Gluten Free Scones Almond Flour Recipe for a Tender and Buttery Treat

Tender Gluten Free Scones with Almond Flour

I still remember the first tray of scones I pulled from a tiny apartment oven, lopsided, a little dark on one edge, and completely irresistible once I smeared one with butter. My neighbor across the hall asked for the recipe before she finished chewing.

Scones have been my favorite slow morning bake ever since, and this almond flour version is the one I make most often. They come out tender, buttery, and classic tasting, with crisp golden edges and soft, plush middles.

What sets these apart from most gluten free scones at the bakery counter is the flour blend. Instead of leaning on a store bought gluten free all purpose mix, the recipe builds its own combination of blanched almond flour, gluten free oat flour, sweet rice flour, and tapioca starch.

Each flour has a job, and together they land remarkably close to the texture of a wheat scone. You get a dough that holds together without fighting you, a crumb that stays soft for hours, and the rich, buttery flavor that makes a scone worth the calories.

The process is friendly to a busy morning. Plan on about 20 minutes of active work, then a rest in the refrigerator while you tidy the kitchen, and a bake of 20 to 25 minutes.

The dough works beautifully with blueberries, which is the version I make most, and it shifts easily toward lemon and ginger or orange and currants with a couple of small swaps.

A bit of history for anyone who has baked with me before: my earlier cookbook scone recipe used sweet rice, millet, and oat flours. This newer take trades the millet for almond flour, and it has quietly become my favorite of the two.

It is also a reader favorite here, sponsored by Vermont Creamery, with a very high rating from dozens of home bakers who have made it their own.

Fantastic Recipe

Here is what you are working toward: a scone with craggy, sugar topped edges that crack a little when you break it open, a steamy middle, and a flavor that tastes like a proper bakery scone rather than a compromise. Serve them warm with a pot of coffee or tea and watch the plate empty.

Cold butter, a light hand, and a hot oven do most of the work. The rest is patience while the dough chills.

Flour Power

The blend is the whole trick, so it is worth knowing what each flour brings to the bowl.

• Blanched almond flour adds structure and richness.
• Gluten free oat flour makes the dough tender and closer to wheat in texture.
• Sweet rice flour binds everything together so the scones hold their shape.
• Tapioca starch keeps them light and pillowy.

Buy flours that are certified gluten free, since cross contamination is a real concern for anyone baking for a gluten free household. Freshness matters too. Almond flour goes rancid faster than most, so smell it before you measure.

Other Essentials

Use the best butter you can find, the kind that tastes good on toast. I bake with Vermont Creamery cultured butter, and any high quality butter will reward you here.

• Butter brings flavor and flakiness. Cold is non negotiable.
• One egg adds structure in place of gluten. Wheat scones usually skip the egg, but this dough needs it. A flax egg works if you avoid eggs.
• Heavy cream binds and enriches the dough. Chilled full fat coconut milk is the dairy free stand in.
• Mix ins are completely up to you.

Mix In Madness

Scones welcome sweet and savory additions alike. Three combinations are especially good with this dough.

• Blueberry with vanilla, my default, where the berries turn jammy in the oven.
• Lemon ginger with candied ginger and lemon zest, bright and warming.
• Orange currant with plumped currants and orange zest, a little old fashioned in the best way.

Once you have the base down, the list of reader favorites keeps growing, and I have noted several of them further down.

How the Magic Happens

One batch makes 8 scones. From start to finish, give yourself a little over an hour, since the dough needs at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before it bakes.

The recipe card lists a 45 minute total, which does not appear to include that chilling time, so plan accordingly. There are make ahead suggestions in the recipe card if you would rather mix the dough the night before and bake in the morning.

Ingredients

This makes 8 scones. Have everything measured before you start, because the dough moves quickly once the butter is in.

Dry ingredients

• ⅔ cup (110 g) sweet rice flour
• ⅔ cup (75 g) blanched almond flour
• ⅔ cup (69 g) gluten free oat flour, or 69 g sorghum flour
• 3 tablespoons (22 g) tapioca flour
• ¼ cup (50 g) organic granulated sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons (7 g) baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Wet ingredients

• 6 tablespoons (85 g) cold unsalted butter, sliced about ⅛ inch thick
• 6 tablespoons (90 ml) heavy cream, plus more as needed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups (165 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen

For serving, optional

• Crème fraîche, butter, honey, and jam

Instructions

Make the dough

1. In a large bowl, combine the sweet rice, almond, oat, and tapioca flours with the ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
2. Add the butter slices, along with citrus zest if you are using any. Blend with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the butter is broken down into pieces the size of small peas.
3. If you are using fresh or dried fruit, toss it in now. Slide the bowl into the refrigerator for 10 minutes or longer so the butter firms back up.
4. Whisk the 6 tablespoons cream, the egg, and the vanilla together in a measuring pitcher, then chill until needed.
5. Take the flour mixture out of the refrigerator. If you are using frozen fruit, add it now. Gradually work in the cream mixture with a flexible silicone spatula until the dough holds together when you squeeze a handful. If it seems dry, add a few drops of cold cream right to the floury patches.

Shape

6. Press the dough together gently but firmly with your hands into a rough ball. Set it on beeswax wrap or plastic wrap and shape it into a disk about 6 inches across and about 1 ¼ inches high. Do not worry about overworking it, since there is no gluten to toughen.
7. Wrap the disk and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Bake

8. When you are ready to bake, move a rack to the uppermost position in the oven and preheat to 425°F. Stack one rimmed baking sheet on top of a second one and line the top with parchment paper. The doubled pan keeps the bottoms from over browning.
9. Unwrap the chilled dough onto a cutting board lightly dusted with oat flour. Brush the top with a little cream and sprinkle it lightly with sugar. Cut the round into 8 wedges with a large sharp knife and set them well apart on the prepared sheet.
10. Bake until golden on top and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes so they brown evenly.
11. Move the scones to a wire rack and let them cool until warm, 10 to 20 minutes. They keep cooking from residual heat, so this rest matters. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Keep everything cold. Like pie dough, scones depend on small pockets of butter that steam in the oven and create flakiness. Start with cold butter, work quickly, and chill the dough exactly as written.

That rest also lets the flours absorb moisture, which gives you a smoother, more tender scone. Stacked baking sheets and the upper oven rack are not fussy extras, they are what keep the bottoms from turning dark.

Flavor variations

• Lemon ginger: leave out the vanilla and blueberries, then add ½ cup (75 g) finely chopped candied ginger and the zest of 1 large lemon.
• Orange currant: add ⅓ cup (50 g) currants plumped in 2 tablespoons hot water for 10 minutes and drained, plus the zest of 1 large orange.
• Extra buttery: use 8 tablespoons of butter. They spread a bit more but taste even richer.

Dietary swaps

• Dairy free: use vegan butter, such as Miyoko’s, and chilled full fat coconut milk in place of the cream.
• Egg free: swap the egg for a flax egg made from 1 tablespoon ground flax and 3 tablespoons hot water, thickened and cooled for 20 minutes.
• Vegan: combine the dairy free and egg free options.
• Paleo, untested: omit the sweet rice and oat flours and use 1 cup each cassava flour and almond flour plus the tapioca flour, coconut or maple sugar, and chilled full fat coconut milk.
• Stollen, a reader’s idea: about ½ teaspoon each cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg, about ⅓ cup chopped candied citrus peel, about ⅓ cup currants soaked in rum or brandy, and optional marzipan crumbles.

Mix ins readers love

Matcha, a savory feta spinach olive combination, apricot pistachio cardamom, cranberry orange, chocolate ginger cardamom, maple oat, and cherry corn.

Serving ideas

Crème fraîche, honey butter, lemon curd with fresh berries, jam, or a maple butter glaze. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for a few days and reheat nicely in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes. Yum!

Recipe details

Per scone, based on 1 of 8: 313 calories, 32 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 19 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 3 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 358 mg sodium, 56 mg cholesterol.

The recipe card lists a 45 minute total, which seems to leave out the 30 minute chill, so give yourself a little over an hour from the first whisk to the first bite. Bon appétit.

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Tender Gluten-Free Scones with Almond Flour

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Tender Gluten Free Scones with Almond Flour I still remember the first tray of scones I pulled from a tiny apartment oven, lopsided, a little dark on one edge, and completely irresistible once I smeared one with butter. My neighbor across the hall asked for the recipe before she finished chewing.

• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 8 scones 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Dry Ingredients
⅔ cup sweet rice flour
⅔ cup blanched almond flour
⅔ cup gluten-free oat flour
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
¼ cup organic granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Wet Ingredients
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced ⅛-inch thick
6 tablespoons heavy cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup blueberries

For Serving (optional)
crème fraîche
butter
honey
jam

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Instructions

Make the dough
1-In a large bowl, combine the sweet: In a large bowl, combine the sweet rice, almond, oat, and tapioca flours with the ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
2-Add the butter slices (and citrus zest,: Add the butter slices (and citrus zest, if you’re using any). Blend with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the butter is broken down into the size of small peas.
3-If you’re using fresh or dried fruit,: If you’re using fresh or dried fruit, toss them in at this time. Pop the flour mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes or longer to cool the butter back down.
4-Whisk together the 6 tablespoons cream, egg,: Whisk together the 6 tablespoons cream, egg, and vanilla (if using) in a measuring pitcher. Chill until needed.
5-Remove the flour mixture from the refrigerator: Remove the flour mixture from the refrigerator. (If you’re using frozen fruit, toss it in now.) Gradually add the cream mixture, working with a flexible silicone spatula until the dough holds together when you give it a squeeze. If the dough is too dry, add a few drops of cold cream directly to the floury bits.

Shape
6-Gently but firmly press the dough together: Gently but firmly press the dough together with your hands and shape it into a rough ball. Place on a piece of beeswax wrap or plastic wrap and form it into a disk that measures 6 inches across and about 1 ¼ inches high. Don’t worry about overworking the dough since there isn’t any gluten to toughen here!
7-Wrap and chill the dough disk until: Wrap and chill the dough disk until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Bake
8-When ready to bake, position a rack: When ready to bake, position a rack in the uppermost spot of your oven and preheat to 425ºF. Stack a rimmed baking sheet atop a second rimmed baking sheet and line with parchment paper. This will all keep the scones’ bottoms from over-browning.
9-Remove the dough round from the refrigerator,: Remove the dough round from the refrigerator, unwrap and place on a cutting board dusted lightly with oat flour. Brush the top of the scone with a little cream and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Use a large, sharp chef’s knife to cut the scone into 8 wedges and place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet, spaced well apart.
10-Bake the scones until golden on top: Bake the scones until golden on top and cooked through, 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes to brown them evenly.
11-Remove from the oven and transfer the: Remove from the oven and transfer the scones to a wire rack. Let cool until warm, 10-20 minutes; they are still baking from residual heat. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 25 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 313
• Sugar: 9g
• Sodium: 358mg
• Fat: 19g
• Saturated Fat: 9g
• Carbohydrates: 32g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 6g
• Cholesterol: 56mg