These easy Pumpkin Scones are soft, buttery scones with crumbly edges. They’re perfectly spiced and are topped with pumpkin icing. They’re the perfect easy recipe for fall brunches or afternoon tea or coffee.
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Pumpkin scones are tender, buttery, and flaky. They’re full of rich pumpkin flavor and are topped with pumpkin icing.
There’s nothing like homemade scones. These spiced pumpkin scones make your kitchen smell amazing! Enjoy them with coffee or tea for the best fall treat.
For more delicious pumpkin recipes, try my olive oil pumpkin cake, pumpkin bread with frosting, and peanut butter and pumpkin cookies!
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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.
- You don’t need any fancy equipment to make this easy recipe for pumpkin scones!
- Like my apple cinnamon coffee cake, you can enjoy these scones for breakfast, an afternoon treat or dessert!
Ingredients
Below are useful notes about some of the ingredients.
- Flour: All-purpose flour. Measure flour accurately. Using too much flour can lead to dry scones.
- Pureed pumpkin– I recommend canned pumpkin puree. Be sure to use pureed pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling. We are going to blot the pumpkin puree to remove excess water. This will give us the best scones texture! If you have some pumpkin puree left, make these banana and pumpkin muffins and my chocolate and pumpkin pie!
- Spices: This recipe uses a combination of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and pumpkin pie spice. They are all delicious together! If you’re missing one of the spices, use extra cinnamon in its place!
- Baking Powder: Baking powder makes the scones rise.
- Unsalted Butter: Use cold unsalted butter.
- Heavy Cream: Leave the heavy cream in the fridge until it’s time to add it.
- 1 Egg Yolk: Use an egg yolk from 1 large egg.
- Brown Sugar: Use light or brown. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh.
- Coarse sugar (optional): Use turbinado sugar or demerara sugar for sprinkling. I like to sprinkle a mixture of warm spices and Turbinado sugar just before baking. It adds a little crunch and extra sweetness.
Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap in whole milk or buttermilk in place of the heavy cream. Make sure it’s cold!
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 flour, baking powder and salt. 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 butter/flour 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. I typically add 3-4 more tablespoons of heavy cream into the dough.
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 the dough into a circle between 6 and 8 inches. Slice dough into 8 triangles.
Step 6 (Picture 6 above)– Cover and chill in the fridge at least 45 minutes. Brush with heavy cream.
Step 7 (Picture 7 above)– Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush chilled scones with heavy cream. Sprinkle with the mixture of turbinado sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Allow scones to cool to room temperature before icing.
Step 8 (Picture 8 above)– Stir to combine the powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon or drizzle it 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 will cause the ingredients to warm up a bit. After cutting the scones, chill for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour. This will keep the scones from overspreading when they bake.
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 unsalted butter cold, cubed into ½ inch cubes
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree measure out 2/3 cup, blot to absorb liquid, or until measures 1/3 cup
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup heavy cream cold, divided, start with ¼ cup, add up to 1/2 cup plus more for brushing
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
Pumpkin Spice Sugar
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or substitute nutmeg or extra cinnamon
Pumpkin Icing
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 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. Place bowl in the fridge for a few minutes while you continue with the next step in the recipe. (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 you see some dry spots, add a tablespoon more of heavy cream at a time, as needed. 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 tops and sides 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 Icing
- In a medium sized bowl, stir to combine the powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon or drizzle it over the scones.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
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