Healthy Pumpkin Scones Recipe (With a Vanilla Glaze)

A recipe for delicious, healthy pumpkin scones made with fresh pumpkin puree, yogurt and warm Fall spices.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Total Time 45

Servings scones

Calories 201kcal

To prepare the pumpkin, place cubed pumpkin into a shallow, heatproof microwave-safe dish. Cover and steam for 4-5 minutes until tender. Allow to cool slightly and mash with a fork until smooth.
Place the mashed pumpkin into a saucepan and heat it on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. (This helps to remove any excess moisture). Set aside and allow to cool completely before using.
Combine flour, baking soda, sugar, butter and pumpkin pie spice in a food processor and pulse to combine. The mixture should resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Place the mixture into a large bowl. Alternatively, you can do this step manually using a pastry cutter.
In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, yogurt, egg and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture comes together. (see note 3)
Place the pumpkin scone dough onto a prepared baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) and shape it into a disc.
Cut the dough into eight even triangles and place them in the refrigerator while your oven heats up. (see note 5 & 6)
Preheat your oven to 200 deg C (400 F) and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Drizzle the glaze when scones have cooled.
Combine the powdered sugar and milk to form a thick paste and drizzle over cooled scones.

Make the pumpkin puree from scratch. You may choose to use canned pumpkin puree to make these scones; however, I prefer making my own. It's as simple as chopping the pumpkin and microwaving it. Just make sure you remove the excess moisture by draining it and heating it on the stovetop for a few mins. This should yield approx. 1 cup.
Make your pumpkin pie spice. Don't have any of this Fall favourite on hand? Easy! Combine 3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1.5 teaspoons of ground ginger, ¾ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon of allspice and ½ teaspoon of ground cloves in a small bowl. Add it to the recipe accordingly.
Do not knead the dough. It's important not to treat it like bread dough. If you want fluffy scones, you only need to mix the ingredients and bring them together. It might be a little sticky, but this will achieve the best results.
Use cold or frozen butter - the more chilled the butter, the better. When you incorporate the butter with the flour, it creates "crumbs", - which melt as the pumpkin scones bake. As they melt and release steam, they create air pockets and produce a wonderful flaky texture.
Chill the scones before baking. It will help to soften the gluten and result in a tender, flaky texture.
Make clean cuts through the dough. Use a sharp knife and press straight down - do not drag it across the dough!