A Must-Make for Thanksgiving: Extra Flaky Pumpkin Biscuits!
Because the sides are kiiinda the star of Thanksgiving – I say we ditch plain ol’ dinner rolls and swap them out with biscuits!
Not just any biscuits, either.
The flakiest, most buttery-tender Pumpkin Biscuits, boasting dozens and dozens of layers of earthy pumpkin goodness laced with fall spices and a hint of maple sweetness.
These pumpkin biscuits aren’t especially sweet and they’re not especially “pumpkin spiced” – exactly why I love them so much!
The natural sweet and earthy flavor of pumpkin is enhanced with a few of my favorite ingredients – pure maple syrup, fresh sage, and warm fall spices.
They take just 20 minutes to prepare and by following a few simple and tested tips you’ll yield dozens of tender layers, rich and buttery flavor, crisp edges, and a tender center every time. Add them to your next Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or holiday menu, you’ll be so glad you did!
Maximum Flavor, Minimal Effort
3 foolproof secrets to low-fuss, flavor-packed dinners, learned from years working in restaurants.
Simple Ingredients and Swaps for Festive Fall Biscuits
The beauty of this pumpkin biscuits recipe is that it leans on baking essentials and a few staple fall ingredients. You probably keep most of the ingredients on hand this time of year!
Substitutions
No buttermilk on hand? ⇢ Simply add 1 teaspoon of vinegar or fresh lemon juice to a scant 1/3 cup milk. Let it sit for a minute to curdle then give it a stir – easy!
Can’t find any pumpkin puree? ⇢ Swap for homemade pumpkin puree, sweet potato or butternut squash. Simply roast fresh pumpkin, sweet potato or squash or steam if using a frozen packet then transfer to a food processor and process until smooth.
3 Must-Try Tips for the Most Tender, Flaky Biscuits
- Use Cold Butter. One of the secrets to extra-flaky biscuits lies in using cold butter. Leave your butter in the refrigerator until you’re ready to add it to the dry ingredients. Work quickly while grating it, mixing the biscuit dough, and rolling out the biscuits to ensure that the butter stays cold. If it begins to soften up (you’ll smell the buttery flavor and you’ll feel the oily texture on your hands), simply pop the biscuit dough into the refrigerator for a few minutes to let the butter cool down.
- Don’t Overwork the Dough. Tough biscuits are a result of overworked dough. In overworking, you build the glutens in the dough, which yields chewier, tough biscuits. To ensure your biscuits are fluffy and tender, be careful not to overwork the dough and instead mix just until combined. It will look very shaggy, but trust the process – it’ll come together!
- Press Straight Down. When cutting the biscuits, firmly press the biscuit cutter straight down through the dough and pull it straight back up, preserving the flaky layers. Try to avoid twisting the biscuit cutter as you cut each biscuit – this “seals” the edges and prevents the biscuit from rising.
Shop This Post
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Biscuits
While there is some technique involved in making tender pumpkin biscuits with beautiful flaky layers, once you get the hang of it, baking biscuits is really a cinch!
How to Fold the Biscuit Dough
With the pumpkin biscuit dough prepped and ready to go, all that’s left to do is roll it out and cut the biscuits. This is when the magic happens!
To ensure the pumpkin buttermilk biscuits are extra flaky, you’ll go through a process of folding the biscuit dough. Inspired by the classic French pastry technique of lamination but not nearly as involved. This step is highly effective in creating the flaky, layers we’re after in these pumpkin buttermilk biscuits and it really couldn’t be easier!
Serving Suggestions
These pumpkin buttermilk biscuits are great on their own, but if you’re feeling extra fancy, there are a couple simple ways you can spiff ’em up even more.
- Whip up garlic herb butter: Slather on a quick homemade garlic herb butter for serving – so good! Check the Recipe Notes below for more details.
- Decorate them so they look like mini pumpkins!: For an extra festive touch, split a handful of pecans in half lengthwise and insert a halved pecan into the center of each pumpkin biscuit along with a sprig of thyme or a small fresh sage leaf. The pumpkin biscuits will look like actual baby pumpkins. Does it get any cuter than that?!
I cannot wait for you to try these Extra Flaky Pumpkin Biscuits. I guarantee they will steal the show at your Thanksgiving table this year – everyone will love them!
If you do give them a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! Happy cooking! ♡
Print
Extra Flaky Pumpkin Biscuits with Garlic Herb Butter
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 9–10 biscuits 1x
- Category: Side Dish Recipes, Breads & Cakes
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
A classic buttermilk biscuit with a heavy dose of autumnal goodness, these pumpkin biscuits are extra flaky, tender, and laced with fresh sage and warm fall spices. They’re a delicious and comforting addition to any fall meal and the perfect festive touch for your Thanksgiving menu.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
- 8–10 large sage leaves, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons) or 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg or freshly ground nutmeg
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree (see Recipe Notes)
- ⅓ cup buttermilk, plus extra for brushing (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter
for the garlic herb butter:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of choice (rosemary, sage, thyme, chives, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
- coarse kosher salt, to season
Instructions
Prep note: One of the secrets to extra-flaky biscuit lies in using cold butter. Leave your butter in the refrigerator until you need to use it in Step 3 of Recipe Directions.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, sage, salt and nutmeg to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Add the pumpkin, buttermilk, and maple syrup to a small bowl – I typically just use a liquid measuring cup. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Grate the butter: Grab the cold butter from the refrigerator. Working quickly, grate the butter directly into the dry ingredients – the large holes-side of a standard box grater will work great. Stir to combine, coating the grated butter pieces with flour. No need to over mix or worry about the large pieces of butter – they are the key to flaky, tender biscuits.
- Mix the biscuit dough: Add the wet ingredients to the flour-butter mixture. Stir just until combined, taking care not to over mix the dough – the mixture will be very shaggy and crumbly at this point, and that is fine!
- Fold the biscuit dough: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to press the dough into a rectangle, roughly 10×4 inches. Fold the left third of the rectangle (horizontally) into the center of the rectangle; repeat with the right third – I find it’s easiest to use a bench scraper to help fold the dough. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then press down on the layers, forming the dough into another 10×4 rectangle. Repeat the folding, turning, and pressing 2-3 more times. After the last turn, press the dough into a 10×4 rectangle, roughly ¾-inch thick. Flaky biscuit tips: Be patient and work quickly – the pumpkin biscuit dough will be very shaggy at first, but by the second or third turn, it will really begin to come together. If at any point the dough begins to feel especially soft or warm (or you can begin to smell the butter melting), pop it in the fridge or freezer to chill for a few minutes.
- Cut the biscuits: Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut into biscuits, reshaping any scraps until you have 9-10 biscuits. Flaky biscuit tip: Twisting the biscuit cutter as you cut biscuits “seals” the edges and prevents the biscuit from rising. Instead, firmly press the biscuit cutter straight down through the dough and pull it straight back up, preserving its flaky layers.
- Freeze: Transfer the cut biscuits to a plate or small baking sheet and set in the freezer to chill for 10-15 minutes as the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a well-seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet and set aside.
- Bake the biscuits: Once the oven is preheated, remove the pumpkin biscuits from the freezer and transfer to the prepared skillet. The biscuits may need to touch in places in order for them to fit in the skillet, which is totally fine. Brush the tops of the biscuits with buttermilk. Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and shiny.
- Make the garlic herb butter: Meanwhile, as the biscuits bake, prep the garlic herb butter. Add the butter, garlic, herbs and maple syrup to a small bowl. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt or ground black pepper, as desired. Set aside, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Serve the biscuits warm, slathered with garlic herb butter. For a festive touch, press half a pecan and fresh herbs into the top of the biscuits for a pumpkin-like appearance. Enjoy!
Notes
- Substitutions:
- Buttermilk‘s tanginess is key for a tender biscuit with rich flavor. If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can make a quick substitute for this pumpkin biscuits recipe by adding 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar to a scant 1/3 cup milk. Stir to combine and let the mixture sit for a minute to thicken slightly.
- Homemade pumpkin puree – If you cannot find canned pumpkin puree, homemade pumpkin puree is very easy to make. Simply roast a sugar pumpkin – cut the pumpkin into wedges, deseed, and roast at 350 degrees F for up to 1 hour, until the flesh is very tender. Scoop the flesh into a food processor and process until smooth.
- Sweet potato or butternut squash – 2 more great substitutes if you cannot find pumpkin. ALDI carries both in frozen packets for steaming, so prep couldn’t be easier: steam a package of Simply Nature Organic Sweet Potatoes or Simply Nature Organic Butternut Squash according to package directions, then transfer to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Biscuit cutter: If you do not have a biscuit cutter on hand, you can cut your biscuits using a standard Mason jar lid or a chef’s knife. Press the dough into a ½-inch rectangle and use a Mason jar lid to stamp out biscuits as directed in Step 6 of Recipe Directions OR use a chef’s knife to cut into 2.5×2.5-inch square biscuits.
Follow along with Plays Well With Butter on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest for more unfussy recipes that pack a big punch of flavor!
These were so easy and SO delicious! They look so professional, lots of pretty layers. Made them for Thanksgiving and swapped out the garlic herb butter for a whipped maple browned butter.
Whipped maple browned butter sounds INCREDIBLE, Kati!! So glad to hear the biscuits turned out great for you 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!