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.

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