These moist Pumpkin Scones are soft, buttery scones with crumbly edges. They’re perfectly spiced and topped with pumpkin spice glaze. Make this easy recipe for fall brunches or afternoon tea or coffee.
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My husband loves Starbucks pumpkin scones, but we both think these are better — softer, fresher, and full of pumpkin flavor.
This pumpkin scone recipe is easy to make. It has step-by-step photos, a video, and clear instructions anyone can follow.
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Be sure to try my olive oil pumpkin cake and pumpkin bread with frosting!
For another cozy scones recipe, you’ll love my carrot cake scone recipe.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Some scones can be dry, but not these pumpkin spice scones. They are buttery, moist and delicious just like my date and orange scones and carrot scones!
- They’re full of rich pumpkin flavor like my chocolate chip pumpkin cookies and peanut butter and pumpkin cookies.
- You don’t need any fancy equipment.
- These are delicious anytime of the day just like my apple cinnamon coffee cake!
Ingredients
- Measure your all-purpose flour accurately. Using too much flour can lead to dry scones.
- I recommend canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Blot it with paper towels to remove extra water for the best scone texture. Got leftover pumpkin puree? Make banana and pumpkin muffins and my chocolate and pumpkin pie!
- For spices we’re adding cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice. If you’re missing one, just add more cinnamon.
- Make sure your unsalted butter is cold.
- Keep heavy cream in the fridge until it’s time to add it.
- Use 1 egg yolk.
- Use light or brown sugar. Make sure it’s fresh.
- Coarse sugar (optional): Sprinkle turbinado or demerara sugar on top before baking. Mix with warm spices for extra crunch and sweetness.
Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap in cold whole milk or buttermilk in place of the heavy cream.
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Scones
Quick Video Recap
Instructions
Step 1 (Picture 1 above)– Blot the pumpkin with at least 4-5 paper towels to absorb most of the moisture. After blotting, you should have about 1/3 cup or 80 grams of pumpkin.
Step 2 (Picture 2 above)– Combine the dry ingredients. Cut the cold, cubed butter in with a pastry cutter, two forks or your fingertips til butter is the size of peas.
Step 3 (Picture 3 above)– In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk, 1/4 cup of the cold heavy cream and the vanilla. Drizzle over the mixture. Stir with a spatula until a dough forms. If you see some dry spots, add a tablespoon more of heavy cream at a time, as needed.
Step 4 (Picture 4 above)– Lightly flour your hands and gently work dough into a ball.
Step 5 (Picture 5 above)– Turn dough out onto a workspace. Lightly knead the dough briefly (push the dough down gently, fold it over on itself and then rotate it). Avoid overworking. Pat into a 6-8 inch circle. Slice into triangles.
Step 6 (Picture 6 above)– Cover and chill in at least 45 minutes.
Step 7 (Picture 7 above)– Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush the tops with heavy cream. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool before glazing.
Step 8 (Picture 8 above)– Combine the powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon or drizzle over the scones.
Expert Tips
Don’t Overwork the Dough: Overworking the dough will result in a dense, heavy texture.
Keep Your Ingredients Cold: Cold ingredients help keep the butter from melting before it hits the oven. Cold butter will help make the scones nice and flaky. Use cold eggs, cold cream or milk, and cold butter.
Chill Before Baking: Mixing and shaping the dough makes the ingredients warm up. Chill the scones for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour after cutting them out. This will keep them from overspreading.
Recipe FAQs
If you don’t plan to use leftover canned pumpkin soon, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
I prefer the taste and texture of canned pumpkin puree for this recipe. Fresh pumpkin is more watery and can affect the texture of these scones.
Yes. Keeping dough cold helps prevent the scones from over-spreading when they bake. After mixing and shaping the scones, chill before baking them.
Scones are best enjoyed the day they are made. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 2 months.
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Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients
Pumpkin Scones
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter cold, cubed into ½ inch cubes
- ⅔ cup (163.33 g) pumpkin puree Measure ⅔ cup pumpkin puree, then blot it with paper towels until you have about ⅓ cup (80 g) of thick pumpki
- 1 (1 egg yolk) egg yolk
- ½ cup (118.29 ml) heavy cream cold, divided, start with ¼ cup, add up to 1/2 cup plus more for brushing
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups (281.25 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon (1½ teaspoon) cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) ground ginger
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar light or dark, packed
Pumpkin Spice Sugar
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) turbinado sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) pumpkin pie spice or substitute nutmeg or extra cinnamon
Pumpkin Spice Glaze
- ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) nutmeg
- 1-2 tablespoons (1-2 tablespoons) heavy cream
Instructions
Pumpkin Scones
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Dust a clean counterspace or pastry mat lightly with flour.
- Place the butter in the freezer for 15 minutes. Next, chop the cold butter in half lengthwise. Turn it on its side and cut lengthwise again. Slice the butter into ½ inch cubes. Place butter in the fridge to stay cold until you're ready to use it in the recipe.
- Next, blot the pumpkin to absorb excess moisture. (See recipe notes below for more information). Spread 2/3 cup of canned pumpkin puree on a large dinner plate. Blot it with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Do this one full paper towel at a time until most of the excess moisture is absorbed. You'll most likely need at least five full paper towels. After blotting, you should end up with about 1/3 cup or 80 grams of pumpkin.
- In a medium bowl, stir to combine the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, vanilla, and ¼ cup of the heavy cream. Chill the mixture while you prepare the dry ingredients.(Reserve the rest of the heavy cream in the fridge to add to the recipe as needed and for brushing on scones before baking).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together to combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ground spices and salt.
- Add the chopped butter and toss with a spatula to make sure all the pieces of butter are coated with flour. Work the butter into the dry ingredients using 2 forks, a pastry cutter or your fingers until the butter is about the size of peas. It's okay if some pieces of butter are slightly smaller or larger.
- Drizzle the prepared mixture of wet ingredients over the butter/flour mixture. Stir with a spatula until a dough forms. If there are still dry spots, add a little more heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time. I typically add 3-4 more tablespoons of heavy cream into the scones dough. Lightly flour your hands and gently work dough into a ball. Do not overmix.
- Turn dough out onto your lightly floured workspace. Lightly knead the dough briefly (push the dough down gently, fold it over on itself and then rotate it. Do this process about 4 times. Avoid overworking. Use your hands to pat the dough into a circle between 6 and 8 inches.
- Use a long sharp knife or bench scraper to slice the dough into 8 triangles. Place scones evenly about 2 inches apart onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush the tops with heavy cream. Sprinkle each scone with pumpkin spice sugar (recipe below).
- Bake scones for 17-20 minutes. Allow scones to cool to room temperature before icing.
Pumpkin Spice Sugar
- In a small bowl, stir together the turbinado sugar and spices until combined.
Pumpkin Spice Glaze
- In a medium sized bowl, stir to combine the powdered sugar, pumpkin puree (not blotted), heavy cream, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon or drizzle it over the scones.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Alyssa
Packed with flavour, moist, fluffy and delicious! The pumpkin spice sugar makes the perfect topping for these. I can’t have enough!
Natalie
Hey Alyssa, So happy to hear you love these pumpkin scones as much as I do 🙂 I appreciate you trying the recipe and thanks so much for your comment!