These homemade vegan, paleo and AIP Pumpkin Scones are soft, fluffy and flavorful with the perfect amount of sweetness and a delicious spiced maple icing.
This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. Products used in this recipe were sent to me by Bob’s and the opinions and text are all mine.
It’s Fall! And these Pumpkin Scones are the perfect welcome to the season. There are few things better than a warm, soft scone.
These dairy free, vegan, AIP and paleo scones are soft, fluffy and a little bit cakey. They’re delicately spiced with cinnamon, ginger and cloves and topped with a spiced maple icing that compliments the pumpkin perfectly. These Pumpkin Scones come together quickly with just a bit of advanced prep (freezing the shortening) and bake in under 15 minutes! What are you waiting on?
Here are the main ingredients in these Pumpkin Scones:
- Pumpkin puree – You can use either fresh or canned pumpkin in this recipe. If using the latter, you’ll want to ensure you’re using canned pumpkin puree without any additives. If you want to use fresh pumpkin, I’d recommend sugar or pie pumpkins. Here’s how you make homemade pumpkin puree.
- Cinnamon, powdered ginger, cloves – the ultimate AIP compliant pumpkin spice mix that adds the perfect amount of spice and warmth to this Fall treat.
- Coconut or maple sugar – I have used both with similar results here, the difference being the color of the dough. Coconut sugar is a lot darker than maple sugar so your scones will be a deeper orange hue if you opt for coconut sugar.
- Palm shortening – the butter replacement in this recipe and you’ll want to make sure it’s frozen! This is what helps create the texture you want with scones. I measure mine out and then pop it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before using.
- Cassava flour
- Tapioca starch
Tips for these vegan Pumpkin Scones
- Ensure your fat is frozen. This recipe uses palm shortening. I typically measure it out and place it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes until it is solid. Frozen fat is key to the texture of these scones and you want to ensure that it melts only as it is baking and not beforehand.
- Use cold liquids to keep the palm shortening frozen. If you make your pumpkin puree fresh, you’ll want to cool it before baking with it, just so that it doesn’t melt the shortening when you are bringing the dough together. You should also use ice-cold coconut milk here.
- Ensure your coconut milk is both additive free and full fat. The fat content in the milk helps with the texture of these scones.
- Allow the scones to cool at least 15 minutes before slicing into them. Baked goods without eggs and made without gluten really need time to “set”. Cutting or breaking into them before they cool will affect the texture so exercise some patience here and it will pay off 🙂
FAQs about these Pumpkin Scones
Can I replace the palm shortening?
I’ve tested this recipe using coconut oil and the result is slightly more dense but still works. If you can’t find palm shortening you could give it a try, but the texture is far more desirable with the palm shortening and my advice is to try to source it if you can.
How do I store these?
Store un-iced scones in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The moisture in the pumpkin puree does create a slightly more cake-y texture in these scones and I suggest serving them warm. Reheat in the oven, toaster or air fryer and then drizzle icing on top.
Can I freeze these?
Yes, these scones can be frozen and reheated as shared above. I’d recommend icing only those you plan to eat immediately. That way, you can freeze and then reheat the leftover scones in the oven or your toaster and drizzle with icing before serving.
Can I replace any of the flours?
I haven’t tested a cassava flour-free version of this recipe so cannot make any substitution recommendations for flours.
If you try these Pumpkin scones I would appreciate it if you would give the recipe a star rating and short review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious.
If you enjoyed these Pumpkin Scones you might also like:
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts
- Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Sweet Potato ‘Chocolate’ Chunk Bar
- Butternut Squash Biscuits
Want more Pumpkin Spice? You’ll love:
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Pumpkin Scones (AIP, paleo, vegan)
- Total Time: 33 minutes
- Yield: 6 scones 1x
Description
These homemade vegan, paleo and AIP Pumpkin Scones are soft, fluffy and flavorful with the perfect amount of sweetness and a delicious spiced maple icing.
Ingredients
Pumpkin scones
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp palm shortening, frozen
- 1 cup Cassava flour
- 1/2 cup Tapioca Starch
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup coconut or maple sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (cold or room temperature, just ensure it’s not warm)
- 1/2 cup very cold, full fat coconut milk
- 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
Maple Icing
- 1/4 cup coconut butter, melted
- 2 TBSP coconut milk, warm
- 2 TBSP maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Place frozen palm shortening into a food processor and pulse until it has broken down into pea sized pieces*
- In a large bowl, add cassava flour, tapioca starch, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, coconut sugar, baking soda, vanilla and pumpkin puree.
- Add pea sized pieces of frozen palm shortening to the mixture and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
- Add very cold coconut milk and apple cider vinegar to mixture and use fork/pastry cutter and then your hands to bind all the ingredients together into a dough.**
- Place dough on a piece of parchment paper and press into a round disc about 1 inch in thickness.
- Using a knife or bench scraper, cut 6 triangular scones out of the dough and separate on the parchment paper.
- Transfer parchment paper to baking sheet and bake for 13 minutes in the middle rack of your oven.
- Allow scones to cool at least 15 minutes before cutting into them so they can set.***
- As scones cool, combine melted coconut butter, warm coconut milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, sea salt and vanilla extract to make the icing. If the icing is too thick, add more warm coconut milk as necessary.****
Notes
*Be careful not to over-process the palm shortening or it will begin to soften too much and melt into the dough before it’s baked.
** Full fat coconut milk is key to the texture of these biscuits, and cold milk is important too to help keep the palm shortening cold. I like to place a cube of ice in the coconut milk for a minute so that it’s really cold. As you bring the dough together, be careful not to over-knead and melt all the shortening – you want to keep those clumps of palm shortening intact as much as possible.
*** Resist the urge to break into these before they’ve cooled so that the texture won’t be gummy.
**** Warm/hot coconut milk is necessary for this icing. Cold milk will thicken the coconut butter as it encourages it to solidify.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Desserts
I am no cook, so when you say pumpkin puree my brain goes straight to a can of pumpkin puree. I have read all of the other comments to, where you recommend fresh pumpkin puree. How would one go about making fresh pumpkin puree? I am serious, it may sound silly but I would love to know the process you use so I can get the best results possible in the recipe. I am eager to give this a go, thanks!
Thanks for your question! I’ve updated the post with a link for how to make homemade pumpkin puree (it’s linked to one of my other blog posts where I detail these steps)
Just made these exactly as written, and they came out perfectly! I kept my palm shortening in the freezer even after breaking up in the food processor. While my oven came to temp and the coconut milk was getting cold! I mixed up the dough mixture quickly and tried not to use my hands until the very end, since I knew my body heat would melt it. They baked to a nice golden brown in the 13 minutes, and the texture is perfect. In the morning I will make a glaze for them. The ONLY thing different about mine is that they are less orange!
Hi! I made your scones, using sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin. because i can eat only lectin free food, i used Allulose sugar with a splash of maple extract to get the maple sugar effect.
Was too lazy to make the drizzle, so just ate plain.
Very tasty! Surprisingly fluffy on the inside! Great toasted too.
thank you for a great recipe!
We’re so glad you liked it!
In your pictures here your dough looks dry and you were able to cut them nicely before baking. My dough was very wet and sticky. What did I do wrong?
Hi there, did you use canned pumpkin puree? If so, it’s much runnier than fresh pureed pumpkin, which can make a big difference to the batter. Also, ensure that your palm shortening is fully frozen and that you’re using really cold liquids so that the palm shortening doesn’t melt.
What are your thoughts on substituting homemade cashew cream for full fat coconut? I’m coconut-free AIP, so I’m always looking for options to work around that darn coconut (which my tastebuds oh so love and miss, but my body does not like).
Hi Jessica,
We haven’t tried cashew cream ourselves. It might work as the fat content in cashew is quite high and that’s key. Let us know the results if you try it!
Thoughts on using coconut oil instead of palm?
Check out the FAQs in the post!
The flavor is nice, texture was gummy.
This was my first time making scones. I’m thinking the triangles are supposed to be spaced apart on the parchment before baking, rather than keeping it in a circle…? If so, it might be helpful to add that detail in the recipe. We’ll still eat them all, and try again another time!
Hi Margie,
Yes, triangles should be separated. We’ll clarify in the instructions, thanks!
Sorry to hear about the texture. We recommend following all of the tips and notes in the blog post for the best texture.
The flavour is nice but these turned out very gummy for me 🙁 Followed the recipe exactly…
sorry to hear that! curious to know: what brand of flour did you use?
The flavor is very good. I used canned pumpkin, so the texture is a little gummy. I will play with the recipe next time, maybe use less pumpkin puree? Also measurements in grams are helpful for a more consistent result.
Hi Elizabeth, so glad you enjoyed the flavor, thank you for your review! Letting the scones cool completely to “set” is key for the texture. Nicole used Bob’s Red Mill flours for this recipe; all flours differ slightly.
Flavorful hence 5 star rating. I cooked them for 14 minutes and toothpick came out clean so removed them to cooling rack for 20″. Taste very good but gummy texture. They look half baked. Suggestions?
Hi Doug, hmm that’s odd. Did you use shortening?
I adore Nicole’s butternut squash biscuit, and her sourdough biscuit, so of course I have to try out these pumpkin ? scones ?. I baked these Pumpkin Spice Scones twice in 10 days – that’s how much I enjoyed them the first time. I have been baking these with butternut squash and kabocha squash this time, both with the sourdough starter of Nicole. I just love love love her recipes so much. God bless her passion for creating these healthy recipes and skills in the kitchen. Lucky us, AIPers. XX
So glad you enjoyed the scones! Thank you for your review, Olivia
Sadly mine were gummy in the center. They are very easy to make and the flavor is aamazing. Maybe I didn’t use enough cassava flour. Do you by chance know the measurements for the cassava & tapioca starch in grams?
I will try again and use more flour or less pumpkin next time.
Thanks😊
Hi Arie, sorry to hear that. Did you use canned pumpkin? It’s a lot runnier than fresh pureed pumpkin and sometimes that can make a difference. I’d recommend plugging these numbers into google to get the grams equivalent.
Would using two knives to break down the frozen palm shortening be a good alternative in this recipe?
Hi Olivia,
You could also try a blender if you have one.
I’m confused. In step 7, of the instructions, you indicate cutting the scones Before they bake. But in step 9, you state to cut the scones 15 min. After baking. Please clarify.
step 7 refers to cutting six scones out of the disc of dough as per the photos. In step 9 I am referring to you waiting a minimum of 15 mins before breaking or cutting into an individual scone
These are delicious and oh so easy to make! The texture is amazing and not gummy at all. Thank you for such a wonderful fall treat!
These scones are perfect! My grandad owned an English Tea room and these brought back sweet memories. I loved his scones and now I can enjoy them again. I plan to make another batch this weekend because they went fast! Your recipes inspired me to start documenting some of my own recipes.
Looks so good! Do you think these would work without adding any sweetener to the scone part?
The texture will likely change because you’re omitting dry ingredients
Nicole, these are perfect and delicious as always! Super straightforward and easy to make, too. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Looks so good! Do you think these would work without any added sugar? Making them more of a savory scone?