These healthy pumpkin scones are easy, wonderfully moist, gently spiced and sweet, but so much better for you than your average scone. How could you go wrong?!

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If you saw either the double pumpkin gnocchi or chocolate and pumpkin empanadas I shared a couple weeks ago, you'll know I did say there may well be the odd more pumpkin recipes to come. Since then, I shared some really tasty pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

But I think there's room for one more, don't you think? These healthy pumpkin scones have so much going for them it would be a shame not to share them, really. They're wonderfully soft and gently moist. They have a warming spice to them and delicious flavor. Best of all, though, they're also pretty healthy.

Made with whole wheat flour, no refined sugar or butter (other than a little in the frosting, if you add it) they're a scone you can come back for more. And we all did. These healthy pumpkin scones got the 'can I have some more' seal of approval from everyone.

A bonus to pumpkin carving

I don't know about anyone else, but one of this weekend's activities for us was carving a pumpkin. We cheated, slightly, and used one of the small pumpkins the kids had painted at an event a couple weeks ago, but it worked out not too badly, if I say so myself. My eldest helped with scooping out the seeds but I don't quite trust him to do the cutting out yet. Plus, don't tell him, but I kind of like that part.

Thanks to cutting out a design on the back and the front, we had a few scraps of pumpkin which I skinned and steamed. It was the perfect amount for these healthy pumpkin scones. These would also be a great way to use up part of a can of pumpkin puree as well.

One thing to note, is if you use canned pumpkin, the mixture will be pretty soft, as canned tends to have more liquid than roasted fresh. So the dough may be a bit trickier to work with and you may need to add a little more flour. But they'll taste wonderfully moist!

How to make healthy pumpkin scones

They're really easy to make, as you just mix the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients and combine. Flatten out the dough on a floured surface, cut them, then carefully transfer to a baking sheet. Bake and enjoy.

See how they come together in the short video.

I've put a little maple buttercream on top, but to be honest they are moist and sweet enough you don't desperately need it. There are so many lovely warm spices in the scones and the pumpkin helps give a nice texture. But the frosting looks pretty and for my son, it's almost a must.

These healthy pumpkin scones disappeared within minutes in our house, they were that popular. And with such a delicious flavor from all that lovely spicing, not to mention the wonderful moist texture, it's not surprising. I think we might need to carve another small pumpkin to get enough to make some more. Or maybe we'll roast cut up another whole one to make some of those other great pumpkin dishes too. Whichever you do, make sure you give these a try.

Looking for more tasty ways with pumpkin? Try these:

Plus get lots more ideas, sweet and savory, in my pumpkin recipes collection, and more seasonal ideas in the fall recipes archives.

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Healthy pumpkin scones

Moist and flavorful, you'd hardly know these pumpkin scones are pretty healthy too.

Prep Time10

Cook Time12

Total Time22

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 226kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup dried cranberries use those sweetened with apple juice if you want to avoid refined sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie puree
1 egg
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoon coconut oil melted and cooled

For frosting (if using)

2 tablespoon cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat to 425F/210C and line or grease a baking sheet/tray.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and salt in a medium-large bowl. Mix through the cranberries.
Separately whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, maple syrup, vanilla and coconut oil. Add the mixture to the flour and spice mix and mix until well combined, without over-mixing.
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat to flatten it into a circle or square around ¾in/2cm thick then cut into triangles/squares/rectangles as you prefer - I got 6 good-sized scones from the mix but you could get a few more if smaller.
Carefully transfer the cut scones to the prepared baking sheet and bake for approx 12min until turning slightly brown around the edges.
Allow to cool completely before adding the frosting, if using - mix together the frosting ingredients and beat until as smooth as possible. Pipe over the scones.

Video

Nutrition

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This post has been updated, primarily with new photos.