Aprons on! Time to bake up these tender, delicious SWEET POTATO MUFFINS from Dreena’s Kind Kitchen.
If you’re a fan of my famous Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake, you must give these healthy sweet potato muffins a try.
My love for sweet potato runs deep. On my site alone, you will find sweet potato cake, sweet potato fudge, sweet potato soup, sweet potato hummus, sweet potato fries, sweet potato salad, another sweet potato soup.
That’s just the recipes posted here – doesn’t include my books, and other recipes I have lined up on my countertop (including a sweet potato salad dressing).
As I’ve mentioned in my recipes and in Dreena’s Kind Kitchen, I cook sweet potatoes in batches. More than I will use for a given meal. Then, they are ready in the fridge to use in recipes – or for lunch bowls, and more!
Now, I know many of you love my apple-hemp muffins and Best Banana Bread. I hear from you all often about those recipes. But… I think these Sweet Potato Muffins rival any of these.
Indeed! I made them again this week and one of my girls said “mom these are my most favorite muffins ever“.
She’s got good taste. 😅
These sweet potato muffins are beautifully tender. In fact, they almost seem like they have a little oil in them – but these are oil-free vegan muffins. I give credit to the hemp seeds, which are blended into the sweet potato base. Magical!
And, these are easy muffins to make. The sweet potatoes are pureed with the liquid ingredients (I use my Blendtec Twister Jar, it’s brilliant for small purees; use coupon code YAY-BLENDTEC for 20% off). Then, a simple mix of the wet ingredients into the dry, and you’re done.
For more vegan muffins and homemade bread, check out these recipes:
- Cinnamon Bun Muffins
- Healthy Baking for Back to School
- Vegan Banana Bread Recipe
- Healthy Zucchini Bread Recipe
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins
Vegan Sweet Potato Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup precooked and cooled orange sweet potato skins removed, see note
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds see note
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups spelt flour or 2 cups less 2 tbsp w/w pastry
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom can substitute nutmeg or omit
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup raisins or miniature non-dairy chocolate chips (optional, see note for oil-free chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with muffin liners (parchment liners work best). Add sweet potato, milk, maple syrup, hemp seeds and vanilla to a blender and puree until very smooth. In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, baking soda, sea salt and chocolate chips or raisins. Stir through until well combined. Add wet mixture to dry and stir through until just well combined. Scoop mixture into muffin pan (I use an ice cream scoop), filling 11-12 muffin cups. Bake for 24-26 minutes (closer to 26 minutes for fewer, bigger muffins; less time if filling full 12). Check doneness around 24 minutes, and let bake another minute or longer, or remove and let cool. Cool for a couple of minutes in the pan, then transfer to a baking sheet to cool more as desired. Then enjoy!
Notes
- Sweet Potato Note: Baked sweet potato is very soft, so you don’t need to cube or chop it to measure, rather just remove some pieces/chunks to fit into the measuring cup.
- Hemp seed note: The pureed hemp seeds add some fat to the muffin batter, don’t omit them. If you don’t have them and want to substitute, you can try 2 tbsp of another seed or 2 tbsp of a chopped nut.
- Chocolate Note: For oil-free chocolate, visit Nibble Chocolate.
Also, tell me how you love to use and repurpose sweet potatoes. Any recipes you’d love to see using them?
This post was originally published in 2018 and updated for January 28, 2022.
JuneBug says
Delicious and so fluffy. This is a great way to use leftover steamed sweet potatoes. Plus, I was hungry for some muffins!
Dreena says
So happy you are enjoying them, thanks for the feedback!
Vegan Recipes says
We loved this recipe! These muffins are quick to make and turn out so fluffy with a fantastic taste. They are an ideal snack for the office!
Dreena says
Thank you for the great review, and I’m delighted you tried the recipe.
Lucia says
Again about subbing peppermint white choc chips – I’m thinking ahead to baking these for morning of Valentine’s Day, just around the corner. Fluffy-perfect for the occasion! Thank you, Dreena, for this wonderful and versatile recipe.
Lucia says
So yummy-tender and delicious! We also tried them with Lily’s (brand) Peppermint Flavor Baking Chips – white chocolate, sugar-free with stevia (erythritol).
LouAnn says
Would it be possible to sub date paste for the maple syrup? If so, can you suggest how much?
Ginger says
Would it be possible to sub date paste for the maple syrup? If so, can you suggest how much?
Thanks
Sonia Tipp says
What brand of mini chocolate chips do you buy?
Dreena says
Hi Sonia, the mini chips are a little harder to find vegan, but Enjoy Life has them and they are pretty widely available in stores. Here’s Enjoy Life (regular chips) on amazon (in my vegan foods store here): https://amzn.to/2JiDbrf
Karen says
Loved these. I didn’t have quite enough sweet potato cooked so topped it up with a bit of mashed banana to get to the right volume. I can’t wait to try them with my gluten-free flour blend so that the GF folks in the family can enjoy them as much as the rest of us! Thank you Dreena – these are just sweet enough to help wean the sugar-addicts off and towards a more healthy diet!
Dreena says
Thank you so much Karen, I’m really happy you enjoyed them. 🙂
lori says
Any thought on using a mix of chickpea flour and oat flour? Thx!
Dreena says
Hi Lori, I haven’t tested it – I wouldn’t use a great deal of chickpea flour, it tastes/acts differently. If you need fully GF, I’d go with oat and a GF blend probably.
Naomi says
The taste is delicious. For that I’m giving it a 5. I don’t use spelt/wheat, oats, rice so it gets tricky when it comes to flour. I saw someone used GF all purpose (so I tried it with Bob’s Red Mill). It was pretty good but was a little gummy which I was trying to avoid. I saw someone else used almond/coconut flours so I’ll try that next. I understand you not wanting to suggest anything you haven’t tried yourself. But since I’m so limited when it comes to flour, I wonder if there’s a suggestion you can give about subbing flour. I am not a baker and rely 100% on the author. You’re a brand I trust so if you can give me any insight, I would appreciate it very much. Thanks so much. I enjoy so many of your recipes.
Caroline Swinn says
These surpassed all expectations Dreena! I mean, who puts sweet potato in a muffin? Well now I do and will put this recipe on repeat. These are SO good! Thank you. They even thaw out of the freezer perfectly and taste freshly baked. What a winner of a recipe! Yum! Yum!
Gloria Kjorsvik says
Caroline says who would put Sweet Potatoes in a muffin? Well Caroline I would no different than putting Pumpkin in a muffin or Squash.
Tried this recipe and didn’t have Cardomon in the house so substituted that with Nutmeg and they turned out delicious and they freeze well. I like to have a variety of something in the freezer so if someone stops over for coffee I have something to go with it. Thanks…
Dreena says
Hi Gloria, so happy you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing and also for the great recipe rating.
Karen says
These are fantastic and doing a great job getting us through the quarantine (minus the week of Passover). I upped the spice level — added more cardamon and also used nutmeg and ginger — for the spicier taste buds in our house. Thank you!
Robin says
My batter turned out very thick — maybe my flour was a bit old. Surprisingly tender and moist on the inside and nice flavor. I had all the ingredients on hand and the recipe went together easily. Another good recipe! Thanks!
JoAnn Buel says
Can I substitute canned pumpkin for sweet potato? I have 3 lg can I’ve got to use up. Thank you
Dreena says
Hi JoAnn, it should be okay, except that sweet spud is naturally sweeter. But, should be fine!
Naomi says
I too would like to know if canned pumpkin can be substituted. Idk if there’s a canned sweet potato. If so can that be substituted? I tend to buy Japanese sweet potato only and hardly ever have the orange type in my home.
Dreena says
Hi Naomi, yes for sure you can use canned sweet spud – I do love the flavor when baking sweet spuds yourself, it gets very flavorful! And, you can also sub in the Japanese sweet spud, only thing is that they are slightly drier so you might need another 1-2 tbsp milk or maple syrup.
Maja Klysinski says
I loved these..made them with almond flour and coconut flour (1/2 and 1/2) and they came out delicious….Will be making them ore often. Thanks for sharing.
Laura Westcott says
I made these over the weekend. They are amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Dreena says
Just fabulous, thanks Laura!
Nelly says
Hi Dreena,
Can I use oat flour instead of spelt? I don’t have any spelt on hand.
Thanks!
Nelly
Dreena says
Hi Nelly, You can, however I find the texture is preferable with spelt or combo of spelt and oat. With all oat, the texture can be a little gummy.
Ingrid says
Maybe the best muffins I’ve ever made! I used coconut milk, a bit less cinnamon but added nutmeg and ground ginger, and replaced the hemp with the same amount of chopped pecans then I added chopped pecans and dried cranberries instead of chocolate chips
Dreena says
so wonderful, thanks Ingrid! Love your ideas for add-ins.
Katie says
Made these over the weekend and my little girl (who doesn’t like sweet potatoes, oddly enough) loved them!
Cécile says
This is just next level!!
The texture is absolutely perfect, really amazing.
My 6 yo son is crazy about them, he asked me to bake those as a treat for his birthday for his classmates, how could I say no!
Thanks Dreena for this
Dreena says
Love to read that! Thanks Cecile 🙂
Suzanne McCurdy says
Just made these for family visit and they are delicious! I made them exactly following the recipe and they turned out perfectly. The only problem is staying out of them so there are enough for the kids. My husband just walked by eating one saying,”mm mm mm.”
Thank you!
Jason says
Hmm. Im going to try these with whole wheat flour.
Pavithra Sarah George says
Dreena, is there any way I could sub almond flour instead of spelt?
Michelle says
Thanks so much for this recipe!
We make these regularly.
We use oatflour instead of spelt and we substitute the hemp seeds with a nut butter. I think they turn out much denser than yours but still very yummy.
Diane Watson says
Thank you, I was going to ask about oat flour.
JoAnne says
I was wondering what the consistency of the mix should be when done mixing? Mine was kinda thick
Alexa says
These are awesome! Very easy and fast to make, if you have cooked sweet potatos in hand, but with an Instapot even this is not a real deal breaker, The Muffins are super fluffy, not overly sweet and therefor perfect for school lunches or after school snack, my entire family and non-vegan school friends love them!! Thanks for another great recipe!!!
Dreena says
Wonderful! Happy to read that, Alexa, thanks for sharing your notes!
Kara says
These are the bomb! Love your recipes!
Dreena says
Thank you Kara!
Cara Gutstein says
Just made these! They are so delicious. My family is GF, so I used a combo of oat bran, oat flour and GF flour and they came out beautifully. Thank you so much, Dreena!
Dreena says
Wonderful! So glad to hear it, thanks Cara 🙂
Elizabeth Cook says
I tried it with about half the maple syrup. While they were still good, they were definitely on the dry side. I would use the full amount next time or use applesauce to make up the difference. I had a little leftover sweet potato, which I added to my morning smoothie. Yum!
Judi says
These look good wonderful! Id love to use date paste or sugar instead of the maple syrup…..would this work?
Dreena says
Hi Judi, I haven’t tested it, so can’t say for sure. It’s best to stick to similar sweetener, so a liquid one here. Date paste should be okay, however I can’t say for certain!
Jcb says
I also am reluctant to use that much maple syrup. Wonder if you could sub apple juice for some or all of the milk and a small amount of date paste for sweetener?
Anne Schollenberger says
I can’t wait to try this! Dreena, I love your recipes!
LaJuana says
Do you think this would work with canned pumpkin? Thanks!
estee says
Made these sweet potato muffins this morning – I used white sweet potatoes and turned out fantastic…very light and fluffy. I did have a funny..I accidentally added 1 1/4 tsp of cardamom..oops, so I had to try and scoop the excess out. In the end it all worked out. I love it.
Julianne says
Made these with canned sweet potato, and an equal mix of whole wheat flour and buckwheat flour. I added an egg instead of hemp seeds since I didn’t have any, and apparently forgot the baking soda! Despite these intentional and unintentional changes, they turned out beautifully and absolutely delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Monika says
My three year old son doesn’t like sweet potatoes so I try to hide them in green smoothies, oatmeal, and his favourite GF pancakes which he can’t detect at all. So I will definitely give these a try!
Keli says
I just made these with chocolate chips and nutmeg in place of cardamom. I ate one still warm. Very good flavor and texture. I already had all the ingredients on hand except the spelt flour, which is thankfully easy to get these days. I appreciate that this recipe uses accessible ingredients. I will make it again.
I agree about the breakfast cookie idea someone mentioned in an earlier comment. A recipe for a healthy, hearty breakfast cookie would be great.
jacquie says
if you are looking for another way to use them i would love to see a recipe for breakfast cookies made with sweet potatoes.
Dreena says
Lovely idea, Jacquie!
Sandy says
Hi Dreena,
I use steamed, cubed sweet potatoes to add to steel cut oat cereal (or cooked oat groats or rye berries). For color, I shred some purple organic carrots and fresh fruit. I make a big batch and we eat off this for 4-5 days. It’s hearty, colorful and throws filling veggies into the breakfast routine. I would like ways to use sweet potato in a sandwich and with what accoutrements!
Debbie says
You can slice sweet potato and put in in the toaster to make “bread”! I have tried it but google it. It was all the rage a while back.
Pavithra Sarah George says
Hi Dreena, can we use Buckwheat flour instead of the spelt?
Dreena says
Hi Pavithra, I wouldn’t sub all buckwheat, it would be better to use an all-purpose GF four (though I haven’t tested it with GF flour blend, just to note). Hope that helps!
Chana says
That’s a lot of mayple syrup. Do you think I could cut it? Too much sugar for me.
Dreena says
You can try, but it’s not a lot divided over the 12 muffins. It’s the only sweetener, so maybe try 1/3 cup and see how that goes. You can make up for the liquid difference with extra milk.
APRIL BURGER says
Dreena, I am GF, and wonder how can I make this recipe compliant? Thank you.
Dreena says
I’d suggest an all-purpose GF flour. I haven’t tested it with an ap GF blend, but that’s the best route to try.
Kim says
how about sweet potato waffles or pancakes with apple or persimmon ?
Dreena says
OH sweet spud waffles/pancakes… yes, yes!