Sweet Potato Biscuits

Square overhead shot of sweet potato biscuits in a cast iron skillet.

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

These old-fashioned Southern sweet potato biscuits are flaky, fluffy and just like Grandma made them!

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine Southern

Keyword sweet potato biscuit recipe, sweet potato biscuits

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 18

Total Time 33

Servings - 12 biscuits

Calories 259kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

3 cups self-rising flour (such as White Lily brand)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, cubed and chilled
1 ½ cups cold mashed cooked sweet potatoes
¾ cup cold whole buttermilk, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon salted butter, melted

Instructions

Lightly oil or grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet, or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together self-rising flour and sugar. Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut in the cold butter until the mixture is crumbly and some pea-size pieces of butter remain.
In a small bowl, whisk together mashed sweet potatoes and buttermilk.
Stir the potato mixture into the flour mixture just until the dry ingredients are moistened. If the dough is too dry, add a little bit more buttermilk. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add a bit more flour.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead 4-6 times. Press dough to 1-inch thickness. Using a round biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out biscuits and arrange in the cast iron skillet. Roll out the scraps once, and cut additional biscuits if necessary. Do not continue rolling and cutting or you may end up with tough biscuits.
Place the skillet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes so that the dough can chill while you preheat the oven. Preheat oven to 450°F.
Bake biscuits until golden brown and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Brush warm biscuits with melted butter and enjoy!

Notes

Use a cast iron skillet or a round cake pan. While you can bake these biscuits on a rimmed baking sheet, I find that they rise highest when tucked inside a round pan. The biscuits "climb" vertically on the sides of the pan, and don't spread horizontally. This creates tall, fluffy, flaky sweet potato biscuits.
Keep the ingredients COLD. It’s really important for the butter, sweet potatoes and buttermilk to stay as cold as possible. Leave them in the refrigerator until the last possible minute, and try not to touch the dough too much with your fingers, which can cause the butter to start to melt. You want those little pieces of butter to melt in the oven, releasing steam and reacting with the baking soda to form bubbles of carbon dioxide, which help the biscuits rise a mile high!
Grate Frozen Butter. My dad always freezes his butter and grates it into the dry ingredients, rather than cutting it in with a pastry blender or forks. Feel free to use that trick to keep your butter really cold, too!
Knead the Dough. By folding the dough over itself (or “laminating”) at least 4-6 times, you’ll add those nice flaky layers to the biscuits. No need for any fancy process or technique — just push out, fold back over on itself, and repeat. Don’t do this for too long, though, or you’ll get the dough too warm.
Don’t Twist the Biscuit Cutter. Firmly press the cutter down into the dough, but don’t actually twist. Twisting the biscuit cutter seals off the edges of the biscuits and they therefore will not rise as high.
Arrange the Biscuits with Sides Touching. Place the biscuits in the skillet so that they’re all touching their neighbors. This will help them “climb” in the oven so that you get that great, tall lift!

Nutrition