Sweet potato gives these biscuits a warm orange color and a little sweetness without turning them into dessert. They’re buttery enough to eat warm with nothing added, but a split biscuit with melting butter and a drizzle of maple syrup is hard to pass up.
The dough starts with cold mashed sweet potato and frozen, grated butter. Pat it out, cut your rounds, and brush the tops with milk before baking. You can also cut squares if you’d rather skip the biscuit cutter and avoid gathering scraps.
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What You’ll Need
There are eight ingredients in the dough, with a little extra milk for brushing the tops. The full amounts are in the recipe card below. Measure the dry ingredients first so the cold ingredients can stay in the fridge or freezer until you need them.
Mashed sweet potato: Use plain, cooked sweet potato that has been mashed and chilled. You’ll need 1 cup (245 g). If you’re using leftovers, choose plain mash rather than a sweetened casserole or mash already mixed with butter and milk.
Cold milk and apple cider vinegar: Stir these together first and set them aside while you get the other ingredients ready. Keep a little extra milk for brushing over the biscuits before baking.
Maple syrup: The recipe gives you a range of 1–2 tablespoons. The smaller amount suits a biscuit served with a savory dinner; the larger amount adds a little more sweetness for breakfast.
All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt: Stir these together thoroughly before adding the butter. Weighing the flour is useful here; too much packed into a measuring cup can make the dough drier than intended.
Frozen unsalted butter: Grating makes it easier to distribute through the flour. Leave it in small pieces instead of working it into a smooth paste, and keep your handling brief so it stays cold.
Prepare the Sweet Potato Before You Start
Peel the sweet potato and cut it into chunks. Simmer, covered, until the pieces are very soft, then drain well and mash. You can also bake the sweet potato in a covered baking dish, then peel and mash it.
Refrigerate the mash until completely cold before measuring out what you need. This is a useful job to do ahead of time: the biscuit dough comes together quickly once the sweet potato is ready, but freshly cooked mash needs time to chill. The recipe timing below starts with cold, cooked sweet potato.
How to Make Sweet Potato Biscuits, Step by Step
Step 1: Mix the milk and vinegar
Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C and line a baking sheet with parchment. Stir the apple cider vinegar into the cold milk and set it aside to curdle while you measure the other ingredients.
Have the cooked, mashed sweet potato cold and ready before you start. Warm mash will soften the butter when the dough comes together.
Step 2: Whisk the sweet potato mixture
In a medium bowl, whisk the cold mashed sweet potato, maple syrup, and milk mixture until smooth. Use 1 tablespoon of maple syrup for a less sweet biscuit or 2 tablespoons if you want a little more sweetness.
Break up any lumps of sweet potato now. Once the wet and dry ingredients meet, you want to do as little mixing as possible.
Step 3: Work the butter into the flour
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the frozen, grated butter and work it through the flour with your fingertips, leaving small pieces throughout.
Work briefly rather than rubbing the mixture completely smooth. The butter should still be in little pieces when you add the sweet potato mixture.
Step 4: Bring the dough together gently
Add the sweet potato mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir gently, cutting through the mixture with your spoon or spatula, just until combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Use your hands to bring it together without kneading it smooth. Extra mixing and handling can make the biscuits tough.
Step 5: Pat out the dough and cut the biscuits
Pat the dough into an oblong about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Use a 2-inch (5 cm) round cutter to cut out biscuits, dusting the cutter with flour if it sticks. Gently gather the scraps, pat them out again, and cut more rounds, for about 10 biscuits total.
If you prefer, pat the dough into a rectangle and cut it into even squares. That avoids gathering and cutting scraps a second time.
Step 6: Brush with milk, bake, and rest
Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with a little milk. Bake for 13–16 minutes, until the bottom edges are just golden brown and the tops feel firm. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Look at the bottom edges as well as the tops when checking for doneness. Serve the biscuits warm after their short rest, with butter or alongside a bowl of soup.
Tips for Tender Biscuits
Cold mash matters as much as cold butter. It’s easy to remember to freeze the butter and overlook the sweet potato. Have both ready before mixing so the butter stays in pieces through the dough.
Leave the dough a little rough. You only need it to hold together well enough to pat and cut. Kneading away every crack adds handling the dough doesn’t need.
Keep the thickness consistent. Aim for about ¾ inch across the dough so the biscuits bake evenly. When gathering scraps, press them together gently instead of kneading them into a tight ball.
Give them the short rest. Let the biscuits cool for at least 10 minutes before splitting them. They’ll still be warm enough for butter, but easier to handle than straight from the oven.
Serving and Making Ahead
For breakfast, split a warm biscuit and add butter, honey, or maple syrup. For dinner, serve them with stew or a bowl of loaded potato soup. The sweet potato flavor works with both sweet and savory meals.
To get ahead, cook and chill the sweet potato before baking day and measure the dry ingredients separately. Wait to grate and work in the butter until you’re ready to make the dough. Starting with the mash prepared takes the longest part out of the morning.
A Few Questions Before You Start
Can I use leftover mashed sweet potato?
Yes, if it is plain and cold. Sweetened or heavily seasoned mash changes the recipe, as does mash with milk or butter already mixed in. Measure 1 cup (245 g) for this dough.
Do I need a biscuit cutter?
No. Pat the dough into a rectangle about ¾ inch thick and cut it into even squares. Keep them similar in size so they bake evenly.
Why does the sweet potato have to be cold?
Warm mash can soften the grated butter before the biscuits go into the oven. Chill the cooked sweet potato completely so the butter stays in small pieces as you mix.
Are these sweet or savory?
They sit comfortably between the two. Sweet potato adds flavor and a little sweetness, and you can use either 1 or 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Serve them with soup or add butter and a sweet drizzle at breakfast.
Why did my biscuits turn out tough?
Too much mixing or handling can make biscuit dough tough. Stir only until combined, pat the dough into shape, and gather scraps gently. Measuring the flour carefully also helps avoid an overly dry dough.
Does the recipe need an egg?
No. This dough uses sweet potato, milk, and butter without any egg. Brush the tops with milk before baking, as directed.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Buttery sweet potato biscuits with a tender middle, made with cold mash and frozen, grated butter.
Total: about 33–36 minutes including a 10-minute rest; excludes cooking and chilling the sweet potato.
Equipment
- Baking sheet and parchment paper
- Medium and large mixing bowls
- Box grater, whisk, and mixing spoon or spatula
- Kitchen scale or measuring cups and spoons
- 2-inch round cutter, or a knife for square biscuits
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix the milk and vinegar. Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C and line a baking sheet with parchment. Stir the apple cider vinegar into the cold milk and set it aside to curdle while you measure the other ingredients.
- Whisk the sweet potato mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk the cold mashed sweet potato, maple syrup, and milk mixture until smooth. Use 1 tablespoon of maple syrup for a less sweet biscuit or 2 tablespoons if you want a little more sweetness.
- Work the butter into the flour. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the frozen, grated butter and work it through the flour with your fingertips, leaving small pieces throughout.
- Bring the dough together gently. Add the sweet potato mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir gently, cutting through the mixture with your spoon or spatula, just until combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- Pat out the dough and cut the biscuits. Pat the dough into an oblong about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Use a 2-inch (5 cm) round cutter to cut out biscuits, dusting the cutter with flour if it sticks. Gently gather the scraps, pat them out again, and cut more rounds, for about 10 biscuits total. Alternatively, pat into a rectangle and cut into even squares.
- Brush with milk, bake, and rest. Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with a little milk. Bake for 13–16 minutes, until the bottom edges are just golden brown and the tops feel firm. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
For another bake to serve with coffee, try our maple chocolate chip cookies.