These pumpkin scones are tender, lightly spiced wedges made with pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cold butter and a little heavy cream, finished with a thin vanilla glaze. One batch makes 8 scones and takes about 35 minutes: 15 to mix and shape, 16 to 20 in a 400°F oven.
The whole trick is cold butter. Rub it into the flour only until you still see pea-sized pieces, then pat the dough out by hand. No mixer, no rolling pin, no cutters.
Following a special diet?
Every recipe on this site can be converted to gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, keto, nut-free or egg-free with adjusted ratios so nothing falls flat.
Try the Recipe Converter →What Goes Into Eight Pumpkin Scones
- Dry: 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Spice: 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon each cloves and ginger
- Fat: 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- Wet: 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Glaze: 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- Oven: 400°F (200°C), 16 to 20 minutes on a parchment-lined sheet
If you like a plainer scone with the same method, my sour cream scones use the same 8 wedge shape and oven temperature.
Cold Butter and a Light Hand
Whisk the flour, sugar, leaveners, salt and all four spices first so the spice is spread evenly before anything wet goes in. Then add the cold butter cubes and work them in with a pastry blender or your fingertips. Stop at coarse crumbs with visible pea-sized pieces of butter.
Those pieces matter. In the hot oven they melt and release steam, which pushes the dough apart into soft layers. Warm or melted butter blends straight into the flour instead. I tried melted butter once for speed and the dough turned sticky, rose less and lost its flake.
Getting the Pumpkin Mixture Right
In a second bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, cream, egg and vanilla until smooth. Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, so the scones come out too sweet and too soft to hold a wedge.
The pumpkin is mostly water, and that is why the amounts stay small: 1/2 cup puree and only 1/4 cup cream for 2 cups of flour. That keeps the crumb moist and tender without tipping it into muffin texture. If you use homemade pumpkin puree and it looks wet on the spoon, blot it on a paper towel before measuring.
Pressing, Cutting and Baking at 400°F
Pour the wet mixture into the dry bowl and stir with a spatula just until a soft dough forms. It should look shaggy and a little sticky. If a few dry patches remain, leave it for 5 minutes and the flour will soak them up.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a round about 6 to 7 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Do not knead or roll it. Cut 8 wedges with a sharp knife or bench scraper, pressing straight down, and set them 2 inches apart on the lined sheet.
Bake for 16 to 20 minutes. They are done when the edges are golden and the center of a wedge feels firm and springs back when you press it. Leave them on the sheet for 10 to 15 minutes before glazing.
A Thin Vanilla Glaze
Whisk the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk or cream and the vanilla. Add more milk a few drops at a time until it falls off the whisk in a ribbon. Drizzle it over the cooled scones with a spoon or fork and finish with a pinch of cinnamon if you like. If it runs straight off the sides, it is too thin: whisk in a spoonful more powdered sugar.
Flat, Dense or Raw in the Middle?
- Scones spread flat: the butter got warm, the puree was watery, or pie filling went in. On a warm day, chill the cut wedges on the tray for 15 minutes before they go in the oven.
- Dense or tough: the dough was kneaded, rolled or stirred too long. Mix only until it comes together and pat it out by hand.
- Raw in the center: the round was thicker than 1 inch or they came out at 16 minutes. Give them the full 20 and check that the middle springs back.
- Glaze soaked in: the scones were still hot. Wait the full 10 to 15 minutes.
- Bland: old ground spices lose their smell fast. If the cinnamon smells faint in the jar, it will taste faint in the scone.
Butter or Coconut Oil?
When I baked these for a dairy-free friend, I swapped the butter for coconut oil. They worked. The flavor was milder and the texture softer, with less of the flaky layering. For a fully dairy-free batch, use solid coconut oil and swap the cream and glaze milk for almond milk. Butter gives more structure, so I keep it for the regular batch.
Freezing the Dough and Keeping Baked Scones
For a holiday breakfast, freeze the cut, unbaked wedges on a tray until hard, then move them to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen at 400°F and add 2 to 4 minutes. Glaze after baking, never before freezing.
Baked scones are best the morning you bake them. Leftovers keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. To freeze baked ones, wrap each in parchment, seal them in a bag and reheat from frozen at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
What to Bake With the Rest of the Can
This recipe uses only 1/2 cup from a 15 ounce can, so there is plenty left. Stir it into a loaf of pumpkin bread, bake a dozen pumpkin muffins, or cook it down into pumpkin butter to spread on a warm scone. For something sweeter, pumpkin cupcakes use the same spice idea.
With the scones, I pour black coffee or a homemade pumpkin spice latte, and a soft pat of cinnamon butter on a split, warm wedge is hard to beat.
Pumpkin Scone Questions
Can I make pumpkin scones without heavy cream?
Yes. Whole milk or buttermilk works in the same 1/4 cup amount. The scones will be a little less rich, and buttermilk adds a slight tang.
Can I add chocolate chips or pecans?
Yes. Fold about 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped toasted pecans into the dry mix after the butter, before the wet ingredients go in.
How are these different from Starbucks pumpkin scones?
These are softer in the center and less sugary, with one thin vanilla glaze instead of a thick coating, and they hold their shape well after cooling.
Save these pumpkin scones to your fall baking board, and find more for the season in my pumpkin desserts. Tell me in the comments how your batch turned out or what you folded in.
Easy Pumpkin Scones Recipe
These pumpkin scones are tender, lightly spiced scones made with pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cold butter, heavy cream and cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger, finished with a thin vanilla glaze. The recipe makes 8 wedge scones in about 35 minutes, baked at 400°F for 16 to 20 minutes until the edges are golden and the centers spring back. Cutting the cold butter in only until pea-sized pieces remain keeps the crumb moist and soft, and plain puree (not pie filling) stops the dough from spreading. Serve them for a fall breakfast, a Thanksgiving brunch tray or with coffee. Fold in chocolate chips or pecans if you like. Freeze the unbaked wedges and bake from frozen, or keep baked scones 2 days at room temperature.
Ingredients
- FOR THE SCONES
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (67g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup (120g) pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- FOR THE GLAZE
- 3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons milk or cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of cinnamon (optional, for dusting)
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Set your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- WHISK THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger until the spices are evenly distributed.
- CUT IN THE BUTTER: Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture forms coarse crumbs with visible pea-sized pieces of butter.
- MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
- COMBINE WET AND DRY: Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and use a spatula to stir just until a soft dough forms. The dough should look slightly shaggy and sticky but not overly wet.
- SHAPE THE DOUGH: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat it into a round disk about 6 to 7 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Avoid overworking the dough to keep the texture light.
- SLICE INTO WEDGES: Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the disk into 8 equal wedges. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- BAKE THE SCONES: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown at the edges and firm in the center. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes before glazing.
- MAKE THE GLAZE: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk or cream, and the vanilla extract until smooth. Add more milk as needed to reach a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the cooled scones and sprinkle with cinnamon if using.
Notes
Keep the butter cold and stop cutting it in while pea-sized pieces are still visible. Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling; blot watery homemade puree on paper towel first. Pat the dough 1 inch thick and do not knead or roll it, or the scones bake dense. On a warm day, chill the cut wedges for 15 minutes before baking. Let the scones cool 10 to 15 minutes before glazing so the glaze sets instead of soaking in. Make ahead: freeze unbaked wedges on a tray, bag them, and bake from frozen at 400°F, adding 2 to 4 minutes. Baked scones keep 2 days in an airtight container; reheat at 350°F.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 245Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 33mgSodium 496mgCarbohydrates 42gFiber 1gSugar 10gProtein 6g
