Learn how to make nutritious and comforting Sweet Potato Teething Biscuits for baby with this easy method. These baby rusks are soft and a great for babies 6+ months.
Teething Biscuits
I’m always looking for nutritious baby food options that are easy to make at home and these Sweet Potato Teething Biscuits fit the bill. They’re easy for baby to hold, chewing and gnawing on them can soothe gums, and they can be a homemade baby snack to have in the mix.
TIP: Teething biscuits are designed to be easy for babies to gnaw on and dissolve, and these have the texture of a soft cracker that soften as baby chews on them.
This recipe is adapted and excerpted from The Big Book of Plant-Based Baby Food by Tamika L. Gardner, which has a wealth of baby food ideas. Copyright © 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
Ingredients You Need
To make this recipe, here’s what you’ll need:
- whole-wheat flour
- baking powder
- unsalted butter (regular or plant-based)
- unsweetened nondairy milk
- mashed roasted sweet potato
TIP: You can also use self-rising flour and skip the baking powder if you’d prefer.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the steps involved in this recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full information.
- Add the butter and flour to a bowl. Mix to form crumbs.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Roll flat.
- Cut out and place on a baking sheet.
- Brush with egg yolk if desired.
- Bake!
TIP: You can skip the egg wash. It adds a nice color but is not necessary!
Frequently Asked Questions
After baby starts solids and has had numerous different foods, you can offer teething biscuits. This typically lines up with 7-9 months of age.
You want a baby rusk that is easy for baby to hold, is free from added salt and sugar, and dissolves easily.
We prefer options that are made with nutritious options, are easy to hold, and are easy for baby to gnaw on.
In this recipe, you can use mashed ripe banana, pumpkin puree, or 1 egg in place of the sweet potato.
To make this recipe gluten-free, use 1 cup oat flour in place of the wheat flour.
Best Tips for Success
- Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Heat very briefly before serving to soften slightly.
- Freeze cooled biscuits in a zip top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- In this recipe, you can use mashed ripe banana, pumpkin puree, or 1 egg in place of the sweet potato.
- Use 1 cup self-rising flour instead of the whole wheat flour and the baking powder if desired.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use 1 cup oat flour in place of the wheat flour.
- Lightly flouring the parchment paper will help to prevent the batter from sticking.
- You can cut these into rectangles, circles, or any other shape you like that’s easy for baby to hold.
- Sit with baby while they such on their biscuit. Watch for them getting any large pieces into their mouth and remove as needed.
- Find my full guide to Teething, Baby Led Weaning and my favorite Early Finger Foods for Baby.
- You may also like my Master List of Baby Snacks.
I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe if you try it, so please rate and comment below!
Sweet Potato Teething Biscuits (Easy Baby Rusks)
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (regular or plant-based, softened at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup mashed roasted sweet potato
- 1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (oat, almond, rice, soy)
- 1 egg yolk (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the flour, butter, and baking powder to a medium bowl. Mix together with a fork (or clean hands) to form crumbs.
- Add the sweet potato and milk and use a spoon to mix together. The batter will be thick.
- Gather the batter into a ball and place onto a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper. Sprinkle with a little additional flour and place another piece of parchment on top. Roll out the dough between the parchment to about 1/4-1/2-inch thick.
- Cut out rounds or cut into 1x4-inch rectangles. (I used a 2-inch round cookie cutter.) Place onto the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the dough as needed to finish cutting out the biscuits.
- Optional: Brush each biscuit with a little egg yolk.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and on the bottoms. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet.
Notes
- Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Heat very briefly before serving to soften slightly.
- Freeze cooled biscuits in a zip top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Swap in mashed banana, pumpkin puree, or 1 egg for the sweet potato.
- Use 1 cup self-rising flour instead of the whole wheat flour and the baking powder if desired.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use 1 cup oat flour in place of the whole-wheat.
- Lightly flouring the parchment paper will help to prevent the batter from sticking.
- Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon for additional flavor if desired.
- You can cut these into rectangles, circles, or any other shape you like that's easy for baby to hold.
- Sit with baby while they suck on their biscuit. Watch for them getting any large pieces into their mouth and remove as needed.
can i sub the sweet potato with other veggies such as mashed peas, carrots, squashes, etc.?
I haven’t tried that but if the consistency is similar to mashed sweet potato, I expect it would work similarly texture wise.
Do you think I could sub applesauce for the sweet potatoes?
I haven’t tried that, but if it’s thick and similar to the consistency of mashed sweet potato it should work similarly.
Can you sub whole wheat flour with oats? Same amount?
I haven’t tried them that way so I can’t say for sure, but let me know if you try it.
These were easy and great! Wish I had seen the tip about adding cinnamon, but still turned out great. 1 year old loves them! Used regular whole milk. Thanks, Amy!
Our baby smashed the sweet potato biscuits. I’m off to make oat and banana next.
Thanks for a great recipe. I used regular milk and it worked a treat.
I’m so glad to hear it!
Can I steam the pumpkin to make the purée to replace the sweet potato?
Yes, though pumpkin may have less flavor than sweet potato. Texture-wise it should work the same.
Can I use all purpose flour??
I haven’t tested them that way, but you can. If the batter is very sticky, you may need an additional tablespoon of flour though.
I used formula instead of plant milk and it worked great! Super easy recipe and my LO loved it!
Hi Laura, was the formula powder or the liquid? Thank you
Do you need to use plant milk? We don’t typically buy it, but always have dairy milk in hand. Thank you!
Any will work!
I absolutely love these biscuits! My little one is allergic to wheat, dairy and eggs and these came out perfect with the substitutions! I used country crock plant butter, oatmilk, and made my own oat flour using the recipe linked. My batter was a tiny bit watery…which was my fault because the sweet potato was leftover puree I had made my little one…but that was easily fixed by adding just a little extra oat flour. I found it a tad easier to just put oat flour on my hands, roll the biscuit and flatten it on the sheet plan vs use a cookie cutter. But that was just a personal preference. Both methods did work! They came out perfect! Soft, not gooey, and tasted great to me!