Vegan Gluten-free Sweet Potato Muffins with Sweet Potato Caramel and cinnamon! They are just 8 ingredients, dairy-free, grain-free and oil-free. These are light, fluffy, moist and refined sugar-free.
VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE SWEET POTATO MUFFINS
Oh my goodness, I am SO excited to share these Vegan Sweet Potato Muffins with you today! Seriously, I contemplated dedicating an entire post just to this sweet potato caramel sauce. It is certainly worthy of it. You haven’t lived until you have had this caramel, this tastes like REAL caramel.
I have quite an obsession with using sweet potatoes in my baking. Evidence of that here on my 12 Vegan Desserts Using Sweet Potatoes. Also, try these Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Muffins!
I love sharing muffin recipes, as they are one of my favorite types of vegan desserts to create. Another vegan muffin recipe was in order after all the absolutely, amazing feedback I keep getting on my Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins. They have been wildly popular, so I was itching to create another amazing muffin recipe for you all and it be completely different and grain-free for those who can’t have oats! If you are a muffin lover like me, check out my collection of my best 15 Vegan Muffin Recipes Without Oil!
4 SWEET POTATO MUFFIN VERSIONS TESTED
I created 4 vegan sweet potato muffin versions for you!
These muffins are really soft and light. Think…clouds of muffins with a wonderful cinnamon flavor and sweetness from the sweet potato and pure decadence from the caramel. Pretty flippin fantastic, to be honest with you.
Full disclosure: Out of all 4 versions, my favorite version is definitely the almond flour/potato starch combo, so if you aren’t grain-free or nut-free, then choose that one, it’s the best as far as textures go. The result is light, soft and moist. Also, with the sunflower flour, just know that it does give a sunflower taste to the muffins. If you are used to baking with sunflower, this probably won’t bother you. Nothing that a lot of caramel wouldn’t make up for!
SWEET POTATO CARAMEL
So, let’s talk about this sweet potato caramel. I created a dairy-free, vegan, corn syrup-free, easy, amazing, creamy caramel sauce…..using sweet potatoes! Yes, sweet potato caramel.
What’s even more exciting is that this Sweet Potato Caramel is low-fat! You can eat an entire 1/4 cup of caramel (if you wanted to) and it’s only 3 grams fat!
If you are vegan, you have probably had caramel one of these ways:
- Date caramel ( I actually am not a big fan of date caramel…or dates for that matter…sorry!)
- Almond butter and syrup combined have a caramel-like taste
- Or, one of my favorites is melted coconut butter with syrup and vanilla and salt. YUM! It is what I created to drizzle over my Vanilla Cheesecake Ice Cream
Regardless of all the caramel recipes you’ve tried, now it’s time for you to try this sweet potato caramel!
OTHER VEGAN MUFFIN RECIPES TO TRY:
- Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Gluten-free Double Chocolate Muffins
- Whole Wheat Chocolate Muffins
- Bakery-Style Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Caramel Crusted Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Cinnamon Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Cherry Muffins
Vegan Sweet Potato Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (140g) superfine blanched almond flour (for nut-free, see NOTES at bottom)
- 1/2 cup (80g) potato starch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (120g) cooked mashed sweet potato
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (20g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) canned lite coconut milk, shaken well first
SWEET POTATO CARAMEL (makes about 6 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup (60g) cooked mashed sweet potato
- 1/2 cup (120g) creamy plant-based milk, I used and recommend the malk brand almond milk, it's creamier than traditional watered-down milks and has no added gums or additives OR light coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 4 tablespoons (48g) coconut sugar (do not sub with another sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- First, cook your sweet potato by placing a large sweet potato (with skin on) on foil and roast for 50-60 minutes at 405 degrees. You want it to be overcooked basically and incredibly juicy and tender, so it mashes very well. Let it cool before preparing the muffins.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C)and line a muffin pan with foil liners. I use Staybrite by Reynolds because they keep muffins really moist and do not stick at all like the paper ones. Add the almond flour (or sunflower), potato starch, baking powder, sea salt, coconut sugar and cinnamon to a large bowl and whisk very well, breaking up any lumps from the starch.
- To a large bowl, add the almond flour (or sunflower), potato starch, baking powder, sea salt, coconut sugar and cinnamon and whisk very well, breaking up any lumps from the starch.
- In a small bowl, peel the sweet potato and mash it very well, so no lumps remain. Measure out 1/2 cup, making sure to fill the cup and then level off with your finger, so there is not excess potato. Add the potato to a small bowl with the vanilla and coconut milk and whisk or blend really well. You want it 100% smooth so there aren't unmixed chunks of potato.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until well mixed and thickens some. The batter should be similar to the consistency of cake batter, not thin, but not as thick as traditional muffin batter. However, if you are subbing with oat flour in place of the potato starch, the batter will be thicker. Just gently smooth out the tops.
- Divide the batter between 8-12 muffin liners, depending on how tall you want them to be. Bake for 22 minutes (unless you are baking with the oat flour, which it will be 20 minutes) or when a toothpick comes out with a few dry crumbs still on it (but not wet batter) and it lightly springs back when touched. When the muffins come out, they will still be slightly under-cooked, but will finish cooking over the next 20 minutes. So, do NOT eat them until they have cooled at least 20 minutes. They will then be incredibly soft, light and moist. Drizzle caramel sauce on top following directions below. The muffins are best eaten within 24 hours, as the starch will cause them to start to dry out after a couple of days. I stored mine in the fridge and preferred them that way.
SWEET POTATO CARAMEL
- Add all of the sweet potato caramel ingredients to a food processor and blend until completely smooth, scraping the sides a couple of times during. Taste and add any more sweetener, if desired.
- Add to a small pot over a stove and turn to medium-low heat. Once it starts simmering, stir with a rubber spoon/spatula for a full couple of minutes or more until it thickens up and coats the back of the spoon/spatula. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Note that the caramel will thicken up much more as it cools, so don't worry if it's not as thick as you want while it's still warm. It will thicken up more in the fridge as well. Pour into a container and drizzle muffins when they are ready. This caramel sauce would be insane also on ice cream, pancakes, etc.!
Notes
- For nut-free, omit the almond flour and grind 1 cup (145 g) of raw, unsalted sunflower kernels into a fine flour in your food processor for a couple of minutes, being careful not to over process into nut butter. Please note that it does leave a sunflower taste to the muffins.
- For starch-free, sub the potato starch and use oat flour instead, but use 1 cup oat flour (128g) (instead of 1/2 cup of the starch). All the rest of the ingredients remain the same. Please note that the muffins are a bit more dense with the oat flour, but are still moist and delicious.
- Nutrition per muffin: 146.2 calories, 6.9 g fat, 2.6 g protein, 19.8 carbs, 9.2 g sugar
Nutrition per tablespoon of caramel: 39.6 calories, .8 g fat, .1 g protein, 8 carbs, 6.5 g sugar
This looks absolutely heavenly! I can’t have coconut sugar, so do you think this would work with honey or maple syrup? If the taste is altered a bit, that should be fine, I just want to make sure the coconut sugar doesn’t affect the thickness!
Hi Hayley! Do you mean for the muffins or the caramel? For the muffins, you can try by reducing the amount of coconut milk and using maple syrup in it’s place. I would try using 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Since you won’t be using 1/2 cup of coconut sugar, which is a dry ingredient, then you won’t need as much liquid. I would then add just 2-4 tablespoons of coconut milk and add more if the batter is too thick. It should be a smooth pourable batter, not too thick. It’s hard to give you accurate measurements without testing it myself, but I would try that. As far as the caramel, again, this is just a guess, but you wouldn’t need to cook the caramel very long since you won’t need to dissolve the sugar, and quite honestly, it’s not going to have the same result as using coconut sugar. Can you sub with regular sugar? If you try it with syrup (wouldn’t suggest honey for either recipe), then reduce the coconut milk to 1/4 cup and add 2-3 tablespoons of syrup, just heat it through. It should thicken quickly I would think since syrup cooks down quickly. Just as it’s starting to thicken, remove it from the stove. Please, please come back and let me know how these subs work!! I need to try them myself!
Wow they look delicious! I have been reading a lot about sweet potato caramel, I was a little hestitan to make it but after seeing this muffins I think I will have to try it. Pinned!
Thank you Azu! I have only seen one recipe ever (which I link to above) of sweet potato caramel! I hope you give this a try, there isn’t a recipe like this one on the internet and it truly fools everybody that it’s regular caramel…no clue there is sweet potato in it!
I have been intrigued by the sweet potato cinnamon muffins and caramel sauce ever since it was posted. I finally made the muffins and the sauce…a double batch for a dinner party. Not only were they tasty, they received rave reviews from everyone. I did substitute oats for the potato starch and it worked great. I also added chopped walnuts on top to serve them. Amazing! I took leftover muffins to a small gathering of friends the next day and again, they received accolades. The last muffins will be used for a dinner dessert tomorrow for a gluten free friend. These store well in the refrigerator and I suspect they would freeze well. The only issue is keeping my husband out of them. Great recipe Brandi!
PS: The sauce is delicious on ice cream. I am going to make some with reduced sugar for my diabetic mother who loves caramel!
Thank you so much Peggy!! I’m so happy to hear they were such a huge hit with everybody! Thanks for leaving feedback and yes, I agree, it is delicious on ice cream!!
Hi! Can I sub coconut flour for the potato starch? If so, how much?
Thanks!
Hi Lissa! I really don’t think coconut flour would work…it is very, very absorbent definitely will change the texture of the muffins. I am not a huge fan of how coconut flour bakes. I wouldn’t know how much to suggest to use since I haven’t tried it. If you try it, you are looking for a cake batter type of consistency. Coconut flour is so absorbent so I would just start out with 1/4 cup and go from there. Just please be warned they will taste entirely different with a different texture and probably very dense, so I would definitely suggest the potato starch or even subbing with cornstarch in place of the potato starch! Potato starch works best because it helps lighten and soften the muffins just like all purpose flour, which is why I use it 🙂 Let me know if you try them 🙂
I made this caramel and cake but i couldn’t waste the coconut fat. I made it into a whip cream which went on before the sauce. Pretty delicious and simple i had all ingredients. I subbed pastry flour and it stayed moist in a cake. Thanks for vegan recipes!!!
Wonderful Rose! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I love that you added whipped cream on top…whipped cream and caramel?! Oh yeah! Thanks for tagging me on Instagram as well, I really appreciate it!
Brandiiiiii! I FINALLY made these sweet potato cinnamon muffins with OUT OF THIS WORLD sweet potato caramel glaze!! Fabulous, wonderful, spectacular! First of all this was super easy to make even though the recipe printed out to 3 pages. I baked my sweet potato yesterday and mashed it and my husband kept stealing spoonfuls of it! I had to hide it to keep him out of it! The muffins were so light and moist and fluffy! Delicious on their own and with the sweet potato caramel on top, they were indescribable! It took all our self control not to eat the entire batch tonight! Wow did you score a winner! I am definitely baking these to bring to Thanksgiving dinner with our family this year. I’ll post the pic and tag you tomorrow on Instagram. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Diana! I’m soooo happy you loved them so much!! Thanks so much for the awesome feedback and sharing your photo on instagram! I agree too, eating the caramel by the spoonful is hard not to do 🙂
Can I use stevia instead of coconut sugar?
Hi Jaspreet! You can if you like, but I honestly have no idea how much you would use and how it would affect the taste. I never use stevia in my baking, as I don’t like the taste and find it to leave a bitter aftertaste. What I would do is add as much as you normally do with your baking and taste the batter to see if it’s sweet enough, baring in mind that it is always less sweet after it is baked, so make sure it is a bit sweeter than you’d like when tasting it. Again, I don’t know the taste result it will leave, but let me know if you try it. 🙂
How long is the caramel sauce good for after you make it? Looking forward to making these and the sweet potato chocolate chip blondies!
I always hold my breath when baking a new vegan cake or muffin because so often they don’t rise, or just don’t cut it in some other way. NOT THESE!!! oh man! Perfect! They rise and are fluffy and moist, the flavor is rich and decadent… and let’s talk about that caramel sauce! Whoo whee! I mean, seriously?? I had been eying a simple sweet potato caramel sauce made from only sweet potatoes, but it seemed so labor intensive. Yours is not only incredibly delicious, but super easy. Dangerously easy. In fact, after this, I’m headed to the kitchen to whip up some more! Thank you for all your truly amazing recipes.
Liz, I don’t know where my other comment went in response to your amazing feedback, so I’m leaving it again!! I see it’s vanished! Anyways, thank you so much for such amazing feedback! I’m ecstatic you loved these so much, your feedback is just awesome and so appreciated! 🙂
I made this recipe to make muffins…but after making them I realized I didn’t have muffin pans!!! I wanted to make them for breakfast sooo I took the batter and made pancakes out of them….they came out absolutely wonderfully delicious!!! I also made the sweet potato caramel and topped it onto the pancake….omg…ahhhmazing!! Thank you Brandi for creating such wonderful recipes! ❤❤❤
Wonderful! I’m so glad you loved them as pancakes…this is so similar to how I made my Life Changing Pancakes, so I’m thrilled you loved the pancakes and topping them with caramel too, wow! Yum! Thanks so much for leaving feedback and sharing your photo on Instagram 🙂
This recipe totally lived up to and even exceeded my expectations Brandi! Seriously seriously good. I want to put that caramel on everything. I actually made it with homemade almond milk (creamier than the storebought kind) instead of coconut milk the first time and it was still really good, just a little less rich. I thought the muffins were fabulous too and will definitely be making them again, maybe without the caramel but with chocolate chips 😀
Thanks for YET ANOTHER winning recipe!
I’m so happy it exceeded your expectations Emma and thank you for making it and sharing it on Instagram! I’m thrilled you loved both the caramel and the muffins and YES, I am totally down with making the muffins with just chocolate chips next time, in fact I may just do that today!! xo
SUCH an amazing recipe! Almost too good to be true. You have to try it!
Thank you so much Cajsa! I’m so glad you loved it so much! The BEST part is that is NOT too good to be true, haha! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
So…. Yeah…. Made this sauce and poured it all over gf/vegan protein pumpkin waffles. I don’t think it could get any better than that. Thank you for creating this recipe… Will be trying the muffins soon too.
I could read a book about this without finding such real-world apescaohpr!
Does the coconut milk need to be chilled and skimmed for this recipe?
Hi Michelle! Nope! Just shake the can well first before measuring so the water and cream are well mixed prior. I’ll add that note to the recipe. Let me know how it turns out!
Another question, do you think this would work in a caramel latte or more just a dessert caramel?
Thank you
Oh yes! I think it would be fabulous in a latte! You will seriously be amazed at how much it is like normal caramel, so it could really work in any way that you would typically use caramel. I put it on ice cream too and it is divine. Leave me feedback after you make it, I can’t wait to hear what you think, thank you!
I cannot wait to try this. Do you know how long it keeps in the fridge? I’ve been on a total caramel kick lately and can’t wait to try this amazing version!
Hi Michelle! I have made a large batch and kept it in there about a week and it was still good, so I’d say no more than a week, which shouldn’t be a problem, haha! I have a couple of readers that make a really large amount and then freeze extra. It’s that good and it doesn’t turn rock hard, so it’s great for mixing in frozen desserts and ice cream too! If you are on Instagram, find me @thevegan8 and type in hashtag #thevegan8 and you can see all the different ways people are using it. Also, stay tuned for another new recipe coming that is featuring the caramel 🙂
This caramel sauce is HEAVENLY!!!!! Hands down the best we’ve ever had 🙂 Willow finished it off last night eating it straight out of the jar with a spoon. Fantastic recipe, Brandi!
Wow, thanks so much for the awesome feedback Mandy!! That’s a wonderful compliment, thank you! xo
This sweet potato caramel is amazing! Definitely recommend making it 🙂
Thank you so much Grace, I’m so glad you loved it so much and thank you for sharing your gorgeous photo creation on Instagram of your ice cream concoction, yum!
Wow!! Looks amazing Brandi! Love your 8 ingredients concept.
One question though, I know you use Almond flour a lot- can I substitute it by Coconut flour or normal wheat flour if that fails?
Problem is I want to avoid accumulating these exotic ingredients everytime I try a new recipe 🙂
Thanks a lot, really appreciate the great recipes and your ready support!
Regards
Hi Kalyani! Thank you so much! Unfortunately, you cannot substitute almond flour with either coconut flour or wheat flour. That would make the results extremely different texturally and dry. I use almond flour a lot because it is a whole, unprocessed food that provides both protein and health fat and it provides tons of moisture to my baked goods, which works amazing since I bake oil-free. There isn’t really a substitute without rewriting the entire recipe. The only other substitute would be to grind up sunflower kernels or walnuts into “flours” and sub with that, but those will leave a different flavor and it will or won’t work for every recipe. A lot of my readers make my recipes continually so the almond flour definitely doesn’t go to waste, if that’s what you are concerned with. I also don’t use a ton of ingredients, or different ingredients everytime, so you will definitely be able to keep using the same ingredients over without them going to waste. Hope that helps! Thank you!
A M A Z I N G caramel =) i really am in love with it. it’s so simple and easy to make aswell as healthy. it can’t really get better than that. i am not a huge sweet potato fan just because i am not used to it (ate it this year for the first time ever) but that’s no problem as it really doesn’t taste like sweet potato at all. this recipe is truly genius. i have a huge bowl of mashed sweet potao in my freezer now to make it whenever i want to =) give it a try, it’s worth it.
thank you so much brandi for this great recipe!!! (ew00kie from instagram 😉 )
Thank you so much Jana for the awesome feedback on my caramel!! It made me smile big and thank you so much or your amazing creation using the caramel and sharing it on Instagram, so gorgeous!! wow!
These were awesome! They are filling, sweet, and perfect with a glass of almond milk. The cupcake ended up being the perfect balance between moist and fluff. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!! I am SO happy to hear you loved them so much and that they had the “perfect” balance…that was what I was shooting for. Thank you!