Fall will be here soon, so it’s time to break out my gluten free pumpkin spice scones recipe. If you love pumpkin, this is an incredibly easy recipe to make. These scones are easy to make in around 40 minutes.
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Imagine rubbing the sleep out of your eyes on a crisp fall morning and biting into a perfectly fall-flavored breakfast! You get that when you make these gluten-free pumpkin spice scones. No one in the Fearless Dining home can resist that spicy goodness they are filled with.
This is one of the best scone recipes because it’s perfectly sweetened and has a thick icing on top. The pumpkin, spices, and texture are impressive. If you love scones as much as we do, be sure to check out all of my delicious gluten free scones recipes on the blog. There are both sweet and savory scones!
Why I make these gluten free pumpkin scones on repeat:
- You can’t eat these beauties without getting a smile on your face because they scream FALL! They are soft, flavorful, and really easy to make.
- This gluten free pumpkin scones recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients.
- They taste delicious with or without the cinnamon icing.
- You can make these as shown in triangle-shaped wedges or use a biscuit cutter to make round scones.
- You can easily freeze these scones so you can enjoy them anytime.
- Add mixins like chocolate chips or pecans!
Keri, thanks for asking this question. I made these scones last week using almond milk and they turned out so delicious! The scones were moist, fluffy and also, so easy to make. The leftover scones lasted for about 4 days. Next time, I am going to make a bigger batch.”
valerie, blog comment
If you love pumpkin you will also want to try my incredibly flaky Gluten Free Pumpkin Biscuits too!
Allergen Information:
These homemade pumpkin scones are gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and oat-free. Use plant-based butter and non-dairy heavy cream to make them dairy-free.
I made them this morning and they are already gone!”
Cathy H.
Tips For Sucess
1. Use aluminum-free baking powder. I can’t say enough how important this is to avoid a metallic aftertaste.
2. Use very cold or frozen butter. Cold butter helps you get those flaky layers that scones are famous for.
3. If your pumpkin puree is watery, put it in a strainer to remove the excess liquid.
4. Use brown sugar instead of white sugar. This adds a slightly caramelized flavor to the scones.
5. Heavy cream in this recipe helps with moisture and offsets the liquid in the pumpkin puree. I have not tested this recipe with a dairy-free option, but Silk brand makes dairy-free heavy cream.
Flour Blends Tested:
1. King Arthur Measure for Measure—This blend works really well in my recipes. I don’t have to let the flour blend rest in the batter.
2. Cup4Cup—This blend also works really well. Note that it has dried milk powder and is not dairy-free.
- One reader used Doves Farm’s gluten-free flour blend.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add one teaspoon.
- Brown Sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Baking Powder – I highly recommend using aluminum-free baking powder. It will make a big difference in flavor.
- Pumpkin Spice – Use store-bought or make your own homemade pumpkin spice.
- Ground Cinnamon – Be sure to check that your spices are gluten free. Penzey’s and McCormick are gluten free.
- Heavy Cream – I used heavy cream because it is thicker and helps offset the pumpkin puree’s wetness. You can use milk, but the heavy cream is a lot better.
- Pumpkin Puree – If your pumpkin puree is watery, put it in a strainer to remove some of the excess moisture.
- Butter – Use vegan butter if you are dairy-free. Use unsalted butter.
- Egg – Use size large.
How To Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones:
Preheat your oven to 350º F and ensure your oven rack is in the middle position in the oven.
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Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a large
To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using either the spoon or leveling method.
Spoon Method: You can also use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour. Leveling Method: Put the measuring scoop into the flour and fill. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour.
Step 2: Use a pastry blender to cut the cold butter chunks into the gluten free flour mixture. Your final mixture should resemble crumbs.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to blend the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Use a spoon to mix the wet and dry ingredients into a soft dough. I like to refrigerate my scone dough for 20-30 minutes, but this is unnecessary if you are short on time.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. If your cake batter is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
🔑 Sandi says: If you chill your scone dough, wrap it in plastic so it doesn’t dry out!
Step 5: Transfer the scone dough to wax paper and roll it out to 2 inches in thickness using a rolling pin. Score the dough into wedges with a sharp knife.
Scoring the dough means making cuts but not cutting all the way through the dough. Optional: sprinkle coarse sugar over the scone dough.
Place the scones onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 350º F for 22-25 minutes until done.
Step 6: Mix the icing and drizzle it over cooled scones. You can dip the scones into the icing if you prefer more icing to coat the whole top.
Step 7: This is what your cinnamon icing will look like. You can make it thick or thin in consistency.
Step 8: Use a sharp knife to cut through the scones on the lines you scored before baking.
Step 9: Move to a cooling rack and allow the scones to cool before adding the icing.
If you want to make another fall-flavored scone recipe, my Gluten Free Cranberry Scones with Orange Icing recipe is amazing.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Sometimes, scones go flat if you have overmixed them. Make sure to mix the batter until it’s combined instead of mixing too long. Overmixing causes air bubbles to form when the scones are baked. The bubbles pop and cause a dense, flat scone.
Also, always use super cold butter. I know it’s tempting to melt the butter before mixing, but the results will not be great because you won’t get those yummy, flaky layers. They will be hard and dense.
If you have an egg allergy or don’t tolerate it, you can replace it with Just Egg brand egg replacer.
These gluten-free pumpkin spice scones will stay in an airtight container for up to 4 days or up to 4 months in the freezer.
More Gluten Free Scones Recipes:
- Gluten Free Date Scones With Coconut And Pecans
- Fresh Herb Gluten Free Cheese Scones
- Gluten Free Buttermilk Scones
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder aluminum-free!
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup pumpkin puree * see note
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream add gradually
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Set the rack in the oven to the middle position.
- In a large bowl, add 2 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Use a wire whisk to blend.
- Add cold 1/2 cup unsalted butter and use a pastry blender to cut in the cold butter. When you are done, the flour will look like it has little cold butter pebbles.
- In a small mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract . Whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix the dough.
- Place the scone dough on a piece of wax paper and roll to 2-inch thickness (depending on how thick you like your scones).
- Use a sharp knife to cut lines in the top of the scones. Do not cut all the way through the scone dough. Sprinkle the scone dough with coarse sugar.
- Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes until done.
Icing Instructions
- Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream in a small bowl. Allow the gluten free pumpkin scones to cool on a wire rack.
- Drizzle over the scones. (The icing is optional.)
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with Cup4Cup and King Arthur Measure for Measure GF. I highly recommend using the Cup4Cup brand. It is superior in this recipe. That doesn’t mean others will not work. I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum, make sure to add one teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter. Silk makes a dairy-free heavy cream, but note I have not tested it in this recipe.
- These scones will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
*Note: I completely revamped this recipe from an older pumpkin spice scone recipe from September 2019.
The taste was great however the amounts of the ingredients are off. To little wet ingredients to dry I could not roll out the dough. It was the same with the icing recipe to little wet ingredients.
Hi Nancy, What gluten free flour blend did you use? Every single blend has a different starch to grain ratio, and this affects the moisture level. I have notes in the recipe that say to add more liquid if the dough is too dry and also more flour if the dough is too wet. It is hard when there are dozens of gluten free flour blends, and each performs differently. I hope you try this recipe again and add more liquid.
Wish i could post a pic – these came out amazingly great!! I used Cup 4 Cup flour. I made a maple glaze on top w/crushed walnuts. It was a big hit when i had the girls from church over.
YAY!! I am so glad you loved this scone recipe. That maple glaze sounds great!
These pumpkin scones were absolutely delicious. They were very moist and flaky. I did have to cook them a little longer but it might be because they were thicker. I added a little maple flavoring to the icing. Love the combination of pumpkin and maple.
I am so glad you loved these scones. They are one of my favorite pumpkin recipes on the blog. Thank you, Debbie.
Doesn’t cup 4 cup contain dairy in the flour? This recipe looks amazing.
Hi Lori, this isn’t listed as a dairy-free recipe. If you want to make this recipe dairy-free, you will need to use a plant-based butter and a different flour blend.
Can i use lactose free heavy cream ?
Hi Mel, I didn’t know that existed, but it should be fine.
Can you make them with non dairy milk?
Hi Keri, You can use non-dairy milk.
Keri, thanks for asking this question. I made these scones last week using almond milk and they turned out so delicious! The scones were moist, fluffy and also, so easy to make. The leftover scones lasted for about 4 days. Next time, I am going to make a bigger batch.
I am so glad that almond milk worked well for you. Thank you, Valerie :-).
Where are the recipes?? I’m receiving emails with good -sounding food like “pumpkin scones gf.” But I can’t find the recipe anywhere. You list the things to buy but not the amount, directors etc..
Please help – they looks so good!
Thank you!
Jaye
Hi Jaye, I am not sure I understand. The recipes are all typically towards the bottom. There is a grey box table of contents and if you want to bypass the article and specific tips I write for the recipe to go straight to the recipe, click on the recipe in the table of contents. Thank you.
I’m reading the scone receipe from Australia, what is a stick of butter please?
Hi Jaye, it is the equivalent to 1/2 cup. Thank you.