I learned a few things while baking these brownies. One, you are never too old to lick the bowl and spatula when you’re gluten-free baking. Two, you don’t need refined sugars or flours to make ultra-tasty treats. And three, everyone loves the person who can bake delicious treats like these gluten-free sweet potato brownies.
White, purple and orange sweet potatoes both work in this recipe. If you’re not a fan of sweet potatoes, you can swap in other root vegetable purees in here such as butternut squash, carrots, pumpkin, beets or parsnips. Use what you have on hand, and what you love!
Sweet Potatoes or Yams?
The term sweet potatoes and yams are used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing. Sweet potatoes and yams are from different plant families. Most of what we see here in North America are sweet potatoes of different colours (white, orange, purple) and not yams.
Flavour, Fat and Fibre: The Chocolate Trifecta
Like many of you, I’m a huge fan of chocolate (which is why there are many chocolate recipes here). Using both cacao powder and chocolate bars adds a deeper flavour to these sweet potato brownies, plus extra healthy fats and fibre.
To me, carob will never be a good substitute for chocolate (I can’t stand the stuff), but you could swap in carob powder and carob chips if you’d like.
Adding a Little Bit of Heat To Sweet Potato Brownies
If you’re not interested in spicy brownies, there are many other things you can try including:
Nutmeg
Ginger
Mushroom powder
Allspice
Orange extract
Peppermint extract
Vanilla
Pair Those Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Brownies with Nut or Seed Milk
We’re taking milk and brownies to the next level with homemade sesame milk. I’ve been making my own dairy-free milk for years and you can grab your complimentary nut/seed milk recipe guide here if you want to learn more about it. We make at least a batch of nut/seed milk every week, or if we’re meal prepping for busy weeks we’ll blend a bunch of it in advance.
Sesame milk has a strong flavour and if it’s not your style, try:
Coconut
Almonds
Macadamia nuts
Brazil nuts
Hemp seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Cashews
My sweet potato brownies are lunchbox-friendly and freeze well for batch prep. And, along with your nut and seed milk, a generous slather of ghee, coconut oil, coconut butter or nut/seed butter doesn’t hurt either!
A gluten-free sweet potato brownie recipe with a little bit of heat!
Ingredients
Scale
3 ounces (or about 1 bar) unsweetened chocolate 1 Tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for greasing the pan
3/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup brown rice flour, plus extra for dusting the pan
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water, if needed
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350. Coat an 8 inch square pan with coconut oil and dust with flour.
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil over low heat.
Combine applesauce, sweet potato, coconut sugar, honey, cocoa powder and vanilla. I used my blender, but a food processor would work well too. You can also use a whisk and a bowl.
Add the chocolate/oil mix to the blender and blend/combine until smooth. The mixture should be creamy, not too dry.
Pour the mixture into a large bowl and mix in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, cayenne and sea salt. Add water if needed 1 Tbsp at a time if needed.
Pour batter into the pan, smooth it out with a spatula. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Insert a tooth pick in to make sure cooked through, they should be firm when you press down. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Reading Time: 3 minutes 
