Ready to make easy gluten-free blueberry scones? These are sweet, buttery, and bursting with blueberries and lemon zest. My gluten-free scones have the perfect crumbly edges, brown, sugary tops, and tender centers. You can also zest them with a lemon glaze for extra flavor.
I'm so proud of how these turned out. These gluten-free blueberry scones are a spinoff of my gluten-free chocolate chip scones. They're remarkably similar, and you'll want to try both for variety. If you have time, try my rustic gluten-free drop biscuits. Want a more unique scone flavor? I'm also delighted by these complement-garnering gluten-free pumpkin scones.
I also recommend you make these delicious gluten-free blueberry muffins or try one of these Gluten-Free Breakfast Ideas.
Udemy's range of gluten-free courses are perfect for adding to your expertise, and they have some fun courses on offer!
GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES RECIPE
Your morning tea or coffee is not the same without a delicious scone, and no, you don't need to miss out. You can have your favorite childhood scones with this gluten-free blueberry scone recipe.
I've included vegan and dairy-free options. Please feel free to modify my recipe for extra sweetness or to explore a much more savory flavor. Below, you'll find my step-by-step instructions, the ingredients for the blueberry scones, and my advice on making them taste like the best gluten-free treats in your kitchen.
The best thing is to freeze them and take them out as the craving hits. They are also customizable, so experiment with different variations from sweet to savory. Let me know what you've tried in the comments.
WHY YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE THESE GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES
Simple to make - This gluten-free blueberry scone recipe is super simple to make, and the scones bake up with the perfect texture, color, and combination of flavors.
Great texture - The way I look at it, scones are a mix between a muffin and biscuits. Gluten-free scones need the right combination of ingredients to get the texture exactly right.
Handful of ingredients - This gluten-free scones recipe only uses a handful of ingredients that most people have in their gluten-free kitchens already.
INGREDIENTS IN GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES
Gluten-Free Flour - 2 cups of Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour or 2 cups of my gluten-free flour blend.
Sugar - ½ cup of white granulated sugar. I haven't tried coconut sugar, but I bet it would work great.
Baking Powder - Helps the blueberry scones rise.
Cold Butter - Adds that buttery flavor and helps with flakiness. Use dairy-free butter for a dairy-free option.
Heavy Cream - Helps with flavor and texture and creates that perfect brown top. Use full-fat coconut milk for a dairy-free option.
Egg - Adds flavor, helps the scones rise, and helps hold them together. I have not tried an egg replacer to make these gf blueberry scones. If you test one out, please let me know what you used and how it turned out.
Lemon Zest - The oils from the lemon zest help bring out the flavors.
Vanilla - Adds flavor.
Fresh Blueberries - I'd recommend fresh, but you can also use frozen blueberries. When using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them first. A handful of lush blueberries, about half a cup, equates to a mere 44 calories! This tiny but mighty snack is brimming with 2 grams of dietary fiber and covers 10% of your daily Vitamin C. So it is a sweet, guilt-free indulgence, and my kids often eat the entire carton in one go!
EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR THESE GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES
You won't need much outside of the ordinary for my favorite scone recipe. Here are two items I recommend:
Dough blender - I like to use a dough blender to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated.
Pastry brush - You can choose from silicone, but I like to use this wooden pastry brush.
Pastry cutter or forks - You can use a pastry cutter or two forks.
If you have any questions about making Gluten-Free Scones, please leave a comment, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Using two forks or a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse peas or crumbs.
- Whisk the heavy cream, egg, lemon zest, and vanilla in a separate medium mixing bowl until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients and the blueberries to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Spoon the batter onto a piece of parchment paper and shape the dough into a ball with floured hands. The dough will be sticky. Press the dough into an 8-inch circle and flatten slightly. Then, with a sharp knife, cut 8 even wedges. Let the scones rest for 20-30 minutes while your oven pre-heats.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet, leaving enough room between each scone for the sides to cook.
- Brush the top of each scone with heavy cream with a pastry brush.
- Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES
When making gluten-free blueberry scones, there are a few tips you'll want to keep in mind.
High-quality flour and starches - First, you'll want to use a high-quality blend of flours and starches. You can use my flour blend or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour.
Butter - Never use melted butter in the batter. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or grate it into the flour and mix it.
Use parchment paper - It's best to bake the scones on parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Allow to cool - Before removing them from the pan, let your scones cool. This will allow them to finish setting up after baking.
Use an egg wash - We like to brush the tops with heavy cream or an egg wash for a crunchy texture and a lovely glossy look.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT CAUSES GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES NOT TO RISE?
Make sure to use the baking powder and check its expiry date. Another cause could be leaving the dough out for too long before baking. And don't forget my advice on baking the best gluten-free bread!
HOW DO I MAKE THESE GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES DAIRY-FREE OR VEGAN?
Use dairy-free butter for a dairy-free option. Replace the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk. I have not tried an egg replacer, but let me know if you do. To make an egg replacer, add 1 tablespoon of ground flax and 3 tablespoons of hot water. Leave it to thicken and cool for 20 minutes.
HOW DO YOU STORE GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES?
Store them in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
CAN I FREEZE GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES?
Yes, you can freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freeze them on a baking tray and transfer them into freezer bags.
WHAT OTHER FLAVORS OR VARIATIONS CAN I ADD TO MY GF SCONES?
The choices are endless; will you choose sweet or savory? Add chocolate chips, matcha, lemon peel, poppy seed, toasted pecans, or orange zest. I'd also recommend a lemon glaze if you want to make gluten-free lemon blueberry scones.
HOW DO I MAKE GLUTEN-FREE SCONES WITH ALMOND FLOUR?
I like working with different flours for many of my baked goods. Try this with almond flour for a different consistency.
WORKING WITH GLUTEN-FREE FLOURS
Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level when working with or measuring gluten-free flour. Do not scoop your measuring cup into the gluten-free flour.
The best method is to weigh the gluten-free flour, but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.
View our step-by-step video for this recipe on YouTube.
Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones
Easy gluten-free blueberry scones that are sweet, buttery, and bursting with blueberries and lemon zest. These gluten-free scones have the perfect crumbly edges, brown sugary tops, and tender centers. Dairy-free option included.
Ingredients
For the gluten-free blueberry scones:
- 2 cups gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour or my flour blend)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- Freshly grated lemon zest from 1 medium lemon
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
For the topping:
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Using two forks, or a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse peas or crumbs.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk the heavy cream, egg, lemon zest, and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients and the blueberries to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Spoon the batter onto a piece of parchment paper, and with floured hands shape the dough into a ball. The dough will be sticky.
- Press the dough into an 8-inch circle and flatten slightly. Then with a sharp knife, cut 8 even wedges. Let the scones rest for 20-30 minutes while your oven pre-heats.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet, leaving enough room in between each scone for the sides to cook. Brush the top of each scone with heavy cream and then sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.
- Store leftovers up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Notes
- Use cold butter.
- You can use my flour blend options in place of the Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 if desired.
- Fresh or frozen blueberries work. Do not thaw frozen blueberries before using as it adds more liquid.
- To measure the gluten free flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level.
- Dairy-Free Option: Use cold dairy-free butter and full fat coconut milk to make these dairy-free.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. They never cost you extra.
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King Arthur, Measure for Measure Flour, Certified Gluten-Free, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Kosher, 3 Pounds, Packaging May Vary
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Pastry Brushes for Baking Basting Brush with Boar Bristles and Beech Hardwood Handles Culinary Oil Brush for Barbecue Butter Grill BBQ Sauce Baster Marinade Kitchen Food Cooking Brushes (1 inch)
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Spring Chef Dough Blender, Top Professional Pastry Cutter with Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Blades, Medium Size, Black
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 148mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 2g
This nutrition info is based on the exact ingredients and brands that I used a the time. It may not be 100% accurate. Please check your ingredients nutrition labels.
Denise
We love this recipe! It’s my go to for blueberry scones. My hubby has to eat g-free and d-free, so I use plant butter and coconut cream. Delicious!! Thank you for this recipe!
chrystal
Hi Denise,
I am so glad you and your husband love my scone recipe. Thank you for sharing what yo used.
Best,
Chrystal
Patty
This is the BEST gf recipe EVER. Very easy to make and oh so delicious!! Thank you
chrystal
I am so glad you like them. Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Tessa
Love these!!! My bf has wheat, egg, citrus allergies, etc etc. It’s so hard to find pastry recipes that work for him! I use ground flax seed mixed with water as an egg substitution and have to omit the lemon zest but these scones still turn out a winner!! Thank you so much for this recipe it is very popular in my house!
Lindsay
Hi Tessa! Thanks for letting us know what changes you made, it sounds like you found a winning combination. So glad your family loves the scones!
Alycia Pindar
Hi Chrystal!
Another great recipe! You've knocked this one out of the park!
Side note:
If your oven takes 20-30 min to heat, maybe consider a more efficient oven? I have the Samsung Flex Duo and the longest I have waited to preheat to 450F is 5 minutes. (I do NOT work for them, I just love my oven! So much, I've bought it twice for two different homes and named her Stovie.)
chrystal
I am so glad you like them. Thank you for sharing about your stove.
Best,
Chrystal
Tara
I made these for the first time yesterday and they are delicious! I used coconut half and half instead of heavy cream. They came perfect! Thank you for this yummy and easy recipe 🙂
chrystal
I am so glad you liked them. Thank you for sharing what you used.
Best,
Chrystal
Alene
I made these for my husband this morning. He is the scone connoisseur and he loved them! It's rare that I get such resounding approval for my gluten free baking, so thank you! I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 flour, frozen blueberries, and they were ready in 20 minutes. What a great recipe! Easy peasy and perfect.
chrystal
I am so glad you both loved them. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and let me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Balaji Ramakrishnan
Tried this with flax seeds instead of egg and plant butter. Came out awesome . Thanks.
chrystal
I am so glad you liked them. Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Aaliyah
Thank you for sharing your creations. This recipe was delish. I also used half and half instead of heavy cream. Still produced a tasty scone.
chrystal
I am so glad you liked them. Thank you for stopping back by to let me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Samina
Hi Chrystal,
In this recipe you have mentioned to use full fat coconut milk for dairy free alternative for heavy cream.
Can I use coconut cream in place of heavy cream?
chrystal
Hi Samina,
You can use coconut cream.
Best,
Chrystal
Fran
I just finished a batch of the unbelievably amazing scones. This was my first attempt at something gluten-free. I wanted to do a trial run for a party we’re having at work next week. Many of the people I work with are gluten-free so I thought I would try something they could enjoy! First let me say, they are absolutely delicious!! I did change them to a mini size and added a tart lemon glaze. The only other thing that I changed was the amount of heavy cream in the recipe. I found that when I was finished mixing everything it was too crumbly and wouldn’t come together. So I added heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time for a total of 3, and they were perfect! Thank you for this recipe. It’s definitely a keeper and one I plan on making again and again!
chrystal
I am so glad you liked them. Thank you for sharing what you used.
Best,
Chrystal
Dot Roane
Hi,
It doesn’t call for xanthan gum. Why is that?
I just want to try it but I was just wondering
Thanks
chrystal
Hi Dot,
Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 has xanthan in it. If you are using my blend, you add 1 teaspoon of xanthan. I hope that helps.
Best,
Chrystal
Grace
These turned out amazing!!
I made them for my mom for breakfast on mothers day. My whole family loved them including my mom! I didn't want all the sugar so I did just shy of a 1/2 cup of sugar. I also added some lemon juice for a little more of a lemon flavor (next time I might actually add another half lemon of zest, one lemon of zest was not enough for me to have that blueberry lemon flavor I wanted).
Thank you for the recipe, will make again!!
(P.s. I would double check the nutrition facts, I was trying to do the amount of sugar per scone and I don't think your information is correct)
Krista Grecco
Great recipe! I used 1c almond flour, 3/4 c corn meal 1/4 c oat bran plus 2 tbsp corn starch as my flour mixture. I also used light brown sugar.
Señora Cupcake
I've read all the comments and can't believe that no one noted that vanilla is not listed in the ingredients yet is included in the directions. I'm guessing it's 1 tsp of vanilla?
Also, the ingreds. list says "course" sugar, though it's spelled correctly in the directions.
chrystal
Hi!
The vanilla is listed under the lemon zest. Thanks for the catch on the sugar.
Best,
Chrystal
Mollie
These came out so good?
Wendy Stoltz
Thank you, Mollie, so glad they came out well!
Katya
Dear Chrystal,
Thank you for the delicious recipe. The scones were very tasty. I do have a question about the texture, however. My scones spread out quite a bit during baking, and I am not sure what I may have done wrong. I followed the recipe to a T except that I replaced the heavy cream with the coconut milk and used frozen wild blueberries. The dough was very sticky. Any suggestions?
chrystal
Hi Katya,
I am so glad you liked them. If you used a different flour blend, that could have caused them to spread a little. Either way, next time let your dough sit for a bit and see if that helps.
Best,
Chrystal
Mariah Miller
Any tips on making these as mini scones? I want to take them to work to share and folks will want something smallish.
Thanks!
chrystal
You can make two smaller discs and then cut those into smaller scones. Reduce the baking time by 5-7 minutes and watch them for donness.
Best,
Chrystal
Kal W
These are insane! So light and yummy! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Nice straight forward recipe without a lot of ingredients. Wonderful. My wife is not a scone fan but she couldn’t resist one of these with her tea!
Carolyn
These were well-received at high tea on Mother's Day! Even folks who don't eat gluten-free enjoyed them. I used frozen blueberries. They were awesome! Everyone wants the recipe now! Thank you!
Meg
I can’t seem to find a recipe for GR plain scones. Can I use this one and just omit the blueberries?
Lindsay
Yes, you can make these without the blueberries.
Kim
Lost count of how many times I have made these and they turn out consistently light, tender and so so delicious! So perfect I do not make any alterations to the recipe. Yummy
Lindsay
Hi Kim! Thank you so much for the kind comment. We're so glad you love the scones!
Robin
Hi, traditional (British) scones have baking soda. Is there a reason your recipe does not include this ingredient? Thanks - looking forward to trying these.
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Robin, I just prefer using baking powder for this recipe, which effectively has the same reaction.
Ellen Heath
I made these today. I checke.d and double-checked the recipe and followed it exactly: butter straight from the refrigerator, rest before baking. They turned out so dry that they fell to tasteless powder in our mouths. They are all on the compost pile. The first hint that all was not well was that the butter didn't make large crumbs. The second was that it was hard to make the ball without dry pieces fall off it, and it was far from sticky. Any idea what went wrong? (All of my measurements were correct and exact. Should I have sifted the flour??) I NEED to make gluten-free scones. They are promised for an upcoming afternoon tea. I can't give up. Please help!
Wendy
Hi Ellen,
I'm sorry to hear that your scones turned out dry and crumbly. Making gluten-free scones can be a bit challenging, but let's troubleshoot the issue together:
Flour Blend - The choice of gluten-free flour blend is critical. If the blend you used is too starchy or lacks the necessary binding properties, it can result in dry and crumbly scones. Make sure you're using a high-quality gluten-free flour blend specifically designed for baking.
Butter - When using cold butter, it should be diced into small pieces and quickly worked into the dry ingredients. The goal is to have small butter pieces evenly distributed throughout the dough, which creates flakiness. If your butter wasn't distributed well, it could lead to dry scones. You can use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Liquid - Ensure you're using enough liquid. Sometimes gluten-free flours absorb more moisture than regular wheat flour. If your dough was too dry, you can try adding a bit more liquid, such as milk or a dairy-free alternative, just enough to make the dough come together without being overly sticky.
Resting - Resting the dough before baking is a good practice as it allows the flours to hydrate. However, over-resting can make the scones dense. Typically, 10-15 minutes is sufficient.
Baking Time - Overbaking can also result in dry scones. Make sure you're not leaving them in the oven for too long. Gluten-free scones may have a slightly shorter baking time than traditional scones, so keep an eye on them.
I hope this helps you. I do suspect it is the GF flour used.