Sweet Potato Oat Cookies (Healthy & Vegan)
on Oct 31, 2023, Updated Apr 30, 2026
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These healthy sweet potato oat cookies are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy inside. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup and made without eggs, oil or flour, they come together in one bowl with just a few simple ingredients in about 20 minutes.
Sweet potato pairs well with maple syrup, oats, warm spices and nut butter, creating a rich, tender texture without any butter.
These cookies are balanced enough for breakfast or a snack but still satisfying as a dessert, especially with chocolate chips mixed in.
5-Star Review
These cookies are amazing, they’re so addicting! Me & my toddler eat them up!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.
- Sweet Potato: Use cooked, cooled and mashed sweet potato. You can bake, steam or microwave it, or use canned sweet potato puree. Make sure it’s smooth and not watery, as excess moisture will affect the texture.
- Oats: Rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) or large flake oats work best for texture. Quick oats can be used but will result in a softer, less chewy cookie.
- Maple Syrup: Adds sweetness and moisture. You can substitute agave syrup. This recipe has not been tested with dry sweeteners like coconut sugar or brown sugar, which may change the texture.
- Peanut Butter: Peanut butter adds richness and structure. You can substitute almond butter, cashew butter, tahini or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option. Note that sunflower seed butter may react with baking soda and turn the cookies green, but they are still safe to eat.
- Flax: Use ground flaxseed, not whole flax. This helps bind the cookies and improves texture.
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg add warmth and flavour. You can adjust to taste or use a blend like pumpkin pie spice, allspice or cloves.
- Chocolate Chips: Use dairy-free chocolate chips if needed. You can also use chopped dark chocolate, cacao nibs or sugar-free chocolate.
- Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas): Add crunch and texture. You can substitute walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut or other mix-ins.
Additions and Variations
- Chia Seeds: Add 2-3 tbsp chia seeds for healthy fats and fiber.
- Other Veggies: Add up to 1/2 cup finely grated carrot or shredded zucchini.
- Other Additions – Add up to 1 cup combined chocolate chips or small pieces of dark chocolate, cacao nibs, raisins, cranberries, walnuts, almonds, pecans, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds or coconut.
How to Make Sweet Potato Cookies
Prepare for Baking: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F.
Note that you’ll need cooled and mashed cooked sweet potato to make these cookies. If you don’t have any prepared, you can used canned sweet potato, use this recipe for how to bake sweet potatoes or use your preferred cooking method.
Step 1. Add the wet ingredients: vanilla, sweet potato maple, syrup and peanut butter to a large bowl and stir until completely smooth.
Step 2. Add the dry ingredients (everything else) and stir into a thick, sticky dough.
Step 3. Use a spoon or small cookie scoop to divide the dough into 12-14 cookies, placing them on the prepared baking tray.
The cookies will not spread or change shape during baking, so press each down a little to create the shape you want before baking.
Bake for 16 minutes until they’re golden brown and firm around the edges then let cool on the pan for at least 20 minutes.
The cookies will be fragile when they first come out of the oven, so make sure you let them cool before handling. You can let them cool completely on the baking sheet or transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe FAQs
It can be! They are naturally gluten-free but just make sure you use gluten-free certified oats if needed.
You should be able to substitute canned pumpkin puree for the sweet potato but I haven’t tested it myself.
For pumpkin cookies, I do have these Vegan Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Glaze and Healthy Pumpkin Oat Cookies.
Yes. These will work with any kind of cooked sweet potato puree. You can use canned, bake your own or cook the sweet potato in an Instant Pot or microwave.
For more details, check out my post on how to bake sweet potato.
Let cool completely before storing. Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
For sure! To freeze the cookies, let them cool completely then transfer to a sealable container or freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and enjoy.
Recipe Note
This recipe as written was the best tasting version but it can be adjusted to suit your nutritional needs. For an even healthier cookie that uses half the amount of fat and sweetener, you can use:
- 1 cup sweet potato
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
This version is denser and more like baked oatmeal or a dense muffin but is lower in sugar, calories and fat. It depends what kind of cookie you’re looking for! They’d be more like my easy banana baked oatmeal, healthy pumpkin oat cookies or baked pumpkin oatmeal bars.
If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
Sweet Potato Oat Cookies (Healthy & Vegan)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato (180 g)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup, 140 g
- 1/2 cup natural peanut or almond butter, 120 g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups rolled oats, 200 g
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed, 14 g
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, 85 g
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds, optional (75 g)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper. You can use a light coating of non-stick cooking spray if you don’t have parchment on hand.
- Add the wet ingredients – sweet potato, maple syrup, nut butter and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and stir well until completely smooth and combined.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir into a thick, sticky cookie dough.
- Use a spoon or small cookie scoop to scoop 12-14 evenly-sized clumps of dough onto the the tray. Press each cookie down a little as they will not spread or change shape during baking.
- Bake the cookies for 16 minutes then let cool on the pan for at least 20 minutes. The cookies will be quite fragile when they come out of the oven so it’s important to let them cool and firm up.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published October 21, 2016.
Cannot have chocolate chips.
Would carob powder work?
You can just leave them out. If you wanted them to be chocolate cookies I guess you could add carob powder but you may need to adjust the recipe a little since that’s adding dry ingredient that will change the moisture content.
Another delicious recipe! Very easy to make. Will definitely be making again.
Thank you, Susan! So glad you enjoyed them!
I liked how easy it was to make these cookies but would prefer a firmer cookie that doesn’t fall apart easily. I did make sure to leave them for 20 minutes after taking them out of the oven but they still fall apart . Anyway to prevent this from happening?
Hmm, I haven’t had an issue with these falling apart. Did you make any changes to the recipe?
These cookies are delicious. The recipe made 21 decent sized cookies for me. Going to try them with raisins instead of chocolate chips next time.
These cookies are amazing, they’re so addicting! Me & my toddler eat them up!
Do you think coconut sugar will work instead of the maple syrup? Thanks! Excited to try making these.
I’m not sure since the maple syrup does add moisture. I haven’t tested it with a granulated sugar so can’t say. Let me know if you try it!