Pumpkin Scone Recipe – an Easy and Delicious Fall Treat

Get in the mood for fall with a perfectly spiced pumpkin scone recipe! Cinnamon, brown sugar and pumpkin flavor the dough, and the baked scones are topped with a deliciously dreamy spiced glaze.

This recipe gives the Starbucks pumpkin scone recipe some serious competition for the best fall flavors!

Picture this: a crisp fall day. The leaves are changing. Your sweaters are out of storage. You have a hot beverage in front of you, and you bite into a warm, pumpkin spice pastry while you make plans to go apple picking and pumpkin patching.

Is pumpkin patching a thing? It just sounded so much better than “apple picking and visiting the pumpkin patch.” If it wasn’t before, it is now. Here it is in a sentence: Every October, my family goes pumpkin patching to find the best pumpkins and treats for the season.

But pumpkin patch visits aren’t the only sign of fall. For me, it’s baking, especially baking with pumpkin.

Want me to prove how much I love pumpkin recipes? You’ll see when you take a look at some related recipes:

Check out my cake mix pumpkin bread recipe. Then take a look at my pumpkin pie rice krispie treats. Finish it all off with a vanilla pumpkin smoothie recipe.

Why you’ll love this recipe for pumpkin scones

To be honest, I’m pretty indifferent on the actual flavor of pumpkin. It’s the associated spices that always do it for me.

That blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger is magical. Combine them with sugar (or brown sugar) and pumpkin, and something special happens!

Like this pumpkin scone recipe. It’s one of my favorite recipes with pumpkin spice. These pumpkin spice scones smell amazing when they’re baking, and they taste even better!

To top it all off, this is a super easy recipe. If you’ve heard that scones are hard to make, this recipe will prove that they’re not!

I also have to note that these are not a copycat of Starbucks pumpkin scones. It’s different, but I think the flavors and texture give the coffee shop pastries a run for their money!

Important ingredients for easy pumpkin scones

These are notes on some of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. You’ll find exact measurements and instructions at the bottom of the post.

These are notes on some of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.

Flour – I use unbleached, all-purpose flour for all of my recipes.

Brown sugar – Either light or dark brown sugar is fine for this recipe. I think dark brown sugar is just perfect for most fall recipes, but light brown sugar will work, too.

Pumpkin pie spice – There really is no substitute for pumpkin pie spice in baking, but you can make your own if you have all the ingredients in your spice cabinet.

Butter – like pumpkin pie spice, butter is in a class of its own for most recipes, especially when you’re baking! Make sure your butter is cold (straight from the fridge) and unsalted.

If you don’t have butter, you can use margarine or vegetable shortening to get similar results.

Milk – Whole milk is recommended for this recipe, but you can use skim, 1% or 2% milk if that’s what you have on hand.

Pumpkin – If you’ve read any pumpkin recipes, you’ve probably noticed that every one yells at you to make sure you’re using pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.

Sorry, but I’m going to do the same! Pie filling has sugar and spices already added in. It’s basically a can you open up and scoop into a pie crust.

I’m going to repeat it (because you haven’t heard it enough!): Don’t use pie filling for this recipe. Use pure canned pumpkin or pure pumpkin puree.

How to make the best pumpkin scone recipe

These are notes and instructions that go with the recipe for pumpkin scones. You’ll want to scroll down to the bottom of this article to view a recipe card that has the exact ingredient measurements and instructions in one view.

The card also includes a print function, so you can print the recipe and save it at home.

Pumpkin scone directions

First, combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Measure your flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Then use a whisk to stir them all together.

Next, use a pastry blender, two knives or a pulsing food processor to cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients. You can also use a pastry cutter or a fork to do the same. Don’t let the butter get soft or warm when you’re cutting it in.

Your mixture will resemble coarse, crumbly sand when the butter is incorporated.

Create your wet ingredient mixture: Use a separate bowl to mix the eggs, pumpkin puree and 1/2 cup milk until it’s smooth and well blended.

Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and butter crumbles and gently mix with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead it a few times, adding flour until a soft dough forms. Split the dough into two equal pieces, and roll each into a ball.

Press each ball into a circle, about 1-1.5 inches thick. Use a sharp knife to cut each circle into 8 wedges.

Tip: I like to press any scone dough into the bottom of a small pie plate to make a perfect circle. Then I mark a little divot in the approximate center and turn it back out onto a board for cutting.

Even better tip: Use a scone pan or mini scone pan for perfectly shaped and sized scones!

Put the scone dough wedges about two inches apart onto a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the unbaked scones with the remaining milk, and bake for about 15 minutes.

Prepare the glaze after the scones have cooled.

Want to make chocolate chip pumpkin scones, cinnamon chip pumpkin, or pecan pumpkin scones? Check out the FAQ below for the various mix-in suggestions and how to use them.

Ingredients for the pumpkin scone glaze

These are just notes on the easy ingredients you’ll use in your icing. Get exact measurements in a printable recipe card below.

Powdered sugar – this is also called confectioner’s sugar, and there’s really not a substitute for it.

Milk – once again, I recommend using whole milk for this. You can easily use the same amount of half and half or heavy cream for a richer flavor. If you use skim milk, I recommend also mixing in 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of melted butter.

Vanilla extract – I’ve said it before: I’m no longer a vanilla snob, and I think you should just always use your favorite brand. This is my favorite variety of imitation vanilla, and this is pretty much everyone’s favorite pure vanilla extract.

Pumpkin pie spice – this is optional, depending on if you want a spiced glaze or a basic vanilla glaze. Use the same brand or blend of pumpkin spice that you used in the scone recipe.

How to make the glaze

Making the glaze is the easiest part of this entire recipe!

I recommend waiting to make the icing until the scones have cooled so you can use the glaze immediately.

Put the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and optional pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and whisk them together until smooth. Use immediately and drizzle glaze over each cooled scone.

If your icing doesn’t seem quite right, check out the FAQ below for possible solutions.

FAQ

Can I add anything to my pumpkin scones?

Absolutely! Here’s how to make a few different variations on the original recipe:

Pumpkin cinnamon chip scones

Add 3/4 cup cinnamon chips or mini cinnamon chips to the dough after you combine the wet ingredient mix with the flour mixture. Continue the recipe as detailed in the instructions.

Pumpkin chocolate chip scones

Add 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate) to the dough before you turn it out onto the floured surface. Finish the recipe as directed, but skip the optional pumpkin pie spice in the glaze.

Pumpkin pecan scones

Toasted pecans add the most flavor, and they’re amazing when you add maple syrup to the glaze! You’ll find the instructions for maple glaze below.

When you’ve made your scone dough by mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, add 3/4 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans. Bake as instructed.

Can I change the pumpkin scone glaze?

You can change up the glaze for your scones in so many different ways!

Cinnamon glaze for scones

Omit the pumpkin pie spice from the glaze recipe and use 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon instead.

Maple glaze for pumpkin scones

Make the glaze recipe without the vanilla extract or the optional pumpkin pie spice. Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup to the mixture. You may need 1-4 additional tablespoons of confectioners sugar to get the glaze to the right thickness.

What should I do if my icing is too thick or hard?

If you haven’t refrigerated your icing, then it just needs a bit of milk to thin it out. Start by stirring in 2-4 drops of milk. If it’s not enough, add more, 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

What should I do if my glaze is too thin?

There’s an easy fix if your glaze is too thin. Just add more powdered sugar. Stir in one tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time until it’s thick enough.

Can I freeze these scones?

Yes, these scones freeze beautifully!

Just store the glazed scones in a freezer-safe container or a ziplock freezer bag for up to 3 months. Use parchment between layers of each baked scone to keep them from sticking together. with Let them thaw at room temperature.

If you’re impatient, you can thaw frozen scone in the microwave for 20-45 seconds, but the glaze will likely melt.

Can I make this recipe into vegan pumpkin scones?

Yes! Use vegan butter instead of regular butter, and use your choice of plant-based milk instead of traditional milk. Almond milk works perfectly. Make sure you use the milk substitute twice to make both the vegan scones and the vegan frosting.

You can also try using coconut oil as a substitute for butter to make these scones vegan. I haven’t tested this substitution, though, so try at your own risk.

Do I need to use icing or frosting on these scones?

Definitely not. Scones aren’t made to be sweet like a cookie, so don’t be surprised if the scone by itself is more biscuit-like.

If you’d rather have a hint of sweetness, you can sprinkle with coarse sugar after you’ve placed the dough on your baking sheet.

Pumpkin scone recipe