Sweet Potato Bread is soft, rich, and gently spiced, making it perfect for a fall brunch or the holiday table. But the truth is, this old-school recipe tastes just as good in July, sliced up for a snack or quick breakfast.
This is hands-down the moistest quick bread recipe you’ll ever try.
This sweet bread works so well because the sweet potato does most of the work on its own. It brings real flavor, real moisture, and holds the whole loaf together without the help of any dairy products.
The brown sugar adds depth and builds on the natural sweetness of the sweet potato, and the pumpkin pie spice ties it all together with a gentle warmth.
With just 15 minutes of hands-on time, our sweet potato bread recipe is easy to pull off, even if you’ve never baked a loaf in your life.
It’s made with everyday ingredients you likely already have in the pantry, so you can have a loaf in the oven whenever you’re ready.
If you’ve got a full fall brunch spread in the works, my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins bring all that same sweet spice flavor with a rich, creamy center. They never stick around for long!
And if you want something with fruit on the table, my Cinnamon Apple Bread bakes up soft, sweet, and packed with apple in every bite.
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Ingredients
Gather the ingredients to prepare our Sweet Potato Bread recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have everything you need on hand to make the recipe.
Can I Make Adjustments to the Recipe?
Absolutely. You can swap the light brown sugar for dark brown sugar if that’s what you’ve got. The flavor will be slightly deeper, but you won’t need to change the recipe.
To make it gluten-free, a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend will work well; no changes are needed to the measurements. Just make sure to check that your spice blend, vanilla extract, and baking soda are certified gluten-free.
Pecans can be substituted with walnuts, or omitted if you don’t want any nuts in the mix.
Recipe Variations
Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Breads: Stir in a handful of chocolate chips for a rich, dessert-style twist.
Cranberry Orange Sweet Potato Breads: Add dried cranberries and a touch of orange zest to provide a bright, fruity contrast to the warm spices.
Coconut Sweet Potato Breads: Fold in shredded coconut for a hint of texture and tropical sweetness.
Seeded Sweet Potato Breads: Replace or mix pecans with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for a different kind of crunch.
Sweet Potato Latte: Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to intensify the spice notes.
Cinnamon Swirl Potato Breads: Add a cinnamon-sugar swirl for a coffee-shop-style upgrade.
Holiday Style: Fold in orange zest and a splash of dark rum for a holiday loaf worthy of gifting.
Mini Loaves or Muffins: This batter also bakes well in mini-loaf pans or a muffin tin. Just adjust the baking time and keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
How to Make Sweet Potato Bread
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make sweet potato bread in your home kitchen.
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Let it overhang on the sides for easy removal.
Add the flour, baking soda, table salt, and pumpkin pie spice to another bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside until needed.
Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, water, vanilla extract, and the mashed sweet potatoes to a large bowl.
Use a hand mixer to whip the ingredients until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Mix until there are no dry patches of flour but only enough to combine.
Add the chopped pecans to the mixture.
Gently fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap it on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
Place the loaf pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool before lifting it out.
Chef Tips
Make sure your mashed sweet potato is smooth and fully cooled before mixing it in. It blends better that way and won’t affect the batter’s temperature.
Roast the sweet potatoes instead of boiling for deeper caramelization and flavor.
Mash by hand for a rustic texture or purée for a smooth, cake-like crumb.
Don’t overmix once the dry ingredients go in. Stir just until the flour disappears to keep the crumb soft and tender.
Use a metal loaf pan for even baking and better browning.
Check for doneness with a toothpick. It should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Overbaking will dry it out fast.
Let the loaf cool fully on the cooling rack before slicing. It’s tempting, but cutting in too soon can make the inside gummy.
If you’re using canned sweet potato, double-check that it’s 100% sweet potato and not sweet potato pie filling.
I’ve made this sweet potato bread more times than I can count, and there’s rarely a slice left by the next day. But when there is, I know exactly what I’m having for breakfast.
It’s perfect for holiday mornings, weekend brunches, or just when you want something warm, sweet, and homemade to share.
Serving Suggestions
Slice and serve warm with a pat of salted butter, whipped cinnamon honey butter, apple butter, fig jam, or maple cream.
Enjoy with a medium roast coffee, black tea, chai, or hot cider to bring out the warm spices.
Toast a slice and spread with cream cheese or apple butter for an easy treat.
For a dessert spin, drizzle with maple glaze.
Pack up slices for lunchboxes, picnics, or a sweet afternoon treat.
How to Store and Reheat
Sweet Potato Bread keeps well at room temperature for up to 3 days. Just wrap it in foil or stash it in an airtight container to keep it from drying out.
If you’re not planning to finish it that soon, go ahead and freeze it. Let it cool completely, then wrap it up tight and tuck it into a freezer bag. It’ll hold up great for a couple of months.
To serve, just let it come back to room temperature. You can warm it up or griddle it with butter, but it’ll be soft enough to enjoy as-is.
Recipe FAQs
Microwave peeled, diced sweet potato with a splash of water until very soft, then drain and mash. It’s quick, easy, and keeps extra moisture out of the batter.
That usually means there was too much liquid in the batter, or it didn’t bake quite long enough. Mix gently just until the flour disappears, and bake for the whole time in the oven so it sets properly.
Most of the time, that happens when the loaf gets wrapped while it’s still warm. Let it cool completely on a wire rack first so the steam has a chance to escape.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Easy Sweet Potato Bread Recipe
Our Sweet Potato Bread is perfect for holiday mornings, weekend brunches, or just when you want something warm, sweet, and homemade to share.
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Ingredients
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Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Let it overhang on the sides for easy removal.
Add the flour, baking soda, table salt, and pumpkin pie spice to another bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside until needed.
Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, water, vanilla extract, and the mashed sweet potato to a large bowl.
Use a hand mixer to whip the ingredients until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix until there are no dry patches of flour but only enough to combine.
Add the chopped pecans, and gently fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap it on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
Place the loaf pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool before removing it from the pan.
Notes
Absolutely. You can swap the light brown sugar for dark brown sugar if that’s what you’ve got. The flavor will be slightly deeper, but you won’t need to change the recipe.
To make it gluten-free, a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend will work well; no changes are needed to the measurements. Just make sure to check that your spice blend, vanilla extract, and baking soda are certified gluten-free.
Pecans can be substituted with walnuts, or omitted if you don’t want any nuts in the mix.
Recipe Variations
Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Bread: Stir in a handful of chocolate chips for a rich, dessert-style twist.
Cranberry Orange Sweet Potato Bread: Add dried cranberries and a touch of orange zest to provide a bright, fruity contrast to the warm spices.
Coconut Sweet Potato Bread: Fold in shredded coconut for a hint of texture and tropical sweetness.
Seeded Sweet Potato Bread: Replace or mix pecans with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for a different kind of crunch.
Sweet Potato Latte: Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to intensify the spice notes.
Cinnamon Swirl Potato Bread: Add a cinnamon-sugar swirl for a coffee-shop-style upgrade.
Holiday Style: Fold in orange zest and a splash of dark rum for a holiday loaf worthy of gifting.
Mini Loaves or Muffins: This batter also bakes well in mini-loaf pans or a muffin tin. Just adjust the baking time and keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
Chef Tips
Make sure your mashed sweet potato is smooth and thoroughly cooled before mixing it in. It blends better that way and won’t affect the batter’s temperature.
Roast the sweet potatoes instead of boiling for deeper caramelization and flavor.
Mash by hand for a rustic texture or purée for a smooth, cake-like crumb.
Don’t overmix once the dry ingredients go in. Stir just until the flour disappears, keeping the crumb soft and tender.
Use a metal loaf pan for even baking and better browning.
Check for doneness with a toothpick. It should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Overbaking will dry it out fast.
Let the loaf cool fully on the cooling rack before slicing. It’s tempting, but cutting in too soon can make the inside gummy.
If you’re using canned sweet potato, double-check that it’s 100% sweet potato and not sweet potato pie filling.
Serving Suggestions
Slice and serve warm with a pat of salted butter, whipped cinnamon honey butter, apple butter, fig jam, or maple cream.
Enjoy with a medium roast coffee, black tea, chai, or hot cider to bring out the warm spices.
Toast a slice and spread with cream cheese or apple butter for an easy treat.
For a dessert spin, drizzle with maple glaze.
Pack up slices for lunchboxes, picnics, or a sweet afternoon treat.
How to Store and Reheat
Sweet Potato Bread keeps well at room temperature for up to 3 days. Just wrap it in foil or stash it in an airtight container to keep it from drying out.
If you’re not planning to finish it that soon, go ahead and freeze it. Let it cool completely, then wrap it up tight and tuck it into a freezer bag. It’ll hold up great for a couple of months.
To serve, just let it come back to room temperature. You can warm it up or griddle it with butter, but it’ll be soft enough to enjoy as-is.
What’s the fastest way to make mashed sweet potato for this recipe?
Microwave peeled, diced sweet potato with a splash of water until very soft, then drain and mash. It’s quick, easy, and keeps extra moisture out of the batter.
Why did my sweet potato bread sink in the middle?
That usually means there was too much liquid in the batter, or it didn’t bake quite long enough. Mix gently just until the flour disappears, and bake for the whole time in the oven so it sets properly.
Why does the crust get soggy after it cools?
Most of the time, that happens when the loaf gets wrapped while it’s still warm. Let it cool completely on a wire rack first so the steam has a chance to escape.
Nutrition
Calories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 160mgPotassium: 98mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 1615IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg
