Sweet Potato Biscuits

I love a recipe that’s both easy to make and impressive, which is why I’ve been obsessed with making tall flaky biscuits lately. I find them to be the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of soup or stew. And no matter how many times I make them for my family, someone always tells me they are blown away by how good they are. Having perfected the basic biscuit recipe, I wanted to create a cozy winter-inspired version that pairs well with sweet toppings and savory dishes. I’m pretty confident that I nailed it with these gorgeous homemade sweet potato biscuits. 

Ingredient Notes And Substitutions

Here are a few notes about the primary ingredients for this sweet potato biscuit recipe.

• Sweet potatoes – Sweet potatoes are a good source of many nutrients, including fiber, potassium, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. This recipe is a great way to use up leftover mashed sweet potatoes, since it uses only ¾ cup. The addition of sweet potatoes give these biscuits a soft, tender crumb and a subtle sweetness that makes them irresistible. Adding sweet potato also is an easy way to give recipes a little boost of nutritional value. 

• Butter – I always reach for unsalted butter for baking but salted butter can work, too, by reducing the salt added to the flour mixture by half. I do not recommend using dairy-free or vegan butter due to its higher water content. I have not tested the recipe with shortening, so I cannot recommend its use.
• Flour – I use all-purpose flour to make my biscuits because I love how easy it is to create flaky layers with just a few rounds of patting and folding the dough.
• Buttermilk – Buttermilk helps create fluffy biscuits with a tender crumb because the acidity reacts with a leavening agent (such as baking soda or  baking powder) to create carbon dioxide, which causes the dough to rise when placed in the hot oven. Whole milk mixed with a splash of vinegar can be substituted for the buttermilk. 

 Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Make These Gluten-Free

Gluten-free flour blends such as King Arthur Measure For Measure and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour can be used in place of all-purpose wheat flour to make these biscuits gluten free. While developing this recipe I found that, while the measurement of the gluten free flour was the same as that for all-purpose wheat flour, the weight differed (270g vs 235g for all-purpose wheat flour). Increasing the baking time by 1 minute gave me the best results. 

As with many gluten-free baked goods, allowing them to cool completely results in the best texture. I recommend reheating them in a toaster oven before enjoying.

Kitchen Equipment To Gather

Here are a few kitchen tools needed to make the best biscuits from scratch.

• Box grater – Most often used to shred cheese, this versatile tool is my trick for making extra flaky biscuits. Grating the butter into small shreds makes it easy to incorporate it into the flour mixture before the butter starts to soften.
• Pastry blender – Also known as a pastry cutter. This tool is used to cut the butter into very small pieces without using hands, which causes the butter to soften or melt. Alternatively the flour mixture and chilled butter can be pulsed together in a food processor for a few seconds until the mixture resembles coarse sand. 
• Medium mixing bowl – When making biscuits I use a medium sized bowl rather than a large mixing bowl so that I’m not chasing the flour and butter all over while cutting the butter into the flour. This 8-cup measuring cup and batter bowl works perfectly for the job. 
• Bench scraper – This metal edge tool is not absolutely necessary for making biscuits (I’ve made hundreds of batches without one) but it’s really handy for tidying up jagged edges of dough and cutting the biscuits into squares to be baked.
• Parchment paper – This is helpful for lining the prepared baking sheet and ensures easy removal from the pan without added oil.

Making Sweet Potato Biscuits From Scratch

I really wanted to create a sweet potato biscuits recipe that anyone could make and do so confidently. So I included a step-by-step tutorial on how to make these homemade sweet potato biscuits. 

For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.

What These Pair Well With

I typically make these sweet potato biscuits to serve with a slow cooked beef stew or a simple yet flavorful soup featuring fragrant Italian sausage and harvest vegetables. Their cheery orange color makes them a fun addition to chicken pot pie soup, too. 

My favorite time to serve them, however, is at Thanksgiving. My family and friends love these flaky jewel-tone biscuits topped with homemade butter or honey butter. 

Use these biscuits in place of English muffins when making breakfast sandwiches. Or use them to make a post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich complete with a dollop of homemade cranberry sauce and a thin slice of havarti cheese.  

If I Have Any Leftovers

On the rare occasion I have leftover biscuits, I store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. I reheat them for 10-20 seconds in the microwave or warm them in the toaster oven before enjoying.

Leftover biscuits also can be frozen for up to 2 months. Simply thaw at room temperature and reheat in the oven or toaster oven for best results. 

More Of My Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes

• One-Dish Chicken Sweet Potato Bake with Broccoli
• Slow Cooker Chunky Beef Chili with Sweet Potatoes
• Instant Pot Chicken Sweet Potato Curry
• Sloppy Joe Bowls

Recipe Changelog

November 2025: Download the previous version here.

In the ingredients, the new version:

• Uses all-purpose flour instead of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 flour,
• Adds 1 tablespoon sugar,
• Increases baking powder (1 tbsp vs. 2½ tsp),
• Lowers salt (½ tsp vs. ¾ tsp),
• Expands nutmeg (⅛–¼ tsp vs. ⅛ tsp),
• Allows a buttermilk substitute (milk + vinegar),
• And gives gram measurements for flour.

In the instructions, the new recipe:

• Bakes at 425°F instead of 400°F,
• Adds step to lightly spray or line a baking sheet,
• Mixes sugar and nutmeg with dry ingredients (not done before),
• Uses a box grater for butter instead of a pastry blender or knives,
• Warns not to use hands to keep butter cold,
• Combines wet ingredients directly in the bowl instead of mixing separately,
• Skips kneading into a ball, instead folds the dough 4 times for layers,
• Shapes into a 1-inch-thick rectangle (not a ½–¾-inch disk),
• Cuts into 8 squares (no circular cutter or re-rolling scraps),
• Bakes 13–15 minutes (not 15–17) and omits rotating the pan,
• Adds instructions to cool on pan 5 minutes, then wire rack,
• And includes storage and reheating directions.

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The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.

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