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Sweet Potato Muffins

These sweet potato muffins are extremely moist, packed with nutrients, and DELICIOUS!

Wire basket full of sweet potato muffins

If you're looking for a muffin recipe that's nutritious and requires less sugar than most other muffin recipes, this is the one for you! Because of the natural sweetness of the potatoes, you don't need a ton of sugar to make these muffins flavorful. The sweet potatoes also give this recipe a really moist texture.

Freezer friendly muffins:

Whenever I make sweet potato muffins, I leave a few out to eat right away, and put the rest into the freezer after they've cooled. All it takes is a few seconds in the microwave, and they'll taste just as good as they did out of the oven.

Related recipe: Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing?

They are similar, but not the same. It can get confusing because yams are often incorrectly labeled in stores, in recipes, and even on cans.

Yam vs. sweet potato

While you may see sweet potatoes incorrectly labeled as yams (especially in the south), true yams are actually pretty rare in the United States.

Yams are characterized by a lighter flesh and a darker skin with a rough texture. Since yams are also starchier than sweet potatoes, you’ll want to be sure to use sweet potatoes for this recipe.

There are many varieties of sweet potatoes in available in the U.S., and they come in all different colors. For this recipe, I look for a sweet potato with tapered ends and a bright orange flesh.

Peeled, baked sweet potatoes in a glass bowl

Related recipe: Small Batch Cinnamon Pancakes

Make ahead tip:

I recommend cooking the sweet potatoes a day ahead or a few hours ahead of when you want to make the sweet potato muffins. This will allow them time to cool and also make them easier to peel.

Baked sweet potatoes being mashed with a hand masher

More breakfast recipes to try: Baguette French Toast Bites

How many sweet potatoes to use:

I used 3 very large sweet potatoes and they equaled about 3 cups of mashed potato. So if you are buying small-medium potatoes, I'd recommend using approximately 5-6.

You can always use the leftover potato to make smoothies, pancakes, or anything else you like!

Try the topping!

If you think flaxseed is something only crazy health-nut types enjoy, I challenge you to sprinkle some on top of these muffins before baking. It's delicious, and adds a nutritional boost.

Moist inside of a sweet potato muffin topped with flax seed

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

Sweet Potato Muffins

Nutrient-packed sweet potato muffins that are super moist and delicious!
4.73 from 347 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 24 muffins
Calories: 169kcal
Author: Kate

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of mashed sweet potato see below for instructions
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup ground flaxseed meal optional

Instructions

  • To prep the sweet potatoes (this can be done a day or so ahead if you want to break up the muffin-making process): Pierce the potatoes with a fork and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until the inside is soft when poked with a fork. Remove and let cool. When the potatoes are cool, peel off the skin and mash the sweet potato filling with a fork or masher until any big lumps are gone. Measure out 3 cups worth of filling.
  • To make the muffins: In a large bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and then add the sweet potato.
  • Pour into muffin tins/cups. If using flaxseed, sprinkle on top of the muffins. Bake at 325 for approximately 30 minutes.

Notes

I used three very large sweet potatoes and it came out to be just about three cups exactly. If you're using smaller potatoes you might want to use 4-5. If you end up being short, you could always use some mashed banana to get to three cups.

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2390IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Recipe Rating




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Leah

Monday 12th of February 2024

These turned out perfect! So delicious. I used Bob's egg replacer and GF flour, left out the flax, and subbed half the oil for applesauce. I'm adding it to my recipe book!

Cathy

Wednesday 7th of February 2024

Just used your recipe with my homegrown sweet potatoes and fresh eggs from my 7 girls !! Yummy! I did add a little pumpkin pie spice to it. So moist and flavorful! Thank you !

Kate

Friday 9th of February 2024

How lucky to have homegrown sweet potatoes and fresh eggs! Glad you enjoyed these muffins.

George

Saturday 20th of January 2024

These were so , so good. Thank you recipe website.

Catherine

Monday 15th of January 2024

I made this previously. They were great. So I tried substituting peanut butter for the oil. I had made a half batch before so I used 3T peanut butter and 10 grams peanut butter powder. Added 1/4 cup water . Came out well. Next time I’ll add chocolate chips do they are similar to eating a Reece’s candy bar.

Jackie

Sunday 14th of January 2024

Out of all the many muffin recipes I have made, these are by far my favourite. So moist and will sustain you till lunch. The recipe gives me 16 good size muffins and the baking time was the same. I used Truvia instead of sugar so I can share them with my sister who is diabetic. Great taste!

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