Moist, fluffy and tender, these utterly delicious gluten-free pumpkin scones are crazy simple to make, oozing with pumpkin flavor, and ready in just 30 minutes! These honestly taste so good you’ll never know they’re gluten-free, and make the perfect breakfast, snack or light dessert!
Recreating Memories with These Scones
When I first started learning to bake in Argentina, one of the first recipes I tried was a recipe for scones – Juan’s mum’s scones to be precise. These were scones that she’d make for him and his brother since they were kids, and for him, the very idea of scones brings back comfort and memories.
However, when Juan was diagnosed with Celiac disease and we began cooking exclusively gluten-free, I never thought that we’d be able to re-create the same kind of scones his mum used to make for him. You see, it’s not often easy to get the right texture with gluten-free flours (for the very simple reason that gluten is what gives many baked goods the texture they have).
Why This Recipe Works:
When I’d just pulled out these gluten-free pumpkin scones from the oven and Juan bit into one of them, his eyes lit up and he said that they reminded him of his mum’s scones – which for me means these pumpkin scones are a huge success!
Light, fluffy, with a deliciously tender crumb (unlike most gluten-free baked goods that tend to be on the heavier and denser side), you’d never be able to tell that these scones are completely gluten-free!
The good thing about these scones (which are a great alternative to the Starbucks pumpkin scones without the icing on top) is that you can use both fresh or canned pumpkin puree (either way will turn out great), so you can enjoy these scones the whole year round, not just during pumpkin season.
Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you’ll need, along with any notes or substitutions you can use:
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: Make sure you use a good gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (that is made with light flours such as rice flour, corn starch, tapioca starch), and that comes with xanthan gum (which is necessary for binding ingredients together as a replacement for gluten).
- Sugar: I’ve used white sugar in this recipe, but feel free to replace it with light brown sugar or brown sugar in equal quantities.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter: Make sure the butter is cold before using it. if you are dairy-free, feel free to substitute the butter with equal quantities of cold coconut oil. If using coconut oil, you don’t have to grate it. Simply add the cold coconut oil to the dry ingredients and mix well until there are no more clumps.
- Pumpkin Puree: I highly recommend using my recipe for fresh pumpkin puree (because it doesn’t have all the nasty additives and preservatives that tend to come with canned pumpkin), but feel free to use canned pumpkin puree if that’s the only option you have. It will work just as well. Alternatively, you can use sweet potato puree, apple puree, or even butternut squash puree if you don’t have pumpkin puree available!
- Egg: If you have an egg allergy, you can try using an egg replacer (such as Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer).
- Milk: I used normal milk in this recipe, but if you are lactose-intolerant, you can swap it out for other non-dairy milks in equal quantities such as my recipe for homemade almond milk or homemade cashew milk.
- Yogurt: To make this dairy-free, you can use coconut yogurt in place of normal yogurt.
How to Make These Scones:
1. Preheat and Line Baking Sheet
Make sure you preheat the oven to 425F before baking to ensure that your oven is at the right temperature when the dough is ready to be baked. You’ll also want to line your baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silpat so that the dough doesn’t stick to the surface.
2. Combine the Ingredients to Get the Dough
In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients together and mix well (gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt). Grate the cold butter over the dry ingredients, then mix gently with your hands until there are not longer any large chunks left.
In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (pumpkin puree, egg, milk, and yogurt) until they are well combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until you have a homogeneous dough, but do not over-stir.
3. Shape Dough and Cut into Triangles
Transfer the dough to a lightly-floured surface (make sure you use gluten-free flour) and use your hands to shape it into a round disk. Cut the dough into 6 equal triangle-like pieces (as you would a pizza), and place each piece of dough on the parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure the triangles are at least 3-inches apart (the dough will expand as it bakes).
4. Bake and Enjoy!
Bake the dough for 15 minutes at 425F, or until the edges have turned golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let these gluten-free pumpkin scones cool very slightly before serving them warm with with whipped cream, maple syrup or even eating them plain!
Recipe FAQs:
If you don’t plan to eat these gluten-free pumpkin scones straightaway, make sure to allow them to fully cool before storing them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can definitely freeze these scones. Simply place them in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. When ready to eat them, let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and warm them up for a few minutes in the oven at 350F before serving.
If you would like to make these without using pumpkin puree, simply swap out the pumpkin puree with equal quantities of sweet potato puree, or butternut squash puree, or even apple puree!
Other Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
- Homemade Pumpkin Puree (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Crustless Pumpkin Pie (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Pumpkin Scones (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Easy Pumpkin Muffins (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Easy Pumpkin Bread (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Super Moist Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Pumpkin Waffles (Gluten-Free)
- Savory Pumpkin Soup (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Pumpkin Thyme Risotto (Gluten-Free)
- Pumpkin Gnocchi with Rosemary Brown Butter (Gluten-Free)
P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!
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Gluten-free Pumpkin Scones
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 large scones 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Moist, fluffy and tender, these utterly delicious gluten-free pumpkin scones are crazy simple to make, oozing with pumpkin flavor, and are ready in just 30 minutes! These honestly taste so good you’ll never know they’re gluten-free, and make the perfect breakfast, snack or light dessert!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 deg Fahrenheit (218 deg Celsius) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free flour with sugar, baking powder and salt, then mix well.
- Grate frozen butter using a cheese grater into the dry ingredients, then mix gently with your fingers until there are no more large chunks left.
- In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, egg, milk and yogurt until well combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients, stirring until just you get a homogeneous dough, but do not over stir.
- Remove dough onto a lighted flour surface (make sure you use gluten-free flour) and form a round disk. Cut dough into 6 equal triangles and place triangles on prepared baking sheet, making sure that each triangle has plenty of space around it (note that the dough will expand as it bakes).
- Bake dough for approximately 15 minutes or until edges turn golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the middle of the scones comes out clean.
- Serve scones warm with whipped cream, maple syrup, or eat them plain!
Notes
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend: Make sure you use a good gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that is made with light flours such as rice flour, corn starch, potato starch, or tapioca starch. The gluten-free flour blend should also include xanthan gum, which is necessary for binding ingredients together (as a replacement for gluten).
Unsalted Butter: Make sure the butter is cold and frozen before using it as you’ll need it to be hard in order to grate it. If you’re lactose-intolerant, you can replace the butter with equal quantities of cold coconut oil – in this case, you don’t have to grate the coconut oil, simply mix it into the dry ingredients.
Pumpkin Puree: While you can use canned pumpkin, I highly suggest making your own homemade pumpkin puree, which in my opinion tastes better, is definitely cheaper than store-bought, and is also healthier (because it’s free from all the additives and preservatives that canned pumpkin comes with)! You can also swap out the pumpkin puree with sweet potato puree, butternut squash puree, or even apple puree in the same quantities.
Egg Substitute: If you have an egg-allergy, or simply want to keep this egg-free, you can use an egg-replacer such as Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer.
Milk Alternatives: I used normal milk in this recipe, but if you are lactose-intolerant, feel free to use non-dairy milk in equal amounts. You can use my recipe for easy homemade almond milk or 5-minute cashew milk too.
Yogurt Alternative: Feel free to swap out the normal yogurt for coconut yogurt in equal quantities if you wish to keep this dairy-free.
Barely adapted from: Laura Fuentes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten-free pumpkin scones
