What's better than dessert for a post work out meal? These sweet potato protein brownies are a fun way get your protein needs met for those vegan curves!
As you know from my vegan weight gain article, protein is very important when you are building curves on a vegan diet. And protein smoothies are the best way to ensure you are meeting your daily protein needs.
But am I the one that gets tired of protein smoothies? So I thought I would jazz it up a bit with these sweet potato protein brownies!
Why These Brownies Work?
- They are naturally sweetened with maple syrup
- They are made with a simple protein powder (more on that below)
- They have 12 grams of protein per brownie.
- They are super moist and decadent that you can't stop eating them!
Are there any flour in these Brownies?
So a couple of years back, there was this viral post on social media that used 3 ingredients to make sweet potato brownies using only sweet potatoes.
This is NOT that recipe.
This recipe uses oat flour which is just instant oats grinded up in a food processor. I find that the oats give the brownies more structure than just using sweet potatoes.
What Protein Powder Can I Use?
For this recipe I used my beloved hemp protein powder. I love hemp protein powder in this recipe for the following reasons:
- It is a clean powder. It is literally just ONE ingredient with no additives
- It's healthy with naturally omega 3s and fiber.
- It pairs well with chocolate. It has an ugly color that does not always look so well in shakes so the dark color of chocolate hides that well.
- It's flavorless so it won't alter the taste of your brownies.
Hemp protein powder can be slightly gritty (tho the fresher the powder, the more smoother it is plus certain brands are better than others.)
If you do not like hemp protein, use whatever vegan protein powder you have on hand.
How To Make Sweet Potato Protein Brownies?
*Please read detailed and printable recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
- Add dry ingredients and wet ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. (Photos 1 & 2)
- Add mixed batter to a baking pan and top with chocolate chips. (Photos 3 & 4)
- Cut brownies and serve warm. (Photos 5 & 6)
SUBSTITUTION, COOK, & STORAGE TIPS
- Any vegan protein powder will work with this recipe. Just make sure it is flavorless so it will not over power the taste of of your brownies.
- You can also try these brownies with pumpkin puree or squash!
- These brownies can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days and you can freeze it for up to 1 month.
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Sweet Potato Protein Brownies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups mashed sweet potato (about 1 pound or 2 medium potatoes) note 1
- ½ cup oat flour note 2
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cup hemp protein powder note 3
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- non dairy dark chocolate chips or non dairy chopped chocolate bar note 4
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat your to 180C/350F. Wash your sweet potatoes. Poke holes into it and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes or until cooked in the middle. Remove the sweet potato from the oven (leave on the oven), and peel off the skin. Scoop out the flesh of your sweet potatoes and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Grab your strainer and place over your large mixing bowl where your sweet potatoes were added. In your strainer, add oat flour, cocoa powder, hemp protein powder, and baking powder. Stiff dry ingredients into your bowl.
- Next add creamy peanut butter, unsweetened applesauce, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Mixed together until fully combined. If the mixture is too dry to mix, you can add a little plant based milk or a little neutral tasted oil.
- Chop up a non dairy chocolate bar and add it to your mixture. You can also add non-dairy chocolate chips to the mixture. Add your brownie batter to a parchment lined baking dish and spread evenly. Top with additional non dairy chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar chunks and bake brownies for 20 minutes.
- Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into 9 even pieces and serve as a post workout snack!
Video
Notes
- SWEET POTATOES: To save, you can use canned sweet potato puree.
- OAT FLOUR: You can easily make your own oat flour by grinding some instant oats in a food processor.
- PROTEIN POWDER: Any vegan protein powder will work with this recipe. Just make sure it is flavorless so it will not over power the taste of of your brownies. Also make sure your protein powder is fresh.
- VEGAN CHOCOLATE BAR: This is optional but I would highly recommend as it takes these brownies to the next level.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published on May 9, 2018, but was republished with new photos, updated recipe, and tips January 6, 2022.
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© Gina Marie Hoskins. Vegan With Curves. All Rights Reserved. Unless noted otherwise, all images, recipes, & content are copyright protected and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. My images and written content are NOT to be used without prior permission. Read full Copyright Disclosure.
© Gina Marie Hoskins. Vegan With Curves. All Rights Reserved. Unless noted otherwise, all images, recipes, & content are copyright protected and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. My images and written content are NOT to be used without prior permission. Read full Copyright Disclosure.
JH
Can you use pumpkin purée instead of sweet potatoes?
Gina Marie
yes you can!
Ali
These brownies look delicious! Where would I find Karuna’s Turmeric Coffee Drink in Canada? Or is there another substitute I could use? Also, is the pan size (9x13) incorrect? I just can’t inagine there being enough batter for such a large pan given the recipe contains only 1 cup of flour. Thanks in advance.
Gina Marie
Hi Ali! Right now Karuna drinks are only available in St. Louis, Missouri and Los Angeles area. As a substitute feel free to use any type of coffee of choice or even plant based milk if you like. And yes that was an oversight I meant to put 9x9 square pan thank you for noticing I will change that!