These Sweet Potato White Bean Bars are perfect for breakfast or snack time. They’re kid-friendly, nut-free and full of fiber!
Hi friends!
Meet my Sweet Potato White Bean Bars…my latest creation and a snack that all three of my kids enjoy. My neighbor recently ordered 6 russet potatoes in her grocery pickup order and since they were all out, they gave her 40 (yes forty) sweet potatoes instead. When she asked if I could use some, I knew a new recipe was in order.
If you’ve been around awhile, you may have already tried my White Bean Muffins. My youngest LOVES great northern beans so I’ve taken to stocking the pantry with them and after I made those muffins, I found they’re great for baking because they have a very mild flavor. They pair great with sweet potatoes!
Baking with White Beans Recipes
Want more ways to use beans in baking? Try:
If you’re looking for more recipes using sweet potatoes, here are 20+ Baked Sweet Potato Recipes.
Sweet Potato White Bean Bars
I also love using sweet potatoes in baked goods. Have you tried my GF Sweet Potato Brownies , Sweet Potato Protein Cookies or Sweet Potato Banana Bites? I wanted to combine sweet potatoes and beans and I also wanted to make a snack that was nut-free (my white bean muffins have peanut butter in them).
So behold these bars! These were approved by all three of my kids. To be honest I was shocked that my older two liked them. But I’m not complaining. They prefer them warm so I usually warm them up in the microwave before serving. And my youngest ate half the pan after the first batch so I had to make a second batch to photograph for this post!
Sweet Potato White Bean Bars are the perfect addition to breakfast or lunch and also make a great snack. Plus they’re nut-free so they’re safe for school! Here’s how you make them:
PrintSweet Potato White Bean Bars
These Sweet Potato White Bean Bars are perfect for breakfast or snack time. They’re kid-friendly, nut-free and full of fiber!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans (drained and rinsed)
3/4 cup cooked mashed sweet potato
2 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup oil (i use avocado oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup hemp seeds (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a food processor, combine beans, sweet potato, eggs, maple syrup, oil and vanilla. Process until smooth.
- Add cinnamon, baking soda, flour and hemp hearts and process until combined.
- Add chocolate chips and pulse a few times.
- Spoon into a 9×9 pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes.
- Let cool, cut and serve. Store in the fridge.
Notes
- You could try cannellini beans or chickpeas but i think they have a stronger flavor than great northern beans.
- To cook the sweet potato I just stab several times with a knife, microwave 5-6 minutes and then cut open to let cool before mashing into the measuring cup.
- You could sub chia seeds or some ground flax for the hemp hearts.
- I haven’t tried any substitutions for the flour. You could try oat flour to make them gluten-free.
Have I mentioned how much I love my Cuisinart 11-cup food processor for baked goods? (Aff link) I’m really not sure why I even bother putting it away. I use it pretty much every day.
If you try these bars and like them, please leave a rating and pin them on pinterest!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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So delicious! Fluffy texture and tastes almost decadent while being filled with nutritious stuff. My batter was super thick so I thought I’d messed something up, but they turned out just fine. I don’t have any hemp seeds, so I used 1/4 ground flax instead.
Made them several times. Excellent!
Do you think these would work with black beans? I would love to try them today but am out of white beans.
No, i think the flavor of black beans is too strong, sorry!
These saved my life after giving birth. I had made a bunch to freeze when I was pregnant and they are such a great, healthy snack. I am now 3 weeks postpartum and all the frozen ones are gone but the recipe is so simple that I’ve made them a few times already. Thank you!!
Any substitutes for the oil? Maybe applesauce?
you could definitely try applesauce!
Very good! Just made them for my co-workers!
These are alarmingly delicious! A fluffy texture (not quite a cake, not quite a brownie), zero bean taste. They won’t last the day at my house!
I had to sub pinto for the northern beans, and only had one egg so subbed in 1/4 c banana, and used all purpose flour… but even with all these substitutions these turned out great!
So tasty! I substituted 2 “flax eggs” for the eggs. Thanks for always making such wonderful recipes!
These were awesome! Cross between a fudge brownie and cake! The chocolate chips made them feel indulgent. I love that i used a whole can of beans in them too!!
I just baked and ate three squares myself 🙂 my husband had a strong negative reaction to it due to the after taste. I too taste the beans but I loved it. Can’t wait to see my kids’ reaction tomorrow morning. Almost 4 yo and 19 month old will be the true judges as I baked this mainly for them. Great recipe, turned out well. I had a smaller pan and have a slow oven so I baked for 30 min instead of the suggested time. Also used chia seeds and sunflower oil because that’s what I had at home.
Made these with GF flour so my youngest could enjoy them too! Both kiddos loves them!
Have you tried it with Casava, Almond, or Coconut flour?
i haven’t but let me know if you do! I would try cassava or almond over coconut. Coconut flour doesn’t make a good 1:1 sub for wheat flours
Delish! I made a double batch the first time around and so happy I did! Have been following your blog for a while and make your recipes all the time. First time posting. Thanks Lindsay!
Made these today for my kids — they were a HUGE hit. My bean hating husband even admitted they were good. I didn’t have the white whole wheat flour so I subbed in 1/3 cup whole wheat and 2/3 cup all-purpose with great results! YUM!
Thank you for this recipe. Love how healthy these are – officially husband and toddler approved x
Another great recipe! Your site is always my first stop for sweet potato recipes! Both my kids loved the bars. I tweaked it a little ( flax eggs for egg allergy and a little nutmeg and ginger) since I never seem to follow recipes too closely. Haha!
Your tweaks sound fantastic!
I just made these and they are SO GOOD!! Thanks for another great recipe!
These are a weekly staple at our house! Let’s also talk about it all being made in one bowl.. SIGN ME UP!
Everyone loved them! They came out perfect.Very tasty and moist. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these today and they’re SO GOOD! I doubled the recipe and substituted applesauce for the second 1/3C oil. They were also toddler and husband approved so that’s always a win in my book 🙂
My entire family loved these, including my 5 year old who doesn’t like baked goods after the first day!
Sooo good! My toddler and I loved these, and she is pretty picky with baked goods. Thank you!
Great recipe, my whole family enjoys these. I used half the oil and half the syrup and added 1/3 cup of apple sauce and the turned out great. Thank you for your wonderful recipes
I’ve made these twice in the last week. My boys love them. I put it in their school lunch as a “treat” .
My 3 year old is allergic to dairy and nuts. This recipe is a perfect choice for a sweet treat or snack for him! All 3 of my kids loved this bar!!
I made these today and they’re delicious! Love the taste and the texture. Most importantly, so does my 13 month old. Substitutions I made: Bobs Red Mill egg substitute because of allergies, whole wheat flour instead of white whole wheat flour, Raisins instead of chocolate chips, and pumpkin instead of sweet potato.
What a fluffy treat! I used cannenli beans and it still tasted delicious. We finished 3/4 the pan in one sitting. Thank you for this delicious and healthy recipe.
They are the perfect solution for school lunchboxes. Healthy, filling, nutfree and super delicious. We love them. Would they hold up in the freezer? I would love to start a stach to be prepared for school…..
Thanks_______ Lisa
yep they freeze well!
Hi Lindsay! Could I bake these as muffins?
These are AMAZING! I love that your recipes are soo forgiving (key for baking with kiddos who under/over measure lol!). I had a bit less than 3/4 cup sweet potato so I added a bit of mashed banana y had white beans I cooked myself (not from a can) but a bit less than what is in a can but I just went with it and added a tiny bit less oil and they turned out great! I made them in an 8×8 pan and had enough leftover batter for 6 mini muffins. Also, added chia and flax instead of hemps seeds because I didnt have any. Will definitely continue making these!
Super delicious and filling- picky husband and eat everything 22 month old both loved! So easy to make and clean up…even with my little assistant. Subbed honey for most of the maple syrup because I was out, regular whole wheat flour because that’s what I had, and Unsweetened applesauce for half the oil (Avocado). Thanks so much for this recipe!
Are you able to give the macros (Calories, fat, carbs and protein) for this recipe? I have to follow a strict diet and would love to make this recipe!
sorry, i don’t have that info!
These are amazing and so easy! I think my husband ate 85% of the batch! Definitely a part of our household’s meal prep. Thank you!
are these yummy even without chocolate chips? Trying to limit that sugar and plan to make for my 15 month old…thanks!
yep! you could even swap raisins or dried blueberries if you wanted.
We LOVE these. I always double up so I can freeze half because they make a perfect snack to send to school. My 3 year old gets so excited to get out his stepstool and help (especially when he can add the chocolate chips). Thanks for an easy, healthy recipe!
These are amazing! I used chickpeas just because I had them on hand and they worked great. They’re fluffy and moist and so tasty! I even cut the maple syrup to 1/4 cup and they’re perfectly sweet.
Do you think i could use Chia eggs?….i am mostly vegan and avoid eggs where possible.
Thank you!
I know people have used flax eggs with success!
Made these last night and my picky 3 year old approved! Thanks for the recipe.
I made these today and they taste great but the cooking time seems off to me. I kept needing to bake longer due to them seeming underdone to the point where I had baked them an additional 15 minutes and still seemed underdone. It could be because I baked in an 8×8 instead of 9×9 or maybe I did something wrong?
Hi! An 8×8 vs 9×9 pan is actually a big difference in recipes like these since they’re already super dense and don’t use much flour…so I bet that’s what the problem was!
I have been trying so many different healthy bar recipes and I finally found one my kids love! They don’t like them warm out of the oven for some reason, but cold out of the fridge and they eat them non stop. A great addition to lunches, snacks, or round out a meal!
These are amazing!!! I used coconut oil and chia seeds in place of hemp seeds. I also used purple sweet potatoes because that’s what I had just picked up at the local farmer’s market. My bars turned out green,Lol! but they taste great!
These are delicious! Sneaky good 🙂 used coconut oil and a 9×13 pan (started checking 10 min earlier) – excellent!
Hi! Do you think a substitution of pumpkin for the sweet potato would work?
worth trying! you may have to add a bit more flour.
I make these bars somewhat regularly and they are always a hit! My oldest is in a “learning to like” phase with meats and foods typically known to have higher iron contents. Sweet potatoes and especially beans have good iron content along with the hemp seeds so I feel confident she’s getting some iron from somewhere at least! Thanks Lindsay for this great recipe!
These are a go to snack in our house! My toddler and I both love them.
These are DELICIOUS. I double the batch every time now and my three year old begs to have them in her lunch. They are nut free and satisfying, which means they’re easy to send to school! I brought them to thanksgiving and everyone asked for the recipe. Try them!
so fun you brought them to a family holiday! love to hear it!
Wow! I am on a quest to find higher fiber and protein rich foods for an extremely picky 5yr old. THESE are amazing and she licked her plate clean. Easy to make and hard not to have seconds. I will be trying more of your recipes soon!!!
These are amazing and my kids love them!
My toddler and husband both LOVE these. Used raisins instead of chocolate chips, reduced maple syrup to 1/4 cup, and had no hemp seeds to use. They froze and defrosted well too. Thanks so much for the recipe!
My kids lovingly refer to these as “cake bar!” While I usually have to cook it 10-15 mins longer, it’s probably because I’ve made it so many times I don’t measure any more and end up with a larger ratio of sweet potato.
These are seriously so good. Everyone in my family loves them (adults and kids!!). We make a double batch in a 9×13 and cook longer. Great recipe!
These are so good! And my picky two year old loves them. Do you think you could freeze them? I am thinking of making a double batch and freezing for a quick snack option.
yep! you can definitely freeze them
So good!!! I made a double pan and they are almost gone.
Great texture. I opted for pinto beans. Used 2T oil, Used 1egg. Made up the difference with 1/3 cup applesauce. Baked as muffins. Got 17 smallish ones with a 19 minute bake time. Next time will fill them fuller.
I had my doubts because it had some unconventional ingredients but these are incredible ! My kids ate them so quick and we can’t wait to make them again
Hi there,
I live in Australia – is white whole wheat flour the same as wholemeal flour? Or is it the same as all purpose flour?
Could I just sub 1:1 with flour made from rolled oats?
white whole wheat flour is lighter than wheat flour. i would sub ap flour.
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve been on a quest to find a “breakfast dessert” – my intent is to not have any added sugar (fruits are fine) in my diet, but I desperately crave a dessert-like item with my mid-morning tea. This is it! I’ve already made this once and it was great. I’m going to use this as the base recipe to experiment with taking out the oil and maple syrup and chocolate chips, and replacing them with fruits/vegetables. I’m so glad I found this!!
I’ve been eyeing these for a while now, and finally got around to making them this morning (what else do you do with a 22 month old who decided to wake up at 4:30am ?!). They turned out amazing!! I actually used baked Japanese sweet potatoes the ones with the purple skin, as I find they are sweeter and they’ll then only a 1/4c maple syrup. I also used beans which I had previously batch cooked and froze and so I just thawed them in the fridge overnight (had to look up how many ounces I would need in place of a 15oz can drained- 9.5oz FYI). Again, these were fantastic and I will be adding them to my rotation! Great for my 2yr old, my 10yr old and the adults in the house!
Thank you again for your wonderful recipes Lindsay!
I want to try this recipe for my 1 year old, but I’m not giving her chocolate yet. Any suggestions on what I can replace that with? Would bananas mess up the consistency?
you can just leave the chocolate chips out!
These bars are really special. We make them twice a week. This recipe is so forgiving, and we have made many times with alternatives to sweet potato (keeping to 3/4c): applesauce, bananas, pumpkin, beets, carrots
Can these be frozen and thawed later on?
yep!
So yummy! Light and fluffy. Subbed for almond flour and came out great.
These were so delicious. I couldn’t get the type of beans required where I live, so I used a can of butter beans. To avoid tasting the bean flavour, I added 2 TBS cocoa powder. I also subbed oat flour for the wheat flour. They came out a great texture with a rich chocolatey flavour Thank you for sharing this recipe! I love that I can feed my 3 year old beans and sweet potato under the guise of brownies and he LOVES them