Slightly sweetened gluten-free scones that are perfectly tender inside with just the right amount of crisp and crumbly around the edges. And who can deny the sweet indulgence of a perfectly drizzled powdered sugar glaze?
Use this master scone recipe to build your gluten-free scones. It's a recipe you'll repeatedly enjoy, changing the flavor profile every time!
Gluten-Free Scones
This gluten-free scone recipe I'm sharing with you today is one I've been playing with for a while. During my recipe testing, I shared several batches of flavored scones with friends. One friend texts me later to give me her feedback (she is not gluten-free). She was surprised at how moist these scones were.
So if you are worried this recipe might be too dry or crumbly, that is certainly NOT the case! Instead, they will melt in your mouth!
What is a Scone?
Biscuits and scones differ. Biscuits tend to be flakey and savory, while a scone contains many mix-ins, which can be sweet or savory, and sometimes topped with a sweet powdered sugar glaze or coarse sugar. Scones are typically crumbly and dry, though they do not dry when done well.
Serve scones whenever muffins and coffee/tea are appropriate—brunch, bridal showers, baby showers, church gatherings, etc. Gluten-free blueberry scones seem a crowd favorite, while gluten-free pumpkin scones are a wonderful touch in the fall.
If you ask my kids, they will say their favorite flavor is chocolate chip scones (no surprise).
Tips For Making Scones Gluten-Free
- Keep your ingredients cold! I measure my palm shortening first and pop it into the freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill while measuring my dry ingredients. You want your shortening partially frozen, just very cold. I leave the egg and dairy-free milk in the refrigerator until it's time to add them to the dry ingredients.
- Opt for fresh berries/fruit vs. frozen. Frozen fruit causes this recipe to bake unevenly, so always opt for fresh berries or thaw frozen berries first (make sure you discard the liquid that results from melting them).
- Use a citrus extract or zest vs. fresh squeezed. Do not add acidic citrus juice to this recipe (like freshly squeezed lemon juice or orange juice), which could destroy the leavening of the scone. Instead, opt for a citrus extract or zest.
- Don't overmix your dough. Overmixing will cause your dough to be tough.
- Use thicker dairy-free milk. Try almond, oat, hemp, or soy milk, which all tend to be on the thicker side of dairy-free milk. You may need 1-2 tablespoons less if you substitute thinner dairy-free milk.
Shaping Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Scones
This gluten-free scone dough will be sticky and shaggy (but should be firm enough to hold its shape), so make sure you liberally flour a clean work surface before attempting to roll it out. I prefer to use a pastry board as my work surface, but if that's not an option for you, any clean area will do.
- A piece of plastic wrap will keep the dough from sticking to your hands as you form it into a disk and then roll it out on your work surface.
- Once you have the dough rolled out, and after you make your first initial cut, you may need to flour your knife, which will prevent the scone dough from sticking to it as you make more cuts.
- A thin metal spatula best transfers the scone triangles to the baking sheet.
Gluten-Free Scones Recipe Ideas and Mix-Ins
- Chocolate Chip- I use dairy-free mini chocolate chips and add a ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg. The nutmeg adds something extra special to the flavor of the dough.
- Blueberry Lemon- Fresh blueberries + lemon zest
- Lavender- Culinary lavender is always a fun option to try!
- Raspberry White Chocolate- Fresh raspberries + dairy-free white chocolate chips
- Cinnamon- When I make a batch of cinnamon scones, I use 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon, but please feel free to use as much (or as little) as you like! I also added ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg to add to the flavor profile.
- Cranberry Orange- Fresh or dried cranberries + orange zest
- Mixed Berry- My favorite mixed berry scones contain a blend of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, but you can use whatever combination you like.
- Cherry Almond- Cherries + almond slices + almond extract
I hope you enjoy these gf scones as much as my family does!
xoxo,
Mēgan
This recipe was originally published in October 2020. Blog post updated March 2023.
*Did you make these gluten-free scones? Please give it a star rating and leave an honest review below!
Gluten Free Scone Recipe:
Gluten Free Scones
Slightly sweetened gluten-free scones that are perfectly tender inside with just the right amount of crisp and crumbly around the edges. Use this master scone recipe to build your gluten-free scones. It’s a recipe you’ll repeatedly enjoy, changing the flavor profile every time!
Ingredients
For the Scone Dough:
- 1 cup tapioca starch
- 1 cup sorghum flour
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ¾ teaspoons xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup palm shortening, chilled until very cold
- 1 cup cold unsweetened dairy-free milk (*see recipe notes)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups mix-ins, such as fresh berries, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.
For the Optional Powdered Sugar Glaze:
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons of water
Instructions
To Make the Scone Dough:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Combine the tapioca starch, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, sea salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
- Cut in the cold palm shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Gently stir in the cold dairy-free milk, egg, and vanilla extract until combined. Do not over-mix (lumps are okay!). The dough will be sticky and shaggy.
- Gently fold in optional mix-ins.
- Liberally flour a clean work surface. Place the scone dough on your work surface and cover it with clear plastic wrap. Using your hands, shape the dough into a disk. Now use a rolling pin to roll the disk of dough into an even round that is 1 inch thick.
- Peel off the plastic wrap and use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 triangles (I flour my knife as I cut, which helps keep the dough from sticking to it).
- Transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-16 minutes. These scones will not be visibly golden on top when done but will be golden on the underside.
- Remove to wire racks to cool.
To Make the Optional Powdered Sugar Glaze:
- Whisk the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a mixing bowl until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add more water, teaspoon by teaspoon, until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Drizzle over cooled scones.
Notes
Recommended Products
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
-
Reynolds Kitchens Non-Stick Parchment Paper - 60 Square' -
KitchenAid KSM155GBSR 5-Qt. Artisan Design Series with Glass Bowl - Sugar Pearl Silver -
Bob's Red Mill Brown Rice Flour -
Bob's Red Mill Sorghum Flour -
Anthony's Organic Tapioca Flour Starch -
Wholesome Sweeteners, Inc., Organic Powdered Confectioners Sugar, 16 oz (454 g) - 2pcs -
Pure Vanilla Extract, Certified Organic -
Spectrum Naturals Organic Shortening, All Vegetable, 24 oz
Don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @allergyfreeak and #allergyfreealaska with your gf scone pics!
Katie Barry says
This recipe baked-up perfect! Do you have a suggestion for how to make them pumpkin? Would I just omit the milk, or also some of the fat? Thank You
Mēgan says
Wonderful, Katie! That's just what I like to hear. 🙂 Thanks for letting me know you tried them!
I actually have a recipe written specifically for gluten-free pumpkin scones. They are one of my favorite fall/winter treats!
Dustin says
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. My husband was stoked and the kids could not tell they were GF. You have cracked the code, thank you
Mēgan says
You're so welcome, Dustin! I'm thrilled to hear this. 🙂 Thanks for coming back here and letting me know you tried and loved this recipe!
Tiffany says
Hello! I wanted to thank you for finding the right ingredients, finally I have found the recipe I’ve been searching for! These scones were not dry or crumbly, they baked up beautifully. I was wondering if they can be frozen? It’s a lot for just the two of us 🙂
Thanks again!
Mēgan says
Hi Tiffany,
Oh that makes me so happy - I'm so glad to hear you love them! Thank you for coming back here and leaving a comment with your results. It's very helpful for me, and other readers. 😉
As for freezing, that's a great question. I actually haven't frozen any of these yet. I think they would freeze well? They just might err on the side of a bit more crumbly/dry after being frozen/thawed. But again, I haven't tried it, so I really don't know for sure.
Samy says
Wow this looks so good! Thanks for sharing. I will try and make this for my daughter who has celiac and always fancy something delicious
Mēgan says
I hope she enjoys them! Thanks Samy. 🙂
Megan Hunter says
Can you use a 1:1 as I have bob mills gluten free and was wondering if it could work as a substitute to the other flours?
Mēgan says
Hi Megan,
This recipe has only been tested using the flours/starches listed above. I'm not sure what your results would be if you used 1:1 flour.
Leeann Hill says
@Megan Hunter, have you tried with 1:1. I was thinking the same thing. I was also curious about using gluten free bisquick.
Barbra says
Hi! I was wondering your thoughts about using psyllium husk as a gluten sub instead of xanthan gum. Unfortunately, I react to xanthan, which rather limits my gf options. 🙁 Part of what I've really loved about your bagel (made a couple times so far) and cinnamon roll (rising overnight in the fridge right now) is that they don't rely on the xanthan gum as that structural sub.
Mēgan says
Hi Barbra,
Have you heard of or tried guar gum? I'd be more likely to recommend using that as a sub in this recipe vs. using psyllium husk powder. While I use psyllium husk powder, I have to specifically formulate a recipe around it, because it requires so much moisture.
Jennifer Carden says
Made them savory!!!
OMG amazing...We did a flax egg and used homemade almond milk. I used a scant 1/4 cup coconut sugar and fresh and dried powdered rosemary. I brushed with xvoo and added chunky flaked salt!! PERFECT
Mēgan says
Love it, Jennifer! So happy you were thrilled with them and the subs worked out well. Thank you for coming back here and letting me know you tried them. 🙂 Always is encouraging to get comments like yours!
Tara says
I have always been intimidated to make scones but this recipe allowed me to step outside the box. It is hard to find a good gluten free scone in Anchorage and with all the fresh raspberries in the yard I wanted to give this a try. Oh my goodness these are delicious. I added a little lemon extract to the icing to drizzle on top. Thank you for your content!
Mēgan says
That's wonderful, Tara! I'm a little envious of your raspberries in your yard. Ha! Very happy you enjoyed this recipe.
Theresa Hofstetter says
These are some of the best scones I have ever made, even before gluten-free! I love scones and have tried a few recipes, to my great disappointment. These are now a staple in my kitchen and your site is the first I visit when looking for a recipe.
Thank you for taking the time to share your recipes,
Theresa
Mēgan says
Your comment made my day, Theresa! Thank you so much. It makes me so happy to hear!
Deborah says
I make these all the time 🙂 they are phenomenal! If I wanted to make these chocolate scones, would you suggest maybe taking 1/4 cup out of each flour and replacing with 3/4 of cocoa powder?
Mēgan says
Hi Deborah, That's a great question. I think that would be a great place to start! Please let me know your results. 🙂