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close up of a pumpkin scone on a plate
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4.84 from 6 votes

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones (Starbucks Copycat)

These starbucks-inspired pumpkin scones taste just like the treat you remember, without the gluten and dairy! Warm, spicy, and cozy, these gluten-free, dairy-free pumpkin scones are sure to be a fall favourite.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 scones

Ingredients

Scones

  • cups gluten-free all-purpose flour I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag)
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup coconut sugar could sub brown sugar
  • cup pumpkin purée
  • ¼ cup buttermilk* ¼ cup dairy-free milk + 1 teaspoon white vinegar, see note for how to make dairy-free buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup vegan butter, cold & cubed ideally use a vegan butter in brick form, could sub regular butter if you're not dairy-free

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dairy-free milk, and more if needed

Pumpkin Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin purée
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ teaspoon dairy-free milk, and more if needed

Instructions

Baking the Scones

  • Preheat your oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar. In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, buttermilk mixture, egg, and vanilla.
  • Use your hands or a pastry cutter to incorporate the cold butter with the dry ingredients. It will be slightly chunky with larger pieces of butter, and that's okay. Make a well in the centre. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Start out with a spatula. The dough will be quite sticky.
  • Flour a surface and turn the dough out of the bowl. Flour your hands and knead the dough together. Then flatten into a circle about 8-inches wide and ½-¾" thick. Cut into 8 slices and transfer the scones to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with dairy-free milk.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes, until firm with light colour. Immediately transfer to a wire cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes, and no more.

Icing the Scones

  • To make the white glaze, combine the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Once the scones have cooled for 10 minutes, spread the glaze on the tops with an offset spatula. I like to do this with the scones still on the wire rack, with parchment underneath to catch any drips. Let set at room temperature while you make the pumpkin glaze.
  • To make the pumpkin glaze, combine ingredients in the bowl previously used for the first glaze. Place the glaze into a small piping bag or ziplock bag, cut the tip, and drizzle over the scones. Let set at room temperature. The scones are best served the day they're made. Enjoy!

Notes

*To make dairy-free buttermilk, add 1 teaspoon white vinegar to a measuring cup and fill to the ¼ cup line with your non dairy milk of choice (mine is almond or cashew). Mix and let sit for 5 minutes before using. The general rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon vinegar per cup of buttermilk you need. 
 
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Gluten-free pumpkin scones can be stored in the fridge for a few days, however if they will not be eaten immediately, I recommend keeping them frozen in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers. When ready to eat, let them thaw completely at room temperature, or warm in intervals in the microwave. You may notice a small amount of condensation on the top of the scones. Enjoy!