These easy sweet potato bars are a healthier version of a favorite fall dessert. A crunchy nut and oat crust is the perfect base for a spiced maple sweet potato filling which is then baked and cooled. Top with whipped cream, or your favorite coconut whipped topping for a delicious treat! {Gluten-free & Vegetarian}
Table of Contents
Sweet Potato Pie Bars
As soon as the temperature drops, many of us start craving warm spices and sweet treats, like pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cheesecake bites, cinnamon rolls, and more. Most traditional recipes are loaded with sugar, fat, and refined carbohydrates, which makes them taste heavenly but can cause our blood sugar to spike, leaving us feeling tired, sluggish and hungry shortly after.
The good new is, these healthy sweet potato bars are made with a naturally gluten-free crust, and a creamy, maple-sweetened sweet potato layer with plenty of healthy fats and fiber that will help you feel satisfied with a smaller portion.
They taste like sweet potato pie in bar form and are nutritious enough to enjoy for breakfast…the perfect healthy indulgence!
For more healthier Fall desserts, try this No Bake Apple Crumble and Healthy Peach Crisp with Oats!
Why We Love This Sweet Potato Bars Recipe
- Dietitian-formulated to be more nutritionally balanced
- Loaded with fiber, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates
- Warm, cozy fall flavors like maple, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and more
- Sweetened with maple syrup and dates (no added sugar!)
- Healthy enough to be served with breakfast or as a fall-flavored dessert
- Delicious way to serve picky eaters extra veggies & fiber
- Great option for your Thanksgiving dessert table
Ingredient Notes
Crust Ingredients
- Walnuts or pecans: For a nutty flavor and plenty of healthy fats.
- Old fashioned oats: These give the crust a nice body.
- Dates: For sweetness and a little chewiness.
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil is a great neutral-tasting fat for this recipe, but you can also use unsalted butter. Make sure it is at room temperature.
Filling Ingredients
- Mashed sweet potato: You can make your own by cooking and mashing sweet potato or grabbing a can from the store. If using canned sweet potato, make sure there is no sugar added.
- Maple syrup: For sweetness and a cozy fall flavor.
- Eggs: To bind the sweet potato mixture together and help it puff up.
- Milk: I prefer to use 2% or almond milk. For extra creaminess, use low-fat evaporated milk.
- Cornstarch: This will absorb excess moisture and help give the bars the perfect texture.
- Cinnamon & pumpkin pie spice: For extra flavor and warmth.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Crust Layer
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 9×9 square baking pan with parchment paper, so that it covers the bottom and hangs over one of the sides. Spray the pan with nonstick spray.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the walnuts and oats 3-4 times. Add in the dates, butter or coconut oil and salt and process until the mixture comes together. Press crust mixture in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove and let cool while you make the filling.
Step 2: Make the Sweet Potato Filling
- Wipe out the bowl of the food processor and add in all of the filling ingredients. Blend until everything is evenly combined.
Step 3: Assemble in Pan, Bake & Cool!
- Pour this mixture over the top of the crust and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the mixture has become firm and has just a slight jiggle left to the very center of the bars.
- Remove from oven and cool for 1 hour. Move to the refrigerator to cool for another 2-3 hours until fully chilled. Cut into 9-12 squares and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Expert Tips
- Feel free to play around with the spices for these bars. Other spices that work well in this recipe are ginger, nutmeg, allspice or cardamom.
- You can use freshly cooked sweet potatoes or canned sweet potatoes. Make sure if you are using fresh potatoes they are baked or boiled until soft enough to mash. Baking them can help concentrate the caramel flavor. This recipe could also be made with canned pumpkin for pumpkin pie bars.
- Pecans and walnuts work equally well in this recipe, or a combination of the two. No need to pre-toast the nuts, they will get plenty toasty when baked.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I like to use pecans and walnuts because they have a great fall flavor, but you can use any type of nuts. Almonds would work great, too.
Absolutely! Sweet potatoes are a fantastic root vegetable and we enjoy them all throughout the fall and winter. They’re especially high in Vitamin A and an assortment of B vitamins while also providing calcium, iron, phosphorous, magnesium, and more.
Their orange color comes from carotenoids, which are antioxidants that can reduce inflammation throughout your body. Plus, sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, which can help keep you full for longer, regulate your blood sugar, minimize hunger cravings, and support digestive health. Their natural sweetness works well in both sweet and savory recipes, like these sweet potato dessert bars, sweet potato fritters, quinoa cakes, healthy sweet potato mash, sweet potato muffins, sweet potato fries, and more.
Traditional sweet potato bars are often made with a buttery graham cracker crust or pie crust with a super sweet, creamy sweet potato filling. They’re delicious but often contain quite a few extra calories that can lead to weight gain, especially during an indulgent time of the year.
These healthier sweet potato bars focus on simple, whole food ingredients like nuts, oats, milk, sweet potato, maple syrup, eggs, and more. They’re lower in calories and contain more fiber and healthy fats to help you feel satisfied without eating half the tray. They’re a great alternative, and no one will even know they’re better for you!
Storage Guidelines
Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze individual slices, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in a freezer-safe bag for 1-2 months.
Serving Suggestions
These sweet potato bars are intended to be served as a seasonal dessert or a healthy snack. Offer them as a healthier Thanksgiving dessert along these delicious recipes:
- Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes
- Kale Salad with Cranberries and Almonds
- Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Chicken
- Cranberry Sausage Stuffing
- Sweet Potato Casserole without Marshmallows
- Chopped Kale Salad with Cranberries and Almonds
Recipe Variations
- Make pumpkin bars: Use pumpkin puree instead of sweet potato for a similar flavor profile. Great for the holidays!
- Use two different nuts: For a slightly different flavor profile, use 1 cup of walnuts and 1 cup of pecans for the crust.
- Add cream cheese frosting: The bars are wonderful on their own, but if you want to serve them as an alternative to pumpkin or sweet potato pie, add a dollop of frosting on top! I like to make mine by whipping room-temperature Neufchatel cream cheese with a little yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, like the topping for this low sugar carrot cake. Swirl some on top of each piece or spread a layer of frosting over the whole pan. Delicious!
More Delicious Bar Recipes
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Protein Bars
- Key Lime Protein Bars
- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bars
- 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
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Healthy Sweet Potato Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 cups walnuts or pecans
- 1 cup old-fashioned or rolled oats
- 1/2 cup dates, pitted and chopped
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil or unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into cubes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Filling
- 3 cups cooked sweet potato, mashed
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup 2% milk or almond milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 9×9 square baking pan with parchment paper, so that it covers the bottom and hangs over one of the sides. Spray the pan with nonstick spray.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the walnuts and oats 3-4 times. Add in the dates, butter or coconut oil and salt and process until the mixture comes together. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove and let cool while you make the filling.
- Wipe out the bowl of the food processor and add in all of the filling ingredients. Blend until everything is evenly combined. Pour this mixture over the top of the crust and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the mixture has become firm and has just a slight jiggle left to the very center of the bars.
- Remove from oven and cool for 1 hour. Move to the refrigerator to cool for another 2-3 hours until fully chilled. Cut into 9-12 squares and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
Notes
- You can use freshly cooked sweet potatoes or canned sweet potatoes. Make sure if you are using fresh potatoes they are baked or boiled until soft enough to mash. Baking them can help concentrate the caramel flavor. This recipe could also be made with canned pumpkin for pumpkin pie bars.
- The nutritional information is for 1 small bar (the mixture cut into 12 bars).
Nutrition
A version of this recipe was originally posted in February 2019 and was updated in September 2024 with new ingredients, photos and helpful tips.
My daughter is allergic to eggs. Would flax egg substitute be possible?
thank you
I haven’t personally test this recipe with flax eggs, but I think it could work! Let me know how it goes if you decide to try it out!
Thanks Elysia. I was worried about the strong flavor of the other 2. I will try making the whole thing with coconut flour and an extra egg.
No problem! Hope it works out for you!
The bars turned out! I used 1/4 cup coconut flour and 2 eggs. I also added a few tablespoons of coconut milk to thin the batter a bit more. Then topped them with pumpkin spice cream cheese icing! My son who can be picky loves them too.
So glad the bars worked out for you and that your son loves them too!! Love the addition of the pumpkin spice cream cheese icing! That sounds amazing!!!
Can I substitute the almond flour with more coconut flour or quinoa or chickpea flour (I have those on hand)? I would like to make these nut free for kids school snacks.
Coconut flour tends to be highly absorbent so you may need to adjust the quantity of the liquid if you use it as a sub for the almond flour. You could try eliminating the almond flour and add 1/4 cup total coconut flour, while also adding an extra egg. I can’t guarantee that this will work, as I haven’t tested it myself, but let me know how it goes if you try it out!
I don’t have too much experience working with the quinoa or chickpea flour, but I do know that they tend to have a stronger flavour than the almond flour. You might be able to detect those flavours in these bars, so I would test the coconut flour first. Hope that helps!
Do you think these would hold up if i were to make them in a mini muffin pan for bites? (Not expecting them to puff up like muffins, of course). Just cut the time?
I haven’t tried it myself, but I can’t see why not! Keep me posted on how they turn out!