Soft, buttery Pumpkin Biscuits make the perfect fall side dish! Packed with fresh pumpkin puree and topped with creamy salted maple butter, they’re a delicious twist on a classic and a total holiday game changer!

Have you ever had a biscuit that blew your mind? Like a really really good biscuit that’s flaky and buttery and soft and crispy and perfectly layered, all at the same time?

The first time I knew such a biscuit existed was on a trip to Charleston, at a place called Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit. It was a small, unassuming place… and when I first stopped in I had no idea my life was about to change. Their biscuits were everything a good biscuit should be, in a variety of flavors, served warm, with any and every topping you could imagine. Let’s just say my mind was definitely blown.

Well, fast forward to today, I decided it was time for me to make some biscuits of my own. But not just any biscuits… pumpkin biscuits! Made with homemade pumpkin puree, plenty of butter, and a hint of pumpkin pie spice for extra flavor.

I’ll be honest… they were not without their challenges. Because pumpkin adds moisture and denseness to a recipe that’s supposed to be flaky and light. But I worked on them until I got them right, and I’m sharing all the tips I learned along the way!

At the end of the day, these Pumpkin Biscuits are perfectly layered, packed with pumpkin flavor, and the addition of sweet and salty maple butter takes them to the next level. Read on for how to!

What you’ll need for this recipe

Flour – 2 cups all purpose flour forms the base of this recipe. Substitute bread flour (may result in slightly chewier texture) or self-rising flour (be sure to eliminate baking powder.)

Baking powder – Baking powder acts as the leavening agent in this recipe. Some recipes call for baking soda when an acidic ingredient like buttermilk is also used. Since this recipe doesn’t use buttermilk, I opted for baking powder.

Salt – Salt adds flavor to the biscuit dough and is added when using unsalted butter. If you plan to use salted butter, reduce salt to 1/2 or 3/4 teaspoon.

Sugar – Sugar gives these biscuits just a touch of sweetness, and the amount can be adjusted to taste. For sweeter biscuits, add 1/4 cup instead of 2 Tablespoons.

Pumpkin pie spice – Pumpkin pie spice rounds out the pumpkin flavor, adding notes of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.

Butter – Next to flour, butter is the most important ingredient in this recipe. I used unsalted butter that was fully frozen before adding it to the dough. *Be sure your butter stays cold until it hits the oven.

Pumpkin – Pumpkin puree is what sets these biscuits apart from regular biscuits. I used homemade puree, but store bought canned puree works well, too.

Milk – A touch of milk adds necessary moisture to the dough. I used whole milk, but any percentage will work.

How to make pumpkin biscuits

Combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well.

Add the butter. Add grated butter to the dry ingredients. Be sure the butter is VERY cold before adding. To achieve this, I froze it completely and then grated it into the flour mixture.

Add the wet ingredients. Mix just until the dough starts to come together. There will still be some flour that’s not fully mixed in, and that’s what you want. You’ll mix it in more in the next step.

Fold the dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to gently pat the dough into a flat rectangle, adding small amounts of flour as necessary, and then fold the rectangle into thirds. (Fold both sides in toward the center.) Press it into another flat rectangle and repeat the folding process 3 more times.

Cut into biscuits and bake. Pat the dough into one final rectangle, 3/4 – 1 inch thick. Use a 2-3 inch biscuit cutter, dipped in flour, to cut 6-12 biscuits (number will vary based on thickness and size.)

Tips for Success (read these!)

Measure carefully. Remember – baking is a science and precision matters! Measure your ingredients carefully. This includes spooning and leveling your flour (instead of scooping) to ensure that your biscuits have have the right proportions of ingredients.

Use cold ingredients. Both the butter and milk should be very cold to start, and the butter should remain cold until it hits the oven. I freeze mine completely before using it.

Don’t overmix. Over-working the dough leads to too much gluten production and is the fastest way to ruin your biscuits. This includes overmixing, over-kneading, and even twisting the biscuit cutter instead of making a clean up and down cut.

Place biscuits close together. Biscuits should be touching one another and the edges of the pan to help them rise.

Bake in a hot oven. Cold ingredients in a hot oven are what helps create the delicious texture we know and love. A hot oven generates steam from the cold butter and milk, which allows them to rise and creates a nice golden brown crust.

Recipe Variations

Use canned pumpkin puree in place of homemade
Substitute squash puree for pumpkin
Add additional sugar for a sweeter biscuit
Substitute cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom for the pumpkin pie spice
Omit the pumpkin pie spice for a more savory biscuit
Add mini chocolate chips or candied ginger
Make smaller or shorter biscuits according to your preference

Looking for more ways to use fresh fall produce from Metro Market and Pick ‘n Save? Be sure to check out these recipes, too!