Sweet Potato Muffins

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Tender sweet potato muffins are a not-too-sweet addition to the breakfast lineup. Perfect for using any extra sweet potatoes you have!

This recipe has been retested and updated since first publishing April 2015.

I’m a big fan of potatoes all year, but when fall hits I definitely think I crave them more. Especially sweet potatoes!

I grew up only experiencing sweet potatoes in the marshmallow-topped casserole at Thanksgiving. To tell the truth I’ve never really been a fan of that, but it did help me understand that sweet potatoes are a great versatile ingredient for both savory and sweet.

These are some of my favorite muffins to make in autumn and winter, thanks to the natural sweetness of the potatoes. I don’t love an overly sugary muffin, so the flavor of this recipe is just perfect!

Ingredients for sweet potato muffins

Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.

You’ll need:

• Mashed sweet potato
• All-purpose flour
• Brown sugar
• Salt
• Baking powder and baking soda
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon
• Egg
• Milk
• Vegetable oil, or melted butter

For the mashed sweet potato, you’ll need to use one medium to large sweet potato. I usually just make a bigger batch of potatoes and then use resulting mash throughout the week for all sorts of recipes.

I don’t recommend using canned sweet potatoes for this recipe, since they are usually packed in a sweet syrup. 

You can add other spices to these muffins if you like. I’ve used cardamom and a bit of nutmeg in the past in addition to the cinnamon. Pumpkin or apple pie spice are also great options!

How to make this recipe

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a muffin pan with papers, or lightly grease with nonstick spray.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, mix together the mashed sweet potato and brown sugar, making sure to break up any lumps in the brown sugar. Beat in the egg, then stir in the milk, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil.

Add the dry ingredients to the sweet potato mixture. Stir until no dry bits remain, making sure to scrape down the sides and up from the bottom of the bowl to incorporate everything fully. Because these are muffins, make sure to not overmix! The batter will be somewhat thick.

Divide the muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling them nearly to the top.

If you are making the streusel, stir together ¼ cup flour and ¼ cup brown sugar, then use a fork to mix in 2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter. Mix until the mixture clumps together and forms crumbles.

Scatter the streusel over the tops of the muffins.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan briefly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, or serve warm.

Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe tips

Filling every other muffin cup can help your muffins rise better, as there is more space for air flow around each muffin. This is easy to do if you have a large 24-cup muffin pan. You can also use two 12-cup pans (rotate racks halfway through baking) or bake in two batches.

The higher baking temperature also allows the muffins to rise better, but if you are adding the streusel on top, take care to not burn it.

If your oven runs hot, I recommend reducing the temperature to 375°F.

Have leftover mashed sweet potatoes? Use it for sweet potato waffles, sweet potato biscuits, or sweet potato cornbread!