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 make the perfect breakfast, snack or light dessert, and honestly taste so good you’ll never know they’re dairy-free too!
Jump to:
- Recreating Memories with These Scones
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones (Success!)
- Why This Recipe Works:
- Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions
- How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones (Step by Step):
- Recipe FAQs:
- Other Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
- Other Gluten-Free Sweet Treats to Indulge In:
- Gluten-free Pumpkin Scones
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 homemade 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).
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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones (Success!)
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!
Why This Recipe Works:
- Simple Ingredients: The ingredients required for this gluten-free pumpkin scones recipe are easily accessible at the local grocery store (nothing fancy required!)
- Easy to Make: Prepare the scone dough is just a matter of mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, then cutting the dough into triangles and baking! Plus, you can use both fresh or canned pumpkin puree so you can enjoy these scones the whole year round, not just during pumpkin season.
- Amazing Texture: 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 delicious pumpkin scones are completely gluten-free!
- Totally Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free: The best part is that these copycat Starbucks pumpkin scones are 100% gluten-free and dairy-free, which means that even those with Celiac disease or gluten or lactose intolerances can enjoy them without any issues!
Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions
Here’s an overview of the ingredients required for this gluten-free pumpkin scones recipe.
(For exact measurements, please scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend: Make sure you use a good gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that is made with light flours/starches (such as rice flour, corn starch, potato starch, or tapioca starch). This will ensure a lighter texture once baked. I do NOT recommend using heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour) as that will result in a denser final texture.
- Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is the replacement for gluten and helps to better binds the ingredients together. If your gluten-free flour blend does not already include xanthan gum, make sure to add it in.
- Sugar: I used white sugar, but you can also use cane sugar, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar or coconut sugar if you prefer. If you are diabetic or insulin resistant, I highly recommend granulated monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that is zero glycemic index and will not raise your blood sugar).
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is the only leavening agent here, and is necessary to help the scone dough rise during baking, so make sure to add it in. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure to use certified gluten-free baking powder.
- Butter: I used dairy-free butter to keep the recipe dairy-free. You may also use coconut oil if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use normal butter instead. Make sure that the butter is cold and frozen before using it as you’ll need it to be hard in order to grate it.
- Almond Milk: I like using an unsweetened version of my homemade almond milk, but you may also use another non-dairy milk (such as cashew milk, oat milk, rice milk, tigernut milk, coconut milk etc). Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use regular milk instead.
- 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 acquafaba or an egg-replacer instead.
- Yogurt: I used dairy-free yogurt to keep the recipe dairy-free. However, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use regular yogurt instead.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones (Step by Step):
1. Preheat and Line
Preheat the oven to 425F and line a large baking sheet or cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
2. Whisk Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk the gluten-free all-purpose flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder and salt together. Mix well to combine.
3. Grate Butter
Grate the frozen dairy-free butter using a cheese grater into the dry ingredients, then mix gently with your fingers until there are no more large chunks left. You can also use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture.
4. Combine Wet Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, egg, milk and yogurt until well combined.
5. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients to Form Dough
Slowly add in the dry ingredients, stirring until just you get a homogeneous and soft dough forms, but do not over stir.
6. Shape Dough into Disc and Cut into Triangles
Move the pumpkin scone dough onto a lightly floured surface (make sure you use gluten-free flour) and gently use your hands to form the dough into a 2-inch thick round disc.
Use a sharp knife to cut the 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).
7. Bake Until Golden
Bake the pumpkin 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. Let scones cool on a wire rack before eating.
8. Serve and Enjoy
Serve these tender gluten-free pumpkin scones warm with whipped dairy-free cream, maple syrup, or eat them plain with a cup of coffee or tea!
Recipe FAQs:
If you don’t plan to eat these gluten-free pumpkin scones straightaway, make sure to allow them to fully cool before wrapping them in plastic wrap or placing them in an airtight container and then storing 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)
- 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)
Other Gluten-Free Sweet Treats to Indulge In:
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. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. 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!
Print
Gluten-free Pumpkin Scones
- 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 ready in just 30 minutes! These make the perfect breakfast, snack or light dessert, and honestly taste so good you’ll never know they’re dairy-free too!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your gluten-free flour blend already has it) - 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted dairy-free butter
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- 1 tablespoon dairy-free yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat and Line: Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the gluten-free all-purpose flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder and salt together. Mix well to combine.
- Grate Butter: Grate the frozen dairy-free butter using a cheese grater into the dry ingredients, then mix gently with your fingers until there are no more large chunks left. You can also use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, egg, milk and yogurt until well combined.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients to Form Dough: Slowly add in the dry ingredients, stirring until just you get a homogeneous scone dough, but do not over stir.
- Shape Dough into Disc and Cut into Triangles: Move the pumpkin scone dough onto a gluten-free flour dusted surface (make sure you use gluten-free flour) and form the dough into a 2-inch thick round disc. 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 Until Golden: Bake the pumpkin 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 and Enjoy: Serve the pumpkin scones warm with whipped dairy-free 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/starches (such as rice flour, corn starch, potato starch, or tapioca starch). This will ensure a lighter texture once baked. I do NOT recommend using heavier flours (such as garbanzo bean flour) as that will result in a denser final texture.
Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is the replacement for gluten and helps to better binds the ingredients together. If your gluten-free flour blend does not already include xanthan gum, make sure to add it in.
Sugar: I used white sugar, but you can also use cane sugar, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar or coconut sugar if you prefer. If you are diabetic or insulin resistant, I highly recommend granulated monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that is zero glycemic index and will not raise your blood sugar).
Baking Powder: Baking powder is the only leavening agent here, and is necessary to help the scone dough rise during baking, so make sure to add it in. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure to use certified gluten-free baking powder.
Butter: I used dairy-free butter to keep the recipe dairy-free. You may also use coconut oil if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use normal butter instead. Make sure that the butter is cold and frozen before using it as you’ll need it to be hard in order to grate it.
Almond Milk: I like using an unsweetened version of my homemade almond milk, but you may also use another non-dairy milk (such as cashew milk, oat milk, rice milk, tigernut milk, coconut milk etc). Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use regular milk instead.
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 acquafaba or an egg-replacer instead.
Yogurt: I used dairy-free yogurt to keep the recipe dairy-free. However, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use regular yogurt instead.
Barely adapted from: Laura Fuentes
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten-free pumpkin scones
l didn’t have any yoghurt so used cream. They were so delicious.
★★★★★
Hi Di! So happy to hear that, thanks for letting me know how these scones went with cream. Hope to see you around the blog again soon!
Loved this recipe, it’s so easy and taste wonderful!
Hi Marietta! So happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing your feedback, and I hope to see you around the blog again sometime soon!
These are the best scones we have ever eaten!
They are incredible! We topped ours with maple syrup and coffee icing and spiced icing.
I made it exactly as written.
Thanks
★★★★★
Hi Monica!! Awww, thank you so much for your lovely note!! You made my morning hearing it! Glad you love these scones – we love them too! 🙂 P.s. that coffee icing and spiced icing sounds delish!
This was my first foray into gluten free baking with Gluten Free flour mix. My mixture was somewhat dry so I added some additional pumpkin puree and yogurt. I am glad I did….the texture of the scones turned out amazing. Without the additional wet ingredients, I think they would have come out too dry. I also used homemade pumpkin puree (using the recipe on this website). I used a pie pumpkin to make my puree. I was skeptical that I would get much pumpkin flavor with only a half cup of puree and I was correct in my assessment. Unlike the scone photos in the blog, my scones are more yellow….think cornbread. Maybe using a different type of pumpkin for my puree or canned pumpkin would have yielded a more “pumpkiny” tasting scone. The scones are definitely edible but do mot possess the pumpkin embodiment that I was hoping for!
★★★
Hi Lisa! Thanks for your feedback…So sorry to hear that your first foray into GF baking didn’t turn out so well! Sometimes it may have to do with the gluten-free flour mix used – May I know which flour mix you used? I know that some flour mixes are denser and heavier (because they use bean flours like garbanzo bean flour etc), and I usually recommend a flour mix with lighter flours/starches (such as white rice flours combined with potato starch/tapioca starch/cornstarch). I’m glad you followed your instinct to add more pumpkin puree and yogurt. Perhaps adding a hint of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice would have given it more pumpkin flavor that you were looking for 🙂 Thanks again for letting me know how it went!
These are the best GF scones I’ve ever had! I’m dairy free and just substituted coconut oil for the butter and dairy free milk and yogurt and it was spectacular! I did add 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice to give them a little kick. Thanks so much for sharing and I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Your pumpkin waffles are on the menu for this weekend.
★★★★★
Hi Jenny!!! You just made my day, so happy to hear that these are the best GF scones you’ve had!! And that extra pumpkin pie spice sounds perfect for making it extra pumpkin/fall-ish. Fingers crossed you’ll enjoy the pumpkin waffles too 🙂 And thanks again for your note, looking forward to seeing you around here again 😉 Have a great weekend dear! xx, F.
Decided to give these a try today as well…pretty much all the leaves have turned a nice pumpkny color in our yard. The dough is very very soft tho…I coucln’t even get them to cut without them falling apart! They’re in the oven now and hopefully keeping them in the round, like I do my almond flour ones, will work…fingers crossed
Hi Terry! thanks for your note and for trying out the recipe! Yes the dough is very soft, but that’s also what keeps them moist and tender once they’re baked! Fingers crossed they turn out well!! 🙂
Hi Felicia,
I realized that I have not been making any scones for the longest time.
Your modified recipe of gluten free pumpkin scones reminded me, more specifically inspired me, to make another batch of this wonderful scones again.
This time I will try it with sweet potato puree as you have suggested as an alternative flavor.
Thanks again, I greatly appreciate your effort to revisit and modify some of your wonderful earlier recipes for our benefits.
Love and Blessings,
Mum
★★★★★
Hi mummy! Yay, hope the sweet potato scones come out well! I’m so happy that you find the republished/updated recipes more useful, ultimately my goal is for anyone who lands on a recipe on the blog to be able to make it without any issue/doubts, so thanks for the feedback!! 🙂 Love you!!
Hi Felicia!
Thanks for replying so quickly to me! I went ahead and made the scones that day with 2 TBS coconut milk instead of milk and yogurt and used a flax egg and they were EXCELLENT!!! I also set 2 aside before baking and wrapped them individually in Saran Wrap then popped them in the freezer. They were in there for almost 2 weeks (I couldn’t last any longer knowing they were in there!). This morning I preheated the oven to 400°, unwrapped the frozen scones, and baked them (completely frozen) for 25 minutes and they turned out perfect!! I’m excited that it worked! I’ll be making these next week to have on hand for family on Thanksgiving! Not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing to know I can keep scones in the freezer at the ready for whenever I want though. 🙂 Thanks for posting this recipe! God bless!
★★★★★
Hey Steph!! Thanks for letting me know how the scones went (especially after freezing them!!) So glad you loved them! I hope your family will love them as much too! 🙂 God bless you!
Hi Felicia! I just found your blog and love it! This scone recipe looks incredible and now want to rush to the kitchen to try them! A few questions for you. I’m hoping to make this for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. Have you made these ahead of time and popped them in the freezer before baking? Also, can I make them with a flax egg and substitute 2 tbs rice milk for the 1 tbs milk and 1 tbs yogurt?
Thankyou! God bless!
Hi Steph!! So glad to have you here! Definitely, you can substitute the egg with a flax egg and use rice milk instead of normal milk and yogurt. I haven’t made these and frozen them before baking, but I’m 99% sure that should work fine!! Let me know how it goes! would love to hear! God bless you too!
I must say that this is the best gluten free pumpkin scones that I have ever had! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
★★★★★
Karen! So happy to hear that!!! Glad you enjoyed the pumpkin scones 🙂
I’ve got a few other gluten-free pumpkin recipes on the blog (as well as other that I’ll be sharing in the next month or so!)
In case you’re keen:
1) Easy Gluten-free Pumpkin Muffins
2) Gluten-free Pumpkin Waffles
3) Super-Moist Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
Hope you enjoy the other recipes too!! Happy Fall!
I’m thrilled you loved my recipe and they were a success at your house! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Laura! Thanks for dropping by! And most of all, thanks for the inspiration to make these scones! They really had great texture!
Hi Felicia,
I was so happy when I managed to find the gluten-free flour blend (both plain and self-raising) sold at NTUC fairprice last weekend. I bought them without hesitation.
Now with your gluten-free pumpkin scones recipe, I am excited to put these flour into good use immediately. Would you recommend that I use the plain one or the self raising lot? If I should use the self raising flour, am I correct to say that I can leave out the baking powder mentioned in your recipe?
Your scones look very tempting and I just cannot wait till I have baked some this weekend to enjoy them with my tea. 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
BIg Hugs and Blessings 🙂
Mum
★★★★★
Hello mummy! Yay! glad you managed to find gluten-free flour – hope you’ll like these scones! In this case, I would suggest that you use the normal gluten free flour with the baking powder, although you might also get the same results with the self-raising flour. (Just be careful not to eat too many things made with the normal gluten-free flour as the flours such as rice flour, tapioca flour etc have high glycemic index and are not good for blood sugar). I would say eat foods made with gluten-free flour sparingly so it doesn’t aggravate your already high blood sugar! 🙂
Love you mummy!!