These Sweet Potato Bars have a creamy maple-sweetened filling and a pecan oat crumble that doubles as the crust for an easy dessert.

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Sweet potato pie is one of those desserts that always feels timeless, no matter the season. These bars take that nostalgic flavor and turn it into something easy to share. The crust and crumble topping are made from the same mixture of ground oats and pecans, blended in a food processor. This base bakes into something buttery and nutty, with just the right amount of crunch. The filling centers on the sweet potatoes, with maple syrup adding depth and warmth that complement the earthy flavor of the starchy potatoes.

Between the sweet potatoes, oats, and nuts, there’s something about these that feels a bit more wholesome than your average dessert. Maybe it’s the ingredients. Or maybe it’s the fact that my family has, more than once, eaten them for breakfast 🤗 Regardless of when or where you serve this, these sweet potato bars will always be a hit.

How to Make It

The sweet potatoes are the heart of this recipe, and they should be roasted until they’re very soft, with a few caramelized spots where the sugars have bubbled out. Roasting concentrates their flavor and cooks off excess moisture, which gives the filling the right texture. I tested boiling the sweet potatoes and using canned sweet potatoes in this recipe, and the results were pretty dismal, so roasting is the way to go.

Most of the remaining prep happens in the food processor. You don’t need to wash the bowl between steps unless you prefer to, but brush out any leftover crumbs from the pecan-oat mixture before making the filling.

Here’s is a brief visual overview of the steps:

The pecans and oats ground finely in a food processor.

Step 1: Process the oats, then add the pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Step 2: With the food processor running, slowly pour in the melted butter until it is fully combined.

The maple oat pecan crumble topping and crust being mixed together.

Step 3: Transfer ¾ cup of the pecan oat mixture to a small bowl, stir in the remaining oats. This is the crumble; set it aside.

The crumble being added to the baking pan as the crust.

Step 4: Press the remaining mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan to form the crust.

The baked crust for the sweet potato pie bars.

Step 5: Bake the crust until the edges are lightly golden and the middle is matte.

Step 6: Scoop the sweet potato flesh into the food processor and blend until smooth.

Step 7: Add the cream, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, maple extract, and spices.

A creamy sweet potato mixture in a food processor.

Step 8: Process until the mixture is smooth.

Spreading the sweet potato filling onto the baked crust.

Step 9: Pour the sweet potato filling over the baked crust, spread it evenly, and sprinkle the reserved crumble on top.

Baked sweet potato pie bars with a pecan crumble topping fresh from the oven.

Step 10: Bake until the filling is mostly set and puffed up on the edges.

Serving + Storing

Cool the bars completely before slicing evenly into 9 servings. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They’ll soften slightly over time.

A sweet potato bar with a pecan topping served on a white plate.

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Sweet Potato Bars with Pecan Oat Crumble

Recipe by Kelli Avila

These Pecan Oat Sweet Potato Pie Bars have all the flavor of sweet potato pie, baked in a square pan so they’re easy to cut and share. The oats and pecans get ground together and pressed into the pan for the crust, so there’s no pie dough to roll out. A little of that mixture gets set aside and mixed with whole oats for the topping, which gives it more texture and a classic crumble look. Since the crust and topping use oats and pecans instead of flour, these bars are gluten-free. Roast the sweet potatoes ahead of time and toast the pecans while the oven is already on, just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

Print Recipe

Total Time02:05
Yield9 servings

Ingredients

For Oat-Pecan Crumble:

1-½ cups (120 grams) old-fashioned oats, divided
1 cup (160 grams) pecans, toasted
⅓ cup packed (65 grams) dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt (see note)
½ cup (112 grams) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the baking pan

For Filling:

2 medium to large sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total), roasted until tender
½ cup (112 grams) heavy cream
½ cup (160 grams) maple syrup
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Pinch of ground cloves
½ teaspoon maple extract (optional)

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Instructions

Make the Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place an oven rack in the lower-middle part of the oven. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line it with two pieces of parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides for easy removal.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse 1-¼ cups (100 grams) of the oats until finely ground. Add the pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and pulse until the pecans are finely ground and the mixture resembles coarse sand. With the food processor running, pour in the melted butter and process until combined.
Transfer ¾ cup of the oat-pecan mixture to a small bowl, stir in the remaining ¼ cup oats, and set aside for the topping. Press the remaining mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan in an even layer. Wipe out the food processor bowl and set it aside for the filling.
Bake the crust until the edges are lightly golden and the surface looks matte, about 10 minutes.

Make the Filling:

While the crust bakes, scoop the flesh from the sweet potatoes into the food processor bowl. Process until smooth, then add the cream, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and maple extract, if using. Process until completely smooth.
Pour the filling over the baked crust and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved oat crumble evenly over the top.
Return the baking pan to the oven and bake until the filling is set and puffed around the edges with a slight jiggle in the center, 40-45 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan, then use the parchment to lift the bars out and slice.

Notes

Since the pecans get finely ground, pecan pieces work just as well as halves and are often cheaper.

A portion of the oats stays whole for the topping. It’s a slightly fussy step, but it gives the crumble a better texture and a more classic look.

This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If using Morton’s kosher salt or fine salt, you’ll need less by volume, so start with half and adjust to taste.

Roasting takes longer than boiling, but it’s worth it because it concentrates the flavor and prevents the filling from becoming watery. I’ve tested this recipe with canned sweet potato, and the results were disappointing. It turned out thin and bland, missing that deep, creamy sweet potato flavor.

Originally published in 2018, these Sweet Potato Bars have been updated with a few minor adjustments to the ingredients to improve the texture and the directions streamlined.

Prep Time: 00:15
Roasting Sweet Potatoes: 00:60
Cook Time: 00:50
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking

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