Tender, buttery gluten-free scones made with almond, oat, and sweet rice flours that are undetectably gluten-free. Heavy cream brings the dough together, adding moisture and richness. The dough takes 20 minutes of active time to make and shape. After a 30 minute rest, the scones bake up with crispy edges and tender middles in 20 minutes.
Mix in juicy blueberries, try the lemon-ginger and orange-currant variations, or play around with your favorite flavors and mix-ins. I hope you love this community-favorite recipe with loads of 5-star ratings!
This post was sponsored by Vermont Creamery. All opinions are my own.

Scones were one of the first “fancy” pastries I learned how to bake as a food-obsessed tween. My scone addiction followed me through college and into my twenties when I'd wake at the crack of dawn and bake batches to sell at my local coffee shop where I worked as a barista.
I found the methodical process of rubbing cold butter into flour soothing. I loved the feel of the cool, clay-like dough as I shaped it into rounds. And that moment of seeing the baked scones in their gently sloped, conical shapes post-baking was like magic.
I never grew tired of playing with different scone flavor combinations – the wilder the better – some of which I've shared on TBG in the past such as maple apple bacon, chocolate bergamot, brown sugar banana, and these reader-favorite buckwheat flour scones studded with jammy blueberries. Find these and more in my library of biscuit and scone recipes.
And don't miss my almond flour buttermilk biscuits, the savory cousins to these lightly sweet cream scones.
Why almond flour makes the dreamiest scones
I shared a few gluten-free scone recipes in my award-winning gluten-free cookbook made with sweet rice, millet, and oat flours: blackberry, banana teff, amaranth cinnamon peach, and chestnut fig.
But I was curious to see how almond flour would play in that same formula since I love almond flour recipes so much. Would this high-protein flour add more structure? Would the extra fat add richness? Would the warm, nutty flavor enhance the buttery taste and tender texture?
The answer to all these questions turned out to be a resounding yes! With a few tweaks to the method and ingredients, I had an almond flour scone recipe that rivaled its wheaty counterparts. These gluten-free scones are so light, tender, buttery, and classic-tasting, I keep forgetting that they're gluten-free!
When you take your first bite of a fresh-from-the-oven scone, crispy, golden edges give way to plushy, warm middles fragrant with buttery steam. Top with a pat of butter and savor the delicate sweetness mingling with creamy, buttery bliss.
Here's what one reader had to say about the recipe:
Fantastic Recipe
“The scones were fantastic! Loved by the Celiac and non-Celiacs in my family. Turned out just like your picture. Love being able to prepare them before I go to bed and then bake them up in the morning! Now I'm going to try the other variations, including Lonio's "stollen scones!" Thanks again for the great recipe! <3”
—Carol
Key Ingredients
This recipe comes together with just a handful of pantry-friendly ingredients.
Flours
Instead of using a storebought gluten-free all purpose flour blend, I use a trio of flours, plus some tapioca starch, to build a flavorful scone with a dreamy texture that tastes and feels shockingly like wheat-based scones. You can nerd out on more fun flour trivia in my gluten-free flour guide.
Be sure to use flours that are certified gluten-free to avoid any gluten contamination. You can also use a good gluten-free all-purpose blend in place of any or all of the flours listed here, such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF all-purpose flour.
- Blanched almond flour provides structure and richness.
- Gluten-free oat flour makes the dough floofy, tender, and wheat-like.
- Sweet rice flour helps stick the dough together.
- Tapioca starch makes these scones light and pillowy.
Other Ingredients
- Great scones start with great butter! I used Vermont Creamery cultured butter here, but any high-quality butter will do.
- Sugar adds subtle sweetness.
- Egg adds additional structure. Wheat scone recipes typically don't contain egg, but here it enhances the texture and makes up for the lack of gluten. For egg-free, see recipe notes, below!
- Cream brings the dough together and adds richness. Chilled full-fat coconut milk will work for a dairy-free option.
- Use any mix-ins you like! More on this below...
Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones, Plus other Flavors and Mix-Ins
Scones take well to a variety of flavors and mix-ins – sweet or savory – so feel free to go wild! I've shared three of my favorite classic scone flavors here:
- gluten-free blueberry scones with jammy, baked bluebs and a hit of vanilla
- lemon ginger scones laced with candied ginger and fresh lemon zest
- orange currant scones studded with plump currants and kissed with orange zest
Method
This recipe for breakfast scones is easy to make, and a few techniques really make them shine! They take about 20 minutes of active time to whip up, and the recipe makes 8 scones.
Tips for Baking Gluten-Free Scones
- Keep your ingredients and dough cool. Scone dough is similar to pie dough in that small pebbles of butter not fully incorporated into the dough add flake to the finished product. Make sure your butter is cold to start with, work quickly, and chill the dough as directed.
- Chilling the dough also helps the gluten-free flours absorb moisture, resulting in a smoother consistency in the final scones.
- Scones’ bottoms tend to darken rapidly when baking, so always stack two baking sheets on top of each other, line with parchment paper, and bake in the upper third of the oven.
- Do ahead: The dough can be made, shaped and refrigerated airtight overnight. Cut, unbaked scones can be frozen for longer storage and baked to order from frozen at 375ºF for about 20 minutes.
Bojon appétit, my sweets! If you make this, I’d love to know. Please leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.

Tender Gluten-Free Scones with Almond Flour
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Dry Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (110 g) sweet white rice flour*
- ⅔ cup (75 g) blanched almond flour**
- ⅔ cup (69 g) GF oat 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 Vermont Creamery unsalted cultured butter, sliced ⅛-inch thick
- 6 tablespoons (90 ml) heavy cream, more as needed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup (165 g) blueberries (fresh ones look prettier but frozen will work!)
For Serving (optional)
- Crème Fraîche, butter, honey, and/or jam
Instructions
Make the Scone Dough
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Whisk together the 6 tablespoons cream, egg, and vanilla (if using) in a measuring pitcher. Chill until needed.
- 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 the Scones
- 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!
- Wrap and chill the dough disk until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Bake the scones
- 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.
- 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.
- Bake the scones until golden on top and cooked through, 20–25 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes to brown them evenly.
- 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Scone Pairings & a Brunch Cheeseboard
Scones are delightful for breakfast, brunch, or tea in the afternoon. Make it a party by serving them on a board along with your favorite accompaniments. Here are some of mine:
- honey butter
- crème fraîche
- homemade lemon curd
- fresh and aged chèvre (shown here from Vermont Creamery: blueberry thyme chèvre, strawberry spritz chèvre, Cremont, and Bijou)
- jam (especially fond of this strawberry rhubarb chia jam)
- fresh seasonal fruit
However you serve these scones, I hope you love them as much I've loved sharing my recipe with you!
I also asked for favorite scone flavors on social media, and here are a few sweet and savory reader suggestions that I'm eager to try next:
- matcha scones
- feta spinach olive
- apricot pistachio cardamom
- cranberry orange
- chocolate ginger cardamom
- maple oat (these would be amazing topped with this quick maple butter glaze)
- cherry corn
- earl grey tea and mango
- lemon blueberry almond
- honey-candied kumquat
- Stollen scones with candied citrus, boozy dried fruit, and spices (cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg)
Tara Pribanic says
Thank you adding the egg and dairy free options! I picked huckleberries today and used them to make these; the dough is chilling right now! Can’t wait to try them. All of your recipes are incredible. Thank you!!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw that makes me so happy to hear. Please come back and let me know how you like them! Huckleberries are such a special treat, I bet they're going to taste amazing in these scones!
Kasia says
It's the second time I am baking those delicious scones and it always comes out just perfect 👌 I am a scone maniac😅 and must say those are the best I ever have. Good bye Starbucks, Whole Foods scones, from now on I will just make my own.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe 😀
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Awwww this makes me SO happy to read! Very glad you love this scone recipe. Thanks very much for the amazing feedback, and happy baking to you!
Susan says
I tried another GF recipe for scones and was disappointed. Found this one, held my breath.....and they are AMAZING. Just bought your cookbook!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad you like the scones and I hope you love Alternative Baker too! Happy baking :D
Maureen says
These are the most incredible scones ever! Nobody will guess that they are gluten-free. I make a big batch and freeze the leftovers and pop one in the oven for 10 minutes to warm up, and they are absolutely perfect!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw I'm *so* glad you love the scones!!
Anya says
Wow! Made these scones with dark chocolate chips and a sprinkle of sea salt and they were just like a scone-ified chocolate chip cookie, so excellent!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Chocolate chip cookie scones sound completely delicious! So glad you liked the recipe!
Haleema says
Can I use the bobs red mill all purpose gf flour with the favs beans and chick peas without the xanxum gum?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Are you wanting to use that flour exclusively, instead of the other flours? Texturally that would probably work. Just be aware that the scones might have a beany flavor from that flour. Let me know if you try it!
Miguel Zamora says
I'm going to make this recipe for my girlfriend's birthday. She doesn't have celiac, but she does have a gluten intolerance. I had a question about the measurements for the different flours. Except for the tapioca flour, they all say to use 2/3 cup but also have different weight in grams listed next to them. I know this is most likely due to the different densities of the flours, but I just wanted to ask if its best to measure the flours by weight or by cup?
Thank you for the recipe, I'm excited to make this for my girlfriend!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Miguel,
That's a great question and yes, you're exactly correct that the flours have different densities, hence the different weights for the same volume. Measuring by weight tends to be more accurate, so I recommend using the gram measurements if you've got a scale. Plus, fewer dishes to wash!
So sweet of you to bake these for your girlfriend. Come back and let me know how she likes them!
-Alanna
Miguel Zamora says
Hello! My girlfriend loved them and so did everyone else that had them., especially my Mother-in-law! The I also enjoyed them so much I made more the next day and instead of vanilla extract I used maple because I love the smell, and they also came out very delicious. I'm going to try to use this recipe to make lemon scones next. Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad the scones were a hit with everyone! Maple extract sounds like a *delicious* addition. Please let me know how you like the lemon scones too!
Tina says
Wonderful! Used frozen raspberries, a bit damp on bottom so I removed parchment and cooked for 3 minutes, the best scones ever!! All of your recipes are so spot on! Thank you for all you do!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad these worked well with frozen raspberries! And that was smart to remove the parchment to dry out the bottoms too - great tip! Thanks very much for the kind words and for trying my recipes!
Jessica Potter says
I'm Alanna's sister and this was my first time making scones. It was probably good that I didn’t know it’s one of the more complicated things to bake or I would have been too intimidated to try. But I was invited to a brunch and felt inspired. I didn't have sweet rice flour so I used Bob's Red MIll all-purpose GF flour instead and they came out great. My friends were impressed and I can't wait to make them again!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
My sister! I'm so honored that you tried my recipe and that it impressed your friends. Yay! Thank you for saving me some *delicious* scones, too – it was such a treat to get to eat some that I didn't have to bake myself! ;)
Jennifer says
I made these today and they're delicious! I did half with blueberries and the other half experimenting with strawberry and rhubarb. The blueberry ones seemed perfect in texture (although I forgot to add a second sheet pan so they burned a little on the bottom) and the dough was easy to work with. The dough for the strawberry rhubarb was much more wet and they didn't turn out bad, but definitely didn't have the same structural integrity. I'm curious if you have any recommendations to help with the extra moisture from those? I'm assuming more flour? I added a little extra sugar to help offset the tartness of the rhubarb, but I'm not sure that would cause that? I'm thinking next time I'll make a lemon glaze to drizzle on top!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
OK strawberry rhubarb scones are right up my alley - yum!! I would think more moisture would come from the strawberries than from the rhubarb. Sugar does act like a wet ingredient since it melts in the oven, so my guess is that the two of those things combined may have been responsible for the extra moisture. You could either add less cream to the dough or add a couple tablespoons more flour like you said. Love the idea of a lemon glaze drizzle on top too!
Jennifer says
I love when rhubarb is in season :) Okay I will try leaving out the extra sugar and use a little less coconut milk! And the drizzle can add the sweetness to offset the tartness. I meant to also mention that weirdly, the strawberry rhubarb scones were more dry in texture once cooked compared to the blueberry ones, despite the dough being extra moist.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
That's a good idea to use the original amount of sugar but augment the sweetness with the glaze. Sounds SO delicious!!
That is strange about the scones being more dry after baking. Did they spread more as they baked? Maybe that allowed more moisture to evaporate? I'm guessing here! ;)
Jennifer says
They didn't really spread more, but my thought was the extra moisture from the strawberries somehow caused extra evaporation...haha but I have no idea if that makes sense!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I could see that making sense! Please let me know how batch 2 goes!
Judy says
FANTASTIC!! I’ve been gluten free for six years now and have missed scones and biscuits more than anything else. These are the best I’ve found and am throwing away my other scone recipes. I love the blend of flours and the resulting texture and flavour. I barely waited for them to cool to very warm before I ate two and the rest probably won’t last the day!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, that makes me so happy to hear! I felt the same way the first time I tried one of these too - such joy to have a scone that actually tastes and feels like a scone, right? Let me know if you try any fun mix-ins!