Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones with a sweet and tangy lemon glaze. Made with only a few simple ingredients. The recipe also has a dairy-free option.
Gluten-Free Scones
I have something to admit to friends. Before working on this recipe, I had never had a scone. I am more of a gluten-free biscuit and muffin girl, so when a reader asked me if I had a gluten-free scone recipe, I was up for the challenge.
It’s a good thing my husband has had scones before, and I could ask him about how the taste and texture of scones are supposed to be. He said scones were a little drier than biscuits, but not too dry, and that their texture was less flaky.
So, I went to work modifying my Gluten-Free Buttermilk Biscuits recipe into a gluten-free scone recipe. With just a few adjustments, these scones came out perfectly! These scones are firmer than biscuits but not hard or dry, just the way a traditional scone is supposed to be.
How To Make Gluten-Free Scones
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Pre-heat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Cut the butter into small pieces and put in the freezer for 10 minutes. If you do not have buttermilk, make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk and let stand 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator to keep cold. You can also make buttermilk out of dairy-free milk.
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In a large bowl add flour, xanthan gum (leave out if your flour already has it), sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon peel, stir to combine the ingredients.
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Cut in the really cold butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork until it looks like the size of small peas. (photo 1)
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Add in the buttermilk and the whisked eggs and stir until a soft dough forms. (I whisk the eggs right in the buttermilk). The key is to not over mix the dough because over-mixing will cause the dough to yield hard scones. The dough will be sticky. Carefully stir in the blueberries. (photo 2)
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Add one tablespoon of flour to a large piece of parchment paper. Place the dough on top of the floured parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon of flour and gently fold dough over on itself 2 times. You do this by folding the dough in half on top of itself and then doing it a second time.
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With your hands, form a dough round that is about 7″ in diameter and 2″ thick. If you make it any larger or flatter you will end up with flat scones. (photo 3)
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Run a sharp knife under warm water and then cut the dough round in half. Then cut each half into 4 slices. Repeat on the second half. You will now have 8 dough triangles. Carefully place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the dough with the 2 tablespoons of milk. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Please watch your oven because all ovens are different. (photo 4 & 5)
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Add the glaze ingredients to a small bowl and stir together until smooth. Drizzle over warm scones. Enjoy! (photo 6)
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Store leftover scones in an air-tight container. Scones are best served warm.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
I used Pillsbury gluten-free flour for this scone recipe. It’s my favorite cup for cup gluten-free flour blend. A cup for cup flour blend is one that already has xanthan gum it.
It makes gluten-free baking so much easier! Make sure you don’t add any extra xanthan gum to your flour if it already has it in it. If you do you will get super gummy scones!
Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
Pro Tip For Measuring Gluten-Free Flour
- The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup. Then use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. Please do not scoop the flour directly out of the bag with a measuring cup.
Dairy-Free Baking Tips
I have also included a dairy-free option to the scone recipe. Myself, my husband and youngest son are all dairy-free as well. So you can also enjoy a gluten-free and a dairy-free scone.
I used Smart Balance buttery spread and almond milk for the dairy-free scones.
Some of my favorite dairy-free alternatives that I like to bake with are almond, cashew or coconut milk. I also like baking with coconut oil or Earth Balance or Smart Balance butter.
Can I Freeze The Scones?
Yes! The scones can be frozen before you bake them. Flash freeze the cut scone dough for 30 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet before placing them in a freezer bag and putting them back into the freezer. Bake the frozen scones for 15-20 minutes at 425° F. Please watch your oven because all ovens are different.
These gluten-free blueberry scones are perfect with your morning coffee or tea. They are super easy to make and only take a few simple ingredients.
The lemon glaze takes these scones to the next level! I just love the flavor of blueberries and lemon together.
More Gluten-Free Breakfast Recipes To Try!
- Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Muffins {Dairy-Free and Refined Sugar Free Option}
- Easy Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins {Dairy-Free Option}
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Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones {Dairy-Free Option}
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, diced and really cold (dairy-free use Smart Balance butter)
- 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (, I like Pillsbury gluten-free)
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (, leave out if your flour already has it )
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablspoons gluten-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dried lemon peel (lemon zest)
- ¾ cup buttermilk (make buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon white vinegar to the milk and sit for 2 minutes) (dairy-free add ¾ tablespoon white vinegar to almond, cashew or coconut milk)
- 2 large eggs (, whisked)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 tablespoons milk (, dairy-free use almond, cashew, or coconut milk)
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and put in the freezer for 10 minutes. If you do not have buttermilk make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the cup of milk and let stand 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator to keep cold. You can also make buttermilk out of dairy-free milk.
- In a large bowl add flour, xanthan gum (leave out if your flour blend already has it), sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon peel, stir to combine the ingredients.
- Cut in the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork until it looks like the size of small peas.
- Add in the buttermilk and the whisked eggs and stir until a soft dough forms. (I whisk the egg right in the buttermilk) The key is to not over mix the dough because over-mixing will cause the dough to yield hard scones. The dough will be sticky. Carefully stir in the blueberries.
- Add one tablespoon of flour to a large piece of parchment paper. Place the dough on top of the floured parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon of flour and gently fold dough over on itself 2 times. You do this by folding the dough in half on top of itself and then doing it a second time.
- With your hands form a dough round that is about 7" in diameter and 2" thick. If you make it any larger or flatter you will end up with flat scones.
- Run a sharp knife under warm water and then cut the dough round in half. Then cut each half into 4 slices. Repeat on the second half. You will now have 8 dough triangles. Carefully place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the dough with the 2 tablespoons of milk. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
- Add the glaze ingredients to a small bowl and stir together until smooth. Drizzle over warm scones. Enjoy!
- Store leftover scones in an air-tight container. Scones are best served warm.
Notes
- I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Please do not scoop the flour directly out of the bag with a measuring cup.
- Make your own buttermilk by adding ¾ teaspoon of white vinegar to the milk and let sit for 2 minutes.
- For the dairy-free option, I used almond milk and Smart Balance butter.
- Store-in an air-tight container. Reheat in the microwave or oven before serving again.
- The scones can be frozen before you bake them. Flash freeze the cut scone dough for 30 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet before placing them in a freezer bag and putting them back into the freezer. Bake the frozen scones for 15-20 minutes at 425° F. Please watch your oven because all ovens are different.
Kelsey says
I just made these as-written for the first time today, thank you for this recipe! I wasn’t able to add blueberries because I didn’t have any, so I simply omitted them–and I found that the resulting scones were a little on the dry side for my liking. Any tips on how to reduce how dry the scones are if you don’t add fruit?
Sam - Mama Knows Gluten Free says
Hi Kelsey, we recommend adding an extra tablespoon or two of milk!
Ingrid says
Simply delicious! I live in Sweden and use European butter which is denser and has less water than American butters. I diced the butter, froze it and then blitzed it with the flour in a food processer to mix. Poured that into a bowl to mix with the liquid ingredients and followed the rest of the directions to the letter – also made the ‘buttermilk’ directions by adding vinegar as I am unable to find butter milk here. They took 17 minutes and were just delicious. Thank you for the recipe and the many others…including your banana bread…that are now on constant rotation.
Tammi W says
I love these scones! Can i use a little vanilla bean powder in place of the flour for flavor?
Nicole Rufus says
Hi Tammi! Thanks so much! You could use a bit of vanilla bean powder in addition to the flour, but I would still use the same amount of flour for the recipe.
Barbara says
These were fantastic! I must admit that I used dried cherries instead of blueberries. I don’t like blueberries. I also added sliced almonds. I made them for a tea party and no one knew they were gluten free, except for my sister, who can’t eat gluten. I will be making them again, still without blueberries, but I may try cranberries an orange.
Jill says
This makes a delicious scone. The texture is really great and the flavor is on point.
Marie J says
I grew up GF due to celiac. At the time, there were very limited options of anything, especially baked goods. I’m so glad there are now better and less expensive alternatives for flours especially. I’m seeing and experimenting with tons of GF recipes that just simply did not exist when I was growing up.
These scones are absolutely amazing!! I had some fresh raspberries that were about to go, so I substituted them in for the blueberries, turned out amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Will definitely make again;)
Geneviève says
This is the first comment I have left for any online recipe because THESE BLEW MY MIND!!!!!!!!! I have been baking a LOT of gf baked goods and it often means preparing for flatter, more dense goods but these…. These turned out fluffy, so soft and warm and buttery. The absolute best way to start a Sunday morning. I decided to keep them plain and use raisins instead of using blueberries and the drizzle and it was exactly what I wanted to pair with butter and raspberry jam. Thank you SO much for this delicious recipe! I’m sharing the pictures to my friends and family because I’m incredibly impressed and pleased 🙂 have a glorious day!!!!!!!
Judith Stonger says
These look delicious! Might you possibly include options for healthy lower glycemic sugar substitutes when possible in your recipes? Thank you for considering this! 😊
Nicole - Mama Knows Gluten Free says
Hi Judith! Thanks for the suggestion. Will definitely keep that in mind!
Jeannnette says
if want to make vegan. what can I substitute the eggs for
Nicole - Mama Knows Gluten Free says
Hi Jeannette! You can try using flax eggs or Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer.
Linda says
These are amazing!! 🤤
AGerrits says
I’ve made these several times and they’re fantastic. I haven’t tried baking from frozen and I’m confused, the directions for baking from frozen gives the same time and temperature as not frozen, they came out not cooked in the middle. Any advice?
Nicole - Mama Knows Gluten Free says
Hi there! I would try leaving them in for a few minutes longer to accommodate for them being frozen. If it seems like keeping them in the oven at 425 for longer would risk them burning on the outsides, I would lower the oven temperature to 375.
Beth says
This recipe is Perfect!!! I used Red box Earth BAlance dairy Free butter and Country Crock plant-based heavy cream in red and white box instead of milk. I added orange zest to all and then I split the dough and added Dried Cherries and Pecans for one, Candied Ginger, cinnamon and Cardamon for the second and extra lemon zest for the third. Thank you for this perfect recipe!!!
Suzy says
Amazing!! Did not taste GF at all and it was easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect! I used convection setting so 14 mins and they were done. I used the zest of 2 Lemons and juiced half a lemon for the tablespoon of lemon juice needed for the icing. The icing, omg, sooooo good and easy to make! I’ll be making these for Christmas this year, thank you for all of your amazing gf recipes!
Pinchy says
This woman is the real deal. Her scones are so good! Her biscuits are so good! Her pancakes, YUM. Sweet breads, got ‘em. She knows what’s up. So if you are ever wavering between GF recipes start here. She does not disappoint. Thank you Audrey!
Stephanie Prielipp says
I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 the first time I made these and they were fantastic. Today I tried it with cup4cup Wholesome flour and it wasn’t as good. I will stick with Bob’s.
Betty Bogda says
This was my first time baking a gluten-fee recipe. I was not expecting them to be so delicious!
I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour.
I used a grater to grate my (real) butter then put it in the freezer as instructed, the just massaged (pinched) the grated butter into the flour until all butter was coated.
I used oat milk with the vinegar because that is what I had.
I was spooked by another comment about too much baking powder, so put in a “little less” than 2 tablespoons, but it was fine, and I think would have been fine with the full amount.
I also used a scant 1/2 tsp salt just because.
I’ve made scones before so familiar with how they come together, these were no different. And look pretty too!
These were delicious!
Mare says
My son’s favorite scones, and he’s extremely picky! He said to me, “These are the best scones ever. I would buy these at a bakery every day.” He’s not even GF! I use oat milk to make the “buttermilk” & Earth Balance, and it turns out perfect every time. It’s always crumbly so I have a hard time folding it over itself, but no matter. It’s still flaky and delicious. I’m going to flash freeze this next batch to put into the oven in a couple of days when my sister comes to visit. She’s an awesome cook & baker, and this is my go-to recipe to impress!
Amy Linner says
I can’t thank you enough Audrey for this wonderful recipe! First time I made them was today. They turned out perfect! I used Cup 4 Cup all-purpose flour. They are delicious! I have to do my own GF baking because my bread I was always buying is apparently going out of business (Kinnickinick in Alberta, Canada). I will look over your other recipes to see if you have bread I could also make.
Thanks again, you are my idol now❤️
Jo-Ann Albano says
Great instructions, great consistency, great taste – Thanks so much 🙂
Judes says
I’ve made these scones twice with my granddaughter who is celiac. The first time we made them exactly to the recipe, they were absolutely amazing. Today, we altered the recipe because she wanted a cinnamon bun flavour. We omitted the lemon and blueberries, but added a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon during the folding phase, just prior to making the dough round and cutting into 8 triangles. We sprinkled the cinnamon/brown sugar right into the dough before folding. We didn’t want to sprinkle on the top as I was worried it might burn when these are baked at 425. Again, a delicious scone! We also drizzled the warm scones with a light cream cheese icing…yum!!
Donna says
These are hands down the best GF scones i have made. Thank you for a delicious recipe. Used Earth Balance and almond milk and King Arthur GF flour.
Cathy says
I used 1 cup dried cranberries instead of blueberries: they were delicious! Thank you so much.
Kay says
I just made these scones. They are delicious. It took longer to bake than the recipe said. I will definitely make them again.
Jan says
First time making, seem pretty easy to follow recipe. Now baking going on 25 minutes. To get them done. But they taste delicious even before I have glazed them!👍👍👍👍👍
MKB says
My dough was not coming together the way I had hoped. It was more crumbly, but once I surrounded it all with the parchment paper and pushed/mushed/compressed, it stayed together. It definitely was not smooth and round and I was not able to fold it. However, the scones baked fine and were tasty! My husband said “yummy!”
Diane says
Made these yesterday and had one right out of the oven, OH MY GOSH!!!! So good. The real test is today. Most gluten free sweets taste great that day, the next, they are dry and tasteless. Not these, soft , not gritty, and has that scone like texture, I could eat more than one with my cup of tea. Audrey never disappoints!
Diane Waters says
Made these yesterday, had one right out of the oven, oh my gosh, so delish!!!!! The real test was today. Most gluten free recipes are great that day, but the next day, they are so dry and tasteless, not these, soft with that scone like texture. Oh, and by the way, made them dairy free too!!!!!
Diane Waters says
Made these yesterday, had one right out of the oven, oh my gosh, so delish!!!!! The real test was today. Most gluten free recipes are great that day, but the next day, they are so dry and tasteless, not these, soft with that scone like texture. As I’ve stated before, Audrey has the best recipes. Oh, and by the way, made them dairy free too!!!!!
Karami Zufelt says
It’s is indeed very good, but it said 2 TABLESPOONS of BAKING POWDER and I was confused so I put 1 1/2 tablespoons and it came out with a huge amount of it tasting like baking powder. If this was a typo please fix it because I think you might have meant 2 teaspoons.
Wendy says
Made this recipe it’s very easy to make and very good scones! Hubby non gluten free said it’s the best scones he has ever!!!