Sweet Potato Muffins

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Be sure to check out my other favorite muffin recipe: Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Sweet Potato Muffins

Nutrient-packed sweet potato muffins that are super moist and delicious!

4.82 from 123 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