Sweet Potato Biscuits

A sweet potato biscuit on a counter with additional biscuits around it out of focus.

Made with just 7 simple ingredients and only about 20 minutes of prep, these Sweet Potato Biscuits are as easy to make as they are impressive and delicious.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings to 12 biscuits

Calories 305kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Mixing Bowls
Pastry blender or two knives
Baking Sheet
Parchment paper

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup cold unsalted butter cubed
1 cup mashed sweet potato (250g) (about 1 large potato)
¾ cup buttermilk (180ml)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and toss to coat in flour. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are pea-sized.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed sweet potato and buttermilk. Add to the flour mixture. Stir together using a spatula just until the mixture has mostly come together in a single mass.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times to bring the dough together. Roll or pat to a 1-inch thickness. Using a floured 2-inch round cutter, cut out the biscuits and place them on the baking sheet. Gather and reroll scraps once.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops appear dry and the bottoms are golden brown. Serve warm brushed with melted butter if desired.

Notes

Make sure your sweet potato puree is cold when adding it to the mix. I like to use leftover sweet potatoes or bake them the day before and chill them overnight. If the mash is hot when added to the mixture, it will melt the butter, resulting in a less flakey biscuit.
Invest in a pastry blender to make short work of cutting the butter into the flour. If you don’t have one, you can press the pieces of butter between your fingers, flattening them into little discs. Continue doing so until the butter is worked into small pieces.
Don’t overwork the dough. It will be slightly shaggy and crumbly once mixed together in the bowl — that’s totally normal! You’ll give it a few turns to bring it together, but don’t worry if a few little pieces still feel loose. They’ll bake up together just fine! And if you keep working the dough, the biscuits will be tough.

Nutrition