Sweet Potato Banana Bread
This Sweet Potato Banana Bread is tender, moist, and packed with two layers of natural sweetness working together in every slice. Ripe banana brings its familiar caramel depth, and sweet potato adds a subtler, earthy sweetness that makes the whole loaf taste richer and more complex than a standard banana bread without changing the texture at all.
Dark chocolate chips stud the batter throughout, so every bite pulls a little melted chocolate alongside the fruit. Olive oil keeps the crumb soft and tight with no butter needed, and maple syrup sweetens the whole loaf with no refined sugar anywhere in the recipe. The batter comes together in one bowl and bakes in 36 to 40 minutes. It’s easy, flavorful, and perfect for fall!
What is Sweet Potato Banana Bread?
Sweet Potato Banana Bread is a quick bread made with both mashed ripe banana and mashed sweet potato in the batter, giving the loaf a deeper, more complex sweetness than banana bread alone.
This version uses gluten free flour, olive oil, maple syrup, and dark chocolate chips, with no refined sugar and no butter. The batter mixes in one bowl and bakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 36 to 40 minutes.
Ingredients
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
⅔ cup mashed sweet potato
2 eggs
¼ cup maple syrup or honey
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups gluten free flour, see note
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup dark chocolate chips
What Makes This Recipe Different
Most sweet potato banana bread recipes use butter as the fat and granulated or brown sugar as the sweetener. This recipe uses olive oil in place of butter and maple syrup as the only sweetener, which means the loaf contains no refined sugar at all. Olive oil produces a soft, moist crumb without the richness that butter adds, keeping the loaf from feeling heavy despite the two fruit and vegetable components in the batter. The maple syrup adds a mild floral sweetness that pairs naturally with both the banana and sweet potato without competing with either.
The recipe also uses gluten free flour natively, so no substitution is needed for a GF loaf. Most competing recipes use all-purpose or whole wheat flour and treat GF as an afterthought swap. Here the GF flour goes in as the default, and all-purpose flour substitutes at the same amount if preferred. One cup of dark chocolate chips folds into the batter with extra chips for the top, producing chocolate in every slice rather than only in occasional bites.
How to make Sweet Potato Banana Bread, step by step
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a bread pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, mashed sweet potato, eggs, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
Then, add in the gluten free flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir to combine.
Then, fold in the dark chocolate chips.
Transfer this batter into the lined pan. Smooth into an even layer. Top with more chocolate chips if desired.
Bake for 36 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
Finally, remove from the oven. Allow to fully cool before slicing into.
Tips for the Best Results
Use the ripest bananas you have
Brown-spotted, soft bananas are sweeter, more fragrant, and mash more smoothly than yellow bananas. A fully ripe banana contributes enough natural sweetness to work alongside the maple syrup, which means the loaf tastes properly sweet without any refined sugar. Yellow bananas produce a noticeably flatter flavor and a less sweet finished loaf.
Canned sweet potato works just as well as fresh
Canned sweet potato is already cooked, smooth, and neutral in flavor. It substitutes at the same amount with no adjustments to the rest of the recipe. Look for canned sweet potato with no added sugar or syrup in the ingredients. If the only option is sweetened canned sweet potato, reduce the maple syrup by one tablespoon to compensate.
Pull it out before the toothpick is clean
A few moist crumbs on the toothpick at 36 to 38 minutes is the correct done signal for this loaf. The combination of banana, sweet potato, and olive oil keeps the crumb moist even after full cooling, so the loaf looks slightly underdone at the right pull time. Trust the crumbs, not a clean toothpick.
Substitutions
| Original | Substitute | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten free flour | All-purpose flour, same amount | Direct swap; texture will be slightly less dense |
| Olive oil | Melted coconut oil or avocado oil | Direct swap; coconut oil adds a mild coconut flavor |
| Maple syrup | Honey, same amount | Slightly different flavor; both work |
| Fresh sweet potato | Canned sweet potato, ⅔ cup | Direct swap; no flavor difference in the finished loaf |
| Dark chocolate chips | Semi-sweet or dairy-free chips | Slightly sweeter result |
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Canned sweet potato is a direct substitute at ⅔ cup and requires no cooking. If using fresh, bake or microwave the whole sweet potato until fully soft, then scoop and mash. Both produce the same texture in the finished loaf.
Yes. All-purpose flour substitutes at the same amount with no other changes. The texture will be slightly lighter than the GF version.
Two common causes: overmixing the batter after adding the flour, or slicing before the loaf cools completely. Stir until just combined and let the loaf cool fully on a wire rack before cutting.
Yes. Slice the cooled loaf first, then wrap each slice individually and store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes or toast directly from frozen.
You May Also Like
- Cheesecake Banana Bread
- Marble Banana Bread
- Cinnamon Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Pineapple Banana Bread
If you make this Sweet Potato Banana Bread recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Join my exclusive Facebook Group for a behind the scenes look. I would love for you to follow along! For more ideas, check out these Dessert Recipes.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
- ⅔ cup mashed sweet potato
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups gluten free flour, see note
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a bread pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, mashed sweet potato, eggs, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Then, add in the gluten free flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir to combine.
- Then, fold in the dark chocolate chips.
- Transfer this batter into the lined pan. Smooth into an even layer. Top with more chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 36 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Finally, remove from the oven. Allow to fully cool before slicing into.
Notes
- If you are not gluten free, feel free to use all purpose flour.
- Use ripe, brown spotted bananas for the best flavor.
- You can use canned sweet potatoes if needed.
- Do not bake too long. A toothpick inserted should come out with a few moist crumbs.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.