Sweet Potato Dumplings
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Similar to apple dumplings, sweet potato dumplings are simply heaven on a plate! With each bite, you get a mouthwatering taste of flaky biscuit, spiced sweet potato, and irresistible sugar syrup.
Today my Mama is sharing her sweet potato dumpling recipe with you and I want to strongly encourage you to make them A.S.A.P. because they are on my top 10 list of best things I’ve ever eaten. Seriously! Take it away, Mama!
I first had these sweet potato dumplings when my husband and I went to a gathering in Birmingham, Alabama. They had hired a caterer to cook steaks and chicken for everyone but had left the sides and desserts up to the ladies in the group.
I didn’t know anyone at the party except for one lady and her husband who had ridden there with us. As we looked the dessert table over, we spied a dish of what we thought were apple dumplings. Now there were only 10 dumplings in the dish. Yes, we counted them. We both said we had to get one before they were all gone. I took the first bite. My mouth told me that was not an apple dumpling but I couldn’t quite place the flavor. I just knew I had fallen in love with whatever it was. My friend and I discussed it and after savoring the dish decided it was a sweet potato and they melted in your mouth.
Recipe Ingredients
- Canned flaky biscuits
- Sugar
- Light corn syrup
- Water
- Butter
- Yam (sweet potato) patties
- Cinnamon or spices of your choice
How To Make Sweet Potato Dumplings
Melt a stick of butter in a 9×13 ovenproof dish. I place the dish into my preheated oven and let the butter melt. Just watch it so that the butter doesn’t brown.
Cut sweet potato (or yam) patties in half to the size of your liking. 1/4-inch, 1/2-inch… whatever you like will work. Sprinkle with spices of your choice.
Peel biscuits into two pieces. You will end up with 16 biscuit pieces.
Press biscuit pieces to flatten and place one sweet potato piece to the side.
Fold biscuit over and press edges to seal. See there, a cute little dumpling right before your eyes!
Line your cute little dumplings all up in two rows. Sprinkle with additional spices.
Stir water, sugar, and corn syrup together in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat and allow to simmer until sugar is completely dissolved, still stirring occasionally.
Pour the hot syrup mixture over your cute little sweet potato dumplings.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until dumplings are golden brown.
The syrup will thicken some as the dumplings cool.
Can’t wait to bite into these!
Storage
I strongly recommend gobbling these up while they’re freshly hot and straight out of the oven. However, if you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a low oven so they crisp up once more.
Recipe Notes
- When I say whatever spices I like, I mean you can use one or a combination. My recommendations: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and a hint of cloves.
- For additional flavor, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the sugar syrup once you remove it from the heat.
- For a more caramelized sauce, use 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar.
Recipe FAQs
Do I need yam patties or sweet potatoes?
Umm… yes :). These are called yam patties but they are really sweet potatoes. They are sold in the freezer section at the grocery store. You can also use canned sweet potatoes (also called yams on the can most of the time) or peel raw fresh sweet potatoes, slice them in slices, and boil for a few minutes just until tender. That’s what I did today.
How do you serve sweet potato dumplings?
For breakfast, I love to serve them as a side with bacon and eggs. For dessert, they taste simply magnificent with some whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Check out these other sweet potato recipes:
Vegan Sweet Potato Cake With Maple Cashew Icing
Loaded Sweet Potatoes With Marshmallows
Sweet Potato Bread With Cinnamon Swirl
Sweet Potato Pie, Southern Plate Style
Ingredients
- 1 can Grands Flaky Biscuits
- 8 slices frozen sweet potato rounds thawed
- 1 stick butter
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- cinnamon,nutmeg, or ginger whichever you like best
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a 9x13-inch baking pan in a 350-degree oven.1 stick butter
- Divide each biscuit in half by pulling layers apart and pat each side out flat.1 can Grands Flaky Biscuits
- Slice the sweet potato rounds in half and sprinkle with the spices of your choice. I use cinnamon since that is my favorite spice with sweet potatoes.8 slices frozen sweet potato rounds, cinnamon,nutmeg, or ginger
- Place half of 1 sweet potato round (thawed) on the biscuit half.
- Fold the biscuit over and seal the edge like a fried pie or turnover.
- Place biscuits in the melted butter in the pan.
- Stir the water, sugar, and corn syrup together in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until sugar is completely dissolved, still stirring occasionally.2 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, 2 1/2 cups water
- Pour the hot syrup around the biscuits.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown. The sauce with thicken as the dumplings cool.
Notes
Nutrition
“You don’t drown by falling in water; You drown by staying there.”
~Edwin Cole
Ha..Loved the story of your husband and the microphone, thanks for sharing! I am going to try this recipe sounds good.
These were so dang good!! I was a little worried about the sauce being too sweet but it was all perfect. After texting a picture to my sisters and mother I was instructed to send the recipe to all of them. One of my sister’s husband told me to forget the recipe and bring him some dumplings, if they weren’t four hours away I might of thought about it. So looking forward to leftovers tonight. The were the perfect dessert for cabbage, homemade mac-n-cheese, pinto beans, cornbread and pork roast!!
Thank you Mama, and Christy!!!
These look delicious and I will have to try them. Christy, you had asked a couple of weeks ago when your mom shared the first time, if there were any specific recipes we would like to have. I would LOVE to be able to make great collard greens/turnip greens. My husband and I both love them. The turnips greens are always one of the sides we pick at Cracker Barrel. I tried the fried ones you had on your site a few months ago and I liked them. However, I just want to be able to make “down home” turnips/collards. I would freeze them for the next few months if I did a good job at cooking them! Thanks and God bless!
Libby, I have you covered!! Here is a link to my recipe for collards: https://www.southernplate.com/2008/12/collard-greens-with-hot-pepper-sauce-the-dish-that-might-make-you-rich.html
I didn’t know we could ask you for a specific recipe. My mother would make what she called Corn Dodgers. They were made from cornmeal, and enough pot liker to make a thin(1/2 thick) paddie. I’m sure she must have added a little salt. When she cooked a mess of greens, she would lay these paddies on top of the greens & cook until done. I’ve wished many times that I had asked for her recipe before she died. It would be such a blessing to have this recipe. My mother was American Indian. I wondered if this was something passed down by her mother. If you have heard of such, I would love to know. Thank you so much.
if Christy doesn’t have a recipe for this try searching for cornbread dumplings 🙂
These sweet potato dumplings were plum delicious!! I have emailed this recipe to several and printed and given to several people. Thank you for sharing your recipes and your endearing stories! Can’t wait for your new cookbook!
Thank you Lynne!!!
I just had to let you and your mama know that I made two pans of these tonight for our church fall festival and they were a huge hit! Once word got around about them they had to cut them in half so twice as many people could try some 🙂
Funny story: There was European lady there asking who had made the strudel, I said after she called it that I was a little embarrassed to let her know that the deliciousness that she was eating was made from a can of biscuits! Everybody was shocked when I told them how easy it was and that it used the frozen yam patties!
I just love your site Christy, I always leave feeling better than when I came 🙂 you have done an amazing job creating this happy little community and I am very grateful for it 🙂
Oh my goodness, I am so glad to hear that they were such a hit Jennifer!!! Thank you so much for sharing, it just made my day and I know it will Mama’s as well!!
On my gosh these were the best things ever! Love love love these. Thanks. Made these tonight and they are wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
I am so glad you liked them Laura!!! It will thrill Mama that you tried them!!
Try using Cresent Rolls
These are indeed wonderful. I made it the day after you posted it for my dad and brother. My brother now expects these for Thanksgiving if not before. I had trouble with the biscuits but after managing to get them pulled apart I used a rolling pin to make them bigger. Also I used canned sweet potatoes. This is now one of our must have recipes. Thank you so much for sharing.
IN WHAT SECTION OF THE FREEZER DEPT., DO YOU FIND THE FROZEN SWEET POTATOES?? I LIVE IN TEXAS AND COULDN’T SEEM TO FIND THEM.. THANKS FOR ANY HELP
I looked and looked too, and I finally found a tiny stack on the top shelf of the freezer case near the frozen vegetables. I looked, then walked away after I didn’t find them. I live in the same area as Christy so I knew if she had them where she shops, my store (Walmart) should have them too. I walked back to the freezer case and looked again. I was about to walk away empty-handed when I spotted them. I haven’t made these yet, but I plan to soon.
Look in meat department!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe and I look forward to having it on my Thanksgiving table!
May I say too, that my own mom died 9 years ago and I miss her every day. I used to call her to get her recipes and find out how she cooked a certain dish and sometimes she would say things like “just a little bit of water” or “knead it until it feels right” and these answers were not exactly what I needed to hear. She cooked for a family of 9 and she was the best. I somehow muddled through my cooking, but I still want to pick up the phone to ask her advice every now and then. Anyway, what I’m trying to get around to saying is that I feel like an angel has been placed in my inbox by having you post your recipes. Your ways seem much like my mom’s and I can almost hear her talking in your posts. I’m sure you two would have gotten along famously as she was raised in Nashville and raised her family in North Alabama in Decatur.
Looking forward to many more recipes and stories to come!