Name: Vegan Pumpkin Scones
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Ingredients: 375 g (3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour; 1 Tablespoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda); 1 Tablespoon pumpkin spice; 120 g (⅔ cup) light brown soft sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; 120 g (½ cup) vegan block butter (NOT the spreadable kind. I use Naturli Vegan Block) (cold and diced); 180 g (¾ cup) pumpkin puree; 1 teaspoon vinegar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 60 ml (¼ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy is best) (plus extra if needed); 25 g (scant 2 Tablespoons) vegan butter; 45 ml (3 Tablespoons) maple syrup; 75 g (⅔ cup) icing (powdered) sugar (sifted); pinch salt

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Vegan pumpkin scones - these delicious scones are quick and easy to make and are a great Autumnal snack or breakfast.

They are soft, moist, tender, pumpkiny, lightly spiced and just sweet enough. Topped with a buttery maple glaze they are a wonderful treat!

Vegan pumpkin scones on a metal baking tray with a coffee pot, bowl of maple glaze and dish of butter.

These vegan pumpkin scones with maple glaze are really quick and simple to make, moist, fluffy and delicious, and they freeze really well too!

Freshly baked and still slightly warm they are lovely eaten just as they are - these are American style scones so they are a bit sweeter than British ones.

They are also delicious split and spread with butter, peanut butter, chocolate spread or jam. They are a wonderful snack and are great for breakfast or brunch too.

They have a sweet, spiced pumpkin flavour, and the maple glaze makes them all the more delicious! They are wonderful without the glaze as well though if you prefer a less decadent scone!

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Pumpkin Scones?:

Plain flour: Most scone recipes use self-raising flour rather than plain, but not everyone has access to self-raising so I’ve switched it to plain (all-purpose) with extra baking powder instead.

I haven't tried making these scones gluten-free.

Baking powder and soda: Scones need quite a bit of baking powder – one tablespoon in this case, plus a bit of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to react with the vinegar for extra lift.

Note that you need to use a proper measuring tablespoon which is 15 ml, not just a regular spoon. Spoon measurements should always be a LEVEL spoonful, never rounded (unless a rounded spoonful is specified in the recipe).

Vegan block butter: For the best results you need to use a cold BLOCK butter/margarine, NOT the spreadable kind in a tub which has too high a water content for baking.

I use Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant butter. Solid coconut oil would also work.

Milk: Any kind of unsweetened non-dairy milk will work (except tinned coconut milk) but I like soy milk best. It should be cold from the fridge rather than room temperature.

Pumpkin puree: The pumpkin adds flavour and moisture, making the scones nice and soft. It also gives them a beautiful colour! I use tinned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling), but see instructions below for how to make your own.

Sugar: I use light brown soft sugar which adds extra flavour and moisture. You could use dark brown sugar but the scones won't be quite as orange in colour. Granulated will work but I don't think that the flavour will be quite as good.

These vegan pumpkin scones are on the sweeter side; if you prefer a less sweet scone then you can reduce the sugar.

Pumpkin spice: I use a shop bought pumpkin spice blend. In the UK it is readily available online. See below for a recipe to make your own blend from scratch.

Vinegar: This reacts with the bicarbonate of soda, helping to make the scones light and fluffy.

Vanilla: Use extract rather than essence for the best flavour. It can be omitted.

How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Scones:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Place the plain flour in a large bowl along with the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, pumpkin spice, salt and light brown soft sugar and mix to combine.

Add the cold, cubed vegan block butter and rub it in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of fat remain.

A three image collage of mixing the dry ingredients and rubbing in the butter.

Mix the pumpkin puree with the vinegar and vanilla and add it to the bowl with the non-dairy milk.

Stir to form a soft, sticky dough. If it is too dry add a drop more milk.

A two image collage of adding the wet ingredients and forming the dough.

With well floured hands, divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape each one into a rough ball.

On a floured surface, pat each ball of dough out into a round about 4cm / 1 ½ inches thick.

Use a sharp knife dipped in flour to slice each round into six triangles.

A two image collage of forming the dough into rounds and slicing them into triangles.

Gently place the wedges well spaced apart on a baking sheet.

Brush the tops of the scones with milk. Bake for about 12 minutes until well risen, golden and firm to the touch.

A two image collage of the scones before and after baking.

Drizzle the scones with maple glaze if you want and serve asap.

Vegan pumpkin scones on a metal baking tray.

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

Using a block butter/margarine rather than the spreadable kind in a tub will give you a much better texture as it has a higher fat content. I use Naturli Vegan Block, but Stork or Vitalite block, Tormor or Earth Balance Buttery Sticks will all work. It is also important that the butter is fridge cold, not room temperature.

Make sure that you do not overwork the dough, you want to mix it until it comes together, no more than that. And never, ever knead it; this isn’t bread. The scones will be a bit craggy and rustic looking, but the texture will be so much better!

The dough should be on the soft, sticky side for the lightest, moistest results.

Pat, rather than roll the dough out and keep it quite thick, about 4cm / 1 ½ inches is ideal.

When you glaze the scones, make sure that you brush the milk on the tops of the scones only, don't let any glaze drip down the sides as it can inhibit the rise.

Get the scones into the oven as soon as possible, don't leave them sitting around as the raising agents start to work straight away.

Scones are best eaten as soon as possible, ideally just cooled, and definitely on the same day as they are baked. If you do happen to have any leftovers the next day then they are best eaten split, toasted and buttered.

Can I Freeze These Vegan Pumpkin Scones?:

Yes they freeze really well. Ideally they should be frozen on the day they are baked to preserve freshness.

Allow them to cool completely then freeze in a ziplock bag or freezer-proof container for up to three months.

Allow to defrost at room temperature (or give them a quick blast in the microwave if you are in a hurry) then refresh them in a low oven for 5-10 minutes before serving.

How To Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice:

Pumpkin pie spice blend isn’t readily available outside of the US. In the UK the closest thing we have is mixed spice (though M&S have started selling pumpkin spice!), but it is a different blend of spices to pumpkin spice so it’s not the best thing to use if you want a true pumpkin spice flavour.

The good news is that it is really easy to make your own using a few common spices – cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.

To make it, just mix together 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cloves and 1 tsp ground allspice.

You can easily halve the recipe if you only want to make a small jar of it, but the homemade pumpkin pie spice will keep in an airtight container for ages and is perfect for using in all your autumnal and festive bakes.

How To Make Pumpkin Puree:

I used tinned pumpkin puree to make these vegan pumpkin scones which I get from Sainsbury’s; it can also be found in some Tesco’s, Waitrose and on Ocado and Amazon. In the supermarkets it is often hidden away in a little ‘American section’ in the world foods aisles.

If you can’t find it however it is also really easy to make your own; you just need to halve, de-seed and roast an eating pumpkin (NOT a carving one) or a butternut squash until it is tender then scoop the flesh out of the skin and puree it until smooth.

Roast it at around 200C/400F/gas mark 6. The time it takes will very much depend on how large the pumpkin/squash is so just cook it until the flesh can easily be pierced with a fork.

I don’t recommend boiling the pumpkin to cook it as that will make the puree too wet.

More Vegan Scone Recipes:

A pumpkin scone sliced in half and buttered on a black plate.

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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