Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato Bread

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Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato Bread — Wondering what to do with those leftover sweet potatoes? Make this quick bread recipe! 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! 

Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato 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! 

Spiced Sweet Potato Quick Bread

Sweet potatoes are always a winner no matter how they’re prepared. But when baked into sweetly spiced soft bread, they become even better.

I had a couple sweet potatoes to use and rather than just roasting them or making fries with them, I mashed them and baked them into bread. I do it with bananas all the time. Why not sweet potatoes?

I was blown away by the results. The bread turned out ridiculously soft, moist, tender, and richly spiced. It’s almost like cake it’s so soft, tender, and springy. If you like carrot cake or pumpkin-based recipes, you’ll love this bread.

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.

Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato 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! 

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; otherwise known as being dry.

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.

The bread is sweet, but not too sweet. A slice or two for breakfast, as a snack, or as a healthier after-dinner treat is how we’ve been enjoying it.

Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato 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! 

The spices are homey and comforting. Warming spices like the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves are my favorites. I have to restrain myself from making Molasses Cookies and other similar treats for most of the year because they’re out-of-season, so to speak.

The spices give the bread such great flavor and squelch my cravings. I want to snuggle up on the couch with a blanket and a cup of chai tea to wash it down with.

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.

Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato 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! 

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
  • Water
  • Eggs
  • Canola oil
  • Buttermilk
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Light brown sugar
  • Baking soda
  • Spices
  • Salt

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato 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! 

How to Make Sweet Potato Bread

If you’ve made pumpkin bread before, you can certainly make a sweet potato loaf! 

Full instructions can be found in the recipe card below, but here’s an overview of the baking process: 

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. In another bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking soda, and a variety of spices. 
  4. Add the wet 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.
  5. Turn the batter out into a 9×5-inch loaf pan or two 8×4-inch pans. I used one 9×5-inch and will probably opt for two 8×4 loaves next time or bake as a Budnt. 
Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato 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! 

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, 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). 
Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato 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! 

Recipe FAQs

How to Store Sweet Potato Bread

Bread will keep at room temperature for up to 1 week. I store my bread by wrapping the completely cooled loaf in plasticwrap, and then placing loaf inside a gallon-sized Ziplock.

Can I Freeze Sweet Potato Bread? 

I’m sure you can! I imagine this sweet potato spice bread will keep up to 6 months in the freezer. 

Can I Use Canned Sweet Potatoes? 

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! 

Can I Make This Recipe Gluten-Free? 

I can’t say for certain since I’ve only made this recipe as written. However, I imagine you’d need to use a gluten-free flour blend that’s designed for baking rather than something like almond flour (which is far too heavy). 

Tips for Making Sweet Potato Bread

If you have another method for steaming sweet potatoes, go for it. I do it in the microwave because it’s fast and easy.

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.

I love cinnamon and the bread is well-spiced and robust, without being overpowering. Many times sweet potato, pumpkin, or carrot-based cakes and breads can be so bland and blah.

Orange root vegetables are very hearty and can really soak up, and necessitate, plenty of spice. I made sure to account for that, but add spices to taste.

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4.62 from 186 votes

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bread

By Averie Sunshine
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! 
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12
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Ingredients  

  • 1 ½ cups mashed sweet potatoes, 2 medium or 1 very large
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup buttermilk, or yogurt, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • pinch salt, optional and 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. Pour off any water. Mash sweet potatoes with a fork. Allow them to cool momentarily so you don’t scramble the eggs.
  • To the 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.
  • Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • 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.
  • Bread will keep at room temperature for up to 1 week. I store my bread by wrapping the completely cooled loaf in plasticwrap, and then placing loaf inside a gallon-sized Ziplock.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 306kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 267mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 29g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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? 

Applesauce Bread with Cinnamon Honey Butter

Apple Carrot Bread— This apple carrot bread tastes like carrot cake that’s been infused with apples. It’s a no mixer recipe that goes from bowl to oven in minutes! 

Apple Carrot Bread

Pumpkin Banana Bread with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting – This quick bread pairs two of my favorites, pumpkin bread and banana bread, with plenty of cinnamon-and-spice and scrumptious frosting to boot

Pumpkin Banana Bread with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread — This is without a doubt the BEST pumpkin bread recipe! This pumpkin cream cheese bread tastes like it has cheesecake baked into the middle. You’ll definitely want a second slice! 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

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? 

Stacked Applesauce Bread with Cinnamon Honey Butter

Cranberry Orange Bread— The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!

Close up of sliced Cranberry Orange Bread

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread— This pumpkin chocolate chip bread is truly the best homemade pumpkin bread you’ll ever make. It’s moist, packed with chocolate chips, and tastes like fall!

Close up of sliced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Apple Fritter Bread — The bread tastes as decadent as the apple fritters of my childhood, no deep frying required and it’s more like cake disguised as bread.

Apple Fritter Bread on white platter

Originally posted April 3, 2013 and reposted September 18, 2020 with updated text. 

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. Thank you for this recipe, I made this for New Years using leftover sweet potatoes & my hubby loved it. I loved not even having to get the mixer out.!

  2. My dad sent me this recipe because I couldn’t find the one I’ve used for years, which my mom had made with Pillsbury Date bread mix and grated sweet potatoes. I had eight breads to make as Christmas gifts and the first 3 turned out fine. In the second batch, two of the three loaves caved in completely! I’m sure they will taste fine, but it was embarrassing to gift such an odd-looking thing. I followed your proportions (doubled the recipe and made four 8 x 4 loaves). It’s not humid; I didn’t use too much liquid and only a pinch of salt is called for (these are all things that came up when I searched online for “my bread caved in”). What do you think went wrong?

  3. There’s a restaurant we love in San Antonio called Twin Sisters that make these delicious sweet potato muffins that we enjoy greatly every time we visit. My kids loved them so much that I decided to replicate them here at home, which is how I came across your recipe. I made this as muffins last night (20 minutes at 350) and they are wonderful. Thank you so much!

    1. So glad you enjoyed these and that they reminded you of some restaurant muffins you love and that the recipe worked great for you as muffins!

  4. I was looking through the comments to see if anyone had mentioned trying these as muffins, but didn’t see anything. I’m not a big bread baker, so I didn’t have loaf pans, but the muffins worked out great. I ended up keeping them in the oven for about 24-25min. I also subbed in 3/4C whole wheat flour along with 1C of AP. Thanks for the great recipe!

  5. Really, really good!!! I made a few modifications to try and cut a bit of the fat down. I added applesauce in place of the oil, egg whites in place of the eggs and I cut the sugar down to 1/2 a cup. I loved this recipe!!! I ended up making 2 loaves with this one recipe. The only thing I would do for next time is puree the sweet potato instead of mashing it with a fork. My kids are picky and they see the small chunks of sweet potato and turn their noses up. Silly boys!

    1. That’s great that you got away with applesauce and egg whites and very little sugar! Glad it turned out and you’re happy! And that your boys ate it! :) I mashed mine like CRAZY with a fork until the sweet potatoes are supppper smooth but I can see pureeing it would take out the guesswork! Thanks for trying the recipe!

  6. Damn this looks good! I had an idea like this recently and wondered if I could use grated uncooked sweet potato.

  7. Hi,
    I made the sweet potato bread last night. We just cut into it and it has green chunks in it…. Has anyone else experienced this? It looks like I put zucchini in the bread…. Maybe the potatoes turned green?? I’m not sure what happened.

    1. No but I bet there is a connection between the baking soda and the sweet potatoes and a chemical reaction. I have heard of people having this issue with quickbreads, in general, from time to time. For example sunflower seed butter tends to turn green in quickbreads and it’s a chemical reaction with the leaveners. I bet you could google the answer to baking soda + sweet potatoes + green and see what pops up! I’m certain it’s one of those baffling baking science things and that the bread tastes fine. I’ve never had this happen to me though!

    1. In this particular recipe, it shouldn’t change the outcome adversely. The taste may be a little bolder/darker more molasses-ey since dark vs. light brown sugar tends to do that, but I think you’ll be fine.