If you love to bake with pumpkin, then don’t go another minute without these flaky pumpkin scones topped with a decadent maple glaze. Perfect with a hot cup of coffee on a crisp fall morning.
Pumpkin: it’s not just for pumpkin pie anymore!
I’ve already made pumpkin coffee cake, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancakes….even pumpkin coffee creamer. To be honest though, I was a little nervous to develop a recipe for classic pumpkin scones because the ones at the bakery are just so delicious. After a few tries, though, I created a buttery scone recipe that is perfectly spiced without being overly sweet. And did I mention maple icing?
Tell me About These Pumpkin Scones
- Texture: heavy cream helps produce a freshly-baked scone that is both soft and flaky in the center, crisp on top, and crumbly at the corners.
- Flavor: these buttery scones are the perfect blend of sweet and spice for the pumpkin obsessed. With every bite, you’ll get a delicious shot of pumpkin spice cut with sweet maple frosting. You can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here!
- Ease: if you follow the recipe closely, including my success tips below, this pumpkin recipe is quick and easy to make for breakfast, brunch, or anytime.
- Time: the scone dough comes together quickly in about 20 minutes and then just 25 minutes more in the oven to pumpkin perfection. Serve these scones warm right away for the best taste.
These classic pumpkin scones are inspired by my perfect, no-fail master recipe for scones. Use it to build a scone with your own favorite add-ins like lemon blueberry scones, ham & cheese scones, banana scones, apple cinnamon scones, and more! Here are all of my scone recipes.
Recipe Testing Pumpkin Scones: What Works & What Doesn’t
- Frozen butter = success. As your scone bakes, frozen butter will melt and release steam, creating tender flaky pockets in the middle with crisp and crumbly edges. Butter that hasn’t been frozen could melt before it makes it to the oven, and you’ll lose all that tender, flaky goodness.
- Grate the butter. Weird, right? Fine shreds of cold butter make for an even mix into the dry ingredients. If you don’t own a grater, you can also use a sharp knife to cut the butter into small chunks, but I prefer the teeny shreds.
- Blot the pumpkin. Trust me on this. Pumpkin puree is extremely wet and can cause spreading in your mixture. Blot the pumpkin for 15 seconds with a paper towel before you use it. For more details on blotting pumpkin, see my pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or pumpkin snickerdoodles.
- Don’t over-mix the dough. After you add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix with ease until combined. Just like pie crust, over-mixing the scone dough will result in a tough texture.
Heavy Cream for the Win
There are some recipes where substituting similar ingredients is okay, but this isn’t one of them. Rich heavy cream or buttermilk is the secret to these delicious scones.
- Heavy cream or buttermilk is a must. Texture is crucial for the perfect scone, so don’t substitute milk or nondairy milk in this recipe. You’ll lose both the texture and flavor that make these scones irresistible.
- I swear by this trick. Brush the scones with the remaining heavy cream or buttermilk right before baking and sprinkle with a little coarse sugar if you have any. It will help ensure that sweet, crisp exterior.
Overview: How to Make Classic Pumpkin Scones
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through it quickly so you understand each step before you get started.
- Whisk dry ingredients together.
- Add frozen butter to the flour mixture. Grate your butter and add to the flour mixture using a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. Remember, you don’t want the butter to melt before you bake.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together. After they are combined, drizzle the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix until moistened throughout.
- Flour up. Coat your hands in flour and work the mixture into a ball of dough. The dough should be thoroughly combined, but don’t overwork it which could result in a tough texture.
- Flatten dough ball into an 8-inch disc. Use a sharp knife to cut the disc into 8 equal wedges.
- Don’t forget the heavy cream wash. Brush the remaining heavy cream (or buttermilk) onto your scones using a pastry brush right before baking. Sprinkle with coarse sugar for a sweet textured crunch.
- Make the glaze. While the scones are baking, make the maple glaze over low heat by combining the butter and maple syrup until the mixture is completely melted. Remove from the heat and add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and a dash of salt to achieve the perfect glaze consistency.
- Drizzle over the scones. Add the maple icing while the scones are still warm so it melts into every flake, crack, and crevice. You’ll taste melty maple goodness with every bite.
More Fall Recipes
- Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
- Apple Cider Donuts & Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Bars
- Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
- Pumpkin Spice Waffles or Pumpkin Pancakes
Classic Pumpkin Scones
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 scones
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Deliciously spiced classic pumpkin scones are flaky and soft with perfectly crumbly edges. Top with coarse sugar for extra crunch and maple icing for extra decadence!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons (105ml) heavy cream, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (115g) canned pumpkin puree, blotted*
- 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on top before baking
Maple Glaze
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
- pinch salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Adjust baking rack to the middle-low position. Line 1 or 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat(s). If making mini scones, I use 2 baking sheets. Set aside.
- Make the scones: Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter (I use a box grater). Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and combine it with a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. Set aside.
- Whisk 1/3 cup (75ml) heavy cream, the egg, blotted pumpkin (see note), brown sugar, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle it over the flour mixture and then mix it all together until everything appears moistened.
- With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can and transfer onto a floured work surface. Press into a neat 8-inch disc and, with a very sharp knife, cut into 8 equal wedges. To make smaller scones, press dough into two 5-inch discs and cut each into 8 equal wedges. (Larger scones are pictured in this blog post.)
- Place scones at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s). Using a pastry brush, brush scones with remaining heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. (Gives a nice crunch!)
- Bake the larger scones for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. If you made 16 smaller scones, bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes as you prepare the icing.
- Make the glaze: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Taste and add a pinch of salt if desired. Drizzle over warm scones.
- Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2 extra days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Plain baked scones freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then heat up to your liking before icing and enjoying.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Box Grater | Pastry Cutter | Pastry Brush | Saucepan
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can use store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice here. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/2 teaspoon each: ground allspice and ground ginger AND 1/4 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg and ground cloves. This is in addition to the 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in the recipe—you will still add that.
- Blotting Pumpkin: Using a paper towel or clean kitchen towel, lightly blot the pumpkin puree to remove some of the moisture before using in the recipe. The more moisture removed, the less moist and muffin-like the scones will taste. We want the scones to be flaky and crumbly, not super moist or muffin-like. I prefer to squeeze lots of moisture out so the scones taste textured and delicious. Do what you prefer!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Sally
I made these and love the freeze the butter and box grater tip. The flavor is good but much more like cake than scones. Do you think I worked too much flour in trying to get them together b not so sticky
Thanks
Judy
Sally, I almost exclusively use your cookbook “Sally’s Baking 101” sadly, your pumpkin scone recipe is not in it. I was glad to make these scones from your internet site. Of course, the scones were a flavorful hit and I used the maple glaze. Love your maple cookies every autumn, too.
These are a regular fall bake. Going to give some away today after Thanksgiving brunch. Better get making the maple icing:)
We love these scones. I purchased a Nordicwsre scone pan. Instead of rolling the dough can I divide equally in the pan? If so any idea on the cook time? I thought checking at 18 minutes.
Hi Bev! We’ve never used a scone pan before, but would love to hear how it goes!
I used the Nordicware pan. 17 minutes in my oven with internal temperature of 205 degrees. I cooled for exactly 10 minutes and then inverted on a cooling rack – they came out perfectly. I used Crisco to coat the pan. I always had trouble cutting them equally – this is a nice alternative.
I just made these for my son as he is home on a visit. He ate three of these before they were completely cool and said they were delicious! He is a professional chef, so I value his opinion. I had one with a bit of melted butter in the middle and had to agree. It was all I could do not to have a second one right away. Thank you for such a delicious recipe. The only thing I changed was to omit the sugar over the top, and to sprinkle pepitas on instead. I am definitely saving this recipe in my files!
I just made these for my son as he is home on a visit. He ate three of these before they were completely cool and said they were delicious! He is a professional chef, so I value his opinion. I had one with a bit of melted butter in the middle and had to agree. It was all I could do not to have a second one right away. Thank you for such a delicious recipe. The only thing I changed was to omit the sugar over the top, and to sprinkle pepitas on instead. I am definitely saving this recipe in my files!
Can I add raisins to this recipe?? If so, do I need to steep them and how many raisins, 1/2 cup 1 cup?? Would i need to change any other ingredients measurements?? Thank you
Hi Michelle! You can add up to 1 cup of raisins if you would like. Fold them into the dough after you add the wet ingredients. Enjoy!
Big hit!! Had a sold out Baking Class Meeting to make these today. Everyone loved the final product.
This is a good recipe, but I also had the same issue where the scones were burnt on the bottom.
Hi Sally! Do you think a one-to-one Gluten Free flour could work? I want to try making some for a friend of mine that can’t eat gluten. Btw, I love the recipe as is for myself.
We haven’t tested a gluten-free version of these scones, but let us know if you do!
I have made a few of her recipes using King Arthur GF flour and it works well.
I love the recipe but I didn’t add the egg. Classic English scones do not have egg in them…which allows them to be flaky, crumbly and delicate. The addition of the egg, while a good binder, makes the scones more cake-like and a bit denser.
How did they turn out without the egg? Did you add anything to compensate?
I only have half-and-half and I don’t want to go to the store for heavy cream right now – do you think this would work?
Hi Renee, you could use half-and-half, but the thinner the liquid, the more likely the scones will over-spread. Grab some heavy cream if you can!
I have only used whole store milk and they always turned out fine. Maybe use less milk if you are not sure. The dough was great too! If you want to try less milk if you know your feel for the dough. ( not mushy l suppose, as nothing ever happened wrongly for me. )
Can’t wait to make these for the first time! Making them for my Home group♥️
Can I make and cut the dough ahead and then wrap and freeze for later baking? I want to surprise my daughter at breakfast on her birthday with fresh-out-of-the-oven scones, but won’t have time to prep the dough on that day. Please advise and thanks.
Hi Carol, absolutely. You can freeze the prepared scone dough for up to 3 months. You can bake directly from frozen. Bake time may be a few minutes longer. We hope they’re a hit!
Thank you. Very helpful. I will try freezing and then baking.
Tried this recipe for the first time using pumpkin from the garden. It turned out great with perfect scones texture. I was hesitant to do the maple glaze as I usually don’t like maple things, but this was actually good. Gave just nice complementary maple flavor to the scones without completely taking it over.
Will be making again!
I tried baking these. I might have done something wrong but I found them kind of bland without the glaze. Perhaps when I was kneading into a ball my surface was over-floured. Was expecting a bolder flavor and less cakiness. I’ll try it again with buttermilk and a lighter floured surface and see if that changes it.
Due to a dairy intolerance I needed to switch the butter for Earth Balance vegan butter and the cream for Belsoy soy cooking cream. They turned out amazing!
I served them with a scoop of homemade apple butter to add a bit of sweetness.
Thank you for the amazing recipe!
This is one of my favorite fall recipes and I have made it for years…..wondering if I could add pumpkin seeds to the batter. Have you ever tried that? If so how much? Thanks.
Hi Kristi, we haven’t tried it, but let us know if you do!
I was looking for something different to make that is new to me with what I have on hand. Oh my goodness! So easy & delicious. I did not use the glaze as I am not a fan of maple. I did sprinkle with Sugar in the Raw or turbinado sugar & it was just perfect.
I made this recipe and they taste great but all are completely burnt on the bottom after 18 mins.
Hi Kisma, are you using darker pans by chance? Darker pans conduct heat more quickly and can sometimes cause burning. For next time, feel free to lower the temperature a bit and/or move your pans/rack further from the heating element.
I really want to make these scones but none of us are interested in the maple glaze. Can you recommend something else? Or is sprinkling each one with turbinado sugar enough? Thanks in advance.
Hi Suzanne, turbinado sugar on top would be perfect!
Delicious. A perfectly written recipe, as usual. I’m not a great baker and I’ve never made scones. They came out perfect.
Can I cut the butter in without having to grate it? I haven’t tried the recipe yet but will be making these for a Baking Club meeting with 12 other women. Grating all of the butter is a lot prior to the meeting.
Hi Sue, you can cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter (the traditional way) if you prefer!
I don’t normally rate recipes but this one deserves it. I’ve been making this recipe for several years and it always turns out perfect. Follow the recipe and you won’t be disappointed! Everyone asks for this recipe so I always send them the link!
Are scones supposed to be dense in texture as opposed to soft and or the consistency of a muffin??
Yes, scones are denser than a muffin. I squeeze the moisture out of the pumpkin for an authentic scone texture. If you want the scone a little softer just blot.
Another fabulous Sally recipe!
What can I substitute for the heavy cream in the pumpkin scone recipe?
Hi Susan, you can use the same amount of buttermilk instead.
What can I use as a substitute for pumpkin pie spice
Hi Laurie, if you don’t have homemade or store-bought pumpkin pie spice and want to use individual spices, use 1/2 teaspoon each: ground allspice and ground ginger AND 1/4 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg and ground cloves. This is in addition to the 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in the recipe—you will still add that.
I look forward to trying your Fall baking recipes that I just received.
Love this recipe, we have a gas oven now and I find that 16 min is enough, any later dried them out. I didn’t find that with my electric, 20 was enough with it.
Excellent!