Soft, chewy, naturally sweetened, and incredibly delicious vegan sweet potato cookies! They’re healthy enough for breakfast and tasty enough for dessert.
This recipe was originally published in May 2018. It has been updated for content and photos.
Not only are these vegan sweet potato cookies nutrient-dense and scrumptious, but they’re easy to make (no bowl needed) and they’re allergen-friendly too! Perfect for school or workplace-safe snacks.
Adding veggies to your cookies might sound odd, but just think about how sweet a sweet potato is! It makes a great base for healthy cookies.
Sweet potatoes are wholesome and versatile, with several great uses for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and yes, even dessert. For more awesome ways to use this versatile vegetable, browse this collection of healthy sweet potato recipes.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this delicious sweet potato cookies recipe.
- Sweet potatoes: Cook and mash your sweet potato, or use canned sweet potato puree.
- Flour mixture: I use a mix of oat and rice flour that I make myself by grinding brown rice and oats in my blender. You may also use store-bought.
- Banana: Use VERY ripe bananas for the best flavour and natural sweetness.
Instructions
(This is a summary with step-by-step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Add your peeled and cubed sweet potato to a pan covered with water.
Cook until soft, then drain, and mash the potatoes very well.
Add the banana and dry ingredients to the pan with your mashed potato.
Then mix well until combined. The batter will be very thick.
Scoop the cookie dough onto your prepared baking tray.
Then gently press each cookie down with a fork to flatten and shape them.
NOTE: Make smaller cookies for little hands, or an afternoon snack. Or make larger cookies for adults or breakfast cookies. The recipe makes about 22-24 small cookies or 11-12 large.
Substitutions + Variations
- If you’re not avoiding gluten you may use all-purpose whole wheat flour to replace both flour options with similar results, with the wheat option being slightly softer and chewier.
- The rice and oat flour combo keeps these cookies gluten-free but also adds a more crumbly texture.
- For banana free, you may use ½ cup of unsweetened apple sauce instead of mashed banana with similar results. You may also try mashed pumpkin, however, this won’t be as sweet.
- To jazz up your vegan sweet potato cookies add any of the following fill-ins:
- ¼ cup (or more) dairy-free chocolate chips
- ¼ cup (or more) dried cranberries or raisins
- 3-4 tablespoons of unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Up to ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ground ginger, and/or cloves
Storage
Leftover sweet potato cookies will keep at room temperature for 1-2 days or refrigerated for 3-4 days.
To freeze the cookies, cool to room temperature first. Then store them in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spotted skins. Since these cookies are naturally sweetened, you want to use very ripe and sweet bananas.
- If possible, use a scale to weigh your ingredients for the best results. If you do not have a kitchen scale, spoon and level your flour into your measuring cup. Don’t scoop from the bag, or you may end up with too much.
- If you don’t have oat or brown rice flour, you may use all-purpose whole wheat flour with similar results. Use 110g (approx ¾ cup) only if you’re not avoiding gluten.
- You can make brown rice flour and oat flour if you don’t have any on hand. I grind the ingredients in my Vitamix.
- These healthy cookies are great for babies, kids, and adults alike. To make them for toddlers and little ones, use a smaller cookie scoop to make around 22-24 bite-sized cookies. They’re also great for baby led weaning, just skip the optional maple syrup, if preferred.
More delicious healthy cookie recipes
If you tried this recipe, please let me know in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube to see more delicious food.
Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.25 cups mashed sweet potato from approx 1 large potato (2.5 cups cubed)
- ½ cup mashed banana from approx 2 medium bananas (use RIPE bananas)
- 70 grams oat flour approx. ½ cup + 2 tbsp, use gluten-free if preferred
- 50 grams brown rice flour approx. ¼ cup (or use more oat flour)
- 70 grams rolled oats approx. ½ cup + 2 tbsp
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup optional
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375℉/190℃, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel and cube your sweet potatoes, place them in a pan or pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft, approx 8-10 minutes. Drain and return to the pan. Then mash well using a potato masher.
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan with your mashed sweet potato and mix well. The batter will be thick.
- Use a cookie scoop to make your cookie balls and place them on your baking tray. Then, gently press each one down with a fork to flatten and shape them. Bake the sweet potato cookies for 15-18 minutes, until golden.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes and enjoy.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spotted skins. Since these cookies are naturally sweetened, you want to use very ripe and sweet bananas.
- If possible, use a scale to weigh your ingredients for the best results. If you do not have a kitchen scale, spoon and level your flour into your measuring cup. Don’t scoop from the bag, or you may end up with too much.
- If you don’t have oat or brown rice flour, you may use all-purpose whole wheat flour with similar results. Use 110g (approx ¾ cup) only if you’re not avoiding gluten.
- You can make brown rice flour and oat flour if you don’t have any on hand. I grind the ingredients in my Vitamix.
Sandy says
We tried these cookies with the added cranberries. Yum, they were really good. But the amount of rolled oats puzzled me. 70 grams measured out as one full cup, not a half cup, so the batter was really too thick at first. I added more applesauce to thin it a bit, but I wondered if there was an error in the amount of oats to use.
Rosa says
So glad you enjoyed the cookies, Sandy! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂 The 70 grams is approx. 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons, and yes the batter for these ones is quite thick.
Theron says
Could you give weight measurements for the sweet potato and banana. Ingredients like those are too variable for me. That said, I always love, love your content.
Rosa says
Thrilled you’re enjoying our content, Theron. I didn’t weigh those items this time unfortunately, so I will make a mental note to do that next time I make these cookies. However, once the sweet potato and banana are mashed and measured into a cup, you will get a fairly accurate result. Hope that helps!
Cris says
Hi! I would like to comment that the rice flour might not be a great option for little kids, as it needs to be washed very thoroughly to remove arsenic. I will probably try substituting the rice flour for almond meal, so my kids have some healthy nuts in there as well 😊