Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Pumpkin Scones
Gluten free pumpkin scones that are perfect for pumpkin spice season. These healthier Starbuck’s pumpkin scone copycats are made without butter or eggs, so they work for a vegan or dairy free diet. You can also make them refined sugar free for cleaner eating!
It’s pumpkin spice season!! (Atleast it is when I’m writing this)
I’m a huge fan of pumpkin but I try not to overdo it all year long so that it feels extra special in the Fall and Winter months. There’s nothing holding me back now. So prepare yourself for an onslaught of pumpkin recipes.
First up, pumpkin scones. But pumpkin scones that most of my friends and family can enjoy! No gluten. No dairy. And vegan, thanks to a flax egg.
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So, last year for one of my dearest friend’s birthday, I baked scones and brought them over to her for a special brunch.
After 8 years of friendship, I learned something new about her. She doesn’t like scones. Somehow, in all of our conversations and coffee dates, scones never came up.
But not only does she not really like scones, the scones I brought tasted TERRIBLE.
I added at least twice as much baking soda as I should have. It was partly because I had accidentally put baking soda in my gluten-free blend (I buy the majority of my baking supplies in bulk, so it all comes in similar looking bags that may or may not have been correctly labelled by myself). I thought I scooped it all out, but I hadn’t. So I added more to the scones because I wasn’t sure how much was in the flour blend (which was, as it turns out, a lot).
They. Were. Gross.
Happy birthday, dear friend! Hope you like your awful treat that you hate to begin with!
Sheesh.
But these pumpkin scones taste amazing.
Unless you add too much baking soda. Don’t do that.
When I created this recipe, I played around with replacing the butter with coconut oil, and found it works really well.
Here are some things to note as you make these Starbuck’s Copycat Pumpkin Scones:
1. Use refined coconut oil
If you like the flavor of unrefined coconut oil, you can absolutely use that. I personally don’t love that flavor in these scones, so I prefer to use refined coconut oil. Refined coconut oil tastes extremely neutral so you can’t even tell it’s coconut. When purchasing a refined coconut oil, make sure that it is naturally refined, not chemically refined.
This is the one I like: Naturally Refined Coconut Oil
2. Add spices to your liking
I will warn you, I love my spices on the spicier side, so if you’re NOT a fan of strong flavors, you can reduce the spices in the recipe to your liking.
3. Your icing is up to you
I have a few options for you when it comes to icing these puppies.
- Traditional icing with powdered sugar
- Starch and maple syrup for a refined sugar free option
- Pumpkin puree mixed in either one of these for a double icing look and taste
My favorite way to eat these is with a cup of coffee with a sprinkle of cinnamon in it.
Cozy, cozy, cozy.
Writing this totally makes me want to eat another one with a cup of coffee.
But they’re already gone.
Gluten Free and Dairy Free Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients
- 1 flax egg (if not vegan, feel free to use one regular egg)-1 T ground flaxseed, 2 ½ T water, stirred together and left to set for 5 minutes
- 2 cups Mel's Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves
- 5 T refined coconut oil, solid
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 T cashew milk (or milk of choice)
Icing:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp vanilla
- Up to 1 T cashew milk (or milk of choice)
Refined Sugar Free Icing
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 3 T Maple Syrup, 100% pure
Pumpkin Spice Icing
- An extra recipe of choice from above
- 1 tsp pureed pumpkin
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
In the bowl of a mixer, combine flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices
Add in the coconut oil in spoonfuls, and mix on low until the mixture is crumbly
Mix in pumpkin and flax egg, being careful not to over mix
Add in the T of milk slowly, as needed. You may not need all of it!
Once the dough forms a ball, plop it out onto a floured surface (brown rice, gf flour, or tapioca all work well). Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little more flour and roll it out into a 1 ½ inch disk.
Cut the disk into 8 even pieces like a pizza (I even use a pizza cutter, but use whatever you want!)
Bake on a cookie sheet for 14-16 minutes. The scones should brown slightly on edges and bounce back when they’re done if you press the centers a bit. The coconut sugar makes them a bit darker, so it can be hard to tell just by color
Allow scones to completely cool before icing. The icing dries out quickly, so make it just before you’re ready to ice your pumpkin scones
For Icing:
Add powdered sugar or tapioca starch to a bowl and stir in the cinnamon
Pour in the vanilla and then slowly add in the milk of choice or maple syrup. Add it little by little until you have a glue-like consistency. You may not need all of the liquid
Drizzle icing over scones, or slather completely over the tops. If any icing is left over, cover it with a tight plastic or silicone cover and save it for the pumpkin icing
I like to leave them out overnight so that the icing hardens and the scones dry out a bit more (I like them that way, but if you like more of a moist scone, don’t leave them out). They are dry to the touch within an hour or so, depending on how thickly you slathered the icing on 😉
To make pumpkin drizzle:
After first icing layer is dry to the touch, you can make the pumpkin icing. If you had left over icing, just add the pumpkin and cinnamon to it. Otherwise, make a new batch of the icing of your choice and add in pumpkin and cinnamon.
Try not to eat them all in one sitting. By yourself. Or do it. Whatever. Enjoy!
Notes
The pumpkin drizzle doesn't harden all the way. If you are travelling with these or want to store them on top of each other, skip it.
These are great left out on the counter for a day or two. After that they are best refrigerated or frozen in an airtight container.
I’ve been looking for healthier recipes, especially gluten-free options for friends who have started eliminating gluten from their diets. These sound (and look great)!
Thank you for taking time to comment! You’re a really good friend! It always blesses me when people go out of their way to make something I can enjoy. I’m sure your gluten-free friends will feel the same.
Nice healthy recipe, I think I am going to try it.
Thank you. That’s great! Definitely let me know how they turn out for you if you get the chance 🙂
I absolutely cannot believe how amazing these turned out for me. We’ve been dunking them in coffee and it’s pure magic. I used coconut milk instead of cashew (it’s just what I had). I left them out over night per your recipe suggestion and they were perfect in the AM. I then stored the rest (which isn’t much!!) in an air tight container on the counter. The only thing I think I could have done better was maybe warmed my coconut oil up a little for a more even distribution. Beautiful and really EASY recipe and will be made again!
I’m so excited they turned out well!! Hooray!
Scones and coffee are a match made in heaven, yo.