Healthy sweet potato chocolate brownie recipe that’s easy, foolproof, full of fibre and loaded with nutrition. It’s moist and fudgy with a rich deep dark chocolate flavour but not too bitter with sweet almonds and sweet potato.
There’s more nutrition in a slice of these healthy chocolate brownies than many people have in a day!
This brownie recipe is suitable for vegan, plant-based, paleo, gluten-free and general healthy whole food diets. To make totally sugar free and keto chocolate brownies make with a chocolate that is sweetened with a keto sweetener such as xylitol.
My healthy chocolate brownie contains no flour or butter but instead, ground almonds and sweet potato are used to give a brownie with great texture. This also means it’s high in protein and low in saturated fat.
Healthy Chocolate Brownies Video
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I was planning on calling these no-bake chocolate brownies but I really wanted to bake the sweet potato rather than steam as it’s way easier and more flavourful. With baking, just prick it, bake and then scoop out the insides. Baking makes the sweet potato cook in its own juices and is not too wet like boiling or steaming will.
There no need to heat your bowl while making these sweet potato chocoalte brownies as the residual heat from the sweet potato is enough to melt. If you are left with any lumps its actually a good thing as they are lumps of chocolate!
As this is a healthy chocolate brownie recipe I’m using an 84% dark chocolate bar that is low in sugar. You can get sugar-free chocolate bars sweetened with xylitol to make it totally sugar-free, I’m fine with a small amount of sugar that will be mixed with lots of fibre and heart-healthy fats so will be absorbed slowly.
As this is a vegan site I use dark chocolate that’s free of butter oil and palm oil as these are creeping into dark chocolate as cheap replacements for cacao butter. Do always choose a high-quality chocolate to make these brownies to avoid inferior grade cocoa beans and cheap padders.
Use your favourite chocolate you like to make these brownie recipes. Some that are less keen on dark chocolate have made it with a sweeter chocolate that has more sugar and rice to be a vegan alternative to milk chocolate.
You could just add 1/3 cacao powder, sweetener (like maple or date) and fat (cacao or coconut butter) into the brownie batter instead of block chocolate. That would obviously make it not a 3 ingredient brownie recipe anymore but it would be less processed.
A high-quality dark chocolate often contains natural vanilla so no need to add any to this gluten free brownie recipe, unless you want extra!
Another great thing about this vegan recipe is that you can eat it before setting to check the flavour and adust. Think of this healthy brownie recipe as a base to add any extras you like such as dried cherries or chilli pepper.
Nut-free Adaptation
I’m using ground almonds in this recipe to make it easy with accessible ingredients. If you want to make this nut free then you can either; grind some sunflower seeds, use buckwheat flour or blend desiccated coconut for a few minutes to make finer.
Blend your seeds in a small spice / coffee grinder or bullet device.
Yams or Sweet Potatoes?
I use the orange-fleshed sweet potato for this. Some people in the US do call these yams as they were called this to distinguish between the white flesh varieties when first introduced from the Caribbean. But orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are not a yam and these days have to be labelled as sweet potato in the US. A real yam is a tough and fibrous root that only looks similar from the outer flesh.
3-Ingredient Healthy Chocolate Brownies
Easy healthy brownie recipe that's made from just chocolate, sweet potato and almonds. Full of healthy fats, fibre and protein. Suitable for gluten free, paleo, vegan and general healthy wholefood diets. Super easy to make with minimal mess as the potatoes are baked then the hot flesh melts the chocolate.
Ingredients
- 2 medium Sweet Potatoes, about 11oz / 300g with skin on
- 1 cup / 120g Ground Almonds
- 4.4 oz / 125g Dark Chocolate
Instructions
- Top and tail the sweet potatoes, prick and bake at 430F / 220C for 40 minutes.
- Once cool enough to handle scoop out the hot flesh and mix with the chocolate and almonds.
- Press sweet potato brownie mixture into a square dish about 8" then chill for an hour to set.
- Cut into squares and enjoy the healthy chocolate brownie. Store in the fridge where it will last for 5 days.
- Don't throw away the skin - the best thing with baking is you get a chefs treat of the nutrient-dense skins! You can bake the skins for a few minutes to make really crispy.
Notes
Equipment: Oven and dish
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Nutrition Information
Yield
9Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 181Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 1mgSodium 79mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 3gSugar 9gProtein 4g
Wow those brownies look so good
Thanks Koren, hope you like them 🙂
I’d like the nutritional breakdown. Do you have that handy?
Not at the moment, I hope to put it in for all recipes – but will be a very long process.
Just made these and WOW! They are absolutely delicious. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out but they smooth and fudgy. Use the best chocolate you can find. I might add walnuts and cranberries the next time. ????
Thanks for sharing, that’s great to hear! That sounds like great additions – I think of this as just a base recipe to add any extras or toppings that you like 🙂
I pulsed 85% chocolate & slivered almonds& baked sweet potatoes like directed, perfect! then added cocoa powder & organic blue agave syrup, turns out more like dark chocolate fudge, awesome!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing
Hi, these brownies look delicious! I am just about to make them. Can I use Cocoa powder instead of dark chocolate?
Yep you sure can! However you will probably want a touch of sweetness from something 🙂
Just made these. Extremely easy recipe and the result is great! Very flavourful, especially if you use good quality chocolate. Definitely a keeper. I might try flavoured chocolate next time…
Thanks Lan that’s great to hear! I agree – think of this recipe as a base to add any flavours or twists to it, I like a bit of orange juice and zest in it to make chocolate orange
Mine didn’t get firm.its still soft have in fridge for almost 3 hours. What did i do wrong?
Hello, maybe try adding some more chocolate? As my recipes are all high in natural produce they can vary alot. Although if it doesn’t set it will still taste great!
I used cocoa powder I think that was the mistake
Ah yes that will be why – it needs to be actual chocolate as it has the cocoa butter and powder so will set. Should still taste good but might needs some sweetener
Thanks i will try it again with chocolate bar.
☹️ I assumed healthy brownies meant no added sugar and to use unsweetened chocolate. Not tasty at all. Bitter; however, that is probably because I used no sweetener.
Hi there, for the recipe I’m using 85% cacao chocolate not unsweetened. If you use something with no sweetness it will be quite bitter, do read the rest of the article and there are hints and tips and talking about the recipe. Just pour some maple syrup or similar on top to sweeten it up 🙂 Hope you get on better next time
I’m guessing date syrup as the sweetener and cocoa powder would work also but as stated I guess it would firm up like a fudge but I guess some melted coconut oil would replace cocoa butter and if chilled it would firm up. Great idea for Christmas brownies especially if nuts and dried cherries were added. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Dolly sounds like that would all work – do adjust and add things as you like. As long as it sets in the fridge it should work great
Hey, I can’t find ground almonds can i use almond flour?
Yep that works well instead. Let me know how it turns out!
Looks great- I need to go gluten free and nut free 🙁 hmm. Wonder what I can use? I can’t use oatmeal or nuts even coconut I can’t use. But looks delish! Thanks for the flash thru of the book too- gotta check that out!
How about using ground seeds like sesame or sunflower? Glad you like it!
Love the sound of these brownies but am I missing something here? Is it melted chocolate I need to use? Thank you
Hi there, basically the hot sweet potato melts the chocolate. Check out the video 🙂
Hi, I made these yesterday and they came out absolutely delicious. Thank you! I also very much appreciate that you also give measurements in grams – helps me to get the quantity exactly right. Thanks again!
No thank you! It’s so nice to hear a good review after going through a dozen that were negative 🙂 Glad you liked it
how firm do these get? would prefer a bit firmer so my picky toddler will eat (instead of see them fallng apart and thinking its time to play instead of eat, ha!).
Also, would this work with any other nut grounded, say Cashew or pecan?
Super DUPER excited
They’re firm enough to hold even when not chilled but a bit squidgy. Maybe try adding more almonds and chocolate 🙂
I made these exactly as the recipe said. I would give them an 8/10. I actually froze them and preferred them right out of the freezer. Also thought I might use a food processor next time to make them more creamy in texture. What do you think?
I’ll take a 8 / 10! Honestly I’ve used a food processor and it didn’t make it any creamier, I do like the rough texture with no machines. But try it yourself blended you may prefer it 🙂
Hi! I made the brownies using your idea of cocoa instead of the chocolate adding dates and a little molasses as a sweetener. I also added some coconut oil. The texture was fudgy and a little softer than what a brownie should be, so I rolled it up into balls, then rolling them in cocoa which I now call healthy chocolate TRUFFLES ????. Thank you for this recipe! It’s delicious and guilt-free! ???? ????
Thanks great to hear and thanks for sharing your adaptation!
I made these last night absolutely delicious.
I used Ghirardelli 100% cocoa bar,
I’m not allowed to have sugar and I’m allergic to sweeteners so this is the perfect recipe for me.
Thank you.
Oh wow that sounds great, I must try this with some 100 cacao chcocolate. It’s too bitter on its own but a thin coat with this I think would work. Thanks for sharing
Yum! I can’t wait to try this. As a protein boost, would I be able to substitute bessan flour (aka chickpea flour). I live in an Indian neighborhood so it’s super economical here. 🙂
I’m not sure if that would work as it needs to be cooked. You might want to cook some in a pan with water until it gets dryish then use it? Let me know how it goes!
They are so delicious. Thank you for the recipe! I made them a few times and I love them, they are so perfect. Easy to make (thank you for not melting chocolate!), fast to make (I need 5 minutes to mix the ingredients together) and the result is so tasty und fudgy, it’s hard not to eat them all at once…
I tried various ingredients (almond, hazelnut, cashew, raspberries, macadamia) and I use 95% chocolate. I nearly don’t eat added sugar, so it’s fine for me. But the sweetnes depends on the sweet potatoes. I guess there are different kinds because the brownies are sometimes very sweet, sometimes just light sweet.
Amazing tips and great to hear you liked this recipe Kathrin!
Just tried it and added chia seeds to it. Delicious!!
Amazing! thanks for sharing
wauwiezauwie, most simple awesome recipe
For the sweet potatoes, do you mean 11 oz each or 11 oz total?
Hi there, it’s in total
Hello! I have seen a recipe for brownies with chickpeas. Do you think I could replace the almonds with chickpeas? And how should the chickpeas be treated (boiled and mashed? Dried and chopped in a food prosessor? Etc. )?
Thanks!
Yes that works – I’ve done it although I think white beans work better. They do need to be cooked first though 🙂
You mean white beans boiled (cooked) and then mashed in place of the almonds? Same quantity as almonds? Thanks!
If I use cocoa powder, how much coconut oil should I add? Thanks!
I would use about 1 part cocoa powder, 1 part coconut oil and 1 part sweetener 🙂
I love the sound of these and they look great. For health reasons I am on a vegan, diabetic, gluten-free, low fibre diet but I think I could get away with almonds as long as they are ground (they will also provide minerals missing from my restricted diet) and as they would be a treat a little sugar won’t hurt. Also I have wanted to add sweet potatoes to my diet but couldn’t find a way that I liked them so this will be a great way to do it. I can’t wait to order the ingredients and get going on making these. I also wouldn’t mind turning them into truffles as someone mentioned doing. Thank you so much for your ingenuity.
Glad you like the sound of these, hope they are as good when you make them. They would make great truffles – I’m probably a bit lazy that’s why I just like the easy brownie shape!
Hi! I tried them and they taste incredible!!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!! I only got a small question, because I am on a strict diet plan at the moment: I’m assuming that one piece is 120 calories. Would you mind telling me roughly (if you can of course!) how many grams it is? Thank you!
Hi there, I wouldn’t like to give out a gram amount (my scaled have broken too) and to be honest the calories is roughly calculated. Things can vary so much with natural produce, really sorry I wasn’t more helpful here!
Hi, Thanks for the recipe. I used the original mixture. Chocolate bar, sweet potatoes, almonds ground. Yet they have been in the fridge for an hour and it’s not set at all. I find it hard to imagine it setting.
Is there another way to set it. The freezer maybe?
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that – natural products like the sweet potatoes will vary quite a bit. They should set firm enough to eat even if they aren’t as firm as mine in the video. You could freeze but then they would be frozen. I’d leave in the fridge overnight as that will dry them out – wost case scenario you have to use a spoon!
hi all and Bastian! am sharing in case anyone wants to try this. When making this for first time, am gonna add some unsweetened coconut flour LIKE A 1/4 CUP because coconut flour absorbs liquids and add some walnuts and refrigerate . can pulse in coffee grinder to make coconut flour if this helps anyone iam glad.
Thanks for the tip Ruth for making this healthy brownie!
Hi
Any idea how many syns slimming world they would be for all then I can make sure i divide them well.
Thanks great recipes.
Hi there, sorry I’m really not sure about slimming world but I’ve added the full nutritional information if that helps?
Hello, I. Have just made these with the 3 ingredients which have turned out perfect but I Taste the sweet potato in them and think I’ll have to add cream to use them up as a pudding. Bit disappointed.
Shirley from bonnie scotland