Baked sweet potatoes topped with a little coconut oil, butter or ghee are already reminiscent of dessert, but I took things to another level with just a few additional toppings. I bet you won’t even realize that this is actually a nutrient-packed dessert!
Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes
On the nutrition front, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta-carotene, vitamin C, manganese and potassium. And when it comes to satisfying a sweet tooth craving in a healthy, whole-foods fashion, sweet potatoes are the perfect solution, especially when baked until the potato is oozing caramel-y goodness. This is when you know the sweet potato is going to be extra sweet!
Here’s What You Need
sweet potato – we’ll be using baked sweet potatoes as the base of this recipe.
coconut butter – make homemade coconut butter or pick some up from the store. Once you have this on hand, you’ll want to drizzle it on everything! You can also use it to make these coconut protein balls or coconut butter cups.
almond butter – I love almond butter in this recipe but any nut or seed butter works.
coconut flakes – look for unsweetened coconut flakes. I recommend using toasted coconut so either buy pre-toasted or toast unsweetened flakes in the oven by spreading them on a baking sheet and baking at 325ºF for 5-10 minutes. Watch closely so they don’t burn!
pecans – again, I recommend using toasted pecans! Either buy toasted pecans or toast your own by spreading the nuts on baking sheet and roasting at 350ºF for 5-10 minutes. Feel free to swap the pecans out with your favorite nut of choice.
dark chocolate – I love Lily’s dark chocolate bars. They’re gluten-free, vegan and instead of sugar, they’re sweetened with stevia and erythritol. That said, feel free to use your favorite chocolate brand!
cinnamon – the perfect spice pairing!
How to Make Dessert Baked Sweet Potato
This dessert sweet potato couldn’t get any easier to make and only requires a few simple steps:
Prep your potato – Pierce sweet potato several times with a fork – I usually do 4-8 holes depending on how big the potato is.
Bake – Place the sweet potato on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for about 45 minutes at 450°F, or until sweet potato is completely tender and oozing a little bit. Sweet potato is ready when the flesh is soft. You can test it with a knife!
Serve – Make a slit into the top of the sweet potato. Mash down each side and add toppings: coconut butter, almond butter, coconut flakes, pecans, dark chocolate and a cinnamon sprinkle. Enjoy warm!
tip!
For quicker assembly, bake your sweet potato ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you're ready to serve. To reheat, warm your sweet potato in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or in the oven at 425°F for 10-12 minutes or until heated throughout.
Flavor Variations
PB banana – drizzle on peanut butter and add banana slices.
Honey cinnamon – spread ghee or coconut oil on the sweet potato and drizzle with honey & cinnamon.
Coconut pecan – sprinkle on cinnamon, toasted coconut flakes, toasted chopped pecans & a drizzle of coconut butter.
Yogurt + granola – add a dollop of Greek yogurt, a drizzle of almond or peanut butter & granola (I recommend my grain-free granola or regular granola).
Sweet potato pie – sprinkle with cinnamon, toasted pecans, ghee or coconut oil & brown sugar.
S’mores – top with marshmallows, graham crackers crumbles & dark chocolate chips.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce sweet potato several times with a fork. Place the sweet potato on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until sweet potato is completely tender and oozing a little bit.
Make a slit in the top of the sweet potato. Mash down each side and add toppings: coconut butter, almond butter, coconut flakes, pecans, dark chocolate and cinnamon. Enjoy warm.
Notes
Almond butter: I love almond butter in this recipe but any nut or seed butter works.
Pecans: Feel free to swap the pecans out with your favorite nut of choice.
This looks delicious and one who can’t have a lot of baked goods, I’d like to try this. I have a question on the coconut butter. I’ve had coconut oil, but not butter. Where do you get the butter? I haven’t seen it before. What brand do you buy? I’m new to your blog and new to food restrictions/allergies since 2017, so I’m still learning along the way. It really is a journey and not an easy one. Thank you for your help. Kathy
Hey Kathy – Coconut butter can be found in most grocery stores near the other nut butters. Some brands that I see often are Nutiva and Artisana. You can also make your own coconut butter with my recipe. 🙂
Hi Brittany,
I love this recipe. I had never thought of using sweet potato in desserts but it’s one of my favourite foods and it works so well! I love all the variations and plan to try the s’mores one next.
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve added it into my list of the easiest vegan dessert recipes.
This is the link if you want to check it out. https://www.happierwithtea.com/index.php/2020/05/05/easy-vegan-dessert-recipes/
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
That’s fantastic! My personal recommendation to make this recipe even more special would be to replace the toppings with nothing, and replace the sweet potato with a Mars bar. Delicious!
Oh, thank you Brittany! Though I did find myself treating my sweet potato like a banana split, putting on the coconut, reaching for the pineapple- and going for the caramel sauce. I am pitiful, but gracious, at least it wasn’t a banana split!!
Thanks, and have a great week.
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This looks delicious and one who can’t have a lot of baked goods, I’d like to try this. I have a question on the coconut butter. I’ve had coconut oil, but not butter. Where do you get the butter? I haven’t seen it before. What brand do you buy? I’m new to your blog and new to food restrictions/allergies since 2017, so I’m still learning along the way. It really is a journey and not an easy one. Thank you for your help. Kathy
Hey Kathy – Coconut butter can be found in most grocery stores near the other nut butters. Some brands that I see often are Nutiva and Artisana. You can also make your own coconut butter with my recipe. 🙂
Hi Brittany,
I love this recipe. I had never thought of using sweet potato in desserts but it’s one of my favourite foods and it works so well! I love all the variations and plan to try the s’mores one next.
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve added it into my list of the easiest vegan dessert recipes.
This is the link if you want to check it out.
https://www.happierwithtea.com/index.php/2020/05/05/easy-vegan-dessert-recipes/
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
That’s fantastic! My personal recommendation to make this recipe even more special would be to replace the toppings with nothing, and replace the sweet potato with a Mars bar. Delicious!
I don’t have or ever use coconut butter. What can I use instead of it?
Any sort of nut butter would work great. You can also add regular butter or ghee. 🙂
Oh, thank you Brittany! Though I did find myself treating my sweet potato like a banana split, putting on the coconut, reaching for the pineapple- and going for the caramel sauce. I am pitiful, but gracious, at least it wasn’t a banana split!!
Thanks, and have a great week.