These soft, homemade sweet potato biscuits will literally melt in your mouth with how tender, fluffy, and moist they are. Made with fresh sweet potato puree, the biscuits bake up quickly in a cast iron skillet — a classic Southern touch! Smother with butter and honey, and enjoy!
You are going to instantly fall in love with this recipe. Unlike your traditional Cast iron skillet buttermilk biscuits or cheddar chive buttermilk biscuits that are full of flaky layers, sweet potato biscuits are soft like clouds and almost melt in your mouth!
We are going to use a little bit of a different technique for these, unlike regular biscuits. No cutting in cold butter or buttermilk for this recipe (similar to Jalapeño cheddar drop biscuits) - we are actually using MELTED butter instead! These are foolproof and easy and staple southern-style breakfast recipes I know you will love. Mixed together fresh sweet potato puree, milk, brown sugar, flour, and some spices and this is a biscuit recipe anyone can do!
Enjoy these tender little treats warm and smothered with butter, your favorite jams, or my personal favorite, as mini ham sandwiches. Serve these for breakfast or brunch, or the little sandwiches at a tailgate, bridal or wedding shower, or a party where an appetizer is required!
Key Ingredient Notes
This recipe has been a staple in my family's catering business for decades. I have been making this alongside my mom for a long time now and these are some helpful things I have learned when making it along the way.
- Baking Powder - make sure you have fresh baking powder - like within the past 6 months. I write the date on the lid so I don't forget to replace it every 6 months, even if it isn't used all the way (and it usually isn't). If you have old baking powder, this will affect the rise of the biscuits - they will not turn out as tall and tender as they should.
- Sweet Potato - you will need either 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, just depending on the size of them. Go ahead peel and dice them into small cubes. You will then drain and mash with a potato masher* in a bowl before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Butter - unlike your traditional southern buttermilk biscuits, we need the opposite of what is normally needed when it comes to fats and biscuit making. The butter will need to be melted for this recipe - not cold! I know, it's completely different, but these fluffy sweet potato biscuits are more moist and tender than a traditional flaky biscuit.
- Milk - I recommend using whole milk only.
Equipment Needed
You will need a couple of tools that will make this recipe just a bit easier.
- Rolling Pin
- Biscuit Cutter or Cookie Cutter - the tools needed for cutting out the biscuits
- Cast Iron Skillet - they dish to baking biscuits in
- Pastry Scraper - this is optional, but I find this most helpful in scraping off the countertops of biscuit dough when cleaning up after
Step-By-Step Instructions
How to prep your cast iron skillet for homemade biscuits - on a paper towel, take some lard or shortening and rub it all around your cast iron skillet before placing the biscuits inside. This helps prep the pan and prevents the biscuits from sticking to the bottom while baking.
Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a cast iron skillet with a little bit of shortening and set aside.
Prep sweet potatoes. Add a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes into small cubes. Place the sweet potato in the boiling water and cook until fork tender - for about 10-15 minutes. Once tender, remove from the heat, drain in a strainer, add to a bowl, and mash until smooth with a fork. Set aside to cool slightly while you prep the rest.
Prep Dough. Place dough on a countertop and gently bring it together with your hands and a rolling pin in a round disk around about ½" high.
PRO TIP - do not overwork the dough! To keep sweet potato biscuits soft - the key is you CANNOT overwork the tender dough. Bring together the dough with your hands and use gentle pressure with the rolling pin. You do not want to be squeezing, pressing, rolling hard, and bringing the dough together a bunch. This will result in dense biscuits that will not be tender and rise tall. The dough will be crumbly throughout the process and that is ok and correct.
Recipe
Sweet Potato Biscuits with Sweet Potato Puree
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10
Description
These soft, homemade sweet potato biscuits will literally melt in your mouth with how tender, fluffy and moist they are. Made with fresh sweet potato puree, the biscuits bake-up quickly in a cast iron skillet — a classic Southern touch! Smother with butter and honey, and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cup Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¾ Cup Sweet Potato (about 1 large or 2 small ones)- peeled, cooked, and mashed
- ¼ Cup Butter - melted
- 4 Tablespoons Milk
- ¼ Cup Butter - melted for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a cast iron skillet with a little bit of shortening and set aside.
- Prep sweet potatoes. Add a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes into small cubes. Place the sweet potato in the boiling water and cook until fork tender - for about 10-15 minutes. Once tender, remove from the heat, drain in a strainer, add to a bowl, and mash until smooth with a fork. Set aside to cool slightly while you prep the rest.
- Mix dry ingredients. Mix together the flour, sugar, and spices in a large bowl.
- Add in wet ingredients. Add mashed sweet potatoes, melted butter, and milk to the flour mixture. Gently mix together with a spatula until a soft dough has formed - do not overwork the dough. It will look a little crumbly and that's ok!
- Prep Dough. Place dough on a countertop and gently bring it together with your hands and a rolling pin in a round disk around about ½" high.
- Cutting biscuits. With a 2" round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut straight down into the dough and lift up. Gently place in a cast iron skillet. Repeat until all the dough has been used, allowing the biscuits to touch in the skillet - being gentle to bring it together each time and not overwork the dough. Brush the tops with melted butter.
- Baking biscuits Place the cast iron skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 14-15 minutes. When finished, remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Notes
- Leftover biscuits can be stored in a zip-top bag for 3 days.
To Make Ahead and Freeze
- Follow the recipe for the biscuits as directed. Cool completely. Place on a baking sheet and place in the freezer to flash freeze for 30 minutes. Put in a freezer-safe ziptop bag and seal airtight. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Place in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw before serving.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 biscuit
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 130 mg
- Fat: 9.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 2.1 g
- Cholesterol: 24.5 mg
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