Sweet Potato Biscuits
Bite into fluffy, steamy goodness fresh out of the oven with these sweet potato biscuits. These golden beauties are a fantastic spin on a classic Southern recipe that your whole family will love. Trust me when I say there will be no leftovers.
As usual, a little Southern thrift turned a classic recipe into something equally amazing. Regular biscuits usually call for milk or buttermilk, which are perishable and sometimes expensive. Instead, this sweet potato biscuit recipe calls for sweet potatoes – a root vegetable that is cheap and abundant, not to mention flavorful.
Now, just because this is a thrifty recipe doesn’t mean it skimps on flavor. Honestly, this easy recipe for sweet potato biscuits is one of my favorites! It only calls for six ingredients, you can whip it up in a flash, and the biscuits turn out ultra-moist with an incredibly delicious, earthy flavor that is second to none.
How to Enjoy Sweet Potato Biscuits
There’s no right or wrong answer here. I love to make this sweet potato biscuit recipe as a side to savory meals like roast turkey or baked chicken. But they work well with just about any meal you want to serve bread with. But I also love to make these for breakfast. A hot cup of coffee and a warm sweet potato biscuit slathered in honey butter or homemade jam is a fantastic way to kick off the day if you ask me.
How to Make Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Mix the dry ingredients, add the cold, chopped butter, add the sweet potato puree, and lightly knead the dough.
- Roll the dough out, cut the biscuits out with a cookie cutter or large drinking glass, place on the baking sheet, and bake until golden brown.
Tips and Tricks
- Turn this recipe savory by omitting the sugar and adding cooked, chopped bacon for a fantastic breakfast biscuit.
- Make a fall-inspired version with a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
- Cold butter ensures even fat distribution throughout the dough. You can either freeze and grate it, or chill it in the fridge, cut it into small chunks, and chill it again before cutting it into the dry ingredients.
- Let your biscuits rest for a few minutes after removing them from the oven before serving. This allows time for the crumb to set and will keep the biscuits light and airy when you cut them open or bite into them.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
You can make these biscuits up to three days in advance. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature, then reheat them in a 350℉ (180℃) oven for about 10 minutes or microwave for about 15 seconds if you want them to taste freshly baked. Of course, they’re still delicious, even at room temperature.
What Goes With Sweet Potato Biscuits
Use them as a side with smoked turkey or roasted chicken, or add them to your Thanksgiving charcuterie board. These little biscuits never go unappreciated.
They also go great with breakfast foods. Serve them up with hot coffee and a Western omelet. So good!
More Melt-in-Your-Mouth Biscuit Recipes to Try
- Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits
- Butter Biscuits
- Fluffy Cathead Biscuits
- Easy Drop Biscuits
- Southern-Style Biscuits
By Imma
This blog post was originally published in November 2022 and has been updated with additional tips and beautiful photos.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour, spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off with the back edge of a knife
- 3-4 tablespoons (50g) sugar
- 4 teaspoons (16g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, frozen and grated
- 1 cup (240ml) sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (see notes)
- ¼-½ cup (55-120g) buttermilk (optional, see sweet potato notes)
Instructions
- Sift flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Quickly grate frozen butter into the bowl of flour. Alternatively, you can quickly cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; this might take about 5 minutes. Your flour should be crumbly with pea-sized chunks. Let the bowl rest in the fridge if there is any wait time.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl, add mashed sweet potatoes, and stir until it barely comes together. DO NOT OVER-MIX because you want those flakes. Let the dough rest in the fridge for about 10 minutes while you prepare your work surface.
- Sprinkle flour onto a board or clean surface. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on the board. Knead 3-4 times – just enough for it to come together. You will still see flakes of butter in the dough. Again, don't overmix.
- Gently, gently pat the dough with your hands or roll it out to about ½″ thick.
- Fold the dough into thirds, roll it out again, and repeat folding the dough into thirds and rolling it out a couple of times to ensure flakiness. After the folding is complete, gently press the dough down to 1 inch thick, ready to be cut.
- Use a 2- or 3-inch round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to cut out the biscuits. Firmly push it straight down, then pull it up. Use your fingers to gently loosen the dough from the cutter and space them out equally across your prepared baking sheet.
- Knead any leftover scraps of dough and repeat until all of the dough is used up. They might not look as pretty as the rest, but they will pass the taste test.
- Lightly brush with buttermilk or cream.
- Bake at 400℉ (205℃) for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. While they are baking, melt the butter.
- Remove the biscuits from the oven, immediately brush them with melted butter, and serve with honey if desired.
Tips & Notes:
- How much moisture is in the mashed sweet potatoes depends on the kind of potato, which makes this recipe a little tricky. If your sweet potatoes are the drier kind, add a little buttermilk at a time until the dough comes together (it may take ¼-½ cup; use your best judgment).
- Knead lightly and quickly so the biscuits don’t become tough.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
These biscuits turned out delicious and picture perfect! The detailed instruction was insightful as well as the pictures. I am an experienced bakers, but these are the best biscuits I have ever made. Thank you so much!
Hi Sarah,
You’re very welcome! I’m absolutely delighted to hear that the biscuits turned out so well for you, especially given that you’re an experienced baker. That’s high praise indeed!
Detailed instructions and pictures can make all the difference, especially for recipes that require a bit of technique, like biscuits. I’m thrilled that you found them helpful.
Thank you for sharing your experience and your kind words. It’s feedback like this that makes the food community so enriching. Keep baking and keep enjoying! ️✨
Can I substitute whole wheat flour?
Yes, you can. However, whole wheat flour is a lot thirstier, so I would use slightly less than 2 cups, instead of 2½ cups.