These Easy Pumpkin Scones are moist, light, and fluffy cheese scones. Low in sugar and eggless healthy pumpkin scones made in one bowl & baked in 25 minutes!
🧀 Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy and quick to make.
- Low in sugar and eggless.
- Light, fluffy and cheesy.
- Created in one bowl.
- Savoury scones.
Making savoury scones are perfect for the fall and winter seasons, especially for Thanksgiving.
These easy pumpkin cheese scones are made with plain flour, mashed pumpkin, and grated cheddar cheese that produce the best buttery and flakey layers when baked.
The combination of the crisp crust and the light and fluffy cheesy middle makes each mouthful as delicious as the next.
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for a recipe for healthy pumpkin scones as well as low sugar scones, you'll love to hear that this recipe has zero added refined sugar. The only sugar found in this recipe is the natural sugar in the mashed pumpkin.
These are also made eggless, meaning it’s easy for you to make these into vegan pumpkin scones by substituting the butter, cheese, and milk for their dairy-free counterparts.
If you’re interested in more easy scone recipes, try my popular Cheese and Chive Scones, Raspberry White Chocolate Scones, Chocolate Chip Scones, and Homemade Scones with Jam and Cream.
🥘 Serving Suggestions
Serve your healthy pumpkin cheese scones warm from the oven, opened up, and slathered with butter paired with a coffee or cup of tea. They’re also lunch box friendly to pack for work and school.
You can also serve your savoury scones alongside comforting soup, such as these delicious homemade soup recipes:
📋 Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Here is what you need to make these easy pumpkin scones:
- Butternut pumpkin - try substituting with Kent Pumpkin, also known as Jap Pumpkin. This recipe has not been tested using canned pumpkin, it’s difficult to find canned pumpkin in Australia but for my American readers, you can try using canned pumpkin for your scones as a substitute.
- Plain flour - is also known as all-purpose flour in the US.
- Baking powder - helps the scones to rise in the oven. Make sure your baking powder has not expired, use my handy guide here to find out how to test it.
- Salt - use fine sea salt or Kosher salt.
- Unsalted butter - must be cubed and chilled before adding it to the flour. To make vegan pumpkin scones, substitute with dairy-free block butter used for cooking.
- Grated cheddar cheese - use either a fresh block of cheddar that you grate by hand or use a frozen/fresh bag of grated cheddar cheese. Substitute with dairy-free grated cheddar cheese if desired.
- Whole milk - to glaze the top of the pumpkin scones before baking. Substitute with skim milk if desired or dairy-free milk for vegan pumpkin scones.
- Pepitas - also known as pumpkin seeds/kernels in Australia.
🥣 Step By Step Instructions
How to make healthy pumpkin scones in 7 easy steps!
There is a full and detailed recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1) First steam and mash the pumpkin. Set aside to cool.
2) In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3) Rub the cubed butter into the flour using your hands until it resembles a coarse crumb.
4) Mix through the grated cheese.
5) Add the mashed pumpkin and the milk. Mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Lightly knead the dough to bring any loose flour back into the dough.
6) Pat the dough out to form a thick disc. Using a knife, cut the dough into 8 equal triangles. Brush the tops of each scone with some extra milk then sprinkle each with the pepita seeds.
7) Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are lightly golden. Remove, cool, and enjoy!
💭 Tips For Recipe Success
- Butternut, Kent/Jap pumpkins work best for these scones. This recipe has not been tested using canned pumpkin, it’s difficult to find canned pumpkin in Australia but for my American readers, you can try using canned pumpkin for your scones as a substitute.
- For the cheddar cheese, I specifically used Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Cheddar Block which I grated by hand. Use either a block of cheese, grated or a frozen/fresh bag of grated cheddar.
- To make these vegan pumpkin scones, swap the regular butter, cheese, and milk for dairy-free block butter used for cooking, dairy-free grated cheese, and dairy-free milk such as almond or soy milk.
- Scone dough is not meant to be smooth and elastic, it’s meant to look rustic with those crack lines throughout. Overworking scone dough will result in tough and dense scones after baking.
⏲️ Storage Instructions
Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 2-3 days. These scones are best consumed when they’re freshly baked! Or warm scones through in the oven or microwave to serve after a few days.
Freeze scones by first cooling them down. Then place them in a freezer zip-lock bag or freezer-friendly container, with layers of parchment paper between any layers, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost scones at room temperature overnight or in the microwave until soft.
💬 Recipe FAQ's
This recipe has not been tested using canned pumpkin, it’s difficult to find canned pumpkin in Australia but for my American readers, you can try using canned pumpkin for your scones as a substitute.
Serve your pumpkin scones warm with a generous spread of butter inside. Enjoy over morning or afternoon tea with a coffee or cup of tea. Or serve these pumpkin scones alongside comforting pumpkin soup or any variety of soup.
Yes, these pumpkin scones freeze well. Cool the scones then place them in a freezer zip-lock bag or freezer-friendly container, with layers of parchment paper between any layers, and freeze for up to 3 months.
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If you enjoy this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️ star rating and a comment review below. I love to hear what you think and it's much appreciated. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Sam x
Recipe Card
Easy Pumpkin Scones (No Egg)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (180g) butternut pumpkin, peeled and seeds removed
- 2 ¼ cups (340g) plain all purpose flour, scoop & leveled
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt, or Kosher salt
- 80 g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 5 tablespoon whole milk, plus extra for topping
- 1 tablespoon pepita seeds/pumpkin kernels, for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the pumpkin by cutting it into smaller chunks. Place them into a steamer over simmering water and steam for 15 minutes until very soft and tender.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the pumpkin into a mixing bowl.
- Use a potato masher or fork to mash the pumpkin. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes before using.
- Pre-heat oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Line a flat baking tray with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the chilled cubed butter and using your hands, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse crumb. About 2 minutes.
- Mix through grated cheese.
- Make a well in the center and add the cooled mashed pumpkin and the milk. Mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Ensuring not to over-mix, it will be a rough dough.
- Lightly flour your bench top or a large board.
- Transfer the dough onto the floured surface and lightly knead the dough to bring any loose flour back into the dough. The dough is not meant to be completely smooth, it’s ok if there are still some small pockets of flour remaining. Ensure not to over-knead as it will result in tough scones.
- Pat the dough out to form a thick disc, approx. 2cm-3cm (1 inch) in height. Transfer dough onto the lined tray.
- Using a knife, cut in half and then half the other way to end up with 4 equal quarters. Now cut each of those 4 pieces in half again to create 8 triangles. Refer to the images above for a visual.
- Keep scones touching, no need to move them apart.
- Brush the tops of each scone with some extra milk.
- Sprinkle each with the pepita seeds.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely or serve your scones warm with a spread of butter if desired.
- Enjoy!
- Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 2-3 days. These scones are best consumed when they’re freshly baked! Or warm scones through in the oven or microwave to serve after a few days.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in June of 2021. It was republished in September of 2022 with new helpful information. The ingredients and method have not been changed.
If you enjoy this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️ star rating and a comment review below. I love to hear what you think and it's much appreciated. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Sam x
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