Pumpkin Scones

This pumpkin scone recipe is quick and easy to make, drizzled with a light vanilla glaze, and full of the best cozy pumpkin flavors.

Yep, it’s settled. Give me one of these pumpkin scones to go along with my cup of coffee each morning and I think I’m set to go for life.

Seriously, these pumpkin scones are too good. ♡

We’re already on our third batch of them this September and can’t get over what a perfect way they are to begin a (well technically, almost-) autumn morning. They are a breeze to make with simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. They are ultra-soft and light and flaky and a little bit cakey (because, pumpkin purée). They can either be drizzled with a quick vanilla glaze or sprinkled with crunchy turbinado sugar, whichever sweet topping you prefer. But best of all, they are just irresistibly pumpkin-y and made with the perfect amount of warming spices to hit all of those nostalgic and cozy fall flavor notes that we all love.

Barclay and I are completely obsessed with pairing them with our morning coffee, but they would also make for a lovely fall dessert this time of year. Or if you’re feeling generous, we can vouch that friends and neighbors will be thrilled if you decide to part with a few too. I mean, who doesn’t love a good pumpkin scone?!

Time to make some.

Pumpkin Scones | 1-Minute Video

Pumpkin Scone Ingredients:

Alright, before we get to the full recipe (included at the bottom of this post), here are a few brief notes on the ingredients you will need to make these pumpkin scones:

• Flour: I’ve only tested this recipe with regular all-purpose flour, but please let us know in the comments if you try it with any alternative flours.
• Brown sugar: To add a touch of yummy molasses flavor to these scones.
• Baking powder: This recipe includes a generous amount of baking powder, which really helps the scones to rise up significantly in the oven.
• Spices: I also used a generous amount of ground cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice (which you can either buy or mix up yourself) to bring out the flavor of that delicious pumpkin.
• Sea salt: I always use fine sea salt in my kitchen nowadays, so I recommend adding a touch less if you are using iodonized table salt.
• Butter: In order to get the best texture with scones, it’s essential that your butter be as cold as possible! I actually stuck mine in the freezer for about 20 minutes before using it to try and keep it extra chilly.
• Pumpkin purée: As always, please note that this recipe uses straight pumpkin purée (as shown above), which is different than canned pumpkin pie filling. The extra moisture in the pumpkin purée definitely makes these scones a touch more cake-like, but it’s deliciously worth it.
• Buttermilk: I love the extra creamy tang of buttermilk in this recipe, but regular cow’s milk or a plain plant-based milk (such as oat milk or almond milk) would work too.
• Vanilla extract: Which we will add to both the scones and the glaze.
• Glaze: I just whisked together a quick glaze made with powdered sugar, buttermilk (or milk) and vanilla extract. But feel free to add some ground cinnamon, ginger or cardamom if you would like to give it some extra spice.

How To Make Pumpkin Scones:

So my main tip for this recipe — and when making any scones, really — is to do everything you can to keep your butter as cold as possible once it has been added to the recipe. (Measuring all of your ingredients out beforehand, making sure that the butter is completely chilled before dicing it, working quickly once it has been added to the recipe, and chilling the scones in the freezer before baking will all help.)  Also, try to avoid over-mixing the dough as much as possible too. Both of these steps will help to ensure that the scones have a more light and flaky texture and will make them downright irresistible.

Here’s a quick overview of the steps for how to make scones (full recipe included below):

1. Combine dry ingredients. First things first — we’ll start by combining the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Cut in the butter. Baking lingo for mixing in the butter. In order to avoid touching (and heating) the butter with your hands, I recommend using either a pastry cutter, two forks, or a food processor to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it is combined and forms no larger than pea-sized chunks.
3. Add in the wet ingredients. Next, we’ll quickly fold the pumpkin purée, buttermilk and vanilla in as quickly and as gently as possible, until no dry streaks in the dough remain.
4. Shape the scones. Then turn the dough out onto a flour-covered surface, fold it a few times until it holds together and can form a ball (the dough will still be soft and somewhat sticky), press it into an 8-inch round disc, then slice into 8 wedges.
5. Chill. Transfer the wedges to a parchment-covered baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart, and place the sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes while your oven preheats.
6. Bake. Briefly brush the top of each scone with a bit of buttermilk, which will help it get extra golden in the oven. Then bake for until the scones are cooked through.
7. Glaze. Finally, whisk all of the glaze ingredients together and drizzle or brush the glaze on the scones once they have cooled down a bit. Serve…and enjoy! ♡

Possible Variations:

Want to customize this pumpkin scone recipe a bit? Feel free to…

• Sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top: In lieu of (or in addition to) a glaze, I also made a batch of these sprinkled with chunky turbinado sugar on top before baking and they were delicious. Highly recommend if you would like a bit of extra crunch and sweetness.
• Add baking chips: You could also mix some semisweet or white chocolate chips into the scone dough if you would like.
• Add nuts: You could also mix in some chopped nuts (such as pecans or walnuts) into the scone dough, or sprinkle some on top of the glaze.
• Use different warming spices: Feel free to also play around with the types and amounts of warming spices added to this recipe. For example, some ground cardamom would be delicious in these scones too.

More Favorite Pumpkin Recipes:

Looking for more delicious pumpkin recipe inspiration? Here are a few of my faves for this time of year!

• Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Roll
• Soft Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Scones

4.82 from 53 votes

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Makes: 8 servings

Author: Ali

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This pumpkin scones recipe is quick and easy to make, drizzled with a light vanilla glaze, and full of the best cozy pumpkin flavors.

Equipment

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  Vanilla Extract
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  Pumpkin Purée
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  Pastry Cutter

Ingredients

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Pumpkin Scone Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup very cold salted butter, * diced or grated
• 3/4 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (or milk), plus extra for brushing
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Glaze Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 teaspoons buttermilk (or milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• optional: 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ginger or cardamom

Instructions

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  Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt until evenly combined.
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  Cut in the butter. Add the diced butter and use a pastry cutter or two forks (or a food processor, see below) to cut the butter evenly into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and the butter forms no larger than pea-sized chunks.
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  Add in the wet ingredients. Add in the pumpkin purée, milk and vanilla extract.  Then use a spatula to quickly and gently stir the mixture until no dry streaks remain.  (Try to avoid over-mixing.)
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  Shape the scones. Turn the mixture out onto a flour-dusted surface and fold the dough over on itself a few times until it holds together and can form a ball.  (The dough will be a bit sticky, so don't worry.)  Pat the dough down flat into an 8-inch circle.  Then use a large knife or bench scraper to slice the dough into 8 equal-sized pie wedges.  (You may need to wipe off your knife between slices if the dough is sticky.)
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  Chill. Transfer the wedges to a parchment-covered baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.  Then transfer the baking sheet to the freezer for 15 minutes or so while your oven heats.  Heat the oven to 425°F.
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  Bake. Briefly brush the top of each scone with a bit of buttermilk.  Then transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 13-15 minutes or until the scones are lightly golden on top and cooked through.  Transfer to a wire baking rack to cool.
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  Glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients until combined.  (If the mixture seems too thin, add more powdered sugar.)  Then once the scones have cooled a bit, brush or drizzle the glaze on top of the scones.  Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Butter: If you are using unsalted butter, just add an extra 1/4 teaspoon salt to the recipe. Also, it's important that your butter is completely chilled, so I recommend keeping it in the fridge right up until the minute that you add it to the recipe.

Food processor option: Alternately, you can add all of the dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse to combine.  Add the diced butter and pulse a few times until crumbly.  Then transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the wet ingredients as directed until combined.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!