I’ve never been the person who craves Starbucks’ pumpkin spice lattes — that sweet sugary nutmeg flavor is too much for me! — but give me a savory pumpkin recipe and I am all over it. Which is why we absolutely love these Savory Pumpkin Scones! In fact, they’re one of our favorite ways to use canned pumpkin puree! These scones are tender, flaky, and absolutely delicious when served with butter, a drizzle of honey, or jam. You’ll love them in the fall or for a special holiday breakfast.
Grated Gruyere cheese gives these scones a nutty taste, while pumpkin seeds add a bit of crunch. You’re totally going to love these!
Note: this is a small batch recipe! You can expect to get 6 pumpkin scones from a single recipe. Feel free to double if feeding a crowd!
*This post was sponsored by Balducci’s. All opinions are my own. I only support and promote brands that I believe in and use in my own kitchen – I hope you’ll check them out! Thank you for supporting the brands that make Well Seasoned possible.
Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour: This is the base of the pumpkin scone dough.
- Baking powder: This is what makes the scones rise. There is no baking soda in this recipe!
- Sweet paprika: Half a teaspoon of sweet paprika adds a subtle flavor and helps to give the scones their signature color.
- Unsalted butter: You need extremely cold butter for this recipe. You can pop the butter in a freezer for 20 minutes before grating a few tablespoons or slicing it into cubes to make it easier to work with.
- Gruyere: A nutty cheese that melts beautifully in the scone.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: We love to add grated Parmesan to this scone recipe.
- Sage: Our favorite fall herb, which adds the best flavor!
- Pumpkin purée: You can use fresh pumpkin purée (use small pie pumpkins for this), but canned pumpkin makes this really easy to bake any night of the week.
- Milk or heavy cream: This gets mixed into the batter, but we’ll also brush the scones with milk or cream just before baking.
- Pumpkin seeds: These add a bit of crunchy texture to the scones!
- Kosher salt: To season everything!
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instead of a traditional egg wash, our pumpkin scones get brushed with milk or heavy cream before baking.
We grabbed all our ingredients from the new Balducci’s app, either for pick up or delivery, then run to the kitchen to make this asap! Well Seasoned readers can save $30 off your 1st DriveUp & Go order (over $75) with promo code KBSAVE30 – or save $20 off your first Delivery order (over $75) with code KBSAVE20 — yes, please!
If you’re looking for a sweet pumpkin recipe, check out these pumpkin cinnamon rolls! They’ve got lots of ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and a really delicious cream cheese frosting that we can’t get enough of.
How To Make This Recipe
- Sift together the dry ingredients. Preheat your oven. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and paprika, then stir in the shredded gruyere, grated Parmesan, and fresh sage.
- Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl. Place pumpkin puree and milk in a bowl, then whisk well.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, then stir until just combined.
- Shape the scones. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. You can totally cut these into wedges, but we’re going to use a biscuit cutter to make them round.
- Freeze for 20-30 minutes. Yes, it’s an extra step, but scones — just like cookies! — benefit from a little chill time. If you have the time, chill the formed scones in a freezer for 20-30 minutes prior to baking to help relax the gluten in the flour.
- Bake the scones. Use a knife or pastry cutter to cut into wedges, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the scones lightly with milk or heavy cream, them bake in a preheated oven until golden brown and puffed up.
Storage, Substitutions, And Freezing Instructions
Make ahead! These scones will keep in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 3 days.
Make gluten-free! This Gluten-Free flour from Bob’s Red Mill is a one-to-one substitute for all purpose flour and works great for baking. However, we have never tested this scone recipe as such. If you bake these as gluten-free pumpkin scones, please let us know how they turned out!
Freeze! Scones freeze beautifully! You can prepare them, then freeze unbaked for up to 3 weeks, after which point their texture will change. You can bake the pumpkin scones directly from frozen, just add 5 minutes to the overall cook time.
How To Serve
If you’re hosting a fall breakfast or brunch, we love to pair these with savory egg dishes. A few of our favorites are Green Shakshuka With Feta, Smashed Eggs On Toast, or simply fried eggs, crispy bacon, and a side of fresh fruit.
If you love pumpkins and fall baking, you will absolutely love this pumpkin recipe. You absolutely must make these scones during fall. Not only will your house smell amazing, but they are kid-friendly and loved by all!
If you make this Savory Pumpkin Scone recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
And make sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook for more Well Seasoned recipes! DON’T FORGET to tag us on social channels when you make a recipe at #wellseasonedstudio !! We LOVE seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
More fall recipes to try!
- Salted Caramel Apple Slab Pie
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Breakfast Strata
- Hasselback Butternut Squash With Bourbon Glaze
- Chorizo and Butternut Squash Pasta with Sage
Flaky Pumpkin Scones with Gruyere
Ingredients
For the scones
- 225 g AP flour ~1¾ cups
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 56½ g unsalted butter (4 Tbsp) grated or cut into small cubes
- ½ cup Gruyere plus 2 Tbsp shredded, divided
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan
- 1 Tbsp fresh sage finely chopped
- ½ cup pumpkin purée canned
- 4 Tbsp milk or heavy cream divided
- Pumpkin seeds optional garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For serving, optional: room temperature butter, honey, or jam.
Instructions
- Sift together the dry ingredients. Preheat oven to 425F. In a large mixing bowl, sift together 225g all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp paprika, and ½ tsp Kosher salt. Add 4 Tbsp grated butter, ½ cup shredded Gruyere, 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan, and 1 Tbsp chopped sage, then stir to thoroughly mix.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine ½ cup pumpkin purée with 2 Tbsp milk or heavy cream, then whisk until smooth.
- Form the pumpkin scones. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients, then use a spatula to stir until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Pat it into a round disk, about 1-1½” thick. Cut into 6 equal wedges.
- Freeze for 20-30 minutes. Yes, it's an extra step, but scones — just like cookies! — benefit from a little chill time. If you have the time, chill the formed scones in a freezer for ~20 minutes prior to baking to help relax the gluten in the flour.
- Garnish. Place on a rimmed parchment-lined baking sheet, then brush each scone with remaining 2 Tbsp milk (or heavy cream). Sprinkle each pumpkin scone with remaining 2 Tbsp shredded Gruyere, a few pumpkin seeds (if using), and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Bake the scones. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown on the bottom. Cool slightly on a wire rack, then serve warm with butter, honey, or jam.
Notes
- Note: this is a small batch recipe! You can expect to get 6 pumpkin scones from a single recipe. Feel free to double if feeding a crowd!
- These scones will keep in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 3 days.
- Scones freeze beautifully! You can prepare them, then freeze unbaked for up to 3 weeks, after which point their texture will change. You can bake the pumpkin scones directly from frozen, just add 5 minutes to the overall cook time.
Let us know your thoughts!