Hawkins held off the challenge of the defending champion, Moses Kipsiro of Uganda, clocking a time of of 60 minutes 22 seconds.
Kenya's Joel Kimutai came home in third ahead of England's Chris Thompson.
Another Kenyan, Betsy Saina, claimed victory in the women's race with a course record time of 67:20.
Hawkins is the first Scot to win the great Scottish Run since 1983, and it rounds off a memorable year which saw him finish ninth in the marathon at the Rio Olympics in the summer.
After setting the pace alongside Kipsiro and Kimutai in the early stages, Hawkins broke away on his own and always looked in control as he left the three-time Commonwealth champion Kipsiro trailing in his wake.
Scotland's Callum Hawkins claimed victory in the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow, setting a new Scottish half-marathon record in the process.