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!
Hi due to having high cholesterol I’ve been told to avoid coconut oil (& butter). Can you suggest another oil? Maybe avocado oil? Thank you.
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.
Love these guilt free cookies! As a mom of littles I’m always looking for healthy “anytime” snacks…these are a total win! Even my hubby loves them! Thank you!
Yay! I’m glad everyone is loving these cookies, Kelli. Thank you for sharing!
I made these with cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips; so perfect! I love the balance of crunchy and soft. The sweetness level was just right! Since my pregnancy my taste for sweets is a lot picker than before. I love these 😋 Thank you for sharing
Yay! I’m so glad to hear you love these breakfast cookies, Heidi! Thanks for making them and coming back to leave a review and star rating! I really appreciate it.
These are super almost decadent cookies. I made the recipe as is EXCEPT I used regular flour instead of almond, and I pressed each one into some coarse sugar and flattened it out slightly before baking, they were just sweet enough and the sugar added a nice crunch.
So thrilled you enjoyed this breakfast cookies and happy to hear regular flour worked out for you. Thanks for the review, Angie. I really appreciate it!
I have made these numerous times and they are a hit with everyone who tries them.
I also found the recipe easy to modify depending on what I have on hand and feel like.
If I don’t have sweet potatoes, pumpkin works too!
Perfect treat packed with healthy goodness.
Thank you! Love these!
Woo!! So happy to hear you’ve been enjoying these sweet potato breakfast cookies, Seetal. Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
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.
Yay!! So pumped these sweet potato breakfast cookies have been a hit, Sallie. Thanks for the review!!
Absolutely love these cookies. Make them once a month!
Woo!! Happy to hear you’ve been enjoying them. Thanks for the review, Kristy!
I little dry for me, but the flavor is there. I added some craisins to half my recipe and can’t wait to try those as well.
I’ll did these with maple syrup and next run will alternate to honey.
Sorry to hear that these cookies were a little dry for you, Allison. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Hi. We have nut allergies. Is it possible to sub white flour for the almond flour?
I haven’t tried this recipe with white flour, but I bet it’d work just fine! Let me know if you try it and how the cookies turn out.
Hi are these crunchy or soft please as I prefer crunchy cookies? Thanks
These are on the softer side!
so nice
Thanks, Thomas!
These are so perfect!! I subbed pumpkin for sweet potato because I had some to use up and they’re absolutely delish! I can’t wait to try them again with sweet potato.
So happy to hear these cookies were a hit even with the substitution! Thanks for the review, Erica. It means so much to me!
I want to make these nutritious and delicious looking sweet potato breakfast cookies but my tiny convection oven can
only bake 6 cookies at a time. I can do that but just wondering how the dough will turn out if I put it in a cake pan and
turn it into a cake?!
Hey Karen! I’m not too sure how it’d turn out as I haven’t tried it before! Let me know if you try it.
These are super delicious and just ate 2 while waiting for them to cook! I didn’t press down on the cookies after scooping with the ice cream scooper so mine were more domed shaped, but still very good! Will definitely try them again. Ohhh, didn’t have ground ginger so I used a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger 👍
I’m so glad these cookies were a hit, Monica! Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
These are so scrumptious. I should have left a comment long ago. I keep making them again and again. Thank you for this recipe.
Woo!! This makes me so happy to hear, Georgina! Thank you so much for the review. I really appreciate it!
Everyone at work loved these cookies. They were all gone by lunch time. Thank you for your recipe
So glad these cookies were a hit! Thanks for the review, Maddie. I so appreciate it. 🙂
These look delicious! Do you think it would be ok to freeze these?
Hi Alyssa! Totally, I’ve put them in the freezer before! They should last 1-3 months in the freezer.
These breakfast cookies saved me today! So delicious & satisfying. I’m absolutely loving this flavor combo & the house smells amazing, Thank you, Brittany!!!
So glad you loved these cookies, Jennifer! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. As always, I appreciate you. <3
So so so good!!! I know they’re called breakfast cookies, but I made them in the afternoon and I’m not sure they’ll make it to breakfast tomorrow!!! I added ground flaxseed into mine and made three different types — raisin, walnut, and chocolate chip. Absolutely delicious!
I have a nut allergy in my home – can I sub pepitas for the nuts at the same ratio? And what flour would you use if not almond? Thanks! I think my 20 YO would LOVE this quick breakfast option
Hey Allison – Yes, pepitas will work just fine! I haven’t tried these cookies with another flour, but you could try all-purpose flour instead of the almond flour. I’m just not 100% sure how they’d turn out since I haven’t tried it. Let me know if you try it and how they turn out. 🙂
I just made those without the chocolate and they are absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Woo! So glad these cookies turned out for you, Taina. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. <3
These cookies were fine but the dough is where it’s at! We baked half and before they got out of the oven the other half of the dough was completely devoured. I had previously baked Japanese sweet potatoes that were divinely sweet. This recipe put the leftovers to perfect use. Saving recipe for later! And for reference, we did about 2 Tb per cookie and could have significantly reduced the bake time… but zero bake time was perfect too! 😉
So glad these cookies + dough were a hit, Carrie! Thanks so much for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it. 🙂
These are AMAZING! I added in raisins for some extra texture, and subbed coconut sugar for maple syrup. Absolutely delicious!
So glad you loved these cookies, Jen!! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I made these last night and subbed out whole wheat flour and butter for the almond flour & coconut oil. They were definitely delicious, but a bit dry because I forgot that wheat flour is more absorbent than almond flour. Next time, I’ll probably add an egg or more butter. I also used 1/2 cup of chocolate chips instead of 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup because I really like chocolate. 😝🤷♀️😊😊👍
Ahh yes, the whole wheat flour definitely would have dried these out a bit. I’m still glad they turned out for you and I so appreciate you coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Deborah. 🙂
Turned out amazing, thanks for the recipe. I made a mix of spices though, felt I needed something like pumpkin spices so I added nutmeg and all spice as well. It cooked pretty fast though, in about 12 minutes, is it because my cookies were much smaller?
Hey Yussra! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. If you made yours smaller then yes, they would have cooked faster. And also the cook times are dependent on your oven and yours might be hotter than mine. 🙂
Too dry. My husbands comment was”definitely healthy”. That’s his way of saying he does not like it.
So sorry these cookies weren’t a hit, Irene. Did you change anything about the recipe? I’m wondering if they got cooked too long as they shouldn’t have turned out dry.
Hello, thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I just finished my first trial, but unfortunately the cookies got burned from the bottom! Although I baked it for less than 25 mins. Is there any reason for this to happen?!
Oh no!! So sorry to hear that. Did you change anything about the recipe? And how many cookies did you end up making? If you didn’t change anything or make your cookies smaller, your oven could be hotter than mine, so the cookies cooked faster. You could always set the oven at a lower temp or cook them for only 18-20 minutes and just keep an eye on them.
These were so good. I did some with chocolate chips and some with raisins and I had trouble choosing my favorite!
The cookies are so tasty! The only thing is that they fell apart when they cooled. Trying to figure out what I did wrong or maybe add some binder of some kind.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Oh no!! I’m so sorry to hear that they fell apart, Darla. I haven’t heard that before with these cookies. Did you change anything about the recipe? Did they seem too dry?
Delicious and toddler approved!
Yay!! I’m glad these cookies are a hit with your babe. 🙂 Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me, Jasmin!
First review of my second round and they both came out delicious! My first batch had dried cranberries as the add-in and yesterday I went all-in with chocolate chips. Maybe it is the change in weather but chocolate with sweet potato now does sound like a breakfast celebration I can endulge in!
All the best to you and yours 😋
Yayyy!! So glad you enjoyed these cookies, Cat. I’m sure the dried cranberries with the sweet potato was a delicious combo. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it! <3
OMG! THANK YOU! We had something similar at the Farmers Market and had been trying to replicate them. My adaptations: I added some cardamom, and instead of pecans and chocolate chips I added a mixture of chopped hazelnuts, chopped almonds, coconut flakes, golden raisins, dried cranberries, and chopped giant raisins (which taste like figs). I then rolled them in sesame seeds before putting them on the cookie sheet. We now have 2 batches in our freezer – and several people asking for your recipe! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Alex! And I’m glad that your substitutions worked out well, the combo sounds delicious! And thank you so much for coming back to comment and leave a star rating. The feedback and ratings are super helpful!
Hey, I’d like to make these for my kids without having to buy special ingredients. I have coconut flour on hand. Do you think I could sub for almond flour?
These cookies are truly incredible! So delicious and forgiving if you want to try and customize. I’ve made them ~10 times and they I’m surprised every time by how good they come out. Thank you!
I cut the maple syrup and coconut oil in half, added a mashed banana (or could have subbed homemade unsweetened applesauce instead), 1/2 cup raisins instead of chips and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts in place of pecans…oh yeah, and I added an egg to hold it all together – came out great!
I am wondering if you could eliminate the coconut oil or perhaps substitute something for the oil?
I haven’t tried it with anything but coconut oil, but feel free to play around with the recipe and experiment with something as a sub for the oil… maybe applesauce or banana?
Dear Brittany,
I was going to make your chia breakfast cookies (a staple in our household) with my four year old daughter this afternoon and am so thrilled I came across this recipe. We still had some unused sweet potatoes leftover from Thanksgiving so I thought I would give these cookies a try. Our wet ingredients didn’t seem quite wet enough (admittedly I estimated the quantity of sweet potato), so we added 1/3 cup of plain, whole milk yogurt. We then doubled the pecans and substituted 1/2 cup of raisins for the chocolate chips. My daughter said they were the best cookies she’s ever had! The whole family agrees they are fantastic. Thank you so much for another amazing, healthy recipe! Warmest wishes to you and yours this holiday season.
Sincerely,
Sarah
Hi Brittany,
I can’t rate yet as I haven’t eaten my cookies, they are still baking but just letting you know that you forgot to put the almond flour in the instructions…but I guess it goes in with the other dry ingredients. The raw dough tastes good! Also moistening hands make it easier to mould the cookies 🙂
cheers
Alan j
Oh no! Yes, the almond flour goes in with the other dry ingredients. Just added it back in. I’m not sure how it got deleted. Thanks so much for letting me know and I hope you enjoy the cookies.
Do you think you could swap in pumpkin instead of sweet potato? Or should I make your pumpkin cookies? (I like the sound of the oats and almonds in this recipe.)
I haven’t tried it with pumpkin so I’m not sure but I have a feeling that you’d want to use less pumpkin because it has more liquid than sweet potato. And the sweet potato helps bind the cookies (since they don’t have an egg). One thing that would probable work is using roasted and mashed kabocha squash instead of the sweet potato since it has a similar texture. Let me know if you try to experiment, but my pumpkin cookies are really good too so you can’t go wrong with those.
I had the same question. I am canning up our halloween/thanksgiving pumpkins and want new ways to use it up. i plan on draining it very well first but will keep the moisture level/binding action in mind when I mix these up!
Any excuse to eat cookies for breakfast and I’m in! I will have to make these.
Curious if you tested it with any other flours besides almond? Would love to make these to send with my kiddos to school in their lunches but nuts aren’t allowed.
I haven’t tested with any other flours besides almond but you could always make these carrot cake breakfast cookies instead.