Easy Pumpkin Pecan Scones with Brown Butter Glaze

Here is my favorite pumpkin pecan scone recipe, with tender, flaky scones loaded with warm spices and crunchy pecans, all topped with a rich brown butter glaze.

These pumpkin pecan scones are perfect for cozy fall mornings when you want something special but not too fancy. I love making a batch on Sunday so we can grab them throughout the week with our coffee. Trust me, that brown butter glaze makes all the difference!

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What Kind of Pumpkin Should I Use?

For these scones, you’ll want to use canned pumpkin puree rather than fresh pumpkin that you’ve cooked and mashed yourself. Canned pumpkin has a more consistent texture and moisture content, which means your scones will turn out the same way every time. Make sure you’re grabbing plain pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, which already has spices and sugar added. Libby’s is a popular brand that works great, but any 100% pure pumpkin will do the trick. If you do want to use fresh pumpkin, just make sure to drain any excess moisture by letting it sit in a fine-mesh strainer for about 30 minutes before using.

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Options for Substitutions

These scones are pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps, so here’s what you can switch up:

• Buttermilk: No buttermilk? Make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of regular milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
• Pumpkin puree: You can substitute with sweet potato puree, butternut squash puree, or even mashed banana for a different flavor profile. The texture will remain similar.
• Pecans: Feel free to swap pecans for walnuts, chopped hazelnuts, or even mini chocolate chips if you want to go in a sweeter direction.
• Individual spices: If you don’t have all the spices on hand, you can replace the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
• Brown sugar: White sugar works fine here, though you’ll lose some of that molasses flavor. You can also use coconut sugar as a 1:1 replacement.
• All-purpose flour: For a heartier texture, you can replace up to 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, but don’t go beyond that or your scones might get too dense.
• Whole milk for glaze: Heavy cream, half-and-half, or even regular milk will work for the glaze. Start with less liquid and add more until you reach your desired consistency.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake when making pumpkin pecan scones is overworking the dough, which leads to tough, dense scones instead of the light, flaky texture you want – mix just until the ingredients come together and stop there.

Keep your butter cold throughout the entire process by cutting it into small cubes and even popping it back in the fridge if your kitchen is warm, as cold butter creates those pockets of steam that give scones their signature layers.

When making the brown butter glaze, watch it carefully and remove it from heat as soon as it turns golden brown and smells nutty – it can go from perfect to burnt in seconds, so don’t walk away from the stove.

For the best shape and rise, pat your dough into a circle about 3/4 inch thick and use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut clean wedges, avoiding the twisting motion you’d use with a round cutter that can seal the edges and prevent proper rising.

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What to Serve With Pumpkin Pecan Scones?

These scones are perfect for a cozy fall breakfast or afternoon coffee break, and they pair beautifully with a hot cup of coffee, chai tea, or spiced apple cider. I love serving them alongside some creamy butter or a dollop of whipped cream cheese for extra richness, especially since the brown butter glaze already makes them pretty indulgent. For a complete brunch spread, try them with some crispy bacon or breakfast sausage to balance out the sweetness. You could also serve them with a simple fruit salad featuring apples, pears, or dried cranberries to complement those warm fall spices.

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: These pumpkin pecan scones are best enjoyed within 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. The brown butter glaze might soften a bit, but they’ll still taste amazing. If you want to keep them longer, pop them in the fridge for up to a week.

Make Ahead: You can totally prep these scones ahead of time! Shape the dough into triangles and freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake them straight from frozen, just add an extra 3-5 minutes to the baking time.

Warm Up: Day-old scones taste fantastic when warmed up in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes. This brings back that fresh-baked texture and makes the pecans nice and toasty again. You can even add a fresh drizzle of glaze if you want to get fancy!

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 3500-3800
• Protein: 35-45 g
• Fat: 145-160 g
• Carbohydrates: 500-540 g

Ingredients

For the scone dough:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 6 oz unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans

For the glaze:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tbsp whole milk

Step 1: Preheat the Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet

Arrange a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat it to 400°F (200°C).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

This helps prevent the scones from sticking and promotes even browning.

Step 2: Combine Dry Ingredients and Cut in Butter

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 6 oz unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, packed light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices—ground cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, ground ginger, ground allspice, and ground cloves.

Add the cold, cut-up unsalted butter to the dry ingredient mixture and toss to coat.

Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour mixture quickly until the pieces are the size of small peas and oat flakes.

Keeping the butter cold is crucial for getting crumbly, tender scones.

Step 3: Mix Wet Ingredients and Combine with Dry Mixture

• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
• dry mixture with butter from Step 2

In a small bowl, whisk together the cold buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Pour this wet mixture all at once into the bowl with the dry ingredients and butter from Step 2.

Stir together gently until almost fully combined.

Add the chopped pecans and continue stirring until there are no dry bits of flour left.

Avoid over-mixing to keep the scones tender.

Step 4: Shape and Bake the Scones

• scone dough from Step 3

Use a large ice cream scoop or a 1/2-cup measure to portion the scone dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing each mound about 2 inches apart.

Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I like to slightly under-bake them for a softer center, but that’s up to your preference.

Let the scones cool completely before glazing.

Step 5: Make the Brown Butter Glaze

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tbsp whole milk

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the unsalted butter (4 tablespoons).

Allow the butter to crackle and pop; when the sound subsides and brown specks form at the bottom, and the butter smells nutty, remove from the heat immediately and transfer to a bowl to stop cooking.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, the browned butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of whole milk.

Add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach your desired glaze consistency.

For a bolder flavor, I like to let the butter brown until it’s just turning deep golden—but take care not to burn it!

Step 6: Glaze and Serve the Scones

Once the baked scones are completely cool, generously drizzle them with the brown butter glaze from Step 5.

The glaze should set up nicely on the cooled scones.

These scones are at their best within two days of baking—enjoy!

Easy Pumpkin Pecan Scones with Brown Butter Glaze

Delicious Easy Pumpkin Pecan Scones with Brown Butter Glaze recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 13 minutes mins

Cook Time 27 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 4

Calories 3650 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the scone dough:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 6 oz unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans

For the glaze:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tbsp whole milk

Instructions

 

• Arrange a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat it to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. This helps prevent the scones from sticking and promotes even browning.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, packed light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices—ground cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, ground ginger, ground allspice, and ground cloves. Add the cold, cut-up unsalted butter to the dry ingredient mixture and toss to coat. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour mixture quickly until the pieces are the size of small peas and oat flakes. Keeping the butter cold is crucial for getting crumbly, tender scones.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the cold buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour this wet mixture all at once into the bowl with the dry ingredients and butter from Step 2. Stir together gently until almost fully combined. Add the chopped pecans and continue stirring until there are no dry bits of flour left. Avoid over-mixing to keep the scones tender.
• Use a large ice cream scoop or a 1/2-cup measure to portion the scone dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing each mound about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I like to slightly under-bake them for a softer center, but that's up to your preference. Let the scones cool completely before glazing.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the unsalted butter (4 tablespoons). Allow the butter to crackle and pop; when the sound subsides and brown specks form at the bottom, and the butter smells nutty, remove from the heat immediately and transfer to a bowl to stop cooking. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, the browned butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of whole milk. Add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach your desired glaze consistency. For a bolder flavor, I like to let the butter brown until it’s just turning deep golden—but take care not to burn it!
• Once the baked scones are completely cool, generously drizzle them with the brown butter glaze from Step 5. The glaze should set up nicely on the cooled scones. These scones are at their best within two days of baking—enjoy!