There is just something so delicious and comforting about a good sweet potato bread recipe. You’re going to love the delicious aroma wafting through the home as the bread bakes. The warm spices and tender, moist bread will please even the pickiest eaters.
Sweet potato bread is a classic, old-fashioned recipe. It is a quick bread (made without yeast) and it is so easy to make. If you have ever made zucchini bread or banana bread, you will be able to make this recipe.
During the cool fall months, this bread is the perfect accompaniment to your morning coffee or afternoon tea. It is so versatile, it can be served for breakfast or dessert.
Here is why you will love this recipe:
- Stays moist for days.
- Freezes well.
- Uses basic ingredients.
- Makes a great gift.
The Ingredients
Here is the list of ingredients you need for our sweet potato bread. Make sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
- Sweet potatoes. You will need to cook the sweet potatoes before you begin making the bread.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Vegetable oil. The oil is what keeps this bread so moist.
- Eggs.
- Vanilla extract.
- Flour. You don’t need a specialty flour. This recipe works great with all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder.
- Salt.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg.
How to Make Sweet Potato Bread
This is just a brief overview so you can see how easy this recipe is to make. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
- Cook some sweet potatoes, let them cool, and mash them into a puree.
- Combine all the wet ingredients into a mixing bowl.
- Sift the dry ingredients together and add them to the wet ingredients.
- Pour the batter into a bread pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
How to Cook Sweet Potatoes for Sweet Bread
You can either use canned sweet potatoes (if you can find them) or cook some fresh sweet potatoes. You will need just a little less than one pound of sweet potatoes. Usually, 1 large sweet potato or 2 small sweet potatoes should do the trick.
To cook your sweet potatoes prior to mashing, you will want to either bake them, microwave them or boil them.
The nice thing about baking or microwaving the sweet potato is that you don’t have to worry about peeling them before cooking. Just cook the sweet potato with the skin still intact.
To bake them:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and poke holes in the potatoes with a fork, put on a baking tray, and cook for 50-60 Mins until soft.
After the sweet potato is soft and tender, let it cool down enough so you can handle it then slide the skin right off the potato. It is so easy!
To microwave them:
Using a fork, poke holes in the potatoes and put microwave them for 6-10 minutes or until soft.
To boil them:
Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them into quarters. Boil water on the stovetop and place potatoes into the boiling water. Boil for 5-10 minutes and then drain and pat them dry.
More Easy Quick Bread Recipes
- 19 Easy Quick Bread Recipes
- Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Banana Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
- Sweet Potato Flatbread
- Kamut® Zucchini Muffins
Tips for Success
- While this bread recipe is basic, adding cinnamon and nutmeg gives it some warm, comforting spices. You can substute them with pumpkin pie spice or add a pinch of cloves for a more assertive flavor.
- Avoid over-mixing the batter. Over-mixing will cause it to be dense and tough because it develops the gluten in the flour.
- Don’t use an electric mixer to combine the batter (it will over-mix the batter too easily). Try using a rubber spatula and fold the mixture gently.
- Watch the timing of the bread. Some ovens bake hotter than others. Check your loaf with a toothpick by inserting it in the middle. If the toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs on it, your loaf is ready to remove from the oven.
- Let the sweet bread cool before slicing it by placing it on a wire rack. Cutting into it while it’s still too hot can cause it to crumble and fall apart.
- If you want to add some extras, use up to 1 cup of the following add-ins: Chopped pecans or walnuts, chocolate chips, raisins, or dried cranberries.
Measure The Flour Correctly For Best Results
If you’re in the habit of scooping your measuring cup into the bag of flour, you are going to use too much flour. One cup of all-purpose flour weighs 120 grams or just over 4 ounces. When you scoop flour right from the bag, you end up packing the flour into the cup and you can get almost twice as much flour than you need.
The best way to measure the flour is to use a scale. If you don’t have a scale then lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with a knife.
What Size Pan Should I Use to Make This Sweet Potato Bread?
You can use either an 8×4 or a 9×5 loaf pan to make this recipe. Keep in mind that if you use the larger loaf pan, more surface area will be exposed to the heat and it will bake faster. The larger pan will also make a shorter loaf.
The picture below shows a comparison of what the bread looks like when it is baked in an 8×5 pan and a 9×5 pan. If you want a tall loaf with a darker, crisper crust, use the smaller loaf pan. If your oven tends to run a little hot then you might need to put some tin foil over the loaf for the last 10 minutes of bake time.
Results of sweet potato bread baked in different-sized loaf pans.
More Recipes You Will Love
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Sweet Potato Flatbread
- Chocolate Fudge Swirled Pumpkin Bread
- Gluten free zucchini bread
- Brown sugar zucchini bread
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Sweet Potato Bread
Ingredients
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
- ¾ cup sugar 150 grams
- ½ cup brown sugar 100 grams
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour 180 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease either a 8×4 or 9X5 inch loaf pan.
- Grab a large bowl. Stir the oil, eggs, mashed sweet potato, sugars and vanilla together.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg over the wet mixture.
- Fold the ingredients together until they are well combined but do not over-mix. It is ok if the batter is a little lumpy.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 50 to 60 minutes if you use a 9×5 inch pan or an extra 10 minutes if you use a 8×4 inch pan. Check the bread with a toothpick. When a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs on it, it is done.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- You will need a little less than one pound of sweet potatoes, usually 1 large or 2 small potatoes.
- You can use canned sweet potatoes if you can find them.
For fresh sweet potatoes, there are a few ways to cook them:
- If you cook them in the oven, heat the oven to 400°F. Stab the potatoes with a fork a few times then stick them on a baking tray.
- If you cook them in the microwave, stab them with a fork a few times and cook them in the microwave for 6 to 10 minutes or until they are soft.
- After the sweet potatoes are cooked, the skin slides off very easily.
- If you want to cook them on the stovetop, peel them first then slice them into quarters. Toss them in a pot of boiling water for 5 to 8 minutes then drain them and pat them dry with paper towels.
Matt
Sunday 13th of June 2021
Can I leave out the nutmeg?
Dahn Boquist
Sunday 13th of June 2021
Yes, the nutmeg is only there as a flavor enhancer and does not change the structure or texture of the bread.