Vegan Pumpkin Scones

and the most useful sauce on earth

Last year, Starbucks discontinued their pumpkin scone. They weren’t vegan, so I didn’t get to try one, but I had this weird fascination with them. They’re about as far away from an English scone as you can get (ours are crumbly, no icing, no add-ins, not too sweet and ideal for topping with whipped cream and jam) and yet for years I watched them sell out in every Starbucks bakery counter across England.

I’m pretty good at making scones (if I can blow my own trumpet for a bit), both whopping American ones and dainty English ones, so I thought I’d turn my hand to figuring out a vegan version of the Starbucks pumpkin scone. And here it is - it’s your early and ad-free recipe in today’s newsletter! These scones are flaky and yet somehow beautifully light and fluffy. The pumpkin keeps them moist and (despite my Britishness) I’m honestly such a fan of iced scones. The pumpkin spice icing packs more flavour than you expect, so don’t skip this step! The full recipe is at the bottom of this newsletter and if you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll find a downloadable/printable PDF version there too.

Also today, I’m gonna share ANOTHER recipe with you (one which won’t make it to the blog, so it’s a newsletter exclusive). It’s for something I’m calling “Reddy Steady Sauce”. I first made a batch last month and it was so insanely delicious and infinetely versatile that I haven’t been without a jar ever since. It takes seconds to make and seems to have a magical ability to transform everything from sandwiches and potato salads to dressings and soups. Such a fridge hero!

As always, THANK YOU for being here. Building a little community of people who love food and think about it all the time is a huge part of what I wanted to do with School Night Vegan, so I’m grateful that you’re helping me make this a reality. If you like what I do, consider signing up to a paid membership. It only costs as much as a flat white (with oat milk obvs) and it helps me to keep the lights on at schoolnightvegan.com.

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OK, first up, here’s what happened on the blog this week.

Weekly Wrap

Classic Green Bean Casserole

Some would accuse me of pandering to the American readers, and they’d be kinda right. GBC isn’t really a thing in the UK, like at all. We usually serve our green beans boiled and without seasoning (aaah England). I had GBC many years ago at a friend’s thanksgiving and was blown away, so had to give a vegan version a go. I know people traditionally use mushroom soup for the base, but since vegan creamy mushroom soup isn’t widely available, this one is entirely homemade. Even the fried onions, which are a lot of work, but so, so worth it!

Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Glossy, silky smooth and super creamy! It’s the perfect dinner for pumpkin season. A dinner which you should most definitely follow with a vegan pumpkin scone (or two). I found the sage in this recipe really made the pumpkin flavours feel nice and grown up. If you want some extra texture, consider frying some sage leaves in a little vegan butter or olive oil as a super aromatic topping!

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Reddy, Steady, Sauce!

At this stage, we could probably title this substack “Worst Pictures of the Best Things” and this sauce is a perfect example of why. I’m always on the lookout for recipes which don’t really have a defined purpose, but rather work to make other recipes much tastier.

This sauce (which is really more of a paste) can transform a simple veggie broth into a delicious soup base, it can hold its own as a stir-in pasta sauce and it transforms a good sandwich into a great sandwich. In the picture above, I dolloped some on a very boring plate of potatoes and tofu scramble and it honestly became one of the best plates of food I’ve eaten all week. I’m calling it Reddy, Steady, Sauce because it’s primarily tomato-based and with a jar in the fridge you’re ready for anything. Here’s the recipe and some suggestions as to how to use it.

Reddy, Steady, Sauce!

1 tbsp red miso paste, or sub for any miso paste
260g (9oz) slow roasted tomatoes. The kind that come in little plastic tubs in the tapas section of the supermarket. If you can’t find any, sundried tomatoes from a jar work great too.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp tomato puree, aka tomato paste
1 tsp red pepper flakes, I like mild ones but go spicy if you like
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp fine sea salt

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean (ideally sterilised) jar and seal with a lid. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

Reddy, Steady, Potato Salad!
Boil up 400g (14oz) of new potatoes until fork tender then plunge into a bowl of cold water to cool them. Stir through 2 tbsp of Reddy, Steady, Sauce and throw in a small bunch of chopped chives and 2 tbsp capers.

Reddy, Steady, Noodle Soup
Bring 480ml (2 cups) veggie broth to the boil in a saucepan and add a handful of small pasta shapes (I used around 1/3 cup ditaloni). Simmer for a few minutes then throw 50g (1/3 cup) frozen peas. Simmer until the peas are cooked then stir in 2 tbsp Reddy, Steady, Sauce. Serve topped with loads of fresh, chopped parsley, dill and mint.

Reddy, Steady, Sandwich
Spread 2 tbsp of Reddy, Steady, Sauce over 2 slices of soft sourdough bread then top one slice with some fresh basil or massaged kale, or both. Slice and season a nice big tomato then add to the sandwich. Slice 2 large slices of extra firm tofu and fry on each side for about a minute. Add a tbsp of Reddy, Steady, Sauce to the pan along with 1/4 cup of water and simmer until completely evaporated and the tofu has gone nice and red. Add the hot tofu to the sandwich, close and slice.

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Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Scones

Ingredients

For the Scones:

490 g (4 cups) plain white flour (all-purpose flour)
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
4 tbsp (4 tbsp) light brown sugar
170 g (1 1/2 cups) vegan butter, chilled and cubed, or substitute for coconut oil
120 g (1/2 cup) pumpkin puree (canned is best)
1 tsp lemon juice, or substitute for apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp plant milk, unsweetened and unflavored
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the White Icing:

120 g (1 cup) icing sugar
2 tbsp plant milk, unsweetened and unflavoured

For the Pumpkin Spice Icing:

120 g (1 cup) icing sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin puree (canned is best)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp plant milk, unsweetened and unflavoured

Instructions

To Make the Scones

Preheat your oven to 200 °C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until well combined.

Add the chilled vegan butter cubes to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, lemon juice, plant milk, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture.

Gently fold the mixture together with a spatula until a soft dough forms. Be careful not to overmix; it’s okay if it looks a little crumbly.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently pat it into a circle about 2 cm thick. Cut the dough into 8 wedges and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart.

Bake the scones for 18-20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow the scones to cool completely before icing.

To Make the Icing

In a bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and plant milk until smooth. Using a teaspoon, cover the top of each cooled scone with this icing and let it set.

In another bowl, whisk together the icing sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and plant milk until smooth. Transfer the icing to a piping bag and drizzle diagonal lines across the pumpkin spice glazed scones.

Enjoy your beautifully iced scones with your favourite hot beverage! If you’re not serving straight away, store the scones in an airtight container overnight and try to eat within two days. Alternatively freeze in an airtight container for up to a month and defrost fully to room temp before serving. Do not reheat the scones as this will melt the icing.

Paid subscribers: keep reading! Your downloadable/printable recipe PDF is down below!