Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Light and flaky with moist interiors and crisp golden-brown edges. Top with sanding sugar for a little more crunch!
Taste: Buttery and extra rich from the sour cream. Add any flavors/mix-ins you like.
Ease: So easy to make! Great beginner recipe.
Top Tips: Use frozen grated butter! Also freeze the dough for 15 minutes before slicing/baking for extra flaky scones.
Recommended GF Flour: Works great with many gluten-free flour blends. Use a high-quality flour that contains xanthan gum. I like King Arthur Flour and Bob’s Red Mill.
Would I make these again? Definitely! This is my go-to scone base recipe and we love to make different varieties!
xoxo erin
Featured Comment
From Christina: “I made these yesterday for a Mother’s Day High Tea, and they were fabulous! I was leery as so often gluten-free baked goods turn out so so, but these were scrumptious! Flaky on the outside and moist on the inside. Followed the recipe exactly minus any add-ins as I was serving them with whipped honey butter and blueberry compote. I will definitely be making these again and again!”
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Gluten-Free Scones
- Gluten-Free Scone Variations
- Storage, Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
- Can I make these scones dairy-free?
- Do I have to refrigerate the dough, then freeze it? Can I just skip straight to the freezer?
- Why do scones need eggs?
- More Gluten-Free Recipes
- Gluten-Free Scones (Endless Mix-Ins!) Recipe
Ready to make incredible scones that also happen to be gluten-free?
This gluten-free scone recipe is what I consider a master scone recipe. You can easily tailor it with your favorite mix-ins or glazes to create gluten-free blueberry scones, gluten-free chocolate chip scones, and even savory baked scones.
No matter which variation you choose, you’ll get amazing scones every time.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on the key ingredients you’ll need to make these gluten-free scones. Jump to the recipe for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-Free Flour: For best results, use a high quality gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. I recommend King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour.
- Baking powder: A full tablespoon of baking powder helps gluten-free scones rise properly and turn out light and fluffy.
- Sour cream: Sour cream gives these scones richness, but also helps them hold their shape during baking.
- Frozen grated butter: Frozen grated butter is KEY to creating light, flaky, buttery scones. The cold butter and flour crumbs melt as the scones bake, releasing steam and creating air pockets. These pockets are what create flaky scones with crisp edges!
- Vanilla/Sugar: Sweet scones call for 1/4 cup of sugar and vanilla, while savory scones call for 1 tablespoon of sugar and no vanilla.
- Mix-ins: Add any mix-ins like chocolate chips, nuts or blueberries that you like! The possibilities are endless. You can use up to 1/2 cup of any mix-in.
You also might like these recipes for gluten-free blueberry scones, gluten-free strawberry scones, gluten-free chocolate chip scones and gluten-free cheese scones.
How to Make Gluten-Free Scones
Here’s a basic run-through of how to make this gluten-free scone recipe. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
- Dry ingredients: Whisk them all together.
- Butter: Grate the frozen butter then mix it into the dry ingredients using a fork
- Sour cream/egg: Whisk the egg and add the sour cream and egg to the dry ingredients. Mix to combine. Note that the dough might look dry- this is normal and the dough will continue to hydrate in the fridge.
- Refrigerate: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, then place in the freezer for 15 minutes (or longer!) before baking.
- Preheat the oven: You’ll preheat the oven to 500°F, then immediately turn the temperature down to 425°F when you put the scones in the oven. The hot oven helps the scones to rise quickly.
- Bake until golden brown! Cool before topping with any glaze.
Gluten-Free Scone Variations
There are so many ways to customize this gluten-free scones recipe! You can add a glaze to the tops of the scones, add mix-ins, make them sweet, or savory.
Here are some of my favorite ways to switch up these delicious gluten free scones.
- Chocolate Chip: Add ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips. Top with sparkling sugar.
- Blueberry Lemon: Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 cup blueberries. Top with a glaze made of 1 cup powdered sugar whisked together with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- Raspberry White Chocolate: Add 1/4 cup white chocolate chips and 1/3 cup raspberries (break them up slightly).
- Cheese: Omit the vanilla and reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon. Mix in 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese. Top with garlic chive butter after baking
Storage, Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Storage: Gluten-free scones are best eaten the day they are baked, but they can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days.
Make-Ahead: After the dough has rested in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, you can freeze it for up to 5 days. Then slice and bake the scones directly from the freezer.
Freezing Instructions: Let the gluten-free scones cool completely, then wrap each one in plastic wrap. Put the wrapped scones in a freezer bag, squeeze out the air, and freeze them. To reheat, place the frozen scones in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
Can I make these scones dairy-free?
Yes! I have successfully made these scones dairy-free using dairy-free sour cream.
Do I have to refrigerate the dough, then freeze it? Can I just skip straight to the freezer?
Once the dough is mixed together, you’ll form it into a ball and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 20-30 minutes and freeze for 15 minutes. The time in the refrigerator serves a different purpose than the time in the freezer.
20-30 minutes in the refrigerator gives the gluten-free flour time to hydrate and absorb the moisture from the sour cream/egg. The 15 minutes in the freezer allows the butter to solidify so it creates those light pockets of air once the scones hit the hot oven. Both are needed for the ideal gluten-free scone texture!
Why do scones need eggs?
Eggs help the scones dough bind together, creating lift and structure while baking. It also adds a richer, deeper flavor to the scones.
More Gluten-Free Recipes
- Gluten-Free Muffins
- Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten-Free Brownies
- Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
Gluten-Free Scones (Endless Mix-Ins!)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (225g) gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar reduce to 1 tablespoon for savory scones
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (113g) butter frozen
- ⅓-½ cup mix-ins of choice chocolate chips, berries, nuts, dried fruit
- ⅔ cup (160g) sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract omit for savory scones
- sparkling sugar for topping
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add the butter to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs.
- Stir the mix-ins into the flour mixture until evenly distributed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg and *vanilla until well-combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture until no dry bits of flour remain.
- Spread out a large piece of plastic wrap. Using wet hands, transfer the dough to the plastic wrap. Clean and wet your hands again then pat the dough to form a 6-inch round that is 1-inch thick.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Then freeze for 15 minutes (or up to 5 days).
- Preheat the oven to 500°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- After 15 minutes (or up to 5 days), take the dough out of the freezer. Spray a sharp knife with cooking spray and cut the dough into 6 equal wedges. Arrange the scones on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Place the scones in the oven, then immediately lower the oven temperature to 425°F. (You want the oven temperature to start hot so the scones turn golden brown as they cook through.) Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven. Transfer the scones to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: I like to use a high quality gluten-free flour blend like gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend like King Arthur Flour in my baked goods. It works best to use a blend that contains xanthan gum in this recipe.
- Sour cream: Sour cream gives these scones richness, but also helps them hold their shape during baking.
- Frozen grated butter: Frozen grated butter is KEY to creating light, flaky, buttery scones. The cold butter and flour crumbs melt as the scones bake, releasing steam and creating air pockets. These pockets are what create flaky scones with crisp edges!
- Recipe variation: You can add any mix-ins you like to this recipe. Add ⅓-1/2 cup of your favorite ingredients such as chocolate chips, berries, nuts, dried fruit and more!
- Rest the dough: Resting the dough for 30 minutes before baking allows the gluten-free flour to hydrate, since gluten-free flour takes longer than regular flour to absorb moisture.
I am lactose intolerant. So what can I use instead.
Hi Ellen, these scones can be made lactose-free using lactose-free or dairy-free butter and sour cream. We hope you enjoy the recipes!
I made these as strawberry rhubarb drop scones. Since they were drop scones, I skipped the freezing step and went right from the 30 minute chill to dropping & baking. Delicious.
We’re so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the scones! Thank you for sharing your positive baking experience with us!
Could this recipe be used for pumpkin scones?
Hi there, good question! We haven’t tried making this with pumpkin. The recipe works best with drier mix-ins like chocolate chips or blueberries. The pumpkin will be really wet, which may affect the texture.
Like to make these, but I’m concerned about the water content of the rhubarb? How much did you add of each chopped rhubarb and strawberries?
I bake gluten free for my wife. Cooked according to the recipe. Best scones ever!
Hi Sam, we’re so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback with us!
Can I substitute 0% milk fat plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream or does it have to be whole milk Greek yogurt?
Hi Beverly, we would recommend the whole milk Greek yogurt as the closest sub for the sour cream. It’s similar fat content will keep the scones rich, tender, and moist. Using Greek yogurt with 0% milk fat may cause a drier, denser texture due to the lack of fat. It would most likely need additional ingredients to balance the fat content enough. We hope this helps!
Hi! Really want to make these, but I’d love to give it a classic round shape. Tips on how to do that?
Thank you!
Hi Isa, in step 9 instead of using a knife to cut wedges you could use a round biscuit cutter (2.5″ to 3″). Make sure you press straight down and don’t twist the cutter. Twisting it can seal the edges and prevent a good rise. You may need to gently press the scraps together and re-roll to cut more rounds too. We hope you enjoy the scones!
I made these today and they came out amazing! I did blueberry scones with lemon glaze. They are so yummy and were truly easy to make!!
Yay! We’re so pleased you loved the recipe, Christi! Thank you for sharing your positive baking experience with us!
Hi 🙂
I am so excited to try this recipe! I haven’t had a really good GF scone in 15yrs!! My question is: In the body of the blog, you talk about rearing 30 minutes before baking but I don’t see that is the recipe part… Can you clarify for me please. Thank you! 🙂
Hi Sheri, in the recipe card step 7 includes wrapping the dough and refrigerating for 20-30 minutes, then you’ll need to freeze it for 15 minutes. From there you’ll bake it. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
The very best gluten free scones. My add in was 1/2 cup of chocolate chipits. I will definitely be making more. Thank you.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet because I want to confirm the amount of flour. This recipe (and your GF donut recipe) calls for 1.5 cups flour or 240 grams. King Arthur Measure for Measure 1-1 GF flour weights 120 grams per cup, so obviously the weight listed is equal to 2 cups. Which one is correct? Thanks so much.
Hi Michele, the measurements in the recipe are correct despite King Arthur’s label. We find that 1 cup of KAF weighs much closer to 160 grams. At the end of the day a cup measurement is subjective – and we think the manufacturer doesn’t realize gluten-free flour is denser than traditional wheat flour (traditional wheat flour is 120 grams/cup) so they provide that generalized measurement that really isn’t accurate for gluten-free flour. Erin likes to make her recipes so they will turn out for both people using cup measurements and grams measurements. Her measurement for the KAF flour is consistent across all of her recipes, even though it’s not the same as KAF. We hope this helps!
Hi, I’ve made these dozens of times now, with different add-ins and toppings (sweet or savory) and they always turn out beautifully!!!
I recently made them without dairy for someone else and they turned out just as delicious (Melt brand vegan butter and Cocojune plain yogurt for the sour cream) and they turned out just as good! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Can these be frozen?!
Hi Grace, yes these can be frozen! Let the scones cool completely, then wrap each one in plastic wrap. Put the wrapped scones in a freezer bag, squeeze out the air, and freeze. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
These look fantastic. Is this recipe suitable for diabetics? Please advise how I could modify the recipe so friends and family with diabetes could enjoy as well. Thanks!
Hi Wendy, thank you for your question! We aren’t familiar with baking requirements for diabetes unfortunately. We don’t want to speak out of turn since we aren’t knowledgeable about what’s safe for diabetics. We’re sorry!
Just wanted to let you know, my family has enjoyed them just fine, but they may need to know the carbohydrate count in order to adjust for insulin. I have a T1D family member. for T2D, you can alter the amount of mix-ins and remove the sugar from the top.
Hi Kristine, you can replace the almond flour with more gluten-free measure-for-measure flour. We hope you enjoy the new recipe!
I made this recipe yesterday and it came out beautifully. I had some leftover cream from when I made clotted cream so I subbed part of that for the sourcream. For my mix ins I added fresh blackberries and toasted pecans.
The only flub I had was trying to use wax paper instead of the plastic wrap (I ran out). It does not work without a whole lot of struggle.
All in all highly recommend this recipe. Best GF scone I’ve had, hands down.
Yay! We’re so happy to hear you loved the scone recipe, Raya! Those mix-ins sound delicious. Thank you for your kind feedback!
Hi – I always use 120g for a cup of flour. Yours calls for 240g or 1.5 cup. Seems like it should be 180g. Can you clarify? Thanks!
Hi Jaimee, good question! The measurements in the recipe are correct despite label on the flour bag. We find that 1 cup of gluten-free flour weighs much closer to 150 grams. At the end of the day a cup measurement is subjective – and we think the manufacturer doesn’t realize gluten-free flour is denser than traditional wheat flour (traditional wheat flour is 120 grams/cup). Erin likes to make her recipes so they will turn out for both people using cup measurements and grams measurements. Her measurement for the gluten-free flour is consistent across all of her recipes. We hope this helps!
My son and husband are both celiac. I tried this recipe for the first time a few weeks ago after my son purchased GF scones from a coffee shop. After he told me that they were $6 a piece I decided to find a good recipe to make my own. This recipe is outstanding and the guys love it. No more $6 GF scones!! This is the 3rd time making them and they have worked perfectly every time. So easy. Thank you !!!
Aww, thank you for such kind feedback, Alice. We’re so happy to hear that this recipe beats the $6 scones! We appreciate you taking the time to share your family’s experience with us!
Can you freeze it before you bake and bake from frozen?
Hi Jennifer, we haven’t tested it out, but it may work! They’d definitely need a little extra time in the oven if baking from frozen. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I’m confused. The recipe instructions say explicitly, “After 15 minutes ***(or up to 5 days)***, take the dough out of the freezer…” and then proceeds with baking instructions. But you don’t know if it will work to bake from frozen? Am I missing something?
Thrilled with this recipe! I followed your instructions to a tee and they turned out wonderfully! Since going gluten-free, the one thing I missed was a really good scone and your method makes them undetectably gluten-free. Thank you for sharing your brilliant food science:-)
Yay! We’re so excited to hear how much you loved this recipe, Lorraine! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive baking experience with us. Happy baking!
I bake straight from frozen and have zero problem. Just add a few extra minutes and watch the tops.
I’m hoping to make these this weekend but can’t use an egg? Have you tried an egg substitute or applesauce?
Thank you,
Colleen
Hi Colleen, we haven’t tried these egg-free, but an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill or flax eggs may work. We’d love to hear how it goes!
These are amazing scones. I made them for an event where there would be several people who require gluten-free choices. As someone who it not a fan of gluten-free bake goods I as amazed how good these tasted, even my husband said I could make them again just for us. Also had several people request the recipe from me for them. I added chopped dried cranberries and sliver almonds along with a 1/4 tsp of almond extract. Thank you for all the added information on baking a gluten free baked goods, as I do not have to cook this way it is all new to me but I love to bake and want to have foods for everyone.
Hi JoAnn, we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe and received such positive feedback from everyone! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. Happy baking!
Hi!
Can you use whole milk Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream?
BTW, love your new book!
Maria
Hi Maria, yes Greek yogurt should work well as a sub for the sour cream in this recipe. We’re so happy to hear you’re loving the cookbook! Thank you for your kind feedback!
My favorite non-GF scone recipe uses heavy cream. Can I substitute heavy cream for the sour cream in this recipe?
Can’t wait to try these! 🙂
Hi Maria! We wouldn’t recommend that swap unfortunately. You’d get less structure and lift with the heavy cream. Thank you for your question!