Cheddar Cheese Scones Recipe: Flaky, Savory, and Easy to Make

Cheddar Cheese Scones

These cheddar cheese scones are tender, savory, and simple to make, and they taste best warm from the oven with a little butter. If you already love American biscuits, think of these as the English cousin: a touch richer, a touch more crumbly, and loaded with sharp cheese in every layer.

Holly Nilsson of Spend with Pennies created this version, and she keeps it firmly on the savory side. Instead of dried fruit or a sweet glaze, the dough leans on sharp cheddar and a small amount of cayenne for gentle warmth.

That makes the scones flexible. Set them out for breakfast or brunch, or serve them as a side dish next to a bowl of stew, where they do the same work as a biscuit or a slice of crusty bread.

The process is quick and unfussy. You need a bowl, a wooden spoon, a pastry cutter, and good cheese. There is no mixer, no overnight chilling, and no tricky shaping.

This is also an easy recipe to adapt, so once you know the basic method you can swap the cheese and add herbs to match whatever you are serving.

The full recipe below is adapted from the original cheddar cheese scones recipe at Spend with Pennies.

Keep the butter cold and your hands quick. Those two habits do more for flaky scones than any special piece of equipment.

What’s in a Cheese Scone?

A cheese scone starts with a sturdy, familiar base: all purpose flour, baking powder, a spoonful of granulated sugar, salt, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Heavy whipping cream and eggs bring the dough together, and that is what gives these scones their tender, slightly rich crumb.

Cold butter is cut into the dry ingredients, and the shredded cheese is folded through the flour before any liquid is added, so the cheese ends up scattered among the flaky layers instead of clumped in one spot.

The featured cheese in the original recipe is Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar. Cabot is a cooperative owned by more than 800 farm families in New York and New England.

The company describes its cheeses as naturally aged and lactose free, and it holds B Corporation certification, which reflects standards for social and environmental performance.

You can use another sharp cheddar you enjoy, but a bold, dry cheese gives you more flavor in every bite than a mild one does.

Variations

The base dough is a friendly canvas, so feel free to change the cheese and the mix ins to suit the meal you are planning.

• Smoked bacon cheddar with green onions. Keep the same dough and fold in crumbled cooked bacon and sliced green onions along with the cheese.
• Garlic cheddar with chives. Work chopped fresh chives straight into the dough with a garlicky cheddar for a sharper, more aromatic scone.
• Pepper jack with rosemary. Swap the cheddar for pepper jack and add fresh rosemary for a scone with gentle heat and a piney herbal note.

If you need a wheat free option for another baking day, these gluten free almond flour scones use a completely different method and are worth trying on their own terms.

How to Make Cheese Scones

Good scones come down to a few small habits, and none of them are difficult.

• Keep the butter cold. Cut it into pieces and leave it in the refrigerator until the moment you need it. Cold butter creates pockets of steam in the oven, and those pockets are what separate a flaky scone from a dense one.
• Use a pastry cutter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. A pastry cutter and a spoon do the job better than a mixer, which can warm the butter and overwork the dough.
• Add the cheese early. Stir the shredded cheddar into the flour mixture before you add the eggs and cream. That way it is evenly distributed through the dough rather than sitting in one heavy pocket.
• Handle the dough quickly. Stir just until a dough forms, then knead gently by folding and pressing for 10 to 12 strokes. Stop when it is nearly smooth.
• Go light on the flour. Pat the dough out on parchment paper when you can. Too much extra flour on the counter works into the dough and makes the finished scones dense.

Once the dough is shaped into an 8 inch circle and cut into 8 wedges, you are only about 20 minutes from a warm tray of scones.

Tips for Storing Scones

Scones are at their best the day they are baked, but a little planning makes them easy to enjoy later.

Freeze the dough, not just the baked scones. Prepare the dough as directed and cut it into wedges. Freeze the wedges on a baking sheet until they are firm, then move them to a zippered freezer bag. They keep for up to 3 months.

When you want fresh scones, take out as many wedges as you need and let them thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes while the oven preheats to 400°F. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until baked through and golden.

Store baked scones at room temperature. Keep them in an airtight container or a zippered bag for up to 2 days. A slice of plain bread tucked into the bag absorbs extra moisture and helps the scones stay fresh a little longer.

More Cheesy Favorites

If cheddar is your kind of comfort food, these recipes from the same source are natural next steps, and they all lean on the same sharp, savory flavor.

• 20 Minute Broccoli Cheese Soup. A fast, creamy bowl that is ready in about the time the oven takes to heat.
• Ham and cheese drop biscuits. Tender, buttery, and nearly as quick as these scones.
• Quick cheese bread. A simple loaf for nights when you want cheese in the middle of the table.
• Pimento cheese. A spreadable classic that works on crackers, toast, or a split biscuit.
• Garlic cheese toast. Crisp bread, melted cheese, and plenty of garlic.
• Cheesy hamburger dip. A warm, hearty dip for game days and casual gatherings.
• Quick cheese muffins. Handheld, portable, and easy to pack for lunch.

On a cold evening, a bowl of cheddar cauliflower garlic soup is a fine partner for a warm cheese scone, and the pair makes an easy, satisfying supper with very little extra work.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 8 scones. Have everything measured and the cheese shredded before you start, and the mixing goes quickly.

Scone dough

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ⅓ cup cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1 ¼ cups shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
• Milk, for brushing the tops

Chive butter, optional

• 2 tablespoons melted salted butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or parsley
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

A note on the cheese: sharp cheddar is what gives these scones their character, so choose one with real bite. If you only have mild cheddar on hand, the scones will still work, but the flavor will be quieter.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cheese and stir to combine.
3. Combine the eggs and heavy cream in a separate bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until a dough forms.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by folding and gently pressing for 10 to 12 strokes, until nearly smooth. Pat the dough into an 8 inch circle and cut it into 8 wedges.
5. Place the wedges 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush the tops with milk.
6. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until golden. Remove the scones from the baking sheet and let them cool slightly.
7. Combine the chive butter ingredients and brush the mixture over the warm scones. Serve.

These are excellent on a brunch table with butter, and they hold their own next to soup, chili, or a simple green salad when you want something more substantial than a plain roll.

Notes

Baked scones keep well at room temperature for about 2 days when stored in a sealed bag or an airtight container. A slice of bread added to the container absorbs moisture and helps them stay fresh longer.

For the best texture, serve the scones the same day you bake them, warm or at room temperature. If you are baking for a crowd, freeze the unbaked wedges ahead of time and bake only what you need.

Recipe details

The recipe yields 8 scones and serves 8. Prep time is listed as 20 minutes. The recipe card lists a cook time of 10 minutes, while the instructions specify baking for 18 to 22 minutes, so plan on the longer figure and check the scones at the lower end.

Nutrition information is provided per scone.

If you bake a batch this week, start with the basic sharp cheddar version and save the variations for next time. Once the method feels familiar, the changes are easy.

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Cheddar Cheese Scones

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Cheddar Cheese Scones These cheddar cheese scones are tender, savory, and simple to make, and they taste best warm from the oven with a little butter. If you already love American biscuits, think of these as the English cousin: a touch richer, a touch more crumbly, and loaded with sharp cheese in every layer.

• Total Time: 45 min
• Yield: 8 scones 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Scone Dough
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅓ cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1 ¼ cup Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, shredded
2 eggs, beaten
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
milk, to brush top of scone

Chive Butter (optional)
2 tablespoons melted salted butter, melted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

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Instructions

1-Preheat oven to 400°F: Preheat oven to 400°F.
2-Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and: Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cheese and stir to combine.
3-Combine eggs and heavy cream: Combine eggs and heavy cream. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until it forms a dough.
4-On a lightly floured surface, knead dough: On a lightly floured surface, knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for 10 to 12 strokes until nearly smooth. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle and cut into 8 wedges.
5-Place wedges 1-inch apart on an ungreased: Place wedges 1-inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with milk.
6-Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden: Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden. Remove scones from the baking sheet. Let cool slightly.
7-Combine chive butter ingredients: Combine chive butter ingredients. Brush over warm scones and serve.

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• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 407
• Sugar: 2g
• Sodium: 302mg
• Fat: 26g
• Saturated Fat: 16g
• Carbohydrates: 33g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 10g
• Cholesterol: 118mg