Vegan Sweet Potato Muffins for a Wholesome Breakfast

These vegan sweet potato muffins are made with spelt flour and applesauce. So much goodness in one little muffin! If you’re looking for a wholesome muffin to add to your morning routine, these might be it.

Love the ease of breakfast muffins but prefer something savory? Try these vegan muffins with kale and chives

Originally published January 2018; this post has been updated.

single sweet potato muffin with more in the background on a cooling rack.

Sweet potato puree, with its creamy sweetness, lends itself well to flavorful baked goods. But if you didn’t happen to bake sweet potatoes the day before, or don’t have the 45 minutes it takes to bake sweet potatoes until tender, shredding raw sweet potatoes accomplishes much the same thing in less time.

The shredded bits of sweet potato will cook quickly, imparting their sweet flavor in these spiced muffins in just the time it takes the muffins to bake. Sweet potato muffins in less time? Perfect!

If you’ve got sourdough starter on hand, you might always want to try these Sourdough Banana Nut Muffins!

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Ready to DIY your pantry with more wholesome ingredients? Check out my ebook, The Handcrafted Pantry! Filled with delicious recipes for some of your favorite condiments, snacks, and toppings, it’s the guide you need to start skipping packaged products and embrace homemade.

vegan sweet potato muffins on a white plate

Sweet Potato Muffins

Sweet potatoes from the cellar and applesauce canned in the fall give these breakfast muffins a light sweetness. Whole grain spelt flour, an heirloom wheat variety, gives them a lovely nutty undertone reminiscent of a bran muffin.

Ingredients

Spelt flour — While it is a wheat flour that contains gluten, this is an ancient grain variety that is often easier for people to digest, even if they have minor issues with modern wheat.

Cane sugar — Use your favorite brand of granulated cane sugar. I prefer organic.

Applesauce — Unsweetened applesauce is so sweet on its own, and it also adds some great moisture to these vegan sweet potato muffins.

Sweet potato — My trick is grating it raw. No need to cook and mash first – think of it as similar to carrot muffins!

Coconut milk — This dairy-free milk helps us with vegan baking to get all the liquid we need. It also eliminates the need to use oil.

4 panel showing the process of mixing the muffin batter.

How to Make Sweet Potato Muffins

Preheat the oven and grease a 12 cup muffin tin. I like ones similar to this with a nonstick ceramic surface

Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk well until combined.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add remaining ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients together first before incorporating the dry. Don’t over mix!

ice cream scoop in raw muffin batter in a glass bowl.

Either grease the muffin tin or line with cupcake liners. (I use the If You Care baking cups; they’re compostable.) Fill the tin and bake for about 20 minutes.

I use a vintage ice cream scoop (1/4 cup capacity) to easily fill the muffin tin with batter. 

Allow these sweet potato muffins to cool in pan for five minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

muffins on a cooling rack.

FAQs

Can I make these muffins a different size?

I stick with regular sized muffins but you can also use a mini-muffin tin for fun-sized muffins! Keep in mind those will take less time to bake so keep watch. Whatever size you make, the batter should fill the muffin cups about 2/3 of the way. More than that and these vegan muffins will overflow as they bake.

What can I use instead of applesauce?

You can also try a super ripe mashed banana or even pumpkin to really add in the fall flavors. It needs to be semi-liquidy in order to give the muffins the correct texture.

How do I store vegan sweet potato muffins?

Let them cool completely on a rack before popping into a bag or container in the freezer. They thaw quickly so you can either take them out to pack for lunch, or let them rest on the counter while you go for a walk. Breakfast is served!

sweet potato muffins on a cooling rack.

★ Did you make these sweet potato muffins? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! ★

single sweet potato muffin with more in the background on a cooling rack.

Vegan sweet potato muffins

Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Made with spelt flour and applesauce, these wholesome muffins are great for breakfast or an easy-to-grab snack.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole grain spelt flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup granulated organic cane sugar
  • 3/4 cup applesauce
  • 1-1/2 cup shredded sweet potato (raw)
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
  2. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Whisk well until all dry ingredients are well combined.
  4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and into the well add in the sugar, applesauce, shredded sweet potato, and coconut milk. Stir the wet ingredients together in the well and then begin mixing the dry ingredients into the wet. Stir just until all ingredients are combined.
  5. Divide the muffin batter between the 12 cups and place pan in preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  6. Allow these sweet potato muffins to cool in pan for five minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Notes

Need a gluten free muffin recipe? I've had luck replacing the spelt flour with one cup of brown rice flour and one cup sorghum flour.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 muffin
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 276Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 240mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 7gSugar: 23gProtein: 5g

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Originally contributed by Shannon Stonger in January 2018; this post has been completely edited and updated.

 

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About the author: Kris Bordessa is an award-winning National Geographic author and a certified Master Food Preserver. Read more about Kris and how she got started with this site here. If you want to send Kris a quick message, you can get in touch here.

9 comments… add one
  • Shawna T. Dec 18, 2023 @ 17:33

    Is there a way to cut back on the sugar, or a substitute?

    • AttainableSustainable Dec 21, 2023 @ 7:21

      I haven’t tested that with this recipe, so I can’t guarantee the results!

  • Kathleen Mar 26, 2022 @ 15:55

    Is there a substitute for spelt flour?

    • AttainableSustainable Mar 29, 2022 @ 7:42

      There are several flours you could use to substitute, but I haven’t tested any others for this recipe so I couldn’t say for sure how it would turn out. Give your favorite flour a try! 🙂

  • irene lau Jan 4, 2020 @ 12:51

    would these be suitable for freezing?

    • Kris Bordessa Jan 5, 2020 @ 8:31

      I don’t see why not!

  • Cheryl Apr 8, 2019 @ 1:14

    I used less sugar. Half. Used half apple sauce, half banana puree. Added molasses.

    They turned out so amazing! Just sweet enough. Nice and moist.

    Thank You

  • Kimberly Lambdin Feb 17, 2018 @ 9:00

    Love these!

    • Kris Bordessa Feb 20, 2018 @ 16:17

      Yay, so glad to hear it!

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