Sweet Potato Biscuits

Name: Sweet Potato Biscuits
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup pureed or mashed sweet potato ((about 1 medium potato)); ¼ cup of plant-based milk; ¼ teaspoon of salt; 1 ½ cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour; 1 tablespoon of baking powder; 4 tablespoons of chilled vegan butter or coconut oil

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These moist, fluffy, and naturally sweet Southern-style vegan sweet potato biscuits are easy to make with simple ingredients in less than 30 minutes, making them the perfect addition to your weeknight dinners or Thanksgiving and Christmas menus!

baked sweet potato biscuits on a wire rack.

Fluffy and Budget-Friendly Sweet Potato Biscuits in 30 Minutes
Ingredients and Substitutes
What Else Could I Add to Sweet Potato Biscuits?
How to Make Sweet Potato Biscuits
FAQs
Pro Recipe Tips
Serving Suggestions
Storage Instructions
Sweet Potato Biscuits Recipe

Fluffy and Budget-Friendly Sweet Potato Biscuits in 30 Minutes

Perfect vegan side dishes come in many forms, from curried carrot ginger soup to vegan green bean casserole to cauliflower casserole. However, there’s something so special about freshly baked vegan biscuits. Warm, fluffy, and ‘buttery’, no one can resist when a basket of biscuits gets passed around the table!

But today, we want to change the classic biscuits for something a little sweeter and Southern-inspired: these vegan sweet potato biscuits!

Inspired by Paula Deen’s sweet potato biscuits, our veganized version does not disappoint. Light, fluffy, and loaded with balanced sweet and savory flavors, these sweet potato biscuits are great for soaking up the gravy on your holiday dinner plates, dunking in hearty soups and stews, or adding to a batch of vegan stuffing.

These biscuits are a must-have for our holiday meals not only because we love their cozy savory-sweet flavor but also because they’re incredibly convenient. They’re easy to make with just a handful of pantry baking staples and fresh sweet potato mash in only 30 minutes. They’re freezer-friendly and easy to prepare ahead of time, too!

Looking for more vegan holiday side dish staples? Try easy cornbread stuffing, slow cooker pumpkin soup, or caramelized brussels sprouts.

Ingredients and Substitutes

ingredients for sweet potato biscuits with labels.

What Else Could I Add to Sweet Potato Biscuits?

Sugar: Sweet potatoes are already sweet but 1 to 2 tablespoons of white or brown sugar can elevate this natural sweetness. If you don’t want to use granulated sugar, use maple syrup instead, but reduce the plant milk by 1 tablespoon so the dough isn’t too wet.
Warm spices: Add 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon or nutmeg for a warm sweetness. We love this variation when we’re serving the biscuits at Thanksgiving dinner!
Squash: Swap the mashed sweet potatoes for butternut squash, like in these butternut squash sage biscuits, or use pumpkin puree.
Herbs: Fresh or dried herbs, like rosemary, thyme, sage, or chives, will give the biscuits a warm, herbal flavor. If you have a stash of fresh herbs on hand, check out this guide on how to properly store herbs.
Vegan cheese: Top the biscuits with shredded vegan cheddar cheese before they go into the oven. Once they’re done baking, they’ll have irresistible ‘cheesy’ tops!
Shiny glaze: Brush the sweet potato biscuits with a little melted vegan butter or maple syrup as soon as they come out of the oven.
Apple cider vinegar: Stir 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into the plant milk before adding it to the dough. This vegan buttermilk mixture will give you even fluffier, tangier biscuits!

How to Make Sweet Potato Biscuits

process shot showing whisking ingredients in container

process shot showing mixing ingredients in bowl

Step 1: Whisk the sweet potato puree and plant milk together in a glass measuring cup until smooth.

Step 2: Combine the salt, flour, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Then, use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut the cold vegan butter into the flour mixture.

You’ll know the vegan butter is perfectly incorporated into the dry mixture when the dough has a grainy texture, the vegan butter pieces are pea-sized, and the dough sticks together when you pinch some between your fingers.

process shot showing adding batter to baking sheet

Step 3: Fold the sweet potato mixture into the dry ingredients. Then, knead the dough until it’s somewhat smooth.

Step 4: Use an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup to scoop the dough out of the bowl and onto a baking sheet. Then, press them down to slightly flatten the tops and bake the biscuits until they’re lightly golden and crisp on top.

FAQs

Can the biscuits be made gluten-free?

While it hasn’t been tested, you should be fine to swap the regular flour for a quality gluten-free flour blend.

Can I make the dough in a food processor instead?

Of course! Gently pulse the cold vegan butter into the dry mix only until it looks coarse and the vegan butter pieces become pea-sized. Avoid overmixing the dough or else you could end up with dry biscuits.

Can I freeze the biscuit dough and bake it later?

Yes, this is a great way to save time! Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet as normal, then freeze until the dough mounds are solid. Transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to bake, either defrost the dough balls overnight in the fridge before baking or bake them from frozen, adding an extra 5 to 8 minutes to the bake time.

Pro Recipe Tips

To make sweet potato puree: Either bake the potato in the oven (poke it with a fork all over, wrap it in foil, and bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 350ºF), zap it in the microwave (poke it with a fork all over, wrap it in a damp kitchen towel, and cook for 4 to 7 minutes), or steam or boil the peeled potato until it’s fork tender.
Cold vegan butter/oil is key! Cold vegan butter or coconut oil melts more slowly in the oven and steams inside the biscuits, which makes them ultra-moist, fluffy, tall, and flaky. So, remember to leave the vegan butter/oil in the fridge until it’s time to add it to the dough.
Don’t overmix the dough: If you over knead the biscuit dough, you’ll overwork the gluten and end up with tough biscuits. It’s ok if the dough feels slightly sticky and has some lumps.

Serving Suggestions

Have fun serving these warm and fluffy sweet potato biscuits with your holiday menu, everyday dinners, or anytime during fall and winter. Here are a few delicious ways to enjoy them:

Use them to soak up every drop of vegan gravy or vegan mushroom gravy.
Include them with your vegan Thanksgiving feast.
Slice them in half for sandwiches made with avocado spread, vegan meats and cheeses, and fresh or roasted vegetables.
Serve them on the side of spicy lentil soup, eggplant stew, or red lentil stew.
Slather them with sweet or savory toppings, like maple butter, vegan cream cheese, and fruit jam.
Use the leftovers instead of regular bread in any stuffing recipe, like mushroom stuffing or classic vegan stuffing.

Storage Instructions

The cooled vegan biscuits can be stored in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 3 days. To keep them longer, store them in the fridge for up to 1 week.

You can also freeze sweet potato biscuits. After they’ve cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container or a Ziplock/Stasher bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Allow the frozen biscuits to thaw overnight in the fridge or on the kitchen counter, then enjoy them as-is or reheat them in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave until warmed through.