Sweet potato biscuits are buttery, tender biscuits made with chilled mashed sweet potatoes, cold salted butter, and heavy cream. A little pumpkin pie spice brings warmth without turning them into dessert, and the fold-and-stack method gives each biscuit those lovely, pull-apart layers.
This recipe makes about 10 biscuits. Allow 20 minutes for prep, at least 20 minutes for chilling, 12-14 minutes for baking, and a 5-minute rest before serving. For a simpler cream-based biscuit without sweet potato, try my Whipping Cream Biscuits.
Ingredients You'll Need
Plain, chilled sweet potatoes and cold dairy give this dough its rich flavor and tender crumb. You'll find the exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: keep a little extra nearby for shaping.
- Baking powder and baking soda: the two leaveners in the tested recipe.
- Kosher salt: balances the sweet potato and sugar.
- Pumpkin pie spice: a small amount for gentle warmth.
- Granulated sugar: lightly sweetens the dough.
- Salted butter: cold cubes for the dough, melted butter for brushing.
- Plain mashed sweet potatoes: smooth, chilled, and drained of excess liquid.
- Heavy whipping cream: use it cold.
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A Few Ingredient Notes Before You Start
Use plain cooked sweet potatoes, not leftover sweet potato casserole or a mash with added milk, butter, or sugar. Drain excess liquid before measuring, mash until smooth, and chill before mixing; otherwise, you're changing the moisture and richness of the tested dough.
For the spice substitution, replace the pumpkin pie spice with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger. Plain mashed butternut squash or canned pumpkin puree can replace the sweet potatoes, but their moisture may change the dough; the tested sweet potato version is your best reference for texture.
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Buy Now → Tools That Make It Easier
I use these tools when I make sweet potato biscuits: a baking sheet and parchment, medium and large mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a liquid measuring cup, whisk, pastry blender, rubber spatula, bench scraper, 3-inch biscuit cutter, pastry brush, and plastic wrap for loose covering. You'll also need a refrigerator, an oven that heats to 425°F, and oven mitts.
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Buy Now → How to Make Sweet Potato Biscuits
Make a shaggy dough, build the layers with four folding rounds, and chill the shaped biscuits before baking. Work gently; a rough dough with visible butter is the goal.
Step 1 - Get the mixtures ready. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the chilled mashed sweet potatoes and cold cream together in a medium bowl; in a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar until evenly combined.
Step 2 - Cut in the butter and bring the dough together. Use a pastry blender to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture, leaving small pieces throughout, some about the size of peas. Fold in the sweet potato mixture with a spatula until a rough, shaggy dough forms, stopping while a few loose patches of flour remain.
Step 3 - Fold, cut, and stack. Turn the dough onto a generously floured surface, lightly flour your hands, and press it into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Fold in half, cut crosswise into two equal pieces, stack them, and press into another 1-inch-thick rectangle; repeat this folding, cutting, and stacking process three more times, adding only enough flour to prevent sticking.
Step 4 - Cut the biscuits and brush with butter. Dip a 3-inch biscuit cutter in flour and cut straight down without twisting; gently gather the scraps, press to the same thickness, and cut the remaining biscuits. Place the biscuits on the prepared sheet with their edges touching, then brush the tops and exposed sides with melted butter.
Step 5 - Chill the shaped biscuits. Loosely cover the biscuits and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Step 6 - Bake and let them rest. Uncover and bake for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden on top and cooked through in the center; continue baking as needed if the centers remain doughy. Let the biscuits rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before serving warm.
Tips for Tender, Layered Biscuits
Keep the mixing brief and use the dough's texture as your guide. A few loose flour patches after folding in the sweet potato mixture are expected; the shaping step brings the dough together.
- Count the folds: the first fold, cut, and stack plus three repetitions makes four rounds total.
- Flour with restraint: start with a generously floured work surface, then use only enough additional flour to prevent sticking.
- Protect the cut edges: press the floured cutter straight down instead of twisting, and gently gather the scraps.
- Check the center: lightly golden tops don't replace the cooked-through check; keep baking if the middle is doughy.
Keeping Leftovers Fresh
Cool the biscuits completely before sealing them in an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days; reheat loosely wrapped in foil at 350°F until warm.
Can You Make These Biscuits Ahead?
You can bake these biscuits ahead and freeze them once cooled. Wrap each biscuit individually, place in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw before reheating or warm directly from frozen at 350°F, loosely covered with foil, until heated through.
The shaped biscuits need at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator before baking. Overnight dough storage and freezing unbaked biscuits aren't part of this tested method, so the make-ahead guidance here applies to baked biscuits.
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Buy Now → What to Serve with Sweet Potato Biscuits
Serve these biscuits warm with salted butter, honey, or apple butter. For a hearty meal, pair them with roast turkey, baked ham, chili, or scrambled eggs; they're also a lovely bread option alongside other Thanksgiving side dishes.
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Planning a holiday menu ahead of time? Browse my Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Side Dishes for recipes with their own tested prep and storage guidance.
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Recipe
PrintSweet Potato Biscuits
These sweet potato biscuits bake up tender and buttery, with golden layers and a hint of pumpkin pie spice. Serve them warm with butter, honey, or apple butter.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 14 mins
- Total Time: 59 mins
- Yield: About 10 biscuits 1x
- Category: Breads
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup salted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 1 cup plain mashed sweet potatoes, chilled
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted, for brushing
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the chilled mashed sweet potatoes and cold cream together in a medium bowl; in a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar until evenly combined.
- Use a pastry blender to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture, leaving small pieces throughout, some about the size of peas. Fold in the sweet potato mixture with a spatula until a rough, shaggy dough forms, stopping while a few loose patches of flour remain.
- Turn the dough onto a generously floured surface, lightly flour your hands, and press it into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Fold in half, cut crosswise into two equal pieces, stack them, and press into another 1-inch-thick rectangle; repeat this folding, cutting, and stacking process three more times, adding only enough flour to prevent sticking.
- Dip a 3-inch biscuit cutter in flour and cut straight down without twisting; gently gather the scraps, press to the same thickness, and cut the remaining biscuits. Place the biscuits on the prepared sheet with their edges touching, then brush the tops and exposed sides with melted butter.
- Loosely cover the biscuits and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Uncover and bake for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden on top and cooked through in the center; continue baking as needed if the centers remain doughy. Let the biscuits rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before serving warm.
Equipment
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Buy Now → Notes
Sweet potatoes: Use plain cooked sweet potatoes mashed until smooth and chilled before mixing. Drain away excess liquid before measuring. Avoid prepared sweet potato casserole or mash with added milk, butter, or sugar.
Substitutions: Replace pumpkin pie spice with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger. Plain mashed butternut squash or canned pumpkin puree may replace sweet potatoes; moisture differences may affect the dough.
Serving: Serve with salted butter, honey, or apple butter. Pair with roast turkey, baked ham, chili, or scrambled eggs.
Storage: Cool completely. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days. Reheat loosely wrapped in foil at 350°F until warm.
Freezing: Wrap cooled biscuits individually and freeze in a freezer bag up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating or warm directly from frozen at 350°F, loosely covered with foil, until heated through.
Timing: Prep 20 minutes; chill at least 20 minutes; bake 12-14 minutes, with extra time if centers remain doughy; rest 5 minutes. Total about 57-59 minutes with minimum chill, plus additional chilling or baking as needed. Numeric fields use the 14-minute upper baking time.
Tools and Equipment: Baking sheet; parchment paper; medium and large mixing bowls; measuring cups and spoons; liquid measuring cup; whisk; pastry blender; rubber spatula; bench scraper; 3-inch biscuit cutter; pastry brush; plastic wrap for loose covering; refrigerator; oven capable of 425°F; oven mitts. Storage: airtight container, aluminum foil, and freezer bag.
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