This moist Southern sweet potato bread is pure comfort in every slice. It's soft, perfectly spiced, and just the right amount of sweetness. It's made with puréed sweet potatoes, cinnamon, and brown sugar. I love baking loaves during the Fall and holidays. It makes the whole kitchen smell amazing. It's easy to make, stays moist for days, and tastes even better the next morning with your favorite beverage or a cup of fruit.
If you love Southern-style recipes like this one, you'll also want to try my fluffy Sweet Potato Cornbread.
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Ingredient Notes
Each ingredient brings something special. More importantly, that deep, caramelized flavor from roasted yams is the key to a rich, flavorful loaf or maple-glazed baked candied yams.
- Puréed yams add natural sweetness and that signature moist texture.
- Fall spices like cinnamon, allspice, and ground ginger give the bread its cozy flavor.
- Oil keeps every slice soft and tender
- Milk and eggs add richness.
- A splash of vanilla extract ties it all together.
See recipe card for quantities.
Cree's Top Tips
- Roast your sweet potatoes (or yams): They bring out a deeper flavor and natural sweetness that make this sweet potato bread rich and moist. Do not boil them; the water adds too much moisture, and they tend to lack flavor.
- Don't overmix the batter: For that soft, tender crumb you want in any quick bread recipe, stir until the dry ingredients are just combined.
- Measure your flour the right way: Spoon and level instead of scooping to keep your sweet potato loaf light, not dense.
- Add oil for moisture. Oil helps your sweet potato bread stay moist for days.
- Warm spices make all the difference: Cinnamon, allspice, and ginger create that classic Southern spice flavor without being overpowering.
- Let it cool completely before slicing: Cooling helps the bread set up and slice cleanly.
- Wrap it well for storage: To keep that moist texture, wrap your sweet potato bread tightly in plastic wrap or a large ziploc baggie and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days (or freeze for later).
- If you're baking this sweet potato bread for the holidays, you'll also love my Sweet Potato Casserole with Cinnamon Streusel or my Sweet Potato Pie.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Now, let's make the most moist Southern Sweet Potato Bread from scratch.
Roast the sweet potatoes in the oven until they're so tender that you can easily pierce them with a fork or butter knife.
Blend the sweet potatoes until they're smooth and fluffy, removing all the strings. Like the picture above.
In a mixing bowl, blend the wet ingredients (using a hand mixer), then add the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is just combined. Don't overmix.
Fold in chopped walnuts or pecans (optional).
Pour the batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
When the sweet potato bread is done, remove it from the oven and lift it out of the pan. Let it cool on a wire rack before slicing.
These Are the Loaf Pans I Love vs. the One I Don't
These are the loaf pans I like to use, which make my homemade sweet potato bread come out perfectly every time. They're my favorite.
Not all loaf pans bake the same. I really don't like this Wilton loaf pan (see below); my loaves don't bake as fluffy and airy as the ones above.
📖 Recipe
The Best Moist Southern Sweet Potato Bread
The Best Moist Southern Sweet Potato BreadEquipment
- Mixing bowl
- Hand mixer
- measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Serrated knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup yams (or 2 small to medium-sized red sweet potatoes)
- ½ cup brown sugar (light or dark brown sugar)
- ¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla paste)
- ⅓ cup avocado oil (grapeseed oil or other neutral cooking oil)
- 2 egg
- 1 cup milk (whole or 2% reduced fat milk)
- 1-¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts (for the bottom layer)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (folded into the mix)
- ¼ cup chopped walnut (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Clean the outer skin of the sweet potatoes or yams really well. Then, poke several holes throughout the yams.
- Place whole sweet potatoes (or yams) on a baking sheet lined with foil. Roast until they're fork-tender, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on size. A fork or butter knife should slide through easily.
- Once roasted, let them cool slightly, then slice them down the middle and scoop out all of the flesh into a mixing bowl. Blend or puree until smooth and fluffy, making sure to remove any strings. This gives your bread that perfectly soft texture. When blending, start on low, then increase the speed, remove the beaters, rinse under cool water. Dry them with a paper towel and blend again. Repeat this 2 to 3 times to ensure that all strings have been removed.
- Lightly grease a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal (see photo above). Then, add a single layer of ¼ cup chopped walnuts to the bottom of the loaf pan (optional).
- Add the brown sugar and blend until combined. Then, add the maple syrup, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Blend again until smooth and well combined.
- To the same mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and ground ginger.
- Now, use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir the batter just until everything is combined; don't overmix. Overmixing can make the bread dense instead of soft and tender. Fold in ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional).
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top evenly with a spatula. Top with ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional).
- Bake at 350°F for 55-65 minutes, or until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- When done, remove the sweet potato bread from the oven. Carefully lift it out of the pan by the parchment paper and let it cool on a wire rack. Cooling fully helps the loaf set and makes it easier to slice.
Notes
- Roast your sweet potatoes (or yams): They bring out a deeper flavor and natural sweetness that make this sweet potato bread rich and moist. Do not boil them; the water adds too much moisture, and they tend to lack flavor.
- Don't overmix the batter: For that soft, tender crumb you want in any quick bread recipe, stir until the dry ingredients are just combined.
- Measure your flour the right way: Spoon and level instead of scooping to keep your sweet potato loaf light, not dense.
- Add oil for moisture. Oil helps your sweet potato bread stay moist for days.
- Warm spices make all the difference: Cinnamon, allspice, and ginger create that classic Southern spice flavor without being overpowering.
- Let it cool completely before slicing: Cooling helps the bread set up and slice cleanly.
- Wrap it well for storage: To keep that moist texture, wrap your sweet potato bread tightly in plastic or a large ziploc baggie and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days (or freeze for later).
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For the most accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information using the specific ingredients and brands you use.
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