Julie Clark
Updated:
Sweet Potato Bread
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This recipe for Sweet Potato Bread is delicious and comforting. It’s an easy, quick bread recipe can be made into one large loaf or 4 mini loaves.
While pumpkin and banana breads have long held the spotlight in our homes, we’ve got a new contender that’s equally scrumptious and heartwarming.
Sweet Potato Bread. This moist and flavorful bread, with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, is perfect for a morning treat, afternoon snack, or even an after-dinner dessert.
About this Recipe for Sweet Potato Bread:
- Flavor: This bread has a similar flavor to pumpkin bread. The sweet potato adds an earthy, simple sweetness. The flavor comes in with the spices added: cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.
- Texture: This sweet potato loaf bakes up moist. The pecans give texture to every bite, and the coarse sugar on top adds a sparkly crunch.
- Method: The sweet potato loaf bakes in one standard size loaf pan, or you can make it in 4 mini loaves, perfect for giving to teachers or friends during the fall season.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Reader Conor says, “Never knew sweet potato bread was a thing until yesterday. It’s really delicious.”
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Reader Alma says, “What a great recipe! I did this bread many times, for me, for friends, with sweet potato or pumpkin. It is always so yummy, filling and everyone loved it.”
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Reader Lisa says, “I really love this recipe but I did substitute the sugar and used monk fruit sweetener. I made it into muffins and it was delicious. I did make it as a bread and it was also delicious.”
Sweet Potatoes in Bread?
Yes! Similar to our potato bread and potato rolls, both white and sweet potatoes are an excellent addition to bread.
The sweet potato, with its natural sweetness and moist texture, makes for an excellent base in quick breads and cakes. Not only does it offer a unique flavor profile, but its rich, orange hue also lends a vibrant color for the finished product.
Sweet potatoes provide an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and fiber.
What is sweet potato bread made of?
- For this recipe I used canned sweet potatoes. Drain them thoroughly but save that precious liquid as mentioned in our recipe. This reserved liquid is packed with flavors that can enhance the moistness and richness of your bread. Want to use fresh sweet potatoes? Use about 1 ¾ cups of mashed sweet potato.
- If you’d like added richness, try using half granulated sugar and half brown sugar.
- I used vegetable oil, but canola oil or melted coconut oil works, too.
- Switch out the water for milk if you’d like!
- All-purpose gluten-free flour should work for a gluten-free sweet potato bread.
How to Make Sweet Potato Bread
- Prepare. Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan (or 4 mini loaf pans) with baking spray. Set aside. There’s no need to pull out a stand mixer. Simply mix with a whisk and rubber spatula.
- Mash sweet potatoes. In a large bowl, mash the fork tender sweet potatoes in 2 tablespoons of liquid. It’s ok if there are a few chunks, it doesn’t have to be a perfectly smooth sweet potato puree.
- Add wet ingredients. Add sugar, water, oil, and eggs to mashed sweet potatoes and stir well.
- Add dry ingredients. No need for a separate bowl, just add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon to the wet ingredients. Mix gently, just until combined. This will ensure the bread keeps its tenderness.
- Add nuts. Gently fold in chopped pecans.
- Bake. Pour evenly into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle the batter with the turbinado sugar. For the 9×5 pan, bake for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Sweet Potato Bread Add-Ins
- Chocolate Chips: A handful of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips adds a sweetness to every bite.
- Raisin Nut: Add raisins and pecans or walnuts for a raisin nut sweet potato loaf.
- Cranberries: For a tangy holiday twist, consider adding dried cranberries. They provide a chewy texture and a burst of color and flavor.
- Shredded Coconut: Shredded coconut pairs wonderfully with the sweetness of the potato.
- Switch the warming spices: Try ground ginger or cardamom for a twist. Pumpkin pie spice would be fantastic in this bread.
- Vanilla Extract: I add vanilla extract to many recipes that don’t call for it. This is one recipe where it would work well.
- Make sweet potato muffins: These make great muffins. Watch the baking time. They’ll only take about 17-20 minutes for standard size muffins.
- Add frosting: Try a cream cheese frosting or powdered sugar glaze.
Serving Ideas
Serve this sweet potato loaf with one of these ideas on top:
- Cinnamon butter. A match made in heaven!
- Cream cheese. For those who enjoy a richer, creamier spread. Flavored cream cheese, like cinnamon or honey, can further elevate the experience.
- Drizzled Honey or Maple Syrup. Over butter, of course. 😊
- Almond or Peanut Butter: For added protein.
- Amish peanut butter spread. For a little sweetness and added protein.
Storage Instructions
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: Store leftover sweet potato bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the bread whole or sliced. Wrap in plastic wrap, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before eating.
Other Recipes to Love
- Oven Baked Potatoes
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Pumpkin Spice Muffins
- Instant Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Chicken Sweet Potato Soup
Sweet Potato Bread
This recipe for Sweet Potato Bread is delicious and comforting. It's a quick bread recipe that can be made into 4 mini loaves or one large loaf.
Servings 10
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned sweet potatoes (drained, save 2 tbsp of liquid)
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
For topping:
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan (or 4 mini loaf pans) with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash sweet potatoes in 2 tablespoons of liquid. 15 ounces canned sweet potatoes
- Add sugar, water, oil, and eggs to mashed sweet potatoes and mix well. 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, ⅓ cup water, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix gently, just until combined. 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Gently fold in chopped pecans. ½ cup chopped pecans
- Pour evenly into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle the batter with the turbinado sugar.
- For the 9×5 pan, bake for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. **The smaller loaves will take about 30-45 minutes to bake.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve with cinnamon butter or cinnamon cream cheese if desired.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
**For mini loaves, check the loaves at 30 minutes and add more time as needed. All mini pans are different sizes so it is hard to give an exact time.
***The calories shown are based on the loaf being cut into 10 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 6085IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1.6mg
I used applesauce not oil,I also added walnuts and made these into muffins.Delicious…
I really love this recipe but I did substitute the sugar and used monk fruit sweetener. I made it into muffins and it was delicious. I did make it as a bread and it was also delicious.
your recipe sounds and looks so good
Came out fantastic! I doubled the batter and was able to make two loaves and some oversized muffins. My boys devoured them with some butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar.
hi, am making your peach bread tonite as need a recipe w/o any dairy, use almond milk! but this sweet potato recipe, cant find canned potatos anywhere, just candied yams!! i bake poatatoes 4 my smoothies, so about how many taters would i need?
also, cause i print currently, i sure wish we could email your recipes??? thx very much, what an adorable family u have:): kelli
Brad
Just making these now, the results are to be seen, but as with all online recipes I amended slightly and I used roasted whole sweet potato instead of canned and honey instead of sugar. I was torn between honey and maple syrup as it is in season here, but thought the natural honey would add more to the bread with the spices.
This bread was good but I think the addition of water diluted some of the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes. I used fresh sweet potatoes and baked them to get the carmelization but that was kind of lost when I added all that water. But perhaps this may have been due to the fact that I used stevia and maple syrup to cut down on the sugar content. Typically I do not use water or milk when doing banana or zucchini bread so I thought the addition of water was a bit strange. I will most likely try it… Read more »
Recipe sounds great. I have fresh papaya instead of sweet potatoes. Hope it turn out tasting good.
Can I replace the flour with coconut flour or rice flour…for health reasons
Just made this with coconut milk instead of water, 2 tblsp molasses+ 1/4 cup sugar and roasted pumpkin seeds, smells delish, can’t wait until it’s comes out of the oven
Never knew sweet potato bread was a thing until yesterday. It’s really delicious.
Can I replace applesauce with with anything.