These gluten-free and dairy-free pumpkin scones are buttery and flakey and have just the right amount of pumpkin spice. The scone itself has pumpkin puree, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger to give it that nostalgic fall pumpkin flavor. Paired with creamy dairy-free cream cheese icing, these gluten-free and dairy-free pumpkin scones make the perfect fall treat!

Tips on how to make these gluten-free and dairy-free pumpkin scones with cream cheese icing:

• Swap the spices for pumpkin spice. If you have pumpkin spice at home, simply swap the spices listed in the recipe for 1 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice.
• Add vinegar to wet ingredients. Essentially, I use vinegar in this recipe to create a makeshift dairy-free buttermilk. This step is particularly important because the vinegar will activate the leavening agents which helps these scones become light and fluffy.
• Use the flour blend listed in the recipe. I swear by Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (not sponsored) as I use it in all of my recipes. This recipe has not been tested using other flour blends, so for best results, I reccommend sticking to what’s listed in the ingredient’s list.
• Fold the dough three times. This step will create those quintessential layers that’ll make these scones, scones.
• Mix wet and dry ingredients just until combined. This way the scones still have pieces of butter that’ll help create flakiness.
• Let dough chill. This will allow the gluten-free flour time to absorb moisture from the wet ingredients which will result in a moist crumb. at the same time, chilling the dough allows the pieces of butter to harden which will contribute to flakiness.
• Dollop the cream-cheese icing onto the scones while they are still warm. The warmth of the scones with helps melt the icing so that it becomes a glaze and droops over the edges of the scones.

These gluten-free and dairy-free pumpkin scones do not have to be made dairy-free!

That’s right! If you’re not dairy-free, feel free to use regular unsalted butter, milk, and cream cheese. Just make sure to use the same amounts of each ingredient.

How to make these gluten-free pumpkin scones:

1. In a medium bowl combine plant milk, vinegar, pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk until the egg is fully combined. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl come flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Mix with a clean fork or spoon until spices are evenly combined throughout the flour.
3. Add cold plant butter to the dry ingredients and mix with your hands, pressing the butter between the dry ingredients creating smaller and smaller clumps. Do this until the butter clump are approximately the size of a pea throughout. 
4. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold just until combined. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl for remaining dry bits. 
5. Line the kitchen counter or large cutting board with parchment paper and dust a spoonful of flour on top. Add the “dough” to the floured parchment paper, add an additional teaspoon of flour onto the dough and gently press outward until about 1 inch thick. Fold half of the dough onto the other half. Add a pinch of flour if necessary and gently press dough outward until about 1 inch thick and fold over. 
6. Form the folded into a circle shape and gently press down until about 1.5-2 inches thick. Fold parchment paper over the dough and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
8. After chilling, remove the dough from the fridge, remove the positive wrap and place the parchment wrapped dough directly on the baking sheet. Run a knife under water and cut the circle in half so that you have two half moons. Wet the knife again and cut diagonally across both halves as if you’re cutting each half into thirds or the circle into sixths. Gently pull out the two triangles away from the circle and cut the remaining two 2/3s of the circle into halves, creating 4 more triangles. Set the triangles about 2 inches away from one another on the baking sheet. 
9. Bake at 425º for 14 minutes or until golden brown.
10. In the meantime, in a clean medium sized bowl, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until the powdered sugar is completely smooth.
11. Once golden brown, remove the scones from the oven and immediately dollop the cream cheese frosting onto each scone. Sprinkle it with cinnamon and they’re ready to serve!
12. Enjoy!

How to make dairy-free cream cheese icing:

1. In a clean medium sized bowl, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until the powdered sugar is completely smooth.
2. Once golden brown, remove the scones from the oven and immediately dollop the cream cheese frosting onto each scone. Sprinkle it with cinnamon and they’re ready to serve!
3. Enjoy!

*I may make a small commission from purchases made through links on this page*

Enjoyed these gluten-free pumpkin scones? You may also like..

Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my blog. I appreciate your support from the bottom of my heart.