Gluten Free + Vegan Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Scones
This recipe is a fun transitional one to take us from all things pumpkin to the holiday season! You get that delicious warm fluffy cinnamon pumpkin flavor with a delicious stickerdoodle inspired cinnamon and sugar topping. If you haven’t made any of my other scone recipes- you are missing out! I think many people find the process of making scones intimidating for some reason. But they are one of the quickest baked goods to throw together believe it to not. I consider them as easy as muffins. Sure- they come with a bit more mess but the pay off is absolutely worth the extra bit of flour on your countertop.
If you are not familiar with making scones/biscuits they are made the same way. The process is simple & quick. You wont even need a mixer. The main key being not to ever over mix. You start with adding all of the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl. Giving them a stir. Then cutting in your cold butter- straight out of the fridge or freezer. You can do this right in the bowl with the flour using two knifes or a pastry cutter tool. I prefer to just give it a quick chop on a cutting board using a knife. I cut the pieces into about the size of a pea. A little bigger than that is ok too. Don’t over work it- you do not want it to melt. Stir it in with the flour. Then you want to mix together the milk and lemon juice. Pour them into the bowl and using a spatula stir JUST until the dough comes together. Stop yourself abruptly as soon as this happens. Over mixing is the #1 cause of mediocre scones and biscuits. I then throw some parchment on the counter- dust it with flour and dump the dough onto it. Press it into a circular mound. Sprinkle some sugar on top then slice it into 6 or 8 pieces. Then bake!! It takes less than 10 minutes to get them into the oven!
I have seen some people make scones round using a biscuit cutter and honestly the shape does not matter. The way I go about it feels quicker to me & requires less specialized tools. But you can cut these scones into whatever shape your heart desires. The bake time could vary a tiny bit by a minute or two but wont be dramatically different.
For the vegan Butter I suggest using Earth Balance Butter Sticks. You may try other brands but know that there is a lot of variety brand to brand and they don’t all perform the same. Earth balance is the best when it comes to mimicking how real butter works.
Of course you can just use regular salted butter too if making them dairy free isn’t a concern.
To make the scones Corn Free
Just use a brand of corn free baking powde & you’ll be good to go!
Using other gluten free all purpose flour blends
The bad news is that there isn’t truly a gluten free measure for measure flour or cup for cup. Its a marketing ploy. There are blends that work decent in place but never exactly. Each and every blend is totally different. For example I LOVE better batter - but in this recipe it would make the scones too chewy and less tender. It has too much xanthan gum for this recipe.
So of course you are welcome to experiment. But please keep in mind that there are no guarantees. Any change means the recipe will change. Cookies that are meant to spread tend to be sensitive to small changes.
Gluten Free & Vegan Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Scones

Ingredients
- 276 grams King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour (about 1 3/4 cup)
- 34 grams Expandex (about 1/4 cup)
- 168 grams Organic Cane Sugar
- 3/4 Tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
- 2 Tsp Baking Soda
- 6 Tbsp Vegan Butter (very cold!)
- 154 grams of Pumpkin Puree (about 2/3 cup)
- 122 grams Dairy Free/ Vegan Milk
- 1 Tbsp Vinegar or Lemon Juice. (Mix with the milk!)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Organic Cane Sugar
- 1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment & set aside.
- Add to the bowl all of the dry ingredients (Flour, Expandex, Sugar, Salt, Cinnamon & Baking Soda). Mix well.
- Cut in the butter into pea sized pieces making sure it remains cold. (I like to use a sharp knife to cut frozen butter on a cutting board into small pieces and then just stir it in!) If you butter is too soft the dough will be too wet!
- Mix the milk, pumpkin puree & vinegar together. In another small bowl mix together the cinnamon & sugar. Check to see if your oven has fully preheated. (Note: Once the liquids are mixed into the dough time is of the essence- its important to move fairly quick so that the baking soda reacts IN the oven rather than in your bowl!)
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl and stir just until a thick sticky dough forms. Being careful not to over mix & melt the butter. The dough is done being mixed as soon as it sticks together. Liberally flour your counter (or a sheet of parchment) with flour (King Arthur) and dump the dough onto the counter. Sprinkle sugar liberally on the top and sides of the dough to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. Press the dough into a circular mound. Then use a large knife to slice it into 6 or 8 even sized pieces. (Slicing it like a pizza/pie).
- Transfer the slices of scone dough onto the baking sheet. Place into the oven & bake 15-16 minutes until golden brown and firm to touch.
- Remove from the oven to cool. Enjoy them at any temperature. Store at room temperature in a sealed container or store in the freezer for another day.