Sweet Potato Bars

a stack of three bars with sweet potatoes and a crumb topping

5 from 3 votes

These Sweet Potato Bars pack a buttery crust, a gooey sweet potato filling, and a crumbly streusel-like topping into one heavenly treat. They’re the best make-ahead dessert for the holidays or a year-round healthy-ish sweet treat. Easy to make paleo and vegan!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: sweet potato bars, sweet potato crumb bars

Servings: bars

Calories: 364kcal

Author: Erin

Ingredients

for the crust & crumb topping:

1 ½ cups almond flour
½ cup coconut flour
¾ cup dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter melted; or sub vegan butter or coconut oil
2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 5 tablespoons water)

for the filling:

1 ¼ cup sweet potato cooked and mashed; from 2 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoon cane sugar
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ cup pecans chopped; optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

If you haven't already, cook the sweet potatoes. I like to microwave them because it's fastest.
Preheat oven to 350° and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1" overhang. Spray the sides with nonstick spray. Also, make the flax eggs: stir the ground flaxseed and water together in a small bowl, then let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
Start by making the crust/topping: stir almond flour, coconut flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Then, pour in the butter and flax eggs and stir to combine. The mixture should be somewhat crumbly, but stick together when you pinch it.
Spoon about ¾ of the mixture into the prepared pan, using your hands to press it down.
Next, make the filling: spoon the cooked sweet potato into a medium sized bowl, then use a potato masher to mash it, removing as many lumps as possible. Then, spoon it into a measuring cup to make sure it measures 1 ¼ cups.
Place the mashed sweet potatoes back into the bowl, then add the maple syrup, cane sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and stir to combine.
Spoon the filling over the crust, using the back of a spoon to smooth it out. Then use your hands to sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture overtop, along with the pecans if using.
Place the bars in the oven and bake them for 25 minutes. Remove them and place the pan on a cooling rack. Allow the bars to cool in the pan, then pull on the parchment paper to remove them. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

*Calories are per bar and are an estimation

*To make vegan: use vegan butter; To make paleo: use coconut sugar in place of brown and cane sugar, and use coconut oil instead of butter

*Always allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before removing them. This will ensure they don't fall apart!

Nutrition