Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Pumpkin Glaze
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Inspired by Starbucks’ famous pumpkin scones, these breakfast treats are packed with pumpkin flavor.
Inspired by Starbucks’ famous pumpkin scones (only better, imho), these bronze beauties are packed with pumpkin flavor and lavishly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. The addition of molasses and pumpkin makes them more tender than your typical scones, almost like pumpkin bread in scone form.
The spiced pumpkin glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness, as the scones themselves aren’t overly sweet, and really drives the pumpkin flavor home. Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients; it’s really just a lot of spices, and many of the ingredients are used twice — once in the scones and again in the glaze.
Table of Contents
“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: Provides moisture and pumpkin flavor. Make sure to purchase 100% pure pumpkin — not pumpkin pie filling.
- Egg: Adds richness and helps bind the scone ingredients together.
- Heavy Cream: Enhances moisture and the fat in heavy cream ensures a tender texture.
- Molasses: Adds depth and richness to the flavor profile. Avoid blackstrap molasses as it will add a bitter flavor to the scones.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure to the scones. Measure it by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and contributes to a moist texture.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Act as leavening agents for rise and fluffiness.
- Ground Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, and Nutmeg: These spices add warm, spicy flavor notes characteristic of pumpkin treats.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Provides sweetness and adds thickness to the glaze that tops the scones.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, combine the pumpkin, heavy cream, egg, molasses, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
Whisk to combine and set aside.
Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse until evenly combined.
Add the chunks of cold butter.
Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized chunks of butter within. Those little chunks of butter are important and will render light and flaky scones.
Add the pumpkin mixture.
And pulse until the dough comes together. It will be sticky, and you should still be able to see some chunks of butter.
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour.
Gently knead the dough into a smooth ball, then divide in half.
Form each half into 5-inch circles, about 3/4-inch thick.
Cut each circle into six wedges.
Place the scones on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden.
Let cool for about 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Meanwhile, make the glaze: combine the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin purée, water, and spices in a medium bowl.
Whisk until the glaze is smooth. It should be thick.
Spoon the glaze over top of the scones, letting it drip a bit down the sides.
Let sit for about 30 minutes for the glaze to set, then serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure, although the mixture of spices in pumpkin pie spice is not an exact match (pumpkin pie spice sometimes includes allspice), it’s fine to replace the spices in the scones and glaze with pumpkin pie spice. Just replace the individual spices with an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice, so in this case, you’ll need 1 tablespoon for the scones and 1 teaspoon for the glaze.
Definitely! If canned pumpkin isn’t available where you live, or you’d just prefer to use fresh, that’s not a problem. For baking, the most flavorful pumpkins are smaller than those typically associated with Jack-O-Lanterns. They’re usually in the 4 to 8-pound range and are referred to as sugar, cooking, or pie pumpkins. This detailed piece from King Arthur Flour provides guidance on how to convert a whole pumpkin into purée that can be used in any of my pumpkin baked goods, pumpkin butter, or pumpkin soup.
The scones are best served fresh on the day they are made but will keep well in a covered container for two days.
Yes, the dough and the baked scones can be frozen for up to 3 months. If freezing the dough, 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, allowing a few extra minutes in the oven. To freeze them 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, let them come to room temperature, and 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.
Note: This scone portion of this recipe is based on a popular copycat recipe for Starbucks’ pumpkin scones that’s all over the Internet, but I’ve changed the method and recipe a bit. The Starbucks’ version has two thin glazes: plain and pumpkin. This version has a single thick pumpkin glaze, which is easier to make and packs much more pumpkin flavor.
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Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Pumpkin Glaze
Inspired by Starbucks’ famous pumpkin scones, these breakfast treats are packed with pumpkin flavor.
Ingredients
For the Scones
- ½ cup canned pumpkin purée (I use 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 with knife, plus more for dusting
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons 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
- 1 stick (½ cup) 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. 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-inch 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-inch circle, about ¾-inch 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.
- Note: The scones are best served fresh on the day they are made but will keep well in a covered container for two days.
- Freezer-Friendly 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
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- Serving size: 1 scone
- Calories: 261
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Sugar: 23g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Sodium: 193mg
- Cholesterol: 41mg
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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amazing recipe!! super easy to follow and the scones turned out delicious! they needed a lot of extra flour when kneading though, as the dough was very very sticky. also i only used 1 cup of icing sugar for the glaze and it was the perfect amount.
WOW… made these with gluten-free flour (Celiac family) and they were unbelievably delicious!!
Hi Jenn! Thank you for this recipe. My son loves Starbuck’s pumpkin scones. I’ve made this recipe three times and every time I swear it’s my last. They taste fantastic but the dough! It’s a sticky mess. How do you get your dough so smooth? What am I doing wrong?
~ Tess (aka Sticky Fingers in Sarasota)
Hi Tess, Glad to hear that your son enjoys them! The dough is very sticky by nature. If you’re finding it difficult to work with once you put it on the floured countertop, add more flour, bit by bit, just until you get it to a working texture.
These are delicious! Moist and very flavorful. I used fresh pumpkin instead of canned and milk as I had that on hand. Came out perfect. I did not glaze them, but may try that on the next batch! YUM.
This recipe is amazing. A whole family pleaser.
This recipe is amazing! Didn’t change a thing. These scones turn out so moist and almost cake like. I’ve literally never had a better scone than this. Thank you for sharing.
I love everything about this recipe and the scones are so delicious! I will be making these every year now. Thank you so much!
This recipe was amazing! The scones came out so soft and the spices were perfect! Thank you for posting it.
Absolutely fantastic!! Substituted plain yogurt for the heavy cream since it’s what I had on hand, and homemade brown sugar. They came out incredible! Even my very picky 5yo loved them! (And then dipped her apple slices in the remaining glaze 😅)
What kind of yogurt did you use?
These are very soft and flavorful. I was going to skip the glaze to save calories, but added it anyway and the glaze is perfect. I made my family’s favorite pumpkin bread on the same day and my 18 year old son are a scone first asked when I’m making more, so 5 stars!
Delicious! Absolutely tender scones, and the pumpkin icing makes this a delightful Fall treat.
Thank you again for a great recipe! These are delicious and easily made with the use of a food processor! Moist and flavorful!
i’m having trouble with my dough, i feel as if i added way too much flour since it is so sticky. the dough is now bouncy but still sticky, should i add more flour?
Sorry you’re having a problem! It’s definitely a very sticky dough so as long as you’re able to work with it I’d hold off on adding more flour, but if it’s impossible to work with, add more, bit by bit, until it gets to a sticky yet workable consistency.
These scones are delicious. Super moist and they have a really nice pumpkin flavour. The only thing is that for the icing 3 tbsp of pumpkin is quite a bit. I made it as called for in the recipe but the consistency was way off. I instead made the icing with 1 cup of confectioners sugar, a bit of water, 1/2 tsp of pumpkin and 1 tsp of cinnamon which was delicious.
These were fabulous! Perfect texture, spice and easy to put together. I did a little prep work the night before – making for quick work in the morning. Love ALL your recipes. Maybe consider seasonal mini cookbooks?
Everyone loved the pumpkin scones and the glaze was perfect.
It took quite a bit of flour to make the dough sturdy enough to be able to cut thru. Maybe I did not knead the dough. enough because each scone cracked open after baking. This did not make any difference because it was covered with the glaze . THEY WERE DELICIOUS!!!!
These are INSANE! One of the BEST recipes I’ve ever found online. I doubled the spice, but they stayed SO moist! I’m seriously considering retiring and selling these.
I used gluten free flour. Nice light and fluffy but way too much nutmeg.
These are amazing! I love the pumpkin flavor they are loaded with!
Made these for the first time today. Did not have cream & used Buttermilk. They were great; moist and tender. I used slightly less baking powder and soda than called for but that was mainly because I live in the mountains at 7000ft. Instead of cloves (my family is not fond of cloves) I used Mace which to me has a similar flavor to cloves but not quite as sharp. (Mace is the lacy covering on a Nutmeg seed. They dry and grind it.) Used about half of the pumpkin called for in the glaze and added a little buttermilk to cut the sweet. They turned out wonderfully delicious. I doubled the recipe and froze half as described. Will be a nice treat to be able to pull those out of the freezer and pop the in the oven!
I love your recipes and this one is another for the books! Everything turned out so delish! First time making scones and this was easy to follow.
I made these for the first time and they were honestly a little dry. Since it was my first time making scones it could have been because of something I did wrong possibly with letting my butter get too soft. Letting the butter get too soft, I believe, might have been the reason my dough wasn’t thick enough and I had to first refrigerate it before baking. I didn’t use the icing from this recipe and instead used a basic vanilla icing which added a little moisture. Overall, they are good and I do believe I messed up the recipe in the aspect of it being a little dry. My only con about this recipe is for a pumpkin scone, they are not super flavorful of pumpkin. I don’t know if the other spices in the recipe simply overpower the pumpkin or there isn’t enough pumpkin purée in the recipe.
I enjoy the scone itself but the glaze not so much. I did not like the canned pumpkin in the glaze.
Great recipe and tips! I don’t have a food processor so pulsed the dough (butter and dry ingredients) with a hand mixer and then finished off with a fork to get the pea-sized consistency. Worked perfectly. Everyone who had them is raving! I used a different glaze from another recipe so can’t speak for that.
These pumpkin scones were good, although my personal preference is a little less spice, as I think too many spices hide the pumpkin flavor. I may even try honey instead of molasses next time.
My disappointment was with the glaze recipe. I like to weigh ingredients when I bake. The recipe says to use 92 grams of pumpkin purée for the glaze. I was in a hurry and it wasn’t until after I added the 92 grams of pumpkin and mixed it up that I realized how off that measurement is. There is no way that 3 tablespoons of pumpkin purée weighs 92 grams (should probably be half that, more like 45 grams of pumpkin purée). Very frustrating. I ended up having to just throw it out and start over measuring out 3 T. instead of going by weight, which was not only a waste of ingredients but also really inconvenient to have to re-make when I was already running short on time. Oh well. People seemed to like them in the end.
Hi Alex, Glad you enjoyed them overall and sorry you had a problem with the glaze — you’re right — the metric conversion for the pumpkin puree is wrong — I’m sorry! I’ve just changed it. Thanks for pointing it out; it takes a village. 🙂
Suggested substitution for the molasses? I never use that ingredient and given the amount needed, would prefer not to buy a bottle. Would honey or maple syrup work? Thank you.
Hi Melissa, either maple syrup or honey would be fine here. Hope you enjoy!
I made these scones according to the directions, except I used half-n-half instead of heavy cream. Also, my dough was very sticky and wet coming out of the food processor, so I had to add flour a little at a time to get it into a workable round ball. I cut the ball into 2 discs, flattened them, wrapped them in plastic wrap, and refrigerated overnight. Next morning, I took the discs out of the refrigerator, and 5 minutes later, I lightly sprayed PAM with flour onto my King Arthur Flour Mini-Scone pan which makes 16 scones. I molded the dough with my fingers into the scone pan- like working with clay! Easy- filled each slot about half way, and had dough left over for 2 free-form scones which I baked on another tray. Baked for 12 minutes at 400 degrees. They came out perfectly! So delicious. I glazed them about 6 hours later. I did run out of glaze, so 3 did not have glaze- still delicious. All scones so moist! I will definitely make these again! Thanks, Jenn.
Soooooo good!
Okay so these are AMAZING. I doubled the recipe and took them into work and they were a hit.
I’m big on glaze so I tripled that recipe and double dipped the scones in it after letting the first layer set in the first for an hour.
Simply divine and not dry at all like some scones can be. Next time I might add some chopped pecans too.
The best pumpkin scone recipe. Best pumpkin anything really
The first batch of dough had to be thrown away because I over processed it. After emailing Jen and realizing that’s what I did wrong, I tried again and wow, I’m so happy I did. These scones are absolutely delicious! Fun and easy to make when you don’t go crazy with your food processor.
Family and friends loved it! A new autumn staple
My new pumpkin favourite! I made these using a cast iron scone pan that I inherited from my mother. I had to cook them a few minutes longer to get them to peak and get browned but it worked. They were wonderful. I’d never made scones before and appreciated the detailed instructions. Thanks, Jenn!
Made these to give half the recipe as a hostess gift. They called me the next day to ask for the recipe as they were incredible! Not difficult to make. The result is A+! Thank you!
These pumpkin scones are so good! My family loves them.
We made these last weekend, and they turned out beautifully. My husband declared them “the best bakery item ever eaten”.
I must admit that I added salt to the glaze, otherwise the only sodium is the baking soda.
These are even better than St*rbucks! The scones have amazing pumpkin pie flavour and are so light in texture! I was a little scared by the stickiness of the dough but with several light flourings it came together and did not affect texture. My household loves these and I will make them again!
Hi Jenn,
The scone dough is too soft and sticky to knead. I have it chilling in the refrigerator for a bit as I wasn’t sure whether to add more flour or chill. What would you recommend?
Even the dough smells fabulous and I cannot wait to taste! I’m sure it will be a hit as every other recipe from you is.
Thank you!
Hi Rebecca, Feel free to add a bit of flour as you’re working with the dough to make it easier to work with.
Just pulled these out of the oven…
Excellent!!
Very moist and the pumpkin glaze puts them over the top!
My dough was very very sticky so I just added a little more flour to the food processor. It’s also very rainy here in Michigan today so that doesn’t help.
I also make a copycat Starbucks Vanilla Bean Scone that we all love.
Now I have another scone recipe to enjoy!! Thanks Jen! 🎃
Hi Jenn. What is the amount of pumpkin you use? We don’t have Libby’s in Canada and pumpkin is usually only available in big cans. Thanks
You’d need 1/2 cup/122 grams. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
We have Libby’s in my part of British Columbia Silvia (Okanagan)…it’s with all the usual pie filings at Superstore and probably also at most of the other grocery stores too.
Just removed from oven, glazed and ate. Yummy….
Would definitely make again. Great texture, and not too sweet. Thank you!! Ladner, BC.
Absolutely amazing and sooo easy! My family loved them, even picky kids! I’m super pleased with this reciepe. Definitely a keeper 🙂
Hi Jenn,
These are delicious and I have made them twice already. I have several gluten free friends and would like to make a batch that is gluten free for them. Would almond flour be ok or would you recommend something else. You can tell I am not gluten free….I need advice from the expert!
thanks so much.
Hi Peggy, Glad you like them! I wouldn’t recommend almond flour here, but a gluten-free flour should work. A number of readers have commented that they have good luck with King Arthur gluten-free flour. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
These look amazing. Would making them with homemade pumpkin purée work? What’s the best way to make pumpkin purée for baked goods? I live in Australia and it’s almost impossible to find canned pumpkin purée. Thank you
Hi Minka, Many readers have commented that they’ve used fresh pumpkin here successfully. You’ll need 1-3/4 cups. Just make sure to drain it of excess water so that the consistency is similar to that of canned pumpkin. Here’s some guidance on how to make pumpkin puree. Hope that helps!
I’ve made these scones probably 10+ times now. They’re amazing!! It’s October again, so I’m hopping on here for another go around with these. Thanks for this go-to recipe!!
My husband made me these for my birthday and they were delicious! He made the glaze a little runny but we just used it as dip like “au jus.” The taste reminded me a bit of gingerbread. I ate a LOT of them! 🙂 Saving these for future birthdays!
Delicious! Second time making scones, and they came out perfect. Many of my family said that this was the best scone they ever had. Thank you!
I don’t have a food processor will a kitchen aid mixer work? any tips?
Also, I love the new cookbook. I have enjoyed about 10 recipes so far. I love the ziti!
Do you have any scone recipes that are savory? Could I use your basic scone recipe and add chives and Gruyere, basil and Parmesan, tomato and basil??? Have a great day!! gmawelsh@gmail.com
Hi Laurie, So glad you’re enjoying the cookbook! I wouldn’t recommend a mixer for the scones. You can make the dough by hand though; mix the dry ingredients with your fingers (be sure there are no lumps of brown sugar), use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to “cut in” the butter, then stir in the wet ingredients with a spoon.
And I do have a savory scone recipe on page 234 of my first cookbook. If you don’t have the book, let me know — I’d be happy to email you the recipe. 🙂
Can I make these with a bread maker machine? I also have a vitamix blender but I do not have a food processor. I also have a KitchenAid with a dough hook.
Hi Chase, I wouldn’t recommend a bread maker, blender, or mixer, you can make the dough by hand. Mix the dry ingredients with your fingers (be sure there are no lumps of brown sugar), use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to “cut in” the butter, then stir in the wet ingredients with a spoon. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn!
I’ve never made a recipe that was absolutely perfect, until now! I’m a huge fan of Starbucks Pumpkin Scones and yours are better! I agree that your glaze elevates the flavor. Just 13 mins in the oven resulted in delightful, moist and delicious scones, even without the glaze. But with the glaze, they are absolute heaven! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes and THANK YOU! They were exactly what I was craving and everyone I shared them with thought they were “To Die For” good!
Hi Jenn,
I am planning on making these for a school breakfast event. Would these still be good if I made them a day ahead? And each one would have to be wrapped individually. Will the glaze dry overnight so that they can be put in a cellophane or paper bag without ruining the glaze?
Thanks!
Hi Faith, these are best the day they are baked but they will last nicely for a day or two. And the glaze is a little sticky so you’ll just want to consider that when packaging them. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn,
Thanks for getting back to me! I did a trial run this weekend. I made the dough last night. I kneaded very gently, divided the dough as directed and wrapped one circle of dough in plastic wrap. For the other circle, I added 1/8 cup of flour to see if it would make the texture more dense and I kneaded it a little more. I put both circles of wrapped dough in the fridge over night. I figured the evening prep would cut the time I would need to make three dozens on the morning of the breakfast event (you said they’re best on the day that they are baked, so I’m going with the expert!). It was easy to cut both circles of cold dough. I did a taste test on my family. They all said that the original recipe tasted better than the one with extra flour. Also, since I’m not a fan of pumpkin, I have never had the Starbucks scone, so I bought one to compare. The Starbucks one also has a cake-like texture, except yours came out softer and did not have that hard super-sweet shell of a glaze on top. My husband is a fan of all things pumpkin and he said that the pumpkin glaze from your recipe is a must! The only thing I’m not sure about is why my scones seemed to rise more than yours. Maybe I mixed it too much in the food processor. Anyway, thanks for another great recipe!
Just wanted to clarify, my scones puffed up and seemed too “tall” to bite into without looking silly. They didn’t look as pretty as your pictures and even cracked on top. But still delicious!
Love the recipe it’s so easy! My only adjustment would be the frosting 3 tablespoons of pumpkin purée stops the frosting from hardening so I add less. The scones were very sticky until I used less pumpkin purée on top. Other then that they taste amazing every time! Better then Starbucks! Thank you now I can make them at home. I usually make these starting mid September all through the holidays!