These homemade gluten free pumpkin spice scones are big, soft, and have lots of buttery, flaky layers. Every bite is filled with fall flavor. Top these gluten free scones with an optional cinnamon icing; they are one of my favorites to serve with brunch. Make a batch in under 45 minutes.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: This gluten free pumpkin scones recipe is one of my most popular gluten free scone recipes. They turn out crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. They make a wonderful fall treat to serve at tea time or with brunch. Top them with cinnamon icing. I share my pro tips for achieving that perfect scone texture, so you avoid any pitfalls. Add mix-ins 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 have followed my blog for some time, you know I have a weakness for gluten free scones. You get all of my scone expertise when you make these gluten-free pumpkin spice scones. They are the best gluten free pumpkin scones, and the scone recipe I make on repeat throughout the fall season (and beyond).
This is one of my best scone recipes because it’s perfectly sweetened and topped with a thick icing. 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 scone recipes on the blog. There are both sweet and savory scones!
If you are new to making scones, check out my Gluten-Free Scones Guide. It is full of scone recipes, baking tips, and more! You may also want to try my incredibly flaky Gluten Free Pumpkin Biscuits.
I made them this morning and they are already gone!”
Cathy H.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Cup4Cup. (The Cup4Cup needed 2 TBSP of additional flour.) One reader said Doves Farm worked great. Making moisture adjustments is normal because every gluten free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
- Binder – Binders are the magic that holds your gluten free baked goods together. If your gluten free flour blend does not contain xanthan gum, guar gum, or another binder, please add one teaspoon. Read Why Binders are Important in Gluten Free Baking to learn more.
- Brown Sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar. This adds delicious sweetness to the scones.
- Baking Powder – I highly recommend using aluminum-free baking powder. It will make a big difference in flavor. Regular baking powder will leave a metallic aftertaste.
- 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 both gluten free.
- Heavy Cream – I used heavy cream because it is thicker and helps offset the pumpkin puree’s wetness. For dairy-free, I tested using Silk Dairy-Free Heavy Cream.
- Pumpkin Puree – If your pumpkin puree is watery, strain it to remove excess moisture. Do not use pumpkin pie filling; it will alter the flavor and texture.
- Butter – Use vegan butter if you are dairy-free. Use unsalted butter. For dairy-free, I tested this recipe using Earth Balance.
- Egg – Use a large egg. The egg help to add structure to the scones.
How To Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones:
Preheat your oven to 350º F and place the rack in the middle.
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: 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. These cold butter bits will create steam pockets while the scones bake, making flaky layers.
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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. Note: If your pumpkin puree is watery, strain it to remove excess liquid.
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 to 30 minutes, but this is unnecessary if you are short on time.
🔑 Sandi says: If you chill your scone dough, wrap it in plastic so it doesn’t dry out! Chilling the dough gives the rice flour time to soften, which helps to eliminate any grittiness.
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 without cutting all the way through. 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 along 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 overmix the dough. Overmixing melts the cold butter bits, which prevents steam pockets from forming. These steam pockets help them rise.
If you have an egg allergy, I tested Just Egg, a liquid egg replacer. It worked well in this scone recipe.
If you are dairy-free, I did test a dairy-free version. I used Earth Balance and Silk Dairy-Free Heavy Cream. As long as you keep the Earth Balance very cold, you couldn’t taste a difference between the regular and dairy-free version.
More Gluten Free Scone 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 it’s delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones (Big and Flaky!)
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
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream add gradually
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Baking sheet
Method
- 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. The final baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the scones. The scones are done when they are a little golden on top and firm to the touch. You can insert a toothpick into a scone. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are finished baking.
- 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.)
Nutrition
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 you use Cup4Cup, add 1-2 tablespoons of additional flour
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain a binder, add 1 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter. I tested Earth Balance. Keep the plant-based butter very cold. Silk makes a dairy-free heavy cream, but note that 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.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
*Note: I completely revamped this recipe from an older pumpkin spice scone recipe from September 2019.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Sandi, In the recent past, I believe I’ve taken note that the Cup4Cup GF flour blend has changed and other recipe creators have changed their recommendations to use a different blend. I’m wondering if your advice that the Cup4Cup works best for this scone recipe is based on the newer blend? I can safely give this recipe 5 stars, because I’ve never made any of your recipes that were anything less than awesome! Thank you SO much for doing the trial & error process, so we all don’t have to face flop and flop on our gluten free journey!
Hi Lola, I am not as fond of the new Cup4Cup, but I can verify that it works well in my scone recipes. I also really like King Arthur Measure for Measure to make my scones. I hope this helps.