๐๐ ๐ Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato Bread is fall’s best kept secret and a delicious change-up from pumpkin bread. Sweet potatoes do a wonderful job of keeping this bread extremely soft and moist. It’s almost like cake, it’s so soft, springy, and bouncy!ย If you have leftover sweet potatoes, this bread is the best way to use them!
- This sweet potato bread is ridiculously soft, moist, tender, and richly spiced.ย It’s almost like cake it’s so soft, tender, and springy!
- It’s easy to make, and no mixer is needed. Stir everything together and pop the loaf into the oven for about an hour. And your house will smell heavenly during that hour.
- The sweet potatoes, oil, and buttermilk all do a wonderful job of keeping the bread supremely soft and moist.
- Although I’ve compared it to cake, it’s not cakey if that makes sense. It doesn’t have an airy, flaky crumb that many cakes have; aka dry. It’s more dense but isn’t heavy.
- The interior is tender, springy, and bouncey with a dense crumb. The crust is firmer and slightly chewy. Normally I shun crust and edge pieces on bread, but I found myself seeking them out, like chewy edge pieces on brownies.
- It’s perfect on it’s own and doesn’t even need butter. It’s that moist and flavorful. But twist my arm and a little butter never hurts. Or try a Vanilla Browned Butter Glaze for an extra treat. Sweet potatoes can do no wrong!
This sweet potato bread is delicious, itโs like Starbucks pumpkin bread just better. Thanks for the awesome recipe ๐ โ Crystal
Sweet Potato Bread Ingredients
This is such a quick and easy recipe for sweet potato bread that calls for very basic ingredients.
To make this sweet potato bread recipe, you’ll need:
- Sweet potatoes – Ultimately you’re going to mash them and if starting with raw sweet potatoes, I peel them, cube them, put them in a microwave-safe dish, add a bit of water, and steam them until they’re very soft. See the FAQs below for more info.
- Eggs
- Canola oil or vegetable oil
- Buttermilk – Used so that the bread stays soft and rises as intended. Sour cream, yogurt, or Greek yogurt may be used. It’s only 1/4 cup.
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Light brown sugar
- Baking soda
- Spices and salt
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Sweet Potato Bread
If you’ve made pumpkin bread before, you can certainly make a sweet potato loaf!ย Full instructions can be found in the recipe card below, but here’s an overview of the baking process:ย
- Begin by steaming two medium sweet potatoes or one very large sweet potato. Drain off any water that’s pooled, and mash with a fork.
- After the potatoes cool just a bit so you don’t scramble the eggs, crack two eggs over them, add oil, vanilla, buttermilk (or yogurt or sour cream) and whisk together in a large bowl to create a sort of sweet potato puree.
- In another bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking soda, and a variety of spices.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until combined. Take your time and make sure everything is well combined, but use a gentle hand when stirring so you don’t over-develop the gluten, resulting in tougher bread.
- Turn the batter out into a 9×5-inch loaf pan or two 8×4-inch pans. I used one 9×5-inch or you can opt for two 8×4 loaves (they will be short) or bake as a Bundt.
Recipe Variations
One thing I love about this recipe is how easy it is to customize! Here are some simple recipe variations you can try:
- Adjust the spices: I used cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Feel free to mix-and-match the spices based on what you have and enjoy. Try pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, or other favorites.
- Add mix-ins: You can try adding mix-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts such as chopped pecans, or dried fruit.
- Use a different loaf pan: I used a 9×5-inch loaf pan to make this recipe, but two 8×4-inch pans will also work. Or, use a small Bundt pan.
- Make muffins: Skip the loaf pan altogether and make muffins instead! Reduce the bake time to 18 – 22 minutes (use your best judgement when testing for doneness).
Recipe FAQs
Possibly, but I’ve only made the recipe as written so I can’t say for sure. If you give this a try, leave me a comment letting me know how your bread turned out!ย
You could roast the sweet potatoes, but that takes almost an hour, the potatoes will be drier from being roasted than steamed, and you’d need to make some tweaks with dry and wet ingredient ratios in your batter.
It tastes similar to pumpkin bread. The bread is sweet, but not too sweet with just the right amount of natural sweetness from the sweet potatoes. The spices are homey and comforting.
Made this recipe for my neighbors. As usual, I made two loaves โ one for my house, one as a gift. That first loaf lasted an hour before my family finished it off. โ Amber
Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bread
Equipment
- 1 9×5-inch loaf pan OR
- 2 (8×4 inch) Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 1 ยฝ cups mashed sweet potatoes, (from about 2 medium or 1 very large)
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 large eggs
- ยฝ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ยผ cup buttermilk, (or yogurt, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk powder mixed with the proper amount of water as stated on package)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ยพ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ยผ cups granulated sugar
- ยผ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste
- ยฝ teaspoon ground allspice, or to taste
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cloves, or to taste
- ยผ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (what I used), or two 8-by-4-inch loaf pans, or a 10-cup Bundt pan, or a muffin pan with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan(s); set aside.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into 1-inch sized chunks. Place chunks in a large, shallow microwave-safe bowl. Add 3 tablespoons water, cover with plastic wrap, and cook on high power for 15 to 17 minutes, or until potatoes are very fork-tender. (Or boil in a pot of water on the stove, drain very well). Pour off any water. Mash sweet potatoes with a fork. Allow them to cool momentarily so you don't scramble the eggs.
- To the mashed sweet potatoes, add the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla and whisk until combined; set aside. (I used buttermilk powder and added 1 tablespoon powder to the dry ingredients and 1/4 cup water to this wet mixture)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, optional salt, and whisk to combine.
- Pour the wet sweet potato mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir to incorporate. Take your time stirring until no stray bits of dry ingredients are visible, folding and scraping the bottom of the bowl with a spatula as necessary because it’s very easy to miss dry ingredients hiding at the bottom of the bowl in this batter. Stir and fold with a gentle hand as to not over-mix and over-develop the gluten, which results in tougher bread.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan(s), smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes for a 9×5 pan, or until top is domed, golden, loaf is springy to the touch, and cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent pan with foil in the last 15 minutes of cooking if top is browning a bit fast before interior has cooked through; if it takes longer than 70 minutes, so be it – bake it longer. Baking Times – I estimate that 8×4 loaves will take about 40 to 45 minutes, a Bundt about 1 hour, muffins about 18-20 minutes, but I haven't tried those versions and they are just guesstimates. No matter what, always bake until your item is done, however long that takes in your oven given your pan.
- Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Fall Bread Recipes:
ALL OF MY QUICK BREAD RECIPES!
Applesauce Bread with Cinnamon Honey Butter – This applesauce bread is packed with fall flavors and comes together quickly. I serve mine with homemade honey butter, because why not?
Apple Carrot Breadโ This apple carrot bread tastes like carrot cake thatโs been infused with apples. Itโs a no mixer recipe that goes from bowl to oven in minutes!
Apple Pie Bread with Streusel Topping โ ๐๐๐ If you like apple crumble pie, youโre going to love this EASY no-mixer apple pie bread! Soft, tender, moist bread with the contrast of the slightly crunchy crumble topping is PERFECT!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread โ This is without a doubt the BEST pumpkin bread recipe! This pumpkin cream cheese bread tastes like it has cheesecake baked into the middle. Youโll definitely want a second slice!
Applesauce Bread with Cinnamon Honey Butterโ This applesauce bread is packed with fall flavors and comes together quickly. I serve mine with homemade honey butter, because why not?
Cranberry Orange Breadโ The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Breadโ This pumpkin chocolate chip bread is truly the best homemade pumpkin bread youโll ever make. Itโs moist, packed with chocolate chips, and tastes like fall!
Apple Fritter Bread โ The bread tastes as decadent as the apple fritters of my childhood, no deep frying required and itโs more like cake disguised as bread.
Originally posted April 3, 2013 and reposted September 18, 2020 and October 25, 2024 with updated text.
I have yet to make tis as I only just received the recipe but I can already smell the fragrant aroma. Plus, I am so sick and tired of pumpkin recipes. LOL This is a refreshing change.
From a fellow San Diegan
Thanks for making me laugh with your tired of pumpkin recipes comment. I know, it starts in late July or early August so by early Nov everyone is over it!
Stay dry in all this rain we’re about to have too!
I found your recipe in 2017, when we had too many sweet potatoes in our garden harvest, and I was looking for ways to use them. Fast foward several years and this recipe was my mom’s FAVORITE of all times and when she passed in 2023, my husband named one raised bed as “Susie’s Patch” and only grows sweet potatoes there. They are grown so we can continue to make your sweet potato bread recipe to share with family and friends in her memory.
Thank you for this touching comment Elizabeth and honestly, this is one of the reasons why after nearly 18 years blogging and sharing thousands of recipes, that I continue to blog, is for comments exactly like yours. That you found me because you had an excess of sweet potatoes on hands, and your mother ended up loving the recipe, and in her absence, you continue to make this bread in her memory. Thank you, truly. This made my month ๐๐ป๐ฅน And I’m very sorry about the passing of your mom.
Itโs amazing
Great to hear you it’s amazing!
My kids absolutely loved this! A new Fall staple for us for sure ๐
Thanks for the five star review Erin and I’m so glad that this is a new fall staple and that your kids absolutely loved it!
I made muffins and added pecans and raisins. Otherwise followed your instructions exactly. These are the best muffins Iโve ever eaten! The flavor is remarkable and theyโre so moist but not overly dense. Perfection. And Iโll bet theyโre even better tomorrow (which is hard to imagine). Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Cameron, and it’s such high praise for me to read that these are the BEST muffins you’ve ever eaten! Wow – amazing to hear, thank you! ๐๐ป
This recipe is simple, but rich I. flavor. The texture is perfect!!
I topped mine with a maple pecan glaze..well one of them. I am Really happy about this recipe. Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review and for sharing your photos! I am so glad you’re pleased with the recipe!
This bread was so easy to make and very flavorful and moist. Is it possible to substitute butter for the oil? And how much butter would I use?
The reason it was flavorful and moist, in large part, is because oil does a better job of that than butter. So I personally would not use butter in this recipe. I don’t know the exact amount you’d need to use. You’d have to do some recipe testing and see how it goes.
Can I use canned sweet potatoes for this recipe?
I have never tried so I do not know. Canned sweet potatoes are likely wetter than if you make them the way I suggest. Which could impact the batter and how much flour you will need to add to compensate – I don’t know. I suggest making the recipe how I instructed for more guaranteed success.
I made your Sweet Potato Bread the other day… it was delish… will make it again.
Thanks for the 5 star review, Karen, and I’m glad this was delish and that you’ll make it again!
Personally I love anything with sweet potatoes in it. Love it! Love it! Love it!
Thanks for the 5 star review, James, and I am glad you loved this!
Very good. Love the ginger with the sweet potato!. Very sweet. Only used the white sugar.
Thanks for the 5 star review and trying the recipe!
Is this all calories for whole bread or a slice
I updated the recipe card a bit and the stats reduced a bit, but yes, for a slice.
Iโm used to seeing the sugars being considered a wet ingredient in baking recipes like this. Is there a specific reason theyโre mixed in with the dry in this one?
It’s just the way my grandma used to make this bread and I adapted the recipe from what I remember her doing. It works perfectly as written even though it’s not typical.
I made this recipe. The only thing I added was 3/4 C of pumpkin seeds and 3/4 C of chopped walnuts. I doubled it because I had two large sweet potatoes. I made a loaf and I made two dozen muffins (which I cooked for 20 mins). What an awesome, moist, flavourful recipe. I will definitely be making it again! Thanks so much!
I made this recipe. The only thing I added was 3/4 C of pumpkin seeds and 3/4 C of chopped walnuts. I doubled it because I had two large sweet potatoes. I made a loaf and I made two dozen muffins (which I cooked for 20 mins). What an awesome, moist, flavourful recipe. I will definitely be making it again! Thanks so much!
Thanks for the 5 star review and great to hear it was awesome and that you will definitely be making it again!
This can be made in a round pan instead and how long do l bake it thanks
I don’t know because I have not experimented. Baking as I direct in the recipe in a loaf pan is the only way I can “guarantee” the best chance for success in your kitchen.