Homemade Pumpkin Spice Scones
These homemade pumpkin spice scones were inspired by the Starbucks-style scones we love, but this is the version that worked in my kitchen. I made a partial flour and sugar swap while keeping enough regular brown sugar, butter, pumpkin, and honey to make them feel like a real treat.
I like my scones thick, with a firmer outside and a substantial soft center. The biggest thing I learned while making these is not to treat the dough like bread: leave some little pieces of cold butter, bring the dough together gently, and don't worry if the shaped round has cracks.
Recipe at a Glance
A Few Helpful Notes
Keep the butter very cold. Add the butter cubes to the dry ingredients, then lightly squeeze and rub them into the flour with your fingers. You do not need to blend the butter in perfectly. Small butter pieces left in the mixture are a good thing.
This isn't bread dough. Once the pumpkin mixture goes in, gently mix and bring the dough together just until the loose flour is incorporated. Don't knead or work it until smooth.
The shaped dough does not need to look perfect. A rough surface and some cracks are completely fine. Trying to smooth everything out can make you work the dough more than necessary.
I keep the round fairly thick. I like a substantial scone with a firmer outside and a bigger soft center, so I don't flatten the dough too much before cutting it.
You don't need buttermilk for this version. I used soy milk and the scones turned out well. Regular milk should work too.
The Lakanto and keto flour are optional. I used them as partial swaps, not because the recipe requires them. Regular all-purpose flour and regular sugar can be used if you prefer.
Ingredients
Scones
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup keto flour (see notes for regular flour option)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 1/2–3 tablespoons Lakanto Classic (or regular granulated sugar)
- 1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter, diced (113 g / 1 stick)
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp pumpkin purée, chilled
- 3 tablespoons milk (I used soy milk)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey
Thick White Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 teaspoons milk, plus only a few drops more if needed
- small splash vanilla extract (optional)
Soft Pumpkin Icing
- 1/4 cup powdered Lakanto (powdered sugar can also be used)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin purée
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- small pinch nutmeg
- small pinch ground ginger
- milk only if absolutely needed
Visual Guide
The most important part is keeping the dough rough and the butter cold.
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Instructions
1. Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, keto flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, brown sugar, and Lakanto Classic.
3. Work in the cold butter Add the very cold butter cubes to the dry ingredients.
4. Leave some butter pieces Use your fingers to lightly squeeze and rub the butter cubes with the dry ingredients. You do not need to make the mixture perfectly uniform. Stop while you can still see some small pieces of butter.
5. Mix the pumpkin ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the chilled pumpkin purée, milk, egg, vanilla, and honey.
6. Gently bring the dough together Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix casually and gently, just enough to bring the loose flour into the dough. Do not knead it like bread.
7. Shape a thick round Gently gather the dough and pat it into a thick round. Don't worry about making it perfectly smooth. Cracks and a rough surface are fine.
8. Cut into wedges Cut the round into 8 wedges. Small pieces of butter may still be visible in the dough — that's exactly what you want.
9. Bake. Transfer the wedges to the prepared baking sheet and bake at 425°F for about 13–15 minutes, until the scones are baked through and lightly browned.
10. Cool before icing. Let the scones cool before adding the glaze so the icing doesn't immediately melt into the surface.
11. Make the white glaze. Combine the powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon milk. Add the second teaspoon only if needed, then add any additional liquid just a few drops at a time. The glaze should be thick and spreadable, not runny. Spread it over the cooled scones rather than making a thin drizzle.
12. Make the pumpkin icing. Mix the powdered Lakanto, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Only add milk if the icing truly needs it.
13. Finish the scones. Add the pumpkin icing over the white glaze and serve.
About the Pumpkin Icing
My pumpkin icing uses a fairly generous amount of real pumpkin purée, so it stays softer and looser than a traditional powdered-sugar glaze. That's intentional in this version — you get more actual pumpkin flavor, but the icing won't set as firmly.
If you prefer a firmer icing, use less pumpkin purée and add pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger) for the pumpkin-spice flavor instead.
FINISHED RESULT
Thick, Cozy Pumpkin Scones
These scones come out thick and substantial, with a firmer golden outside and a soft pumpkin-spiced center. The white glaze adds the classic sweetness, while the softer pumpkin icing gives them a more pumpkin-forward finish.
Sunny Table note: I made these because I wanted that bakery-style pumpkin scone experience without turning the recipe into an ultra-light or completely sugar-free version. The partial swaps worked well for us while still keeping this very much a treat.
Sunny Table Notes
- Don't completely work the butter into the flour. Small cold butter pieces are intentional.
- Don't knead the dough. Gently bring it together and stop once the loose flour is incorporated.
- Cracks are completely fine. Scone dough does not need to become smooth like bread dough.
- I like thick scones. Keeping the dough round fairly thick gives me the substantial center and firmer outside that I prefer.
- Soy milk worked well. Regular milk should also work, so there's no need to buy buttermilk just for this recipe.
- The flour and sweetener swaps are optional. If you don't want to use keto flour or Lakanto, regular all-purpose flour and granulated sugar can be used instead.
- Keep the white glaze thick. A thin glaze can soak into the scones, especially by the next day. Add liquid very slowly.
- The pumpkin icing stays soft. That's because this version contains more real pumpkin purée.
- Best enjoyed the day they're baked. The outside is at its best that day, and the icing will gradually soften the surface as the scones sit.
- This recipe was inspired by the Starbucks Pumpkin Scones recipe from Cooking Classy . I adjusted the flour and sweetener balance, milk, and icing to make the version tested and photographed here.
- Recipes at Sunny Table are always evolving a little as I make them again for my family. This is the version tested and photographed here.
