Soft, fluffy, and loaded with warm spices – these Vegan Pumpkin Scones are your perfect fall treat! Better than Starbucks!
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If you’re anything like me, as soon as the weather cools, all I want is a vegan pumpkin scone. (Too niche? Yeah thought so...) Call me basic, I don’t care – pumpkin season is the best season, and these Vegan Pumpkin Scones? They’re the ultimate treat for those crisp autumn mornings. We’re talking light, fluffy scones with that cosy blend of pumpkin pie spice, drizzled with not one, but two icings, bursting with fall flavours. It’s like the ultimate Starbucks Pumpkin Scones experience, but better (and way more vegan!). I mean, if Starbucks can nail it, why can’t we?
I first got hooked on pumpkin scones while prepping for a Halloween party (you know the drill, costumes, too much punch, the works). But let’s be real, the highlight was these fluffy, spicy treats. I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit since then (because...life happens), and now it’s become a staple around Thanksgiving and Halloween. Whether you're a pumpkin enthusiast or just here for the “accidentally ate six scones” energy, this vegan pumpkin scone recipe is for you. Serve them up with a hot cup of coffee (flat white with oat milk, naturally) and you’re golden!
Difficulty Level: 🥑🥑
I’m gonna be straight with you, these homemade vegan pumpkin scones are on the easy side, so I’m giving them a solid 🥑🥑 out of five avocado emojis. Sure, there’s some chopping of cold butter, a bit of whisking of dry ingredients, and maybe even some messy icing action, but trust me – the hardest part is waiting for them to cool so you can ice ‘em up! The best way to get the perfect scones is to follow my simple method. Honestly, if you’ve got a food processor or a pastry cutter, you’re laughing. Grab a friend and let’s make scones!
Ingredients You’ll Need
As usual, the full vegan pumpkin scones recipe is down below, but if you're in a hurry, feel free to scroll down to the recipe card. For those sticking around, here's the lineup of simple ingredients for this deliciousness!
- Flour: All-purpose flour is my go-to here.
- Pumpkin purée: The star of the show (they're not called vegan pumpkin scones for nothing)! Make sure to use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Vegan butter: This gives our scones that flaky, rich texture.
- Sugar: I use a blend of granulated sugar for bite and brown sugar for that mellow flavour.
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice – the perfect blend of fall spices.
- Plant milk: I use unsweetened soy milk, but almond milk or oat milk work just as well. Just make sure it's unsweetened and unflavoured.
- Baking powder: Essential for light, fluffy scones.
- Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar: Adds a touch of acidity to help the scones rise.
- Vanilla extract: For that extra depth of flavour.
How to Make This Recipe
Here’s the easiest way to get the best results with these delicious scones. Full recipe at the bottom of the page, as always!
1. Prep your dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, spices, baking powder, and sugars. Don’t forget to use a separate bowl for your wet ingredients: pumpkin purée, plant milk, and lemon juice.
2. Cut in the butter: Add your chilled vegan butter into the dry ingredients and work it in using your fingers or a pastry cutter until it’s all crumbly with small pieces of butter throughout. You can also use a food processor if you'd prefer.
3. Form the dough: Mix the wet ingredients with the dry just until you’ve got a firm, crumbly dough. On a lightly floured surface, pat it into a large circle and cut into wedges using a sharp knife.
4. Bake and ice: Pop the scones onto a lined baking sheet, bake until they’re golden brown, then let ‘em cool. Once cool, go nuts with that sweet glaze and pumpkin spice icing! I do the classic Starbucks zig-zag but you are free to go your own way!
How to Customise Vegan Pumpkin Scones
Wanna mix things up? Here’s how to customise your Vegan Pumpkin Scones:
- Swap the spices: Don’t have pumpkin pie spice? You can make your own blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Add mix-ins: Throw in some chopped pecans, walnuts, or even dried cranberries for added texture.
- Go coconut: Swap the vegan butter for coconut oil for a slightly different flavour and texture. You can even use coconut sugar instead of white and brown sugar.
- Chocolate option: Add dark chocolate chunks to your scone dough for a sweet, melty surprise.
How to Serve This Recipe
These Vegan Pumpkin Scones are absolute perfection on their own, but why stop there? Here’s what I’d pair them with:
- Vegan Blueberry Scones – because more scones are always better!
- Miso Roasted Carrot Pasta – for a fall-vibes savoury dinner after your scone-fest.
- Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese – because why not double up on pumpkin recipes?
- Vegan Whipped Cream - Just in case you fancy serving these us English Afternoon Tea style.
Got Leftovers?
Honestly, I’d be surprised if you had any leftovers, but if you do, store them in an airtight container. They’ll keep for up to two days. Avoid reheating them though – they’re best at room temperature so the icing stays put. If you want to freeze them, wrap them in plastic wrap first, pop in an airtight container, and they’ll keep for up to a month!
Vegan Pumpkin Scones FAQs
Yes! Just freeze the dough after cutting and bake when ready. You may need to extend the bake time by 5 minutes if baking from frozen.
Absolutely, just make sure it’s solid, not melted.
Pumpkin purée is just pure pumpkin, while pie filling is sweetened and spiced.
You can, but why would you? The icing is the best part!
Cold butter and a light hand when mixing are key to fluffy scones!
There you have it – the ultimate Vegan Pumpkin Scones recipe! I hope you give this one a go and love it as much as I do. Be sure to tag me on Instagram with your scone creations at @schoolnightvegan and don’t forget to follow me on Substack.
Vegan Pumpkin Scones
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium Bowl
- Pastry cutter or two sharp knives
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Sharp Knife or bench scraper
- Piping Bag
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
For the Scones:
- 490 g plain white flour all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 170 g vegan butter chilled and cubed, or substitute for coconut oil
- 120 g pumpkin puree canned is best
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or substitute for apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon plant milk unsweetened and unflavoured
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the White Icing:
- 120 g icing sugar
- 2 tablespoon plant milk unsweetened and unflavoured
For the Pumpkin Spice Icing:
- 100 g icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree canned is best
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon plant milk unsweetened and unflavoured
Instructions
To Make the Scones
- Preheat your oven to 200 °C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until well combined.490 g plain white flour, 3 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon allspice, Pinch of ground cloves, 150 g granulated sugar, 4 tablespoon light brown sugar
- Add the chilled vegan butter cubes to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.170 g vegan butter
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, lemon juice, plant milk, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture.120 g pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoon plant milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Gently fold the mixture together with a spatula until a soft dough forms. Be careful not to overmix; it’s okay if it looks a little crumbly.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently pat it into a circle about 2 cm thick. Cut the dough into 8 wedges and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart.
- Bake the scones for 18-20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow the scones to cool completely before icing.
To Make the Icing
- In a bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and plant milk until smooth. Using a teaspoon, cover the top of each cooled scone with this icing and let it set.2 tablespoon plant milk, 120 g icing sugar
- In another bowl, whisk together the icing sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and plant milk until smooth. Transfer the icing to a piping bag and drizzle diagonal lines across the pumpkin spice glazed scones.100 g icing sugar, 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon plant milk
- Enjoy your beautifully iced scones with your favourite hot beverage! If you’re not serving straight away, store the scones in an airtight container overnight and try to eat within two days. Alternatively freeze in an airtight container for up to a month and defrost fully to room temp before serving. Do not reheat the scones as this will melt the icing.
Nina
Amazingly easy to make and delicious!! Thank you for all your great directions and suggestions!! So very helpful, indeed!! ♥️
Mara
I absolutely loved the pumpkin starbucks scones before I went vegan, and when I saw this recipe I was so excited!! I made a triple batch and they turned out perfect!