Starbucks Pumpkin Scones Copycat Recipe
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These pumpkin scones are a Starbucks copycat recipe! They’re budget-friendly and easy to make right at home (and even better when homemade!).
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why you’ll love Starbucks Pumpkin Scones
- Starbucks copycat recipe. This is a complete copycat of the most beloved Starbucks bakery item that has since been discontinued! Except you can easily whip this up right at home with better taste and better texture without breaking the bank.
- An irresistible fall treat. These pumpkin scones pair so well with your morning cup of coffee or pumpkin spice latte, giving you your fall dose in every single bite. Not to mention, these make for a hot-selling ticket item at your next bake sale.
- The signature double glaze. The dual-layer icing is pure gold, featuring a sweet white glaze which is then topped with a warm-spiced drizzle.
- No mixer needed. Believe it or not, this is an incredibly easy, no-fuss recipe. There is no mixer required, and you can even make these ahead of time and freeze as needed (without the glaze).
What are starbucks pumpkin scones?
This was their iconic fan-favorite seasonal item that has since been discontinued in 2023, featuring a moist, cake-like scone flavored with pumpkin puree and a strong blend of warm, autumn spices, topped with a white glaze first, then finished with a pumpkin-spiced glaze.
How to make Starbucks Pumpkin Scones
- Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut in the butter. Add the cold, cubed butter, using a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk together the pumpkin puree, milk, egg, and vanilla.
- Form the dough. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, stirring gently with a rubber spatula just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
- Shape and cut. Knead the dough 3-4 times onto a lightly floured surface, rolling the dough into an 8-inch circle, about 1-inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 equal triangles.
- Bake. Place the triangles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden and the centers feel set and firm to the touch. Let the scones cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
- Make the glazes.
- For the first glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and milk, whisking until smooth.
- For the second glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and milk, whisking until smooth.
- Glaze and serve. Once the scones are slightly cooled, spoon the first glaze on top of each scone and let it set. Then drizzle or pipe the second glaze in a zigzag pattern over top and let it set.
freezing and storage
Make-ahead
Place the assembled unbaked scones in the fridge overnight, then bake as directed.
Storage
Leftover baked scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Freeze before baking
Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the scones to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date, and freeze up to 2 months. To bake, thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed.
Freeze after baking (without the glazes)
Let the scones cool completely. Transfer the scones to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date, and freeze up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes. Drizzle with glazes when serving.
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Tools For This Recipe
Starbucks Pumpkin Scones Copycat Recipe: Frequently Asked Questions
Starbucks officially discontinued their pumpkin scones in 2023.
The signature double glaze, of course!
Unfortunately, no. Pumpkin puree contains 100% unsweetened cooked pumpkin whereas pumpkin pie filling contains pumpkin and various additives such as sugar, water, and spices.
Cold, cubed butter will create tiny pockets of fat, yielding tender, flaky scones.
Yes! Pumpkin scones will hold up very well in the freezer both before and after baking (without the glazes), keeping in the freezer for at least 2 months.
Starbucks Pumpkin Scones Copycat Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons milk
For the spiced glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Add cold butter, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, milk, egg and vanilla. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pill, roll the dough into an 8″ circle, about 1-inch thick, and cut into 8 wedges.
- Place scones onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- When the scones are done, cool for 10 minutes and spoon the glaze on each scone before drizzling with spiced glaze.
- Allow glazes to set before serving.
For the glaze
- In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar and milk. Whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk as needed.
For the spiced glaze
- In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and milk. Whisk until smooth.
Equipment
Notes
- Avoid pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are not the same, and are not interchangeable. Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin as pumpkin pie filling comes pre-mixed with sweeteners and spices.
- Use cold butter. The cold butter will create pockets of steam that will lift the dough, yielding light, airy scones.
- Do not overmix. Overmixing the dough will result in tough, dense, rubbery scones. Handle the dough as gently and as little as possible until it just comes together.
- Sift the confectioners’ sugar. Sift the sugar before mixing the glazes to prevent any unwanted lumps in the smooth, glossy icings.
- Adjust the consistency. If the glaze is too thick, add a splash of milk. If the glaze is too runny, add more confectioners’ sugar.
- Freeze without the glazes. When planning for leftovers to freeze, hold off on glazing or they will turn sticky and grainy upon thawing.
Did you make this recipe?
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I love this recipe. It tastes exactly like the ones at Starbucks, only better because you get them straight out of the oven! I make them every fall and also pairs well with the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe. Great for penny pinchers like me.
I save never tried a scone from Starbucks. And I just started to make scones. I followed the recipe exactly. Wow! Definitely will make again.
A friend made these for me and I was totally hooked and have made them myself several times since. The addition of 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips is shear perfection.
This recipe is spot on! They are truly delicious, not over spiced, and definite competition for the Starbucks pumpkin scone 😉 Thank-you!!
Turned out great. The dough was pretty wet, but after adding some flour while kneading it, the consistency got better.
These are perfect! I thought the spices might be a bit overpowering, but the blend is perfect. Made mini scones instead and doubled the batch. One batch of glaze was enough. Dipping the scone tops in the plain icing works well. Just make sure you wait for it to set up before drizzling on the spice glaze. We didn’t – oops! 😀 But who cares?!? So delicious!
These were wonderful! I had a little leftover cream cheese so I added about 2 oz to the dough and 2 oz to the glaze. They took longer to bake, but otherwise awesome!! My 13 oz yo son even gave me a kiss and said- ya done good mom!
I made these with Kims gluten free all purpose blend and 2 TB coconut flour and 2 tsp of Baking powder.
They came out light and fluffy. I only made the spiced glaze. I do not remember what Starbucks taste like but these were moist and fluffy and delicious.
These are pretty good! I followed exactly. Thank you!
I just made these scones and they looked pretty good. When I tasted them, I think I may have over mixed the dough because they had a weird texture. Not sure if it was me or the recipe. The icing is kind of boring. I may use a different icing recipe next time but overall, I’ll probably make these again. I have lots of siblings and they all wanted to taste them before I was finished. I’m sure they’ll be a crowd pleaser!
This is my first time making scones .OMG full of flavor a good recipe .. Only thing I did different is add pumpkin spice. My neighbor took 3 I will recommend to my family and friends..
These are a family and friend favourite! My coworkers, neighbours and kids LOVE them! I pat the dough instead of rolling and make 16 instead of 8. Frozen baked pumpkin from our Halloween carvings works great when blended into the liquids. The hardest part is my kids is hovering and waiting for them to cool enough to add the icing drizzle.
These are tasty, but not scones. Wrong texture altogether, and not the flavor of Starbucks scones either. They’re like a triangular muffin?
I rarely write reviews but these scones are SO yummy! The first batch I made, I baked the scones right after mixing up the batter and they turned out pretty good. However, the second batch I made, I shaped the scone dough and then froze them for two days. They were even more amazing after letting the dough sit in the freezer for a couple days! The texture was perfect!
Amazing and easy to make! These were the first scones I ever made and I was surprised at how easy they were….. currently making my second batch. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Amazing recipe. Fairly easy to follow . Moderate for time but well worth every minute!!! Everyone Loved!!!
I followed this recipe exactly as written and my scones are soft and crumbly. Although the texture didn’t measure up the taste was very much like Starbucks. I’ll make some adjustments next time.
I love Starbucks pumpkin scones and these are fantastic! I doubled the recipe and I plan to freeze some. I went just a tad easy on the ginger and cloves for my palate. I was so pleased and I’ll never buy them again.
These are delicious. I appreciate how not overly sweet they are. I made about 1/4 of the icing because I find a thick coating of icing to be too much. A drizzle is just right. People have been complaining about how you can’t roll them out. For scones usually I just pat the dough into a circle and cut it into 1/8s. They are less uniform But still delicious. I also freeze the butter and grate it and while the oven is preheating I chill the pre-baked scones in the freezer.
This was easy and worked out really well.
My daughter is hooked on the Starbucks scones but loved these even better as they are lighter and fluffier…yet have all the taste and satisfaction of the original.
It’s a keeper!!