Sweet Potato Muffins
These vegan sweet potato muffins are so healthy and delicious because they are packed with nutrient-rich sweet potatoes, which provide natural sweetness and a moist texture. They’re also free from dairy and eggs, making them a wholesome, plant-based treat that’s perfect for breakfast or a snack.
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I only wish I had a dollar for every time someone has told me how much they love this muffin recipe. Though I have many on this website like these applesauce vegan muffins and our dairy-free chocolate chip muffins, this is one of the most popular.
Fluffy and moist sweet potato batter swirled with apple sauce, raisins, and cinnamon this recipe makes a dozen muffins that are packed with beta-carotene and fiber. They are a welcome addition to any breakfast! Make ahead of time and freeze for quick breakfasts on the go!
Reasons you will love these muffins
- Moist and Tender Texture: The sweet potatoes add incredible moisture to these muffins, resulting in a soft and tender crumb without the need for any oil or butter.
- Packed with Nutrients: Loaded with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants from sweet potatoes, these muffins are a nutritious treat that supports a healthy diet while satisfying your cravings.
- Easy and Versatile Recipe: These muffins are quick to make with simple ingredients and can be easily customized with your favorite add-ins like nuts, dried fruits, or spices for a personal touch.
Ingredients you will need
- Flour & rising agents- Whole wheat flour provides a nutritious, fiber-rich base for healthy vegan muffins while baking powder and baking soda work together to create a light, fluffy texture. A pinch of salt enhances the flavors, ensuring your muffins are both delicious and wholesome.
- Sweet potatoes- They also bring a rich flavor and vibrant color to the muffins, enhancing their visual appeal. Additionally, sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants, making the muffins more nutritious and satisfying. We have a whole list of healthy, vegan sweet potato recipes on this website.
- Applesauce- Adding natural sweetness and moisture while reducing the need for added fats or oils. Applesauce helps to keep the muffins tender and moist. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, try making your own applesauce with our recipe.
- Plant Milk- To keep this recipe dairy-free, we use almond milk, and other options include soy milk, oat milk, and others. We have a great guide on how to make your own cashew milk that is super simple.
- Vinegar- Adding vinegar to vegan muffins helps activate the baking soda, creating a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide bubbles. This reaction helps the muffins rise and results in a light, fluffy texture.
- Sweetener- My preference is brown sugar, but other options could include date sugar, maple sugar, or pure cane sugar.
How to make sweet potato muffins
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: You’ll need to cook the sweet potatoes before using them in this muffin recipe. Cooking can be accomplished in any number of ways–baking, boiling, slow cooker, or microwaving.
This recipe is excellent for leftover cooked sweet potatoes that you might already have on hand.
STEP #2: After you have the sweet potatoes cooked, preheat the oven to 350°F for the muffins.
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together–flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
STEP #3: Once the cooked sweet potatoes have had time to cool, peel them and place them in a medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to get them creamy.
In the bowl with the sweet potatoes, whisk together the apple sauce, plant milk, and vinegar.
STEP #4: Combine the dry mixture of flour and spices with the wet mixture and toss in the raisins and walnuts, if using.
Use a spoon or trigger ice cream scoop to dollop the batter into a muffin pan.
Personally, I always use a silicone muffin baking pan. It makes baking oil-free and clean-up so much easier!
STEP #5: Bake at 350°F for approximately 25 minutes. Test for doneness by pushing a toothpick into the center of one of the muffins. When it comes out clean, the muffins are ready.
Allow to cool and serve these for a delicious brunch or snack that the whole family will love.
*Originally published June 14, 2016.
This recipe was adapted from The Cancer Survivor’s Guide by Dr. Neal Barnard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use canned sweet potatoes as a convenient alternative to fresh sweet potatoes. Just ensure you use plain, unsweetened canned sweet potatoes and drain any excess liquid before adding them to your muffin batter.
To ensure your muffins are moist, use well-cooked, mashed sweet potatoes and avoid overmixing the batter. Adding a bit of plant-based milk or applesauce can also help maintain moisture while keeping the recipe oil-free.
These muffins are not gluten-free, but this link to the Minimalist Baker will help adjust it for those who want to give it a try.
Store vegan oil-free sweet potato muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze them for up to 3 months. Reheat before serving to restore their freshness.
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
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Sweet Potato Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or date sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon ground
- 1 cup sweet potatoes cooked
- 1 cup apple sauce
- 1 cup plant milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup walnuts crushed, (optional)
Instructions
- You’ll need to cook the sweet potatoes before using them in this muffin recipe. Cooking can be accomplished in any number of ways–baking, boiling, slow cooker, or microwaving. Some ideas are listed in the article above.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- After the cooked sweet potatoes have had time to cool, peel them and place them in a medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to get them creamy.
- In the bowl with the sweet potatoes, whisk together the wet ingredients: apple sauce, plant milk, and vinegar.
- Combine the dry mixture of flour and spices to the wet mixture and toss in the raisins and walnuts, if using.
- Use a spoon or to dollop the batter into a non-stick muffin pan.
- Personally, I always use a silicone muffin baking pan. It makes baking oil-free and cleanup so much easier!
- Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way to the top.
- Bake at 350°F for approximately 25 minutes. Test for doneness by pushing a toothpick into the center of one of the muffins. When it comes out clean, the muffins are ready.
- Allow to cool and serve these for a delicious brunch or snack that the whole family will love.
Video
Notes
- Sweet potatoes- You can use canned sweet potatoes as a convenient alternative to fresh sweet potatoes. Just ensure you use plain, unsweetened canned sweet potatoes and drain any excess liquid before adding them to your muffin batter.
- Make them gluten-free- These muffins are not gluten-free, but this link to the Minimalist Baker will help adjust it for those who want to give it a try.
- Prepare ahead- Make these muffins ahead of time to have a quick healthy breakfast to eat on the go during the week.
- Freeze them- These can be frozen, and they thaw back out deliciously. Whether they are left out on the counter to defrost naturally or placed in an oven or microwave to speed up the process. Either way, they warm up very well.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I’m the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I’m passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to help others care well for their health and the bodies God has given us. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
this is the best muffin recipe I have made in years. It stays moist through the whole 12 muffins. I did change recipe somewhat that I used just 1/4 cup brown sugar and then 1/4 cup stevia. I will definitely make them often. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Hi Ruth, so glad that you like these muffins. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Made these muffins today. Delicious! Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe!
Glad you like the muffins, and thanks for letting me know!
Do u think I could sub canned pumpkin for the sweet potatoes? Thanks
Oh yes, the pumpkin would be an excellent substitution. Hope you enjoy these!
I’ve been making these muffins for several months. I cut the sugar in half and the fruit gives the additional sugar. I added a cup each of walnut pieces, golden raisins, and apple pieces (added when the dry and liquid ingredients are partly mixed). Not surprisingly, it takes a bit longer to bake. But I have become quite popular when I share them at work. You made a super recipe. I just added the extra fruit and nuts because, frankly, I’m nut (pun intended) about those foods. I always use foil liners because they make getting the oversize muffins out of the tin easier. And adding the batter plus fruit to the muffin tin makes a heaping muffin tin!! But it cooks just fine. This is one of my favorite recipes.
I love your additions! I’m betting your co-workers absolutely love you. How wonderful that you share with them. Thanks so much for letting me know how much you enjoy the recipe!
Yum. I loved these.
I’ve been alternating making the sweet potato & apple muffins and making them in double batches when I make them…they’re so convenient to keep in the freezer so I can grab them on my way out the door in the mornings to eat while I drive!!! BOTH ARE SOOO GOODDDD & FILLING!!!!
These are great for breakfast or dessert. I took some to share with coworkers and everyone loved them and didn’t even realize how healthy they are. Thanks Terri!
Love a great oil-free muffin! I even bought the silicone pan just to make these. Wonderful!
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My 11yr old daughter and I made these muffins yesterday from your recipe and boy are they are delish!
Luckily we had all the ingredients on hand to make them, although the sweet potatoes we had on hand were more yellow in color. The one in your photos looks orange (like a yam). What kind of sweet potato did you use in your recipe? I would like to definitely make these again and they’re kid tested and approved!
Curious, are there any GF flours you would recommend so that these could be made GF?
Shannon, I love that your daughter helped make these muffins and liked them. How wonderful to hear that! I am in NC and the sweet potatoes here are usually orange in color. We rarely have the lighter varieties available in regular grocery stores. This guide from Minimalist Baker has some great tips for baking with gluten-free flours. I hope it will be helpful! https://minimalistbaker.com/diy-gluten-free-flour-blend/
Terri, on Amazon it says to spray each muffin cup. Do you have good results without spraying with oil? Naturally I don’t want to do that.
Jean, absolutely! I have never sprayed my silicone muffin pans. Mine always come out just fine. I didn’t even realized that amazon says to spray them. That would definitely defeat the purpose, lol!
Terri, these came out really good. I used brown sugar. I had them ready for my hubby to try when he woke up this morning. He really liked them, too. I think tomorrow morning, they will be extremely moist (cakes, muffins, etc. normally are on the 2nd day..from my experience). I’ll be making these again, for sure. Thanks for the recipe. I use silicone, too. 🙂
Wonderful to hear, Jan! These muffins are some of my favorites as well. 🙂
If date paste is used instead of sugar, does that affect amount of flour needed or other wet ingredients?
Tammy, I don’t think using date paste would cause the amount of flour to change. If you find out differently, please let me know. Happy Baking!
What temp? I am not seeing — these look great
Lisa these should be baked at 350 degrees. They SO good!
Would raw sugar work instead of the brown sugar?
Absolutely! Happy cooking!
Terri, you have done it again! Healthy, simple recipe! Thank you!
Thanks, Nadege! 😀