This post may contain affiliate links. As Amazon Associates and through other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a link – at no extra cost to you. We only promote products we actually use and truly love!
An easy cinnamon sweet potato bread recipe that you can enjoy throughout fall and winter for a tasty breakfast or an afternoon snack.
While we often associate baking with the holiday season, there’s one type of baked good that I always crave this time of year: quick bread. Every year around the holidays, my mom would spend hours making her famous banana bread to give to friends and neighbors. I always loved how the sweet smell would fill the whole house, especially on cold, snowy days. Now whenever the weather starts getting colder, I crave the comforting aroma of quick bread baking in the oven. Which is exactly how we ended up with this easy cinnamon sweet potato bread recipe.
Sweet potato cinnamon spice bread is similar to pumpkin spice bread – but instead of pumpkin puree, this recipe uses mashed sweet potato. Using sweet potato in this quick bread recipe makes a super moist loaf that goes perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy this sweet potato bread for breakfast or an afternoon snack on a cool day and savor the subtle spice notes and sugary sweetness!
Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bread Ingredients
What is sweet potato spice bread made of? Our sweet potato cinnamon spice bread is a typical quick bread recipe that includes mashed sweet potato. The sweet potato acts as a moistening agent while also adding a little extra sweetness to the bread. For the “spice” part of this sweet potato quick bread, we added cinnamon and nutmeg – two complementary flavors we love to eat (and smell) during fall and winter.
Here’s the full list of ingredients you will need to make our sweet potato cinnamon spice bread recipe:
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Sweet potato
This sweet potato quick bread recipe yields 4 mini loaves, which you can easily make all at once with this Wilton mini loaf pan (we love ours!). Mini sweet potato loaf cakes are the perfect size for snacking on throughout the week or giving to your friends during the holidays.
Making Mashed Sweet Potato From Scratch
While you can buy canned sweet potato puree from the grocery store, it’s easy to make your own mashed sweet potatoes for this recipe! All you need is a sweet potato and some butter, and there are two methods to choose from:
- Roast the potatoes. Peel and dice the potato, then seal in a foil packet topped with thin pads of butter (about 1 tbsp total). Bake at 400 degrees F for about 40 to 50 minutes until soft, then transfer to a bowl and mash until smooth.
- Cook the potatoes on the stove. Peel and dice the potato, then melt 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until they smell sweet, then lower heat to medium-low and cover. Steam until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and mash until smooth.
Both methods yield the same result, so you can easily choose whichever fits your schedule best. No matter how you choose to prepare them, you’ll want to leave plenty of time for the sweet potatoes to cool before adding them to the quick bread batter. We often prepare the potatoes a day or two in advance and then store them in the refrigerator until we’re ready to make the sweet potato bread.
How To Make Sweet Potato Quick Bread
Sweet potato cinnamon spice bread is very simple to make and only requires about 15 minutes of prep time. Follow these 5 steps and you’ll be eating a fresh loaf of delicious sweet potato bread in no time:
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined and set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Cream together the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla before stirring in mashed sweet potato.
- Combine. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Bake. Spoon the batter into a greased loaf pan, sprinkle the top with sugar, then bake at 325 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes or until cooked through.
- Cool and slice. Let the sweet potato quick bread cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing. Use a sharp chef’s knife to easily make clean cuts since the top of the bread will be crackly from the sugar.
Storing Sweet Potato Cinnamon Bread
Let the sweet potato quick bread cool completely before removing it from the pan. Then, you have a few options for storing it:
- Slice and eat right away or store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days
- Don’t slice and wrap tightly in foil, then store at room temperature for up to 5 days
- Don’t slice and wrap tightly in foil, then freeze for up to 3 months
Since this recipe yields 4 mini loaves of cinnamon sweet potato bread, we like to leave one out for the week and freeze the rest. Then whenever we’re craving a sweet treat or need an easy breakfast to bring on road trips, we just take one out of the freezer! You can leave a frozen sweet potato loaf on the counter overnight and it’ll be ready to eat by morning.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sweet potato cinnamon spice bread is fluffy, moist, and subtly spiced for a perfectly sweet and easy quick bread recipe you can enjoy all winter long. The flavors aren’t overly powerful, so you can pair this bread with your favorite coffee and tea drinks for a delicious treat. Oh, and you’ll want to save the best bites for last, so eat from the bottom up and indulge in the crunchy, sugary topping at the end!
Try the recipe below for sweet potato cinnamon quick bread and don’t forget to rate, comment, and share if you love it. We can’t wait to hear what you think!
Love this recipe? You may enjoy these recipes, too:
- Cinnamon Avocado Muffins
- Nutella Stuffed Brioche French Toast
- Sweet Potato White Chocolate Chip Cookies
To browse more of our latest recipes and seasonal dishes, visit our homepage here.
Like this recipe? Don’t forget to share it and follow us on Pinterest!
Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus extra for topping
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato about 1 medium potato
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease the sides and bottom of a mini loaf pan with cooking spray.
- First, mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined. Set aside.
- Next, mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Finally, add the mashed sweet potato and stir thoroughly until fully incorporated and the consistency is smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the mini loaf pan (it will be thick!), filling the wells about halfway. Smooth out the top and sprinkle with extra sugar.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let loaves cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing or storing.
Notes
- Roasting the potatoes. Peel and dice the potato, then seal in a foil packet topped with thin pads of butter. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 40 to 50 minutes until soft, then transfer to a bowl and mash until smooth.
- Cooking the potatoes on the stove. Peel and dice the potato, then melt 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until they smell sweet, then lower heat to medium-low and cover. Steam until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and mash until smooth.
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
Looking for kitchen inspiration? Head over to our shop to see what we cook with every day, plus recommendations for foodie gifts and eco-friendly products.
I used 3/4 cups sugar and it was still awesome! I would recommend maybe adding oil so the bread doesn’t turn out dry.
So glad you enjoyed it! We opted for creamed butter and sugar instead of oil as this method yields a lighter and less dense quick bread. IF it’s turning out too dry, you could try baking it for less time, or being careful not to over-mix the dough.