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A hot cup of coffee on a fall morning requires these Vegan Pumpkin Scones on the side. Flaky, full of pumpkin spice flavors, and topped with a maple glaze, they’re the best fall and winter breakfast or sweet treat.
These Vegan Pumpkin Scones are baked with pumpkin puree and cozy fall spices, then decorated with a maple pumpkin glaze, making them an ideal fall breakfast or sweet tooth-approved dessert. Grab your scone, pair it with a cup of coffee or a vegan pumpkin spice latte, and you’ll be in fall bliss!
Table of Contents
All About These Easy Pumpkin Scones
When the mornings are crisp and the leaves are changing color, I know it’s finally time to bake up a batch of these Pumpkin Scones. Say hello to a soft and fluffy pastry with slightly crisp edges, a glistening maple glaze on top, and plenty of pumpkin pie spices throughout. Paired with a hot cup of coffee, one scone is the perfect way to start your day.
Scones are a classic buttery pastry often served with clotted cream and a cup of tea. Think of them as a more crumbly version of a biscuit that you can customize with both sweet and savory flavors and mix-ins.
Traditionally, scones are made with a good amount of dairy. Not here, though… After mastering my Banana Bread Scones, I wasn’t worried about making vegan pumpkin spice scones that were just as good as Starbucks’ pumpkin scones. As a bonus, they’re oh-so cozy and surprisingly easy to make with simple dairy-free substitutes!
What You Need for Pumpkin Scones
This scone recipe calls mostly for vegan baking staples, as well as a handful of seasonal ingredients to load them with those comforting fall flavors we love. These are the key items you’ll need:
- Frozen Vegan Butter: this is the secret behind scones’ signature flaky texture. The steam from the melting frozen butter leaves air pockets inside the pastry, making the scones deliciously tender and moist.
- Pumpkin Puree: stock your pantry with cans of quality pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) for the best flavor in all of your pumpkin desserts this fall. Or, use pumpkin puree made from scratch instead—both work well in this recipe.
- Milk and Vinegar: combining a protein-rich non-dairy milk, like soy milk, with apple cider vinegar (lemon juice works as well) creates a vegan buttermilk substitute in the dough, which is key for moist and tender scones.
- Flour: all-purpose flour is your best bet!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: a little pumpkin spice goes a long way in these scones. They wouldn’t have their signature fall flavor without it.
- Maple Glaze: to finish, the tops of the scones are drizzled with a maple, pumpkin, and vanilla glaze. It’s an easy icing made from powdered sugar, vegan milk or cream, maple syrup (only the real stuff here!), pumpkin puree, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Scones
- Stir the pumpkin puree, soy milk, sugar, vinegar, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together. Use a pastry cutter to combine the frozen butter with the flour until pea-sized crumbles form. Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Transfer the scone dough to a lightly floured surface and shape it into a large circle. Cut the circle into 8 equal triangles. Transfer the scones to a baking sheet and brush the tops with milk.
- Freeze the shaped scones for 15 minutes, then bake until they’re golden.
- Meanwhile, whisk the glaze ingredients together until you have a thick yet drippy maple glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooling scones, then top with turbinado sugar (optional).
- Serve the scones while they’re still warm or after they cool. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Shred the butter with a box grater: To do this with no mess, freeze the stick of butter before grating it. These fine, frozen shreds are easier to incorporate into and distribute throughout the dough.
- Don’t overwork the scone dough: Over-mixing the scone dough will yield dense and/or dry scones. To maintain that light texture and prevent the butter from warming up, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until small pea-sized pieces of butter are left, and only mix the wet and dry ingredients together until very little dry flour remains.
- For the fluffiest scones, place the shaped scones in the freezer or fridge for 15 minutes before baking. This way, the butter can refreeze and will take longer to melt inside the scones as they’re baking (a must for tender and fluffy scones).
Serving Suggestions
There’s nothing better than waking up to a crisp fall day and enjoying a pumpkin spice scone for breakfast. Those warm spices, melt-in-your-mouth bites, and sweet maple glaze instantly make me feel so cozy! Enjoy the scones with a hot cup of coffee, or split them open and spread some of my Pumpkin Butter in the middle.
I’ll usually reach for the pumpkin scones after dinner, too. They’re best paired with a cup of tea or this Pumpkin Chai Bubble Tea to offset the sweetness, while the warm pumpkin spices send me into a cozy dreamland during the evening.
If you’re looking for more vegan pumpkin baked goods, you’ll also love this Vegan Pumpkin Bread, these Pumpkin & Chai Spiced Donuts, and these Pumpkin Apple Muffins!
How to Store Leftover Scones
The baked and glazed pumpkin scones will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature. I recommend storing them in a container with a loose-fitting lid on the kitchen counter. If the container is airtight, the glaze will seep into the scones, making them soggy.
The leftover baked scones without the glaze on top will freeze well for up to 2 months. Defrost the frozen scones either at room temperature for about 1 hour or in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
- Brown Sugar Substitute: The brown sugar can be swapped with coconut sugar, but it will make the scones slightly drier.
- Gluten-Free Option: I only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour, but a quality gluten-free flour blend should work in its place. Let me know in the comments if you give it a try!
- Optional Add-Ins: I haven’t tested it, but you can try gently folding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, dairy-free chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or pumpkin seeds into the scone dough (after the wet and dry mixtures are combined).
- Glaze Substitutions: You can swap the maple glaze for a simple vanilla glaze (made only from powdered sugar, soy milk, and vanilla extract) or drizzle my Pumpkin Spice Maple Syrup over top instead.
Recipe FAQs
Not inherently, no. Most traditional scone recipes are made with lots of butter and cream or buttermilk. Luckily, you don’t need any complicated substitutes to make vegan scones, and my tender and delicious pumpkin scones are proof!
Sure! Prepare and shape the scones as normal, then keep them covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bake them straight from the fridge when you’re ready.
Dry, dense, or hard scones are a sign that the dough was overworked. For soft on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside scones, gently combine the dry and wet ingredients just until the dough is crumbly and you no longer see much dry flour in the bowl.
Whole wheat flour should work here, but the dough will likely be slightly drier. In this case, add small splashes of milk at a time until the dough is easier to work with.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients
For the Scones:
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, frozen*
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup soy milk, plus 2 tablespoons (divided)
- 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Maple Glaze:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar plus more as needed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy milk or vegan cream
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Optional: 1 tablespoon raw cane or turbinado sugar for topping
Instructions
- Prep: Use a box grater to grate the butter over a plate, then place back in the freezer. Set a baking sheet aside and preheat the oven to 400F.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the pumpkin puree, soy milk, sugar, vinegar, and vanilla to a medium bowl or measuring glass; stir until evenly combined and the sugar has dissolved.
- Dry Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together. Add the frozen butter to the flour and use a pastry cutter or two forks to combine the two together, until incorporated with pea-sized crumbles. Form a well in the center of the bowl, then add the wet ingredients and use a spatula to gently mix until just-combined.
- Shape the Scones: Lightly dust a cutting board or countertop with flour and place the scone dough on top of it. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little more flour, then use your hands to press the dough into a large circle, about 1″ thick. Use a bench scraper or large knife to cut the circle into 8 equal triangles. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet (no need to line it), then brush the tops of each scone with milk (for browning).
- Freeze: Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes – this allows the butter to harden again, and helps the scones have a fluffier texture. If you don’t have room in your freezer, even 15 minutes in the fridge will help!
- Bake: Immediately transfer the cold baking sheet to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the scones are golden. Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Maple Glaze: Add the powdered sugar to a medium bowl and add the soy milk, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree. Whisk until a thick but drippy glaze forms; if the glaze is too thin, add additional powdered sugar in 1 tablespoon increments. Set the entire cooling rack of scones back on the original baking sheet (to catch any drips), then drizzle the glaze over the scones. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if using.
- Serve: Enjoy warm, or let cool before serving as desired. Store leftovers at room temperature, in a container with a loose-fitting lid, for up to 4 days. Leftover scones can also be frozen for up to 2 months and defrosted as necessary.
These were the first scones I’ve ever made. The recipe is easy to follow, and the scones are turned out perfectly delicious. Thank you for the vegan gem.
You’re, so welcome, Katie!