Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies
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These sweet potato breakfast cookies bake up soft and filling with the perfect touch of natural sweetness. They’re great for meal prep and make mornings so easy.
Sweet potato in a cookie might sound a little wild, but trust me, it works. These breakfast cookies come out soft and chewy with a hint of warm sweetness that feels so comforting first thing in the morning. I started making them when I wanted something quick that still felt nourishing, and now they’ve become one of my favorite meal prep breakfasts.
If you love my oatmeal raisin protein cookies to chia cookies, you’ll be into these too. They’re simple, they hold up well in the fridge and they taste amazing with a cup of coffee.
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“I’ve made these at least 5 times since discovering this recipe and these cookies are my favorite! They’re good for breakfast of course, but also as a mid-afternoon snack (or really anytime). I make them a little bigger and feel like I’m giving myself a decadent treat! Thanks for the recipe.”
Why I Love These Breakfast Cookies
- So soft and cozy: The sweet potato keeps these cookies tender with a warm, natural sweetness that tastes amazing first thing in the morning.
- Wholesome ingredients: Each cookie is made with simple, nourishing staples you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Kid friendly: They’re easy to hold, not too sweet and always a win with little ones.
- Great for busy mornings: Bake a batch once and you’ll have quick grab and go breakfasts ready all week.
Ingredients Needed
- rolled oats – we’re using half of the rolled oats to make homemade oat flour and half mixed in as is.
- almond flour – gives the cookies a soft, tender crumb without any gluten. Make sure you use finely ground almond flour instead of almond meal for the best texture.
- mashed sweet potato – the star ingredient that keeps these cookies moist and naturally sweet. I usually meal prep a baked sweet potato and mash one cup for this recipe. Store bought sweet potato works too as long as the only ingredient is sweet potato.
- maple syrup – adds the right amount of sweetness. If you are not keeping these vegan you can swap in honey.
- coconut oil – helps bind everything together and gives the cookies a rich, soft texture.
- pecans – adds crunch and that perfect nutty bite. You can swap for your favorite nut or skip them entirely if you want the cookies to stay nut free.
- chocolate chips – I love using Lily’s dark chocolate baking chips to keep these low-sugar and vegan.
- spices – ground cinnamon, ground ginger and sea salt bring all the flavors together.
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies
Step 1: Add 1 cup of oats to a blender or food processor and process until the texture is similar to oat flour.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the oats, processed oats, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and ginger. Whisk to blend.
Step 3: In a medium bowl add mashed sweet potato, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla.
Step 4: Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
Step 5: Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet. Gently press each one into a flat round and add a few chocolate chips on top if you want.
Step 6: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the edges look set. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool fully.
Tips for the Best Breakfast Cookies
- Use oat flour if you’re short on time: Instead of blending rolled oats you can use one cup of store bought oat flour to speed things up.
- Measure the sweet potato loosely: Pack it too tight and the cookies can turn out dense. Scoop it in lightly for the perfect texture.
- Let the dough sit a minute: Giving the dough a short rest helps the oats hydrate which makes the cookies softer.
- Watch your bake time: These cookies stay soft so pull them out when the edges look set. They will firm up as they cool.
How to Store Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies
I like keeping these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge. They stay fresh for about 5 days this way. You can also store them at room temp for 2 to 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. Just let them cool completely before storing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Canned sweet potato puree works great. Just make sure the only ingredient is sweet potato so the cookies stay naturally sweet and soft.
Absolutely. Swap the pecans for seeds like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. Use a seed butter in place of peanut butter if you need them completely nut-free.
This usually means the dough didn’t have quite enough moisture. Double check that your sweet potato was fully mashed and measure the oats lightly. If the dough feels dry, mix in an extra tablespoon of sweet potato.
More Breakfast Cookie Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup mashed baked sweet potato
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup chocolate chips, dairy-free, if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add 1 cup of oats to a blender or food processor and process until the texture is similar to oat flour.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, processed oats, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and ginger. Whisk to blend.
- In a medium bowl, add mashed sweet potato, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a baking stone. Use your hands to form the dough into a round, flat cookie shape. Add a few chocolate chips on top if you’d like.
- Bake until the cookies are golden and firm around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
- Keep leftover cookies at room temperature for up to 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Notes
- Storage: Let the cookies cool completely before storing. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days, 2 to 3 days on the counter or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Inspired and adapted from Run Fast Eat Slow.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Thanks for this recipe Brittany, I am a cookie monster but also health conscious. I didn’t have the almond flour so used flax meal and sunflower seed meal. Worked out perfectly. So delicious and not too sweet!
So glad they turned out well for you, Jill! Love that you made them work with flax and sunflower seed meal. Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your swaps!
These are divine!! Mine were baked and starting to burn at about 23 minutes so I’m glad I was so impatient and checking them frequently. So delicious! I was going to leave out the chocolate chips. Don’t! They send these over the top. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! So glad you loved these cookies. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I have many friends with nut allergies, what would be a good substitute for the almond flour?
Hi Molly – You could try using oat flour instead of almond flour, but I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure how the cookies will turn out. Let me know if you end up trying it!
Fantastic cookies. I add 2 scoops of protein powder and 2 egg whites to amp up the protein. The egg whites help moisten the additional dry ingredient. Grandkids love them. Great way to sneak in lots of good stuff in a cookie treat.
That makes me so happy to hear, Andrea. I love that your grandkids enjoyed them and the added protein is such a great touch. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
The cookies turned out very dry and tasteless. I can’t figure out why? My other cookies recipes came out fine. What do you think happened?
Hi Kimberly – So sorry to hear this! Did you change anything about the recipe?
These were great! I did what I don’t like it when other people do and then comment-modified the recipe 😉 My local coffee shop carries a vegan sweet potato cookie, but when they get them they sell out fast. So I thought I would figure out how to make them myself. I wanted to start with a the recipe and these were in alignment with my diet. Theirs are very dark so I thought they probably are using molasses. So I made this recipe using molasses instead of the other sweeteners. And I left out the pecans and chocolate, again because I was trying to duplicate. I didn’t achieve an exact copy of the cookies I bought, but I have to say this recipe is better! Theirs are a nice sweet treat, but I think these are a more wholesome breakfast option. I will be making again and again and again!
I appreciate you sharing the subs you made, Daniella! I’m glad these cookies turned out for you. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
These were really tasty and super simple for me to make! 🙂 I did 8 big cookies instead of 16, and they were crunchy outside and still moist/soft inside which I really enjoyed.
One thing though, the calories seemed to be a bit off! If you are counting your calories or macros I’d suggest calculating it yourself just in case. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Nikki! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. What were you getting for the macros? And was it based off the 16 cookies or 8?
Wow these were really good breakfast cookies ate them with my fruit for breakfast. Love the spices in these cookies.
Hi LeighAnn, that’s great! Thank you for coming back to share your thoughts and leave a review. I so appreciate it!
These are super tasty and toddler approved!!! I’m very impressed by how delicious and soft these turned out!!!
Thank you so much, Niru! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment and review.