These soft and moist sweet potato muffins are packed with nutrition from wholesome ingredients like white whole wheat flour, flax seed, pureed sweet potatoes, applesauce, and protein-rich Greek yogurt. The muffin batter is also made without butter or oil, and features shredded coconut and sweet-tart dried cranberries for tons of flavor! Ready in 35 minutes, this easy recipe yields 12 muffins.
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Coconut Sweet Potato Muffins
As a registered dietitian, I am all for baked goods – I just like to make mine higher in protein and lower in sugar (but still packed with flavor). That way, they’ll keep you satiated and energized for hours, instead of leaving you hungry again an hour later.
I’ve always been a big fan of homemade muffins (as you can tell by the sheer number of delicious muffin recipes on my blog!). Muffins are so easy to make, they’re great as a breakfast or snack, and they’re super portable. They’re also really versatile – you can put just about anything in them (even vegetables!).
This whole wheat sweet potato muffin recipe is simple, tasty, and nutritious. It’s made with healthier ingredients, and it’s plenty moist without the need for any butter or oil. (The trick is to make your muffins with applesauce and Greek yogurt instead!).
Did I mention these muffins are really simple to make? You basically just mix together the ingredients, pour into a muffin tin, and bake. They even have some pumpkin pie spice in them, so they’re especially perfect for fall (but can definitely be made year-round). Be sure to try my healthier pumpkin muffins, too!
Looking for even more wholesome muffins with Greek yogurt to try? You’ll love these whole wheat pear ginger muffins and these healthy banana spelt muffins!
What You’ll Need
To make these healthy sweet potato muffins, you’ll need:
- white whole wheat flour (all-purpose flour also works if needed, as does whole wheat pastry flour)
- brown sugar (I love brown sugar here, as it adds a deeper, molasses-like flavor and extra moisture. But you can use white sugar if preferred.)
- ground flax
- pumpkin pie spice (or, you can make your own with ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and ground cloves)
- baking soda
- pureed sweet potato (or raw sweet potato – see later in this post for cooking instructions. Can use pureed pumpkin if you’d rather!)
- dried cranberries (these are optional – can be swapped for another dried fruit or nuts)
- Greek yogurt (I prefer using plain full fat Greek yogurt here, because flavored yogurts tend to have a lot of added sugars)
- milk of choice (You can use any type of milk you prefer! I often use almond milk, and it works great.)
- applesauce (unsweetened)
- shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- eggs
Feel free to get creative with the mix-ins here! If you aren’t a fan of dried cranberries, swap them out for a different dried fruit, crunchy chopped nuts, or even chocolate chips. You do you!
Have extra sweet potatoes left over? Here are even more sweet potato breakfast ideas! You might also love this spiced sweet potato smoothie.
How to Make Sweet Potato Muffins
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients.
Then combine, adding the wet ingredients into the dry and stirring gently until the mixture is mostly uniform. Gently fold in the dried cranberries and shredded coconut.
Spoon or scoop the mixture into a cooking-sprayed or nonstick muffin tin. (Or, use muffin cups to save yourself some cleanup). Sprinkle some extra unsweetened coconut on top of the muffins for texture. (Plus, it makes them look even prettier!). 🙂
Pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes. Check them with a toothpick near the end. If the toothpick comes out mostly dry, they’re done.
Allow to cool on a wire rack, then enjoy!
How to Make Your Own Mashed Sweet Potatoes (From Raw Sweet Potatoes)
If you don’t have any canned sweet potato on hand, you can cook and puree raw sweet potatoes yourself. I promise it’s easier than it sounds!
To save time, start by microwaving 1-2 sweet potatoes (depending on the size) until very soft. Start with 5 minutes, then continue in 1-minute increments until soft in the center. Be sure to poke them all over with a fork and wrap them in a damp paper towel first. (Here are step-by-step instructions on how to cook a sweet potato in the microwave).
You can also rub the sweet potatoes with olive oil, poke them all over with a fork, and roast them on a sheet pan in the oven until soft, about 50-60 minutes.
Then, puree the cooked sweet potato in a food processor, and you’re good to go! Just be sure to let it cool to room temperature before adding it to your muffin batter.
Why use white whole wheat flour?
I highly recommend making these muffins with white whole wheat flour. It has a milder flavor than regular whole wheat flour, and also ensures a softer texture when making baked goods like these muffins! Whole wheat pastry flour is a similar flour that would also work great here.
You can also use regular all-purpose flour if preferred, but the muffins won’t be quite as nutrient-dense.
You’ll find the full sweet potato muffin recipe is at the bottom of this post. I hope you love them!
Looking for more muffin & bread recipe inspiration? I’ve got you covered:
- Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins
- Pear Ginger Honey Muffins
- Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Peanut Butter
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins (or Bread)
- Healthy Rhubarb Strawberry Bread
- Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins
- Dairy & Gluten-free Peach Muffins
- Zesty Lemon Zucchini Muffins
Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Muffins with Greek Yogurt
These whole wheat muffins with sweet potato are not only soft and delicious, but healthy! There's no butter or oil, and they're packed with nutrients from the white whole wheat flour, flax, Greek yogurt, and more wholesome ingredients.
Ingredients:
Dry:
- 1.5 C white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 C brown sugar
- 1/4 C finely ground flax
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Wet:
- 1 C pureed sweet potato*
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 C plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 C almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 C unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 C dried cranberries
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (white whole wheat flour, brown sugar, flax, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda).
- In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients (pureed sweet potato, eggs, almond milk, Greek yogurt, and applesauce). Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, stirring gently until mostly uniform. Fold in dried cranberries and shredded coconut.
- Spoon or scoop equal amounts of mixture into a cooking-sprayed or nonstick muffin tin. Sprinkle some extra unsweetened coconut on top of the muffins, if desired.
- Pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean) and voila! Let cool and enjoy.
Notes:
*Can't find canned sweet potato puree? No problem! Here's how to make your own:
- Microwave Instructions: Place 1-2 sweet potatoes (depending on size) on a microwave-safe plate. Poke holes all over using a fork. Wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave 5 minutes. Check with a fork - continue microwaving in 1 -minute increments until soft. Puree in a food processor, then let cool to room temperature.
- Oven Instructions: Rub 1-2 sweet potatoes (depending on size) with olive oil and poke holes all over with a fork. Roast on a sheet pan in the oven until soft, about 50-60 minutes. Puree in a food processor, then let cool to room temperature.
