These butternut squash biscuits are light and fluffy with a subtle sweetness from the roasted squash. They’re AIP, paleo and dairy-free and come together really quickly!
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Roasted butternut squash is nature’s candy, right? These Butternut Squash Biscuits are made with roasted butternut squash and frozen coconut oil for a soft, flaky and delicious biscuit. These are great as the base for a breakfast sandwich and amazing with a little bit of coconut oil and honey for an afternoon treat.
Here are the main ingredients in these Butternut Squash Biscuits:
- Mashed roasted butternut squash. I like to cube butternut squash, toss it in coconut oil and bake at 350 for 30-35 mins, flipping once until squash is softened and caramelized. Then I blend in a blender or food processor. Ensure your mash is completely cooled before using in this recipe so that it doesn’t melt the coconut oil in the dough.
- Unrefined, virgin coconut oil, frozen.
- Cassava flour
- Tapioca starch
- Baking soda
- Gelatin
FAQs re: Butternut Squash Biscuits
Can I make these vegan?
I haven’t had success omitting the gelatin here as it’s crucial not only to bind the ingredients but to help the dough fluff up a bit. Applesauce didn’t work in the same way and it made the biscuits too sweet. I’m hesitant to suggest a flax egg because the dough might be too wet.
Can I use a different type of squash?
You can substitute butternut squash with roasted pumpkin, honeynut, delicata or acorn squash. The key is to blend the squash into a smooth mixture. Readers have also had success with roasted and mashed sweet potato – again, you want to make sure the mash is smooth but not too thin/watery like canned pumpkin puree often is or this will affect the texture of the biscuits.
What do I serve these with?
These are great with a little bit of coconut oil and honey or as a base for a sandwich. I love these as breakfast sandwiches. Try them with bacon or turkey bacon and spinach. You can enjoy these with anything else you might typically eat bread with. Try them with chilli or soups (e.g. Turkey & Kale Soup), with dishes like Honey Garlic Pulled Pork or as a bun for a burger
How do I store these?
These are best eaten fresh, however, can be stored in a sealed container on the countertop for up to 3 days. They will harden, so should be toasted/reheated before serving.
Can I substitute the frozen coconut oil?
I haven’t tried making these with anything else so cannot recommend a substitution that will yield the same results.
How do you get the dough to stick together?
I recommend using either Bob’s Red Mill or Otto’s cassava flour in this recipe. I have tried with other brands and the texture of the baked product is still delicious but it takes a lot more work/time kneading for the dough to come together.
If you try this recipe for these Butternut Squash Biscuits, I would love it if you would give it a star rating and short review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious and using the hashtag #healmedelicious.
Looking for more AIP bread recipes? Try:
- AIP Sourdough Bread and my AIP Sourdough Guide
- Easy AIP Crepes
- AIP flatbread
- Easy Vegan Gluten-Free Biscuits
- Sweet Potato Tortillas
- Cassava Wraps
Butternut Squash Biscuits (AIP, paleo, dairy-free)
- Total Time: 43 minutes
- Yield: 7 biscuits 1x
Description
These butternut squash biscuits are light and fluffy with a subtle sweetness from the roasted squash. They’re AIP and paleo and the perfect seasonal side.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, frozen
- 1 cup cassava flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 2 tsps gelatin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup roasted butternut squash puree (ensure it’s not warm)
- 1/2 cup very cold additive free, full fat coconut milk*
- 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Before you begin, ensure that your coconut oil is completely frozen. I typically measure out 1/4 cup oil and place it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes until it is solid.
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Place frozen coconut oil into a food processor and pulse until it has broken down into pea sized pieces**
- In a large bowl, add cassava flour, tapioca starch, gelatin, sea salt, baking soda and roasted butternut squash puree.
- Add pea sized pieces of frozen coconut oil to the mixture and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut oil into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
- Add cold coconut milk and apple cider vinegar to mixture and use fork/pastry cutter and then your hands to bind all the ingredients together into a stiff dough. This might take a while so keep at it, but you don’t want to overknead and melt all the oil – the goal is to bring the dough together, but you want to keep those clumps of coconut oil in tact.
- Place dough on a piece of parchment paper and press into a disc about 1 inch in thickness. Do not make your biscuits thinner than this as the biscuits do not rise much in the oven and this is where most of the height comes from.
- Using a 2″ biscuit cutter, or the rim of a drinking glass, cut 6-7 biscuits out of your dough. As you are cutting each biscuit, refrain from twisting the cutter/glass to avoid sealing the edges.
- Transfer parchment paper to baking sheet and bake for 13 minutes in the middle rack of your oven.
- Allow biscuits to cool 10 minutes for the gelatin to set before cutting them.
Notes
*I like to place a cube of ice in the milk for a minute or two so that it’s really cold. **Be careful not to over-process or the oil will begin to soften and clump together. You want pea-sized pieces.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Breads + Cakes
Keywords: aip, paleo, butternut squash, biscuits, aip bread, aip biscuits
Allow biscuits to cool for at least 10 minutes so that they can set.
I was SO hoping that this recipe would not end up with that sticky/partially raw consistency (like most baked AIP recipes end up), but it unfortunately had that too. When I read that these are supposed to be fluffy, I was excited! And when I read that there is finally no tigernut flour in this recipe, I was even more excited (super hard to find where I live, and the only one I did find was. extremely expensive). The flavor is really good! They have a nice savory flavor. Also I’m SO glad that I read a few reviews before attempting to bake these that said the amount of salt was too much. So instead of 1 tsp, I did 1/2 a tsp, and that was more than enough. I did do one tiny swap, but I know it’s very similar so I highly doubt that that was the cause for the consistency it ended up with. I swapped Tapioca flour with Arrowroot flour because I didn’t have the other one on hand. That’s it. Everything else was followed to a T! Could that little swap be the reason? I know from previous experience and from research, that Arrowroot is very similar to Tapioca and a good swap…
★★★
I haven’t tried this recipe with arrowroot so I can’t guarantee the results but the recipe as written is not supposed to be sticky or partially raw. The biscuits must cool completely in order for the gelatin to set and the right texture to be achieved.
3 months into AIP and I want to throw myself off a bridge! Been trying all these so called ‘baked’ recipes in the hunt for something like cake or bread, and it all just turns into a very expensive experiment with diabolical results leaving me to once again, either chuck my inedible efforts into the bin, or question my existence & fragile state of being as I reluctantly try to force a bite of my monstrous creation down my throat and pitifully convince myself it’s not that bad, (Only to realise it’s worse than I could ever have imagined!!) Not for the faint hearted this AIP! But this little recipe is giving me a ray of light ..woop woop..Very interesting texture, like a slightly chewy muffin inside but biscuity crust on the outside, and it’s the closest I’ve come to something ‘bready’ on this restrictive draconian food journey so this recipe is finally one I will attempt again! Albeit I have to agree with a previous commenter..way too much salt..I’m a savoury lover but one whole teaspoon is too much in my personal opinion..best to halve the quantity. Also, I don’t own a food processor so thought I would grind the frozen coconut oil in my mini spice grinder..BIG mistake! Finally had to chop the rest of these congealed frozen balls with a knife and that wasn’t easy either and should never be repeated. So I would say, for those whom like me are low on baking tools and kitchen appliances, perhaps spread the coconut oil around 3/4 of a cm thick on a flat ice cream box lid or the likes thereof, and maybe trace little pea sized square shapes into it before freezing, or even after freezing, to make little square pellets that you can throw in as if they were flattened frozen coconut oil peas. Since I wanted to bake these in my Instant Pot air fryer thingy (it’s got a bake button), I reduced them in size and managed to make 13 little muffin biscuits of 1 inch high and cooked them in two batches, so I’m not sure if in relation to the size I overcooked them as I did not deviate from the temperature specified for the larger ones, but I will definitely be back to this recipe! I’m wandering if I could try them with plantain flour and gain similar results? A bit cautious of eating way too much cassava flour on AIP. Anyway, thank you very much Nicole, you’ve made my Friday night with this little recipe, look forward to trying your other ones and best of luck with your healing.
★★★★
Thanks Brigitte! So glad these made your night and sorry to hear you’ve been having a tough go on the AIP! Check out some of my other baked goods, I am feeling pretty good about your chances of success 🙂 Re: plantain flour, the texture is really different from cassava so my guess would be no.
good day
I live in South africa and we struggle to get Cassava flour. All the suppliers says we don’t have/ or receive any. Is there any other flour I can use? I am not following a strick AIP diet but more whole food less processed diet. Can I sub cassava flour for anything else perhaps?
Hi Janine, for this recipe cassava is the only flour I’ve tested so I can’t really advise on a swap and there is no 1:1 substitute.
I just made these tonight, but it was after we ate. My husband and I shared one to try after they cooled the 10 minutes and he said it tastes like a real biscuit! I can’t wait to try them again in the morning. Someone commented about adding bacon to the dough which reminded me of the ham and cheese biscuits I used to make. So the next time I may try the bacon and some nutritional yeast to see what happens! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Hi Tonya, thank you for sharing your review. We’re so glad you liked them!
These turned out wonderful! So light, moist and fluffy. I made an AIP chicken stew, and wanted biscuits to go with it and these were perfect. I used an acorn squash, which I baked ahead and allowed to cool in the fridge. I added just a little more coconut milk than the recipe called for, because my dough seemed too dry at first and I lightly kneaded the dough about 10 times max and patted it out gently. They were not dry or tough at all. Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Can I substitute an egg for the gelatin which I react to? Thank you!
Hi Maria,
We haven’t tried this substitution. We used a dry binder and not a liquid binder here, so we’re not sure if it’ll work. Let us know the results if you do try it!
Wow, I really like these! Made these along your chicken pumpkin soup (also very good!) Reminds me of times when I could still have soup and fresh bread rolls. Even my hubby who is not on AIP gave his thumbs up!
★★★★★
These are sooo good! I’m so glad I doubled the recipe! I also put all the ingredients in my food processor and used the “dough” setting and it came out perfect! My husband immediately gobbled up 3 with butter and honey! YUM!
★★★★★
Have adapted this yet again with success! This time I used a combo of palm oil and pork lard instead of coconut oil – which gave it a really nice buttery taste and instead of cutting the biscuits round I just cut them with a knife into squares. Much less work and nicer for sandwiches in my opinion. I’ve clearly made this recipe loads of time and love it mor every time! Thanks for such a great recipe 🙂
★★★★★
I really enjoyed these, good flavour other than a bit too salty (and I love salt). All of my non-AIP folk tried them and liked them. ‘Light and Fluffy’ does not apply in my case though. Dense and chewy more like…but I enjoy some texture, and don’t expect the same results from AIP baking. I also used Rwandan cassava flour; I’ve seen a lot of brand-specific direction in many recipes, so maybe that had an effect. I have baking soda and cream of tartar, so might look into leavening power with these types of flours. Fun to experiment either way, thanks for this!
★★★★
I’ve had my eye on this recipe for over a year and finally tried it out as buns for Nicole’s turkey burgers: https://healmedelicious.com/aip-turkey-burgers/ and a dollop of her guacamole: https://healmedelicious.com/guacamole-with-preserved-lemons/. SUCH a delicious combo! My partner made a video of themselves holding a burger in their hands! It had been years : ) Also amazing with macerated raspberries the next day!
★★★★★
returning to my earlier comment to say that I keep returning to this recipe! i have had great luck swapping the butternut squash mash for both white and orange sweet potato mash and have loved every version with Nicole’s *exact* recipe being my absolute favorite!
★★★★★
Would coconut butter work in place of coconut oil frozen?
no, the fat content isn’t the same
These were delicious! Since starting AIP July 2019, I have rarely found bread like items I can enjoy eating. These biscuits were so tasty. I served them for my spouse and I as mini slider buns with AIP meatballs and cilantro. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
One little note, they were a tad gummy inside. So I cut them in half and put them back in the oven for an additional few minutes. That finished them up:)
★★★★★
Do you think I could add some bacon crumbles to this recipe? Or what adjustments would need to be made to do so?
Could be fine, but could also release a lot of oil into the dough! It’s hard to say without trying it. If you do, let us know!
Success! I made sure the bacon grease was poured off and the bacon was cooked and cooled prior to putting it in but turned out delicious 😋
★★★★★
LOVE THE TASTE. LOOKED GREAT…….UNTIL THE COOLED. They began to sink and look undercooked, Baked for 13 min at 450. I used a sweet potato and arrowroot starch instead. I also used 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda. Also used my mock “cheese sauce” cauliflower/cashew/apple cider vinegar, that I mixed with the coconut milk. adds a nice buttermilk flavor. I made sure my liquid amount was still the same. They were extremely gummy. wondering if Arrowroot made the difference or if changing the ratio of casava with starch would make a difference. Maybe it’s because I’m in California and there’s difference in elevation? I will likely play with recipe a bit because I really like the flavor and didn’t have to add a bit sugar, which I’m trying to reduce along with my AIP diet. Thank you for the hard work you’ve done getting this together.
★★★★
Hi Aimee, AIP baking is pretty finicky so I don’t recommend and can’t guarantee results with substitutions! In general, starch (arrowroot or tapioca) is not a substitute for cassava flour. The full fat coconut milk is also important for the texture so reducing that would definitely change the end result. Re: baking powder, I avoid this due to cornstarch but that’s another change that I’m not sure how it would react with the other ingredients!
Making these for breakfast this morning! And so excited for the left overs to go with my soup. I subbed with sweet potato and they are delicious! Thank you so much for all of your recipes.
★★★★★
Wish I knew where this recipe went wrong but they turned out totally gummy. I left the coconut oil in the freezer and wonder if it was too frozen to incorporate into the flour? When you say full-fat coconut milk, do you mean just the thick cream from the top of the can, or do you first stir it together with the liquid?
Hi Sara! Sorry yours didn’t turn out! Frozen oil is definitely necessary. Did you pulse it into little pea-sized pieces and did you allow them to cool completely before cutting into them? By full fat coconut milk I mean not the lite version. Stir/shake the can or box before using.
Thank you so much this recipe! Like another reviewer, I made it entirely in my food processor, just added the frozen coconut (in chunks) last and processed just until the Frozen oil was pea-sized. I didn’t even knead the dough. I patted it onto parchment paper, and just cut into squares. So delicious and the texture is amazingly like bread. S ok glad I found your site.
★★★★★
I’m new to the AIP diet and to cooking in general. I’ve tried a few bread & biscuit recipes. This is, by far, the best one. Among other things, I use it for biscuits and gravy. Fantastic.
However, my oven is a little wonky. I bake them for 13 minutes on 450 (per instructions) and they’re perfectly beautiful on the outside, but just a little doughy on the inside. I don’t want to burn the outside, so what adjustment should I make? 425 for 18 minutes (or something like that)?
Thank you for this recipe.
★★★★★
I made these tonight as a side to AIP BBQ chicken kabobs. So delicious! My daughter and husband (not on AIP diet) both loved them! I used white sweet potato. I might try a cheezy version next time with some nutritional yeast, rosemary and chives. Def a keeper, thanks!
★★★★★
I just found this recipe and made it and it is wonderful. I am gluten free dairy free corn free which includes hundreds of items off my list because of the byproducts of corn.And this is the first amazing thing that hits all that I miss !!! Thank you
★★★★★
Can the tapioca be subbed?
I haven’t tried myself but you can try arrowroot.
EXCELLENT recipe!! I just tried these with white sweet potato instead of squash (I hate squash…) and they were phenomenal! It takes an awful lot to impress me anymore- most often I’m disappointed with AIP recipes. But this is impressive! Thank you so much for helping my versatility by giving me a bread-like product again! Next time, I’ll try like one of the other commenters said, and add cinnamon with some red sweet potato. That ought to be tasty! Thanks again. I love these!
★★★★★
Thanks Julie, so happy you enjoyed!
As someone very new to AIP dieting and who is NOT a baker I am so happy with this recipe.
I must admit that it was a little tricky for me because I don’t have a food processor and I have a tiny oven! So I had to wing it for some of the way but I came right in the end. I added cinnamon to mine and they are totally divine! These will definitely be a staple for me.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you Amelia!
Amazing!!! So happy I came across this recipe as I am missing bread daily! These are so moist and delicious, will be making in extra large batches!! thank you so much!!
★★★★★
I freaking love these biscuits with tigernut butter and jelly. I crave them all the time.
★★★★★
Easy peasy! I used a food processor and it work amazingly following the steps, the only change I made was adding the dry, pulsing, then adding in the frozen coconut oil. All other steps the same just in the processor. It was so easy and so good! I ate them with a little honey and one of your maple sausage patties like a breakfast sandwich. YUMMMM!
★★★★★
okay YUM! That sounds so good! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Do you think canned pumpkin would work?
It’s going to be a bit more liquified than the butternut squash so I would say yes, but you might need to use a bit less and/or cook the biscuits longer
I’ve tried four or five different AIP/paleo biscuits, and these are BY FAR the best ones I’ve ever made! They are savory, fluffy, and DELICIOUS just like biscuits should be. There is some prep work that is easy to do the day before or earlier in the day (put coconut oil in freezer, coconut milk in fridge, roast butternut squash and mash) and then the rest of the recipe is quick and easy! I can’t wait to incorporate them into different meals.
★★★★★
Thanks so much for your review, Erica. I’m so happy you enjoyed!
I mean…I don’t even miss wheat bread thanks to this recipe!! So soft and tasty!! Can eat it all day long!!
★★★★★
hahaha what a compliment!
These biscuits were so yummy! I tried with ghee and had success. Next time I’ll try with lard or leaf lard just for fun! I topped my turkey pot pie with a five of the biscuits and probably could have baked for longer at a lower temp to bake the biscuits completely thru, but this recipe is a keeper! Thank you!!
★★★★★
So delicious! Best AIP biscuit I’ve ever eaten!
Thank You so much for this wonderful recipe,
Nicole! I topped it with lemon honey…delightful!
★★★★★
These were delicious! Such a great flavor and texture. I think I let the coconut oil get a little too warm so they were a little flat. I think I would try to pop them in the freezer for a few minutes after cutting them out. Never the less they were such a delicious soft biscuit. Great recipe!
★★★★★
I had high hopes after reading to many good reviews, but sadly they came out gummy for me…
★★★
Sorry to hear that Linn. Perhaps the oil melted too quickly pre baking and/or wasn’t evenly distributed throughout the dough? It’s also important that these cool for the gelatin to set. If you’d like to try again you can check out this video for troubleshooting: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CH6J2dtgpSG/?igshid=57pwl2bynpp4
Hi Nicole! I’m making these for the second time and I’m making a double batch because i loved them so much last time! I’m wondering if agar agar would work instead of gelatin. Thats what people use in europe but i never see it in stores in the US.
Also on a side note, i really love chestnuts and I’d be really excited if you made a recipe with them! I used to eat an excellent chocolate chestnut cake as a kid. Youre a baking magician so I’m throwing the idea out there haha!
Thanks for all your recipes, I make several of them every week because I’m amazed every single time!
★★★★★
Hey Julia! I react to agar agar so unfortunately can’t say that i’ve tried this substitution and can’t guarantee results. Chestnut chocolate cake sounds amazinggggg, and i will definitely take your suggestion under consideration 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Nicole, what is the difference between cassava flour and tapioca starch? My translation tool (into German) says it is the same plant (manioc) :-). Could I also use 1.5 cups of tapioca starch? Thank you for your advice!
Hi Alexandra, unfortunately they aren’t interchangeable. Both products are made from cassava root, but cassava flour incorporates the whole root, whereas tapioca flour is made up of only the starchy part of the plant
I’m new to AIP and desperately wanted a biscuit. These were delicious and easy to make. I enjoyed them with your turkey and kale soup.
★★★★★
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! I’m so happy you enjoyed.
A new favorite. They came together easily and ai love the texture and taste. I made a double batch and already wish I had more. Thank you for another great recipe
★★★★★
Thanks Joanna! So happy you enjoyed
I just made these with my 2-year old! They turned out so well! I replaced the butternut squash with canned pumpkin, as that is what I had on hand, and added in some cinnamon, ground mace and ground cloves. I loved that the gelatin was incorporated into the dry mix – made it so much easier to mix.
This will become a staple in our house. Lovely recipe – thank you!
★★★★★
Aw yay! I’m so glad to hear and your additions sound lovely. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review.
I would rate this ten stars if I could!! I made these biscuits for Thanksgiving yesterday. Very easy to make. We used honey and maple syrup to top these off. My personal favorite was the maple syrup. I made six biscuits for three people, and it wasn’t enough. They were gone so fast. Heal Me Delicious thank you for this recipe! A hit with my family!! <3
★★★★★
Nicole, I made these tonight and they are SOO good. I used leftover acorn squash and they worked out great. Thanks for creating a great recipe.!
I just made these and they’re outstanding! I love the springy texture of them, and the flavor is wonderful. It’s obviously a perfect AIP bread for Thanksgiving, but really, this works for any day of the week. I’m looking forward to making sandwiches with these! (I’m also looking forward to trying them with sweet potato, since I love sweet potato biscuits, but I just happened to have 1/4 of a butternut squash leftover, and this was the *perfect* way to use it up. I think I have just enough left for a second batch of biscuits!)
★★★★★
These are delicious. I used sweet potato instead of butternut squash, and they turned out amazing! Thanks Nicole!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear! thanks for your review <3
Have tummy aches with cassava any other flour option? Thank u
Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this recipe with any other flours and there’s no real one-to-one sub here for an AIP alternative.
Have you used homemade coconut milk
I haven’t but one you soak the flakes in hot water to really ensure they blend well with the water then it should be fine. Of course, shake it up before use because of the lack of stabilizers
Do you think this recipe could work with substituting tiger nut milk for the coconut milk?
Once it’s ice cold and not too thin I think it should work!