Vegan Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze

The first batch of vegan pumpkin scones I made came out like pumpkin-flavored gravel. Dry, crumbly, sad. The fix was boring: cold fat, wet pumpkin, and hands off the dough. This version is the one that stuck.

These vegan pumpkin scones are soft inside, a little crisp at the edges, and topped with a maple glaze that actually stays put. No eggs. No butter. Just one bowl for the dough, one small bowl for the glaze, and about 35 minutes.

Why This Works

Cold coconut oil is the whole trick. It stays in little pieces in the dough, and in a hot oven those pieces melt and leave tiny pockets behind. That’s your tender crumb. Use melted or soft oil and you get a dense, cakey puck.

The pumpkin puree is already wet, so there’s only 1/3 cup of almond milk in here. I know it looks like too little. It isn’t. Add more milk and the dough turns sticky, you add flour to fix it, and now the scones are dry again.

And the glaze waits until the scones are cool. Hot scone, thin glaze, and it just slides off and pools on the rack.

Ingredients

Scones

• 2 cups flour (all-purpose, spelt, or light whole wheat)
• 1/4 cup sugar (pure cane or coconut)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• pinch of salt
• 6 tablespoons chilled coconut oil (or vegan butter/margarine)
• 3/4 cup 100% pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Maple Glaze

• 1 cup organic powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk

Make sure it’s pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced, and it’ll throw the whole recipe off.

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Scones

1. Mix the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and non-dairy milk well in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat, or lightly grease it with oil.
4. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, pumpkin spice, and salt. Blend well.
5. Add the hardened oil. Use a pastry blender or a mixing spoon. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Little chunks are good.
6. Add the pumpkin puree, vanilla, and non-dairy milk. Stir until it forms a dough.
7. Knead it with your hands into an even ball. Quick. Don’t go crazy.
8. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface.
9. Flour the top lightly and pat it into an 8 to 9-inch circle, about 1 inch high.
10. Use a knife to gently divide it into 6 to 8 slices.
11. Set the scones on the prepared baking sheet.
12. Bake on the center rack for about 18 minutes, until lightly golden along the edges.
13. Let them cool a bit on the pan, then move to a cooling rack.
14. Once fully cooled, drizzle the glaze in a zigzag across the top of each scone.
15. Let the glaze set.

Prep: 15 minutes | Bake: 18 minutes | Total: 35 minutes | Yield: 6 to 8 scones

Tips

• Keep the glaze thick. It should drop off a spoon slowly, not run.
• Glaze too thin? Pop the bowl in the fridge for a bit. It firms up.
• Glaze too thick to drizzle? Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup.
• Cold coconut oil, straight from the fridge if your kitchen runs warm.
• Pat the dough, don’t roll it. Rolling works it too hard.

Variations

Swap the flour however you like. All-purpose gives the softest scone. Spelt is a little nuttier. Light whole wheat works too, but I’d stick with all-purpose for a first batch.

Coconut sugar instead of cane sugar is fine. It darkens the dough a bit, which honestly suits a pumpkin scone.

Vegan butter or margarine instead of coconut oil works, but keep it cold. Soft vegan butter is the one swap I’d skip. The dough gets greasy and the scones spread.

Any non-dairy milk works for both the dough and the glaze. Almond is just what I keep in the fridge.

Make-Ahead Notes

Don’t glaze ahead. The glaze goes on cooled scones right before serving, or it weeps and goes tacky overnight.

You can mix the glaze a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Stir it before using, and loosen with a drop of milk if it’s stiff.

Store plain, unglazed scones in an airtight container at room temperature, then glaze when you’re ready to serve.

FAQ

Closing Thoughts

Eat these with something hot to drink, preferably coffee, on a slow morning when the glaze has had time to set. A pinch more pumpkin spice on the glaze right after you drizzle it looks nice too.