Savory Pumpkin Biscuits

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 01/29/23
pumpkin biscuits
Diana Rattray
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 14 mins
Total: 29 mins
Servings: 12 to 16 servings

These savory pumpkin biscuits have a pleasant flavor and texture, and this recipe is a great way to use up extra pumpkin puree.

Serve the biscuits warm with butter or a flavored butter. They're great with preserves or spread with apple butter or maple butter. These biscuits are wonderful with a hearty fall stew or chili or serve them with beans.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, about 11 ounces
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat oven to 400 F.

  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

  3. In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar. Pulse a few times to blend thoroughly.

  4. If you do this by hand, make sure the brown sugar is broken down and mixed into the flour mixture thoroughly, or use granulated sugar instead.

  5. Cut the butter into small pieces and lay on the flour mixture. Pulse about 7 or 8 times, or until the butter is well incorporated. Or, work in with a pastry blender or fingers. The crumbs should look like coarse meal. The tiny bits of butter create the flakiness in the baked biscuits.

  6. In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin puree and buttermilk.

  7. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and pumpkin mixture, mixing just until moistened.

  8. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times, just until the dough is smooth. Pat out into a circle about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick and cut out with biscuit cutters.

  9. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms of the biscuits have browned.

Tips

  • If your brown sugar is a bit lumpy, force it through a wire mesh sieve to ensure a smooth mixture.
  • For the lightest, fluffiest biscuits, handle the dough as little as possible. Knead just enough to bring the dough together. Overworking will break the butter down and diminish the flaky pockets.
  • After cutting the biscuits out, gather the scraps and gently put them together to cut out more biscuits. Because of the extra handling, the very last few of the cut-out biscuits may be tougher than the first batch.
  • Replace one cup of the flour with whole wheat flour for extra texture and nutritive value.
  • Put the butter in the freezer at least 20 minutes before you begin to make the biscuits.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
130 Calories
7g Fat
15g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 16
Amount per serving
Calories 130
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 3g 17%
Cholesterol 12mg 4%
Sodium 393mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Protein 2g
Calcium 98mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)