocolate flavor.
Mint Brownies: Add a half teaspoon of mint extract for a peppermint brownie perfect for the holidays.
Nutty Brownies: Add up to 1 cup of chopped walnuts or other nuts of your choice before transferring the batter to the pan. You can also drizzle a few spoonfuls of your favorite nut butter on top of the brownies before baking in the pan.

Instructions

Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.

Step One: Prep

Prepare an 8×8-inch (20×20-cm) pan with a light spray of oil and line with parchment on at least one side, if not both sides.

Preheat the oven to 350F and make sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven.

You’ll also want to make sure that you have some cooked and cooled sweet potatoes ready to go. I tend to make these brownies from leftover sweet potatoes from the night before.

In a small heat proof bowl, melt half of the chocolate.

A glass bowl on a wood table filled with flaxseeds and hot water. — Making the flax seed egg and letting it gel together for a good 5 to 10 minutes.

Finally, you’ll want to make a flax seed egg. Combine the ground flax with very hot water and stir to combine in a heat proof bowl. Set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes.

Step Two: Make the Batter

A glass bowl and a whisk with the wet ingredients for the brownies on a wood tabletop. — Whisking together the wet ingredients.

The sweet potato brownie batter in a glass bowl on the wood table with a pink spatula mixing the batter. — Switch to a spatula for the batter when adding the dry ingredients. This batter is thick!

Into a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed sweet potatoes, melted chocolate, warmed plant milk, vanilla, and both sugars. Using a spatula or a whisk, mix this all together.

Tip! This will mix together a lot better if you warm the plant milk.

Now add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir again with a spatula. This is thick brownie batter!

Step Three: Bake

Brownie batter in a baking pan lined with parchment before baking. Clips hold back the parchment paper. — Don’t forget to add the chocolate chips on top!

Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan. Gently press it into all the corners of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.

Bake for 35 minutes or so. You’ll know the brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the brownies about 2 inches from the edge pulls out clean. Don’t stick a toothpick in the middle.

Let the brownies cool for 15 minutes inside the hot pan on the countertop. Then, pull the brownies out of the pan and let them cool on a wire cooling rack for at least another 15 minutes.

After that, slice and enjoy!

Looking down at a tray of sliced brownies with one flipped on its side so you can see the cooked middles. — You can see that they brownies are fully cooked and have a rich texture.

Brownie Tips

To cut the perfect brownie slice, let the brownies fully cool! Hot brownies will always squish when you try to slice them. You can even pop the brownies into the fridge for an hour to get them cold for a perfect slice.

Next, you can use a plastic knife. Sounds crazy, but the plastic knives cut them perfectly.

Finally, warm the knife up under some hot water before making each slice. Cut down in a smooth motion and don’t slice back and forth. And don’t forget to clean the knife after each slice.

How to Store

Countertop: These brownies will keep in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 5 days, if they last that long before being eaten!

Fridge: I personally love to eat chilled brownies! You can totally keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Freezer: Wrap the baked and cooled brownies in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight or on the countertop for at least 3 hours before serving after freezing.

A stack of 3 brownies on a wood coaster with more brownie slices, chocolate chips, and a small spoon of cocoa powder in a background. — Another stack of brownies because I love them.

More Chocolate Recipes

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