Sweet Potato Biscuits
Old-fashioned sweet potato biscuits! Fluffy, light, and so easy to make. A perfect addition to your fall menu. Made the southern way, with tangy buttermilk!
The Thanksgiving countdown is on, my friend!
Where are you at with your menu planning? I think I have ours pretty well set. I’m going to make my shopping list out tomorrow and hit the store on Monday morning.
We are having all the old favorites: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. And plenty of pies! This year I’m going to make apple pie, pumpkin pie, and chocolate pecan pie.
And I’ve made a last minute addition that will make my southern soul-food loving husband very happy: sweet potato biscuits.
WHAT ARE SWEET POTATO BISCUITS?
Sweet potato biscuits are a southern tradition. They can be served for breakfast, brunch, or along with dinner as a side dish or appetizer.
They’re basically a buttermilk biscuit, with a little mashed sweet potato thrown in for body and sweetness.
Biscuits are great because they’re tender, fluffy, and so quick to make. They are a quick bread- no yeast required. They’re leavened with baking powder, so you don’t have to knead the dough and there’s no waiting around for the bread to rise.
HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO BISCUITS
You are going to love how quick and easy it is to make homemade sweet potato biscuits! They come together in just a few minutes.
Start by combining the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Just give these dry ingredients a quick whisk.
Then add your mashed sweet potato. I like to use a roasted sweet potato. If you have any leftover roasted sweet potatoes, they are perfect for this recipe! Just make sure they’re completely cool.
If you don’t have time to roast a sweet potato, you can use canned sweet potato puree.
Throw in the butter as well, and cut everything in until only pea-sized pieces of butter remain. I like to use a pastry blender for this step, but if you don’t have one, you can do it in the food processor. Or go old-school with two knives!
The last ingredient is the buttermilk. Buttermilk is so good in biscuits! It’s thick and rich, and the natural acidity helps to activate the baking powder and allow the sweet potato biscuits to rise up fluffy and tall.
Once the dough comes together into a ball, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and pat it into a disk shape. You want it to be about an inch to an inch and a half thick. Then, just cut your rounds. A two-inch round cutter produces the perfect size biscuits.
They will spread quite a bit as they bake, so place them on the baking sheet with about an inch in between.
Bake the sweet potato biscuits in a really hot oven! When the cold butter hits a hot oven, steam is released. This will cause your biscuits to puff up nice and tall!
WHAT GOES WITH SWEET POTATO BISCUITS?
Sweet potato biscuits are delicious as-is. There’s really no need to add a single thing!
But you could always split them and top them with a little butter. Or honey butter!
They’re also really good with a bit of ham or smoked turkey, and a smudge of whole grain mustard.
Or you could try spreading them with a little apple butter, to really bring out that seasonal fall flavor!
HOW LONG WILL SWEET POTATO BISCUITS LAST?
These sweet potato biscuits will keep at room temperature for a day or two (loosely covered), or in the fridge for about 4 or 5 days.
CAN SWEET POTATO BISCUITS BE FROZEN?
These biscuits hold up really well in the freezer for several weeks to a month.
Let them cool completely, then pop them into a zip-top bag and freeze. Whenever you want to enjoy one, just thaw it in the microwave for about 15 seconds, or in a warm oven for about 10 minutes.
They’ll be just as delicious as the day they were made!
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to put homemade bread on your holiday dinner menu, look no further than this easy sweet potato biscuits recipe!
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Sweet Potato Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (133 g) mashed roasted sweet potato, , cold
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter,, cold
- 1/4 cup (60 g) buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the mashed sweet potato and butter, and cut in with a pastry blender.
- Stir in the buttermilk until the dough gathers itself into a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and pat it into a disk shape, about 1 1/2 inches thick.
- Cut rounds with a 2-inch diameter cutter, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown on the bottom and around the edges.
My first time baking your Sweet potato biscuits and they are very delicious. Thank you.
Will canned sweet potatoes (yams) that are drained work? Sounds delicious! Looking forward to trying this recipe!
I have not tried that so I can’t say for sure.
Husband says put “5” stars on that one.
Awesome, thank you!
I made these with spelt flour and they were lovely.
Great to know! Thank you so much for sharing that. People are always asking me about using alternative flours, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day for me to test every recipe with every kind of flour! So I’m sure this will be really helpful for other readers to read.
Can almond or coconut flour be substituted in place of the white flour? My daughter and are preparing to try your recipe.
Thank you
Amber
I’m so sorry but I have not tried that so I can’t say for sure. If you decide to give that a try will you loop back and let me know how it works out? Thanks!
Wonderful recipe. I used my husband’s grandmother’s toothed biscuit cutter and floured it with each cut. They puffed up beautifully! Prettiest and tastiest biscuits I have ever made. Thank you!
So happy to hear that Sharon! Thanks so much for the great feedback!
Would it work to freeze the cut biscuits, then bake off from frozen?
Hey Dina! I haven’t tried that myself so I can’t say for certain. My only concern would be that the baking powder might be spent by the time they’re frozen and then thawed. But if you’re using double-acting baking powder it might be ok… If you decide to try it will you let me know how it works out? I typically just freeze them already baked and then re-warm.
One of my fave brunch spots in Raleigh serves these gems and it’s my fave breakfast treat. They sprinkle a little cinnamon/brown sugar on top before baking and it gives it this yummy crusty glaze. Then they fill them with whatever you like (I go for ham, egg, and cheese). So happy to have stumbled across this recipe so I can have them at home! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure Sherry! I hope these taste as good as the ones at your favorite spot. Your description made my mouth water!
Hi! Is that really 500 desgrees F? Or is it 400°F?
Yes, that is correct! 500 degrees F.
I love the natural color to these because of the sweet potato, and the taste is fantastic as well!
These look so fluffy! Love all of your ideas of the delicious ways to enjoy these sweet potato biscuits!