Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones
Updated
Crumbly and soft gluten-free blueberry scones with a sweet and tangy lemon glaze. These scones are made with a few simple ingredients and a classic baking method that yields the fluffiest homemade scones. Buttery layer, crisp edges, and bursting blueberries in every bite.
“These were very good! We used fresh blueberries. We’ll definitely be making these again. Thank you for this and all the GF recipes!”
Rachael
Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones Recipe
I was new to scones before creating this recipe. I love gluten-free biscuits and gluten-free muffins, so it was only natural to try out this British classic. The taste and texture of these rustic bakes won me over really quickly. With a little trial and error, I got the method down pat and created these moist and crumbly scones.
The ingredients for this recipe are simple and likely staples in your pantry if you’ve been following my gluten-free baking journey. While anyone can make a scone, creating a truly great one requires following the method precisely. If you’re as passionate about baking as I am, you’ll find this a delightful challenge—and the reward is tender, buttery blueberry scones you’ll absolutely enjoy.
Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, diced and really cold, dairy-free use Smart Balance butter
- 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, I like Pillsbury gluten-free
- ¾ tsp xanthan gum, leave out if your flour already has it
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp gluten-free baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp dried lemon peel, lemon zest
- ¾ cup buttermilk, make buttermilk by adding 1 tbsp white vinegar to the milk and sit for 2 minutes, dairy-free add 3/4 tbsp white vinegar to almond, cashew or coconut milk
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 tbsp milk, dairy-free use almond, cashew, or coconut milk, to brush the scones
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C) 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 tbsp 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!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones Step by Step
Gather all your ingredients.
Make buttermilk and prep butter: Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut ½ cup of butter into cubes and place in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. Make your own buttermilk by mixing 1 tbsp of white vinegar into 1 cup of milk (or ¾ white vinegar to dairy-free alternative) and letting it stand for 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator.
Mix ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add 3 cups of gluten-free flour (¾ tsp xanthan gum, if needed), ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tbsp lemon zest. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.
Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the ½ cup cold butter.
Keep cutting the butter into the flour until it looks like the size of small peas.
Whisk 2 large eggs into the ¾ cup of buttermilk and add the mixture into the flour and butter mixture.
Stir until a soft dough starts to form. Be careful not to overmix the dough. Overmixing can cause the scones to be hard.
Fold in blueberries: Gently fold in 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries.
Make dough ball: Sprinkle one tablespoon of flour onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Place the dough on the floured parchment, then dust the top of the dough with another tablespoon of flour. Gently fold the dough over itself twice: first, fold it in half so one side rests on the other, then repeat the fold. You’ll have a dough ball.
Using your hands, shape the dough into a round approximately 7” in diameter and 2” thick. Avoid making it larger or flatter, as this will result in scones that are too flat.
Cut dough ball into slices: Heat up a sharp knife under warm water, then use it to cut the dough round in half. Next, slice each half into four equal pieces. Repeat with the other half, creating a total of 8 triangular pieces of dough.
Place each dough triangle on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use 2 tbsp of milk to brush the tops of each dough triangle.
Place the scones in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Make the glaze: Grab a small bowl and mix together 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp vanilla, and 1 tbsp water until smooth.
Drizzle over the warm scones. Serve and enjoy!
Gluten-Free Baking Tips
- Measure accurately. 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.
- Use cold ingredients. Use cold butter, eggs, and buttermilk to ensure a flaky texture. Chill your flour if needed, especially in warm kitchens.
- Avoid over mixing. Scones can become hard to control easily, so follow the steps to avoid overmixing or overcooking.
Serving Suggestions
These gluten-free blueberry scones are perfect alongside your morning coffee or tea. I’ve been enjoying these scones with the traditional clotted cream and jam. Add them alongside a savory crustless spinach quiche for a delicious brunch spread!
Storage Instructions
Store in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave or oven before serving again.
You can freeze the scones before baking. To do this, place the cut scone dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flash-freeze for 30 minutes. Once frozen, transfer the scones to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer. When ready to bake, place the frozen scones directly in the oven at 425°F for 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as baking times may vary depending on your oven.
Good recipe but lacking salt and sugar
OMG, delicious! My first time making scones even though I’ve been baking most of my life. These are the tastiest scones we have ever had. My husband, who is not GF, is already requesting I make them again. Very glad I found this recipe!
My head hurts from the negative reviews . It was my very first time making these. I am very new to gluten-free baking. I am a very good Glutin Baker so since I’m familiar with making so many things, I felt this was a very easy recipe to follow and had excellent success with them.. delicious 💕
Thank you Glomama!
These are so good! We’re going to have to try it with the actual blueberries and lemon soon! We made ham and cheese scones for a more savory scone. So we left of the lemon and blueberries and did a cup of diced ham and a handful of shredded chedder cheese and topped them with what people use for the king hawaiian roll sliders for the last five minutes, and now we’re talking about all the different types of scones we can do. Thank you o much for sharing this scone recipe, we’re really excited to try different flavors!
My family is in love with these!! Turn out perfect every time. I have also successfully substituted frozen cranberries in place of the blueberries and they are delicious, a family favourite. Wondering if I can just omit the lemon and berrys and use cinnamon to make a cinnamon scone?
Hi Tracy, that should work though the flavor will be different 🙂
Can you just use oat milk instead of the other non dairy ones you wrote ?
Hi, that should work!
Negative 5 stars!! I’m so beyond irritated that I wasted so much time, MONEY, and energy on these!! I looked around for the highest stars with the most amount of reviews, big mistake on not actually reading the reviews. These were wet like cake batter no matter how much flour I tried to fold them out on. They also taste awful like flour, no lemon, blueberry or sugar in sight. I followed the directions exactly and used the same flour that I use for things such as all butter crust, cinnamon rolls and onion rings… So, I know it’s not my flour or lack of skills. Disappointing to say the least!
Hi there, we are sorry you wasted ingredients and that this didn’t turn out for you!
I am wondering where is the 2 T of milk added in the recipe?
also it calls for 3/4 cup buttermilk but instructions talk about adding 1 T vinegar to the cup of milk.
I’ve made these before but long ago that I don’t remember what I did at that time. they were good as I marked it as such on my recipe card. thanks a bunch
Hi Sandra, The 2 T of milk is used in this step: Place each dough triangle on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use 2 tbsp of milk to brush the tops of each dough triangle. You can either use 3/4 cup buttermilk, or make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tbsp vinegar to 3/4 cup of milk and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Excellent. Looked just like they came out of the bakery case. I weighed the flours and thought that there was too much when I mixed the dough because it was very shaggy. But I continued to follow the instructions albeit afraid that the end result would be too crumbly. But they were fabulous and moist. Will definitely make again.
Nice job trusting the process BJ! Glad you liked them!
Light and delicious! These will have people asking, “ Is this really gluten-free?”