This warmly-spiced perfectly sweet Sweet Potato Oat Bread is made with whole grain oats instead of flour and is naturally sweetened. Enjoy a thick slice warmed up with butter and honey for a lovely afternoon snack!
A steamy slice of this Sweet Potato Oat Bread warmed up with butter is the closest thing to a hug for the belly I believe I’ve ever experienced. It’s fluffy, it’s moist, it is spiced to perfection, and is just the right amount of sweet.
Plus, it’s infused with whole grains and micronutrients too. It’s over here checking all the boxes!
Homemade quick bread recipes that are made with oats instead of flour are not only my go-to comfort food, they are a passion project.
From my Blueberry Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Bread, and Applesauce Bread to my Yogurt Zucchini Bread and so much more, I keep loafing up the oats!
You see, I’m all about making sweet treats using mindful materials to avoid hijacking the brain’s dopamine system while also adding nutrition. I’m skipping the processed ingredients without sacrificing flavor, texture, or experience.
My husband and I enjoy it so much that it lasts less than a day in our household!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Filling: Oats are a satiating food, so a thick slice will keep you feeling satisfied between meals.
- Warmly-Spiced: The combination of pumpkin pie spice and fresh ginger gives this healthy quick bread a warm essence, which soothes the taste buds!
- Easy to Customize: Cater to your personal tastes by adding or subtracting ingredients! See my ‘Ways to Customize’ section below for ideas on how to enhance your experience.
- Perfectly Sweet: It quenches the sweet tooth without being overly sugary. I just adore lower sugar treats like this!
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for sweet potato bread! This is an overview of the ingredients list, and the measurements and instructions appear in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Oat Bread:
Quick Oats: I love using whole grain quick oats (or instant oats) to make quick breads instead of regular all-purpose flour to add some fiber for slow-burning carbs.
To make gluten-free sweet potato bread, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.
Sweet Potato: Mashed sweet potato adds moisture, natural sweetness, and volume to the bread in addition to Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium, antioxidants, and complex carbohydrates! Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse food!
Eggs: A few eggs make the bread batter rise so that it is nice and fluffy. Extra eggs counteract the natural density of sweet potatoes and oats.
Pure Maple Syrup: Our sweetener of choice. The recipe as written is not overly sweet, so for a sweeter bread, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, coconut sugar, or sugar-free sweetener.
Avocado Oil: Here to add moisture and richness to the bread! You can swap it out for olive oil, melted butter, or melted coconut oil.
Applesauce: Another form of moisture with subtle sweetness attached, applesauce helps with the moist texture without adding additional fat. You can skip it and add an additional ⅓ cup of avocado oil if you’d like.
Pumpkin Pie Spice (or Ground Cinnamon): Bringing warm spices to the loaf, pumpkin pie spice is a combination of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, allspice, and ground ginger. You can also use just ground cinnamon if you prefer.
Fresh Ginger: Trust me, the addition of fresh ginger really sends this bread over the top! It adds a lovely mild spice that is difficult to replace using any other ingredient.
Baking Powder: Here to leaven the bread, baking powder helps the batter rise and ensures it turns out nice and fluffy.
Sea Salt: Don’t skimp on the salt here, as it helps level up all of the flavors.
Ways to Customize:
- Chocolate Infusion: Add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips for little pockets of chocolate joy. You can also make my Double Chocolate Sweet Potato Bread for even more chocolate richness.
- Nutty Crunch: Mix ⅔ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans into the bread batter for a lovely crunch.
- Fruit Infusion: Mix ½ cup of raisins or dried cranberries for pops of sweet tangy flavor.
- Citrus Burst: Add 1 tablespoon of orange zest for an added citrus nuance.
- Make it Pumpkin: Swap the mashed sweet potato for 2/3 cup of pureed pumpkin to make pumpkin bread.
- Change the Spice: Use ground cinnamon or Chai spices instead of pumpkin spice. I recommend keeping some form of spice or spice blend in the loaf, as this is what flavors the bread.
Now that I’ve covered the wholesome ingredients and potential substitutions, it’s time to make a loaf!
How to Make Oatmeal Sweet Potato Bread:
Cook the sweet potato using your preferred method. I like to either boil or microwave mine. To microwave the potatoes, rinse them thoroughly, then wrap them in a wet paper towel.
Place them on a plate and microwave for 5 minutes per side, or until the potatoes are very tender when poked.
This should take about 10 minutes total for small sweet potatoes, or up to 15 minutes for very large potatoes. Refrigerate the potatoes until they are chilled.
Once the potatoes have cooled off, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
Transfer the oats, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and sea salt to a high powered blender and blend for 60 seconds, or until a flour forms and the dry ingredients are combined.
Remove the skin from the sweet potatoes and mash the flesh with a fork or a potato masher.
Measure out one cup of mashed sweet potato and transfer it to a large bowl. Add in the eggs, oil, applesauce, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
Mix the wet ingredients until everything is well combined and most of the lumps of sweet potato have been thoroughly mixed.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a thick batter forms.
Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Make sure the foil is tented so that the bread has room to grow without getting stuck to the foil.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the bread tests clean.
To check for doneness, insert a digital thermometer into the center of the loaf. It is fully baked if it has an internal temperature of 190 degrees F or higher.
Allow the bread to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. I like transferring it to a cooling rack (I use the grates on my stove top) to allow air flow underneath the pan. Once cooled, slice and serve with butter and honey!
Storage Options:
- Room Temperature: Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and store on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: Transfer leftover bread to an airtight container or a zip lock bag and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: For longer term storage, slice the remaining loaf into individual slices and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Recipe Tips:
- Cook the potato(es) up to 4 days ahead of time. This breaks the recipe into parts and allows the potatoes ample time to cool.
- If you prefer sweet breads, I recommend adding 1 to 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, coconut sugar, or sugar-free sweetener. You can also make a powdered sugar glaze by mixing 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl.
- Wait for the bread to cool to room temperature before slicing. If you slice the bread while it is still very warm, the slices won’t turn out as clean.
- I use a metal bread pan and haven’t tested the recipe with a glass bread pan. I have noticed there is a difference in the results between the two, so for the best results, stick with a metal bread pan.
Frequently Asked Questions:
For an almond flour version, I recommend making my Almond Flour Sweet Potato Muffins recipe, and baking it in a loaf pan.
Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes, or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F or higher in the middle.
Yes! Use 2 cups of your favorite gluten-free flour blend to swap out the oats. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour because it is the closest replacement for regular flour.
If you enjoy healthy quick bread recipes like this easy sweet potato bread recipe, try some of my other favorites!
More Healthy Quick Bread Recipes:
- Healthy Carrot Cake Bread
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Carrot Apple Oat Bread
- Apple Cider Donut Bread
- Oatmeal Gingerbread Loaf
- Cranberry Orange Bread
Get a load of this sweet potato loaf!
Sweet Potato Oat Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups rolled oats
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato *
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- ⅓ cup applesauce or ⅓ cup more avocado oil
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Cook the sweet potato using your preferred method. I like to either boil or microwave mine. To microwave the potatoes, rinse them thoroughly, then wrap them in a wet paper towel. Place them on a plate and microwave for 5 minutes per side, or until the potatoes are very tender when poked. This should take about 10 minutes total for small sweet potatoes, or up to 15 minutes for very large potatoes. Refrigerate the potatoes until they are chilled.
- Once the potatoes have cooled off, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Transfer the oats, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and sea salt to a high powered blender and blend for 60 seconds, or until a flour forms and the dry ingredients are combined.
- Remove the skin from the sweet potatoes and mash the flesh with a fork or a potato masher. Measure out one cup of mashed sweet potato and transfer it to a large bowl. Add in the eggs, oil, applesauce, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix the wet ingredients until everything is well combined and most of the lumps of sweet potato have been thoroughly mixed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a thick batter forms.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Make sure the foil is tented so that the bread has room to grow without getting stuck to the foil.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the bread tests clean.
- To check for doneness, insert a digital thermometer into the center of the loaf. It is fully baked if it has an internal temperature of 190 degrees F or higher.
- Allow the bread to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. I like transferring it to a cooling rack (I use the grates on my stove top) to allow air flow underneath the pan. Once cooled, slice and serve with butter and honey!
