Glazed Pumpkin Scones {gluten-free}

Perfectly soft & tender pumpkin scones topped with a pumpkin spice glaze. Paired with a hot cup of coffee or tea, they’re just what you need to cozy up on a cool fall morning!

These pumpkin scones + a steaming cup of black coffee are giving my mornings life lately.

I know; I’m in Central California and it’s still 75 degrees and sunny here on the daily. But the mornings are cool and crisp, and these scones are definitely bringing the fall vibes. In fact, this is exactly what I want autumn to look like.

Before I made these scones, I was admittedly skeptical of whether a gluten-free scone could live up to standards. As-is, scones seem to get a bad rap for being dry & crumbly. These pumpkin scones are the exact opposite. They’re soft & tender, and topped with a sweet pumpkin spice glaze that prevents them from drying out even a little bit. Days after they’re baked, you can still pop them in the microwave and have warm, melt-in-your-mouth scones in 30 seconds. Ah-maz-ing.

So how do we make perfectly soft gluten-free pumpkin scones? Let’s break it down.

How to make perfect pumpkin scones:

Start out by whisking your dry ingredients together in a large bowl. You’ve got your usual suspects – gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt – plus sugar and allll the fall spices. We’re sweetening these scones with brown sugar to add a layer of rich molasses flavor, and spicing them with the classic blend of pumpkin pie spices: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and all spice. You could substitute with pre-made pumpkin pie spice, but I personally prefer having the individual spices on hand for other uses. Plus, I like being able to customize the amount of each spice to my liking.

Next, add cubed, frozen butter to the dry ingredients and cut it in with a pastry cutter (or rub it in with your fingertips, in a pinch). This is my go-to trick for make tender, buttery scones. Once your scones hit the oven, the small chunks of cold butter will melt and create perfectly fluffy pockets of scone goodness.

Once the butter is added, we gently fold in the wet ingredients – pumpkin purée , heavy cream, and vanilla extract. This is not the time to skimp on the cream – like a good pie or galette crust, scones need fat. Work the liquids in *just* until the dough comes together, and then stop. We don’t want to wind up with soft butter and tough scones. Pat the dough into a disc on a parchment-lined baking tray and stick it back in the freezer to chill.

Once the scone dough is nice and cold again, slice it like a pizza. Tip: you can put them back in the freezer at this point to bake later – because who doesn’t want a stash of ready-to-bake scones in their freezer?

Once you’re ready to bake the scones, separate them on a baking tray. Then, bake them til’ puffed up and golden. Let cool + top with the coziest pumpkin spice glaze for fall breakfast bliss.

Looking for more pumpkin recipes for fall?

Imagine pumpkin pie with a crumb topping instead of a pie crust – that’s basically what you get with these Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars. They’re so much easier to make than pie too!

If you’re all about baked goods in mini form, you’ll love these mini Pumpkin Scones that are topped with a vanilla glaze AND a caramel drizzle.

For an even more weekend-worthy breakfast, try these super soft & fluffy Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls. They’re topped with an amazing Cinnamon Cream Cheese Drizzle, and they’re every bit worth the time it takes to make them.

Glazed Pumpkin Scones {gluten-free}

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Perfectly soft & tender pumpkin scones topped with a pumpkin spice glaze. Pair them with a warm beverage to cozy up on a cool fall morning!

• Author: alexandra
• Prep Time: 1 hr 25 minutes*
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hr 40 minutes
• Yield: 8 scones 1x
• Category: breakfast
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Scones

• 3 cups, spoon and level (12 3/4 ounces) gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup, packed (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon all spice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces/1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen and cubed
• 1 cup (8 ounces) canned pumpkin
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup (4 1/8 – 6 1/8 ounces) heavy whipping cream, divided use
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze

• 1/2 tablespoon (1/4 ounce) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons whole milk 
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Small pinch of salt
• Dash of nutmeg
• Dash of ginger
• Dash of all spice
• Dash of cloves

Instructions

Scones

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves, all spice, and nutmeg.
2. Add the frozen & cubed butter and cut in with a pastry cutter until butter is dispersed and only pea-sized chunks remain. If needed, use fingertips to rub any bigger chunks of butter into the flour. 
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the canned pumpkin, 1/2 cup (4 1/8 ounces) cream, and vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture and fold in until the dough starts to come together; it will still be crumbly at this point. 
4. Use your hands to finish bringing the dough together into a ball. It will take some time for it to all come together and at first it might look like it needs more liquid. Be patient with it, and if the dough definitely seems too dry to come together, add the remaining 1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream a tablespoon at a time, as needed. You may not need to use it all. Also be careful not to overwork the dough; stop as soon as it comes together. You may need to turn it out onto a sheet of parchment (see step 5) to get the last bit of crumbs incorporated.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer dough to parchment. Use your hands to flatten into a round about 1” thick. Transfer to freezer and freeze for 1 hour.**
6. Towards the end of the chilling time, preheat your oven to 400ºF with a rack in the center position. Remove the chilled scones from the freezer and slice into 8 equal pieces (like you would a pizza). A bench scraper works well here. Space the scones apart on the baking sheet.
7. Bakes scones in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Allow to cool to room temperature before glazing.

Glaze

1. Melt the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Whisk in milk.
2. Add confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, all spice, and cloves. Whisk until smooth.
3. Spoon glaze over cooled scones, letting glaze drip down sides a bit. Allow glaze to set.
4. Scones are best served the day they are baked (see notes), but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the refrigerator. Reheat briefly in the microwave (about 30 seconds) before serving.

Notes

*Prep time includes chilling time. 

**Make Ahead: If you want to freeze the scones for a longer period before baking, you can! Remove them from the freezer after an hour, slice them into triangles as described in step 6, and place in an airtight zip-top bag. Then you can return them to the freezer. When ready to bake, remove scones from the freezer and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow to thaw slightly while preheating your oven. Baking time will probably be closer to 18 minutes; look for a toothpick to come out clean. 

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