Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones

Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones – tender, with a soft crumb and spiced to perfection. Made with brown sugar, pumpkin, and drizzled with a simple vanilla glaze. A must-have addition to any autumn or holiday brunch. Because of the added pumpkin puree, those scones are moist and tender, and even more delicious! (Apparently even better than Starbucks Pumpkin Scones) This small-batch recipe makes 6 generous scones.

If you love Scones, please make sure to check out my Chocolate Chunk Scones as well.

Jump to:

• Recipe Ingredient Notes
• How to make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones
• FAQ about Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones
• Baking in grams
• Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures
• Substitutions and Modifications
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I recommend using a “structure flour heavy” blend here like my own gluten free multipurpose blend, King Arthur Measure for Measure, or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1. A flour blend like Cup4Cup is too heavy on cornstarch and will give you a dense, gummy batter. If you use a gluten-free flour blend without added xanthan, please add 2 teaspoons to the batter.

Canned Pumpkin: Please make sure to buy 100% canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. They often sit next to each other on shelves at the grocery store and have very similar labels. As much as I love making everything from scratch, canned pumpkin is very convenient. I prefer to buy the organic version if it’s available.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix: Pumpkin Pie Spice is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. If you do not have it in your pantry you can substitute it with my easy homemade pumpkin pie spice blend: Combine 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger, and a pinch of ground cloves and use in this recipe.

Dairy: This recipe calls for 80 grams of Half & Half but feel free to substitute it with milk or nondairy milk. I have not tried this recipe with heavy cream.

How to make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones

Scones can be made in 30 minutes or less and only need around 25 minutes in the oven. The dough gets a quick chill (20 minutes) while you fully preheat your oven to 400F. Clearly, Scones the best right from the oven but I have to admit, I have had those gluten free pumpkin scones 3 days after making them and they tasted amazing.

Step 1: Line a sheet tray with parchment paper, sprinkle with some gluten-free flour, and set it aside. The additional flour on the sheet tray will help to prevent the scone dough from sticking to the parchment paper.

Step 2: Combine pumpkin puree, egg, half & half, vanilla extract, and maple syrup in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 3: In a separate bowl sift together dry ingredients, sugar, and spices. Cut the COLD butter into smaller pieces and add to your dry ingredients. Using a fork or your washed, clean hands, work the butter into the dry mixture. The butter should look very crumbly

Step 4: Whisk your wet ingredients together with a fork until frothy and add to your flour-butter mix. With a spatula stir everything together. Your dough may be sticky – do NOT add more flour as tempted you may be.

Step 5: Transfer the gluten free pumpkin scone dough to the parchment-lined sheet tray and with your hands shape it into a roughly 7″ round disk or a 5″ x 7″ rectangular. You may lightly dust the dough with some gluten-free flour to make this easier.

Step 6: Place the sheet tray in your fridge to allow the scones to set up while you preheat your oven to 400F. At this point, you can allow them to sit in your fridge for up to 12hrs.

Step 7: When your oven reaches 400F, remove the scone dough from your fridge and use a sharp knife to cut it into six equally sized scones. Arrange the scones on your sheet tray, brush them with some heavy cream/half & half if you like, and sprinkle them with some raw sugar. Bake in your 400F oven for 24-26 minutes until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely before glazing.

Step 8: While the scones are cooling, prepare you simple vanilla glaze by combining the ingredients in a small bowl. If your glaze is too thick, add some additional milk. Please be aware a little goes a long way.

When the scones are cool, use a spoon and drizzle them with your vanilla glaze. You may also just dip them into the vanilla glaze.

Discard any leftover glaze you may have and allow the gluten-free scones to sit for about 15 minutes before enjoying, so the glaze can harden just slightly.

FAQ about Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones

Can I add chocolate or dried fruit to those scones?
Yes, dark chocolate chips, nuts such as pecans, or dried fruit like candied ginger or cranberries would make a lovely addition to this recipe. I recommend not adding more than 100 grams of add-ins total.

How can I freeze those scones?
I recommend freezing them before baking. Cut your scone dough into triangles, place it on a sheet tray, and freeze until solid. Transfer to a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, bake them straight from frozen but please be aware they will need additional 4-6 minutes to bake (depending on your oven)

Can I make those scones vegan?
While I have tried this recipe with nondairy milk and vegan butter, I have not tried it with a vegan egg substitution. If you do, please share your experience in the comments.

Can I cut the scones smaller?
Yes. But please be aware that the smaller scones will bake faster and you will have to adjust your baking time accordingly.

How should I store scones?
Store your baked scones at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature when ready to enjoy.

Baking in grams

My recipes are posted in grams since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and can be found on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. Measuring cups are very inaccurate and can cause significant errors when it comes to baking. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Be also prepared that the convection oven can cause your baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Be aware that it takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. My recipes have been tested several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe found on our website.

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