Pumpkin Scones
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Tender, warmly spiced, and topped with a sweet pumpkin glaze, these homemade pumpkin scones are a fall favorite.
Inspired by the pumpkin scones Starbucks used to sell, this pumpkin scone recipe is packed with pumpkin flavor and warmly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Pumpkin purée and a touch of molasses make the scones especially tender—almost like pumpkin bread in scone form.
The spiced pumpkin glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness and an extra boost of pumpkin flavor. And don’t be put off by the long ingredient list; it’s mostly spices, many of which are used in both the scones and the glaze.
If you’re a scone lover, be sure to try my cream scones, blueberry scones and butterscotch pecan scones for more flavors.
“These are even better than Starbucks! The scones have amazing pumpkin pie flavor and are so light in texture!”
What You’ll Need To Make Pumpkin Scones
- Canned Pumpkin Purée: Adds moisture and pumpkin flavor to both the scones and the glaze. Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced. For more ways to use up the can, check out my favorite pumpkin recipes.
- Egg & Heavy Cream: Add richness and moisture and help give the scones their tender texture.
- Molasses & Vanilla Extract: Molasses adds a subtle caramel-like depth that complements the pumpkin and warm spices; vanilla rounds out the flavor. Avoid blackstrap molasses, which is too strong and bitter here.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the scones. For the most accurate measurement, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Unsalted Butter: Gives the scones their rich, buttery flavor and flaky texture. Keep it cold until you’re ready to use it; cold butter creates little pockets of steam as the scones bake, helping them rise and form flaky layers.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Sweetens the scones and adds moisture and a deeper caramel flavor.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Give the scones lift and help them bake up light and tender.
- Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves & Nutmeg: The warm spices that give the scones their classic pumpkin-spice flavor. They’re used in both the dough and the glaze. (You can sub an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice if you prefer.)
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Forms the base of the pumpkin glaze and gives it a smooth, pourable consistency.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Pumpkin Scones
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients. Combine the pumpkin, heavy cream, egg, molasses, and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until evenly combined.
Step 3: Cut in the butter. AAdd the cold butter and pulse until the mixture looks crumbly, with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. Those little pockets of butter help the scones bake up light and flaky.
Step 4: Mix everything together. Add the pumpkin mixture and pulse just until the dough comes together. It will be quite sticky, and you should still see a few pieces of butter—don’t overmix.
Step 5: Form the scones. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and dust the top with a little flour. Gently knead it just enough to bring it together, then divide it in half. Shape each half into a 5-inch round and cut into six wedges.
Step 6: Bake. Arrange the scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until set and lightly browned on the bottoms, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
Step 7: Make the glaze. Combine the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin purée, water, and spices in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth—it should be thick.
Step 8: Glaze the scones. Spoon the glaze over the scones, letting some drip down the sides. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
More Pumpkin Recipes For Fall
Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients
For the Scones
- ½ cup canned pumpkin purée, such as Libby's
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon molasses, such as Grandma's Original
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off, plus more for dusting
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
For the Glaze
- 1½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons canned pumpkin purée
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, egg, heavy cream, molasses, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Process for about 20 seconds to combine; be sure no lumps of brown sugar remain.
- Cut the cold butter into ½-in (13-mm) chunks. Add to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal – it should look unevenly crumbly with some pea-size chunks of butter within. Add the pumpkin mixture and pulse just until the mixture comes together. The dough will be very sticky, and you should still be able to see some pea-size clumps of butter.
- Lightly flour a countertop or work surface. Dump the sticky scone dough onto the floured surface and dust the top lightly with more flour. Using your hands, gently knead the dough until it comes together into a smooth ball. Divide the dough in half. Dust your work surface with flour again and form each half into a 5-in (13-cm) circle, about ¾-in (2-cm) thick. Using a sharp knife dusted with flour, slice each circle into 6 even wedges (cut each circle in half, then cut each half into thirds). If the dough starts to stick to the knife, dust the knife with more flour. Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the scones for 12 to 15 minutes. To see if they are done, peek at the bottoms; they should be slightly browned. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the Confectioners' sugar, pumpkin, water, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg until smooth. The glaze should be thick.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the glaze over each scone, letting it drip a bit down the sides. Wait about 30 minutes for the glaze to set, then serve.
Notes
- The scones are best served fresh on the day they are made, but will keep well in a covered container for two days.
- Freezing Instructions: The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Put the dough wedges on a baking sheet, let set in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking, let the scones cool completely and store in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the scones from the container and let them come to room temperature. (For best results, glaze after defrosting.) **If you have the option to freeze the scones before or after baking them, you will get the best results if you freeze them before baking.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This recipe was smash hit with my 92 year old tea snob friend who lived in England 😉
It is my first and only scone project–a resounding success!
Now she is turning 93 and a group of us are putting on a tea party.
I would like to try a different flavor for spring– but have noticed some slight differences in ingredients and technique.
Can I get away with using the food processor method with all the recipes?
Is the flour type (all purp vs cake) important for each recipe you developed and tested?
Glad these were a hit with your English friend! Yes, you can use a food processor for any of the recipes, but I would stick with the flour type specified in each one.
My husband rates these spicy, delicious scones as 5 stars. They are definitely worth the time it takes to make them.
I just made these scones this morning and they are IDEAL pumpkin scones, plus the instructions are perfect for getting that flakey scone consistency just right!
Thank you so much! 🎃
Hi Jen! These sound amazing! I have two questions before I make these for the first time:
1. I do have homemade pumpkin puree, how do I drain off the extra water before baking with it?
2. I’m a college student so I don’t have extra money to buy molasses, so I plan to omit it. Will it drastically change the consistency of the bake?
thanks!
Hi Rebekah, I would just put the pumpkin purée in a strainer to drain off the extra water. And it’s OK to skip the molasses – if you have brown sugar or maple syrup, you can substitute with that. If not, no worries. Hope you enjoy the scones!
Like all your recipes, these came out perfectly. Moist and plump even the next day. The dough was super easy to work with, which is not the case with some scone recipes. Everyone gobbled these up. Making them again this weekend for my church group.
I have made these twice now and both times they have come out fantastic. My nephew said that it was the first scone he ever had that wasn’t dry. My daughter had 3 of them. Not hard to do! How about a vanilla bean one, Jen?? I trust your recipes and would love that one!
These are good, but I did have to add more flour. My guess is I used too much pumpkin, and next time, I should measure it out in a measuring cup to use exactly half. I would make this again.
What a great recipe! Very light texture scone. Your instructions are so clear and very much appreciated.
Next time I may use a little less clove in the glaze as it was the predominant flavor for me. Thank you for sharing your baking wisdom!
This was my first time making scones, and they came out fantastic!
I made them precisely by the recipe. The spice and flavor couldn’t be better.
Everyone loved them and asked to have them made again.
My husband reminded me that pumpkin is available all year. Lol
Totally fabulous! The instructions and photos make this recipe very easy. I don’t have a food processor, so I used a pastry cutter, instead. I will certainly make these scones again. Thanks, Jen!