Savory Sweet Potato Muffins

These Savory Sweet Potato Muffins with oats make a satisfying healthy breakfast or snack. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free with the option of adding fresh herbs. Plus, extra virgin olive oil provides a boost of nutrients.

The muffins start with mashed sweet potato. It stops the recipe from drying out and also provides natural sweetness. Then I use a good quality extra virgin olive oil instead of butter for added health benefits. The flavor of the olive oil will shine through, so I like to use a robust, peppery one to enhance the savory vibe.

Oat flour instead of all-purpose flour

Oat flour replaces the need for all-purpose flour in these muffins. You can buy oat flour or make your own by blending rolled oats in a blender or food processor until it turns into a flour consistency. It’s not quite as light in texture as all-purpose flour, so it gives a slightly more dense muffin. However, oat flour is a less processed option when made from whole grain rolled oats.

Using oat flour as a substitute for all-purpose flour also keeps this muffin recipe gluten-free. Oats naturally do not contain gluten, but since they are often processed on the same equipment as wheat, they can have traces of gluten. If you are strictly gluten-free or have a wheat allergy, you can buy gluten-free oats or wheat-free oats.

How to bake sweet potato in the oven

If you don’t have any leftover sweet potato to use in the recipe, you can easily bake some in the oven. I find it easiest to bake the sweet potatoes whole, with their skins on. Then I extract the cooked flesh to use in the recipe.

1. Prick washed and dried, whole sweet potatoes a few times on each side with a fork.
2. Place the pricked potatoes on a baking tray lined with baking paper or foil.
3. Bake in a 390°F (200°C) fan-forced or 425°F (220°C) conventional oven for 30 to 90 minutes or until a knife inserted into the thickest part of each potato slides through easily. The cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your potatoes.

How to cook sweet potato in the microwave

Using a microwave is a faster way to cook sweet potatoes, compared to baking them in the oven. It works really well when you just need to get the sweet potato cooked to mash or use in a recipe.

1. Prick washed and dried, whole sweet potatoes a few times on each side with a fork.
2. Place the pricked potatoes on a microwave safe plate. You don’t want to overcrowd the microwave, so I only microwave about two medium or three small sweet potatoes at once.
3. Microwave for 5 to 30 minutes or until soft, flipping the potatoes over half way. The cooking time will depend on the size of your potatoes and the wattage of your microwave. To check if they are cooked, a knife inserted into the thickest part of each potato should slide through easily.

What herbs go well with sweet potatoes

• Flat-leaf parsley – I love to pair flat-leaf parsley with sweet potato in these savory muffins. Also known as Italian parsley, it has a more robust flavor than curly-leaf parsley.
• Chives – Chives are also delicious with sweet potato. They have a delicate and mild, onion-like flavor and would be a great addition to these muffins.
• Thyme or rosemary – For something a little stronger, finely chopped thyme or rosemary could be nice if you enjoy them. If using rosemary, keep in mind that it can be overpowering if used in larger quantities, so I would only add a small amount.
• Dried herbs – Dried herbs or herb blends can also be used instead of fresh ones if that’s what you have at home.
• Spices – In addition to herbs, you could also add your favorite spices to the recipe. Smoked paprika or chili powder would work well with the sweet potato to give the muffins a kick.

Are these muffins low FODMAP

You can make these muffins low FODMAP by only using the green part of the scallions or spring onions. When preparing them to use in the recipe, simply slice the green portion of the vegetable and discard the white portion. The rest of the ingredients for the muffins are FODMAP friendly.

More healthy baking recipes

• Gluten-Free Buckwheat Bread with Chia Seeds
• Buckwheat Zucchini Muffins
• Coconut Flour Banana Bread with Walnuts
• Blueberry Cottage Cheese Baked Oats
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread without Dairy

Recipe video

Watch the recipe video to see how to make Savory Sweet Potato Muffins.

Savory Sweet Potato Muffins Recipe

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4.8 from 5 reviews

By Lilian Dikmans

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Recipe video above. These savory sweet potato oat muffins are a healthy breakfast or snack. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free, and you can add fresh herbs if you like. They’re made with olive oil for extra nutrition.

• Serves: 8 muffins
• Prep time: 10 mins
• Cook time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups (180 g) rolled oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 cup (240 g) baked sweet potato flesh, mashed (see Note 1)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (110 g) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 scallions or spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup firmly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven and line muffin tray

   Preheat your oven to 320°F (160°C) fan-forced or 350°F (180°C) conventional. Line a standard muffin tray with 8 muffin cases.

2. Blend dry ingredients

   Blend the rolled oats, baking powder, and salt in a blender or food processor until it turns into a flour consistency.

3. Mix wet ingredients

   Place the mashed sweet potato, eggs, and olive oil in a large mixing bowl and beat with a spoon until well combined. Stir through the chopped scallions or spring onions and parsley (if using).

4. Combine batter

   Tip the blended oat mixture into the sweet potato mixture and fold everything together until just combined.

5. Fill and bake

   Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.

Notes

1. Baked sweet potato – You will need about 1.1 pounds (500 grams) of raw sweet potato to get 1 cup (240 grams) of cooked flesh. I explain how to bake sweet potatoes in the oven, or cook them in a microwave, in the body of this post above. To be safe, I always cook a little extra sweet potato to make sure I don’t come up short. Any leftovers can be enjoyed warm, drizzled with some olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, or frozen for future meals or recipes.
2. Storage – Store the cooled sweet potato muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can freeze them and reheat in the oven or microwave.

Nutrition facts

• Serving size: 1 muffin (with the optional parsley)
• Energy: 259 Cal (1085 kJ)
• Total fat: 16.8 g
• Saturated fat: 2.7 g
• Total carbohydrate: 24.1 g
• Dietary fiber: 3.9 g
• Sugars: 1.6 g
• Protein: 5.5 g
• Sodium: 305 mg
• Potassium: 161 mg