Fall in love with these tender and buttery gluten-free blueberry scones with a zesty lemon glaze! The layers of sweet biscuit are bursting with blueberry goodness and bright citrus flavor for an amazing combination of flavors.
Because the blueberries add a significant sweetness overall, the tangy lemon glaze elevates and balances the flavor for something truly special. Enjoy them for breakfast, with a cup of hot tea, or as a dessert.
This gluten free scones recipe walks you through each step to make a scone that is buttery, flaky, and also vegan! It's a great recipe for August when blueberries are in season. But you can also make them with frozen blueberries (as I did here) anytime of the year!
For more fun gluten-free baking recipes, check out our Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins, Gluten-Free Monster Cookies, and Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins! And if you're new to gluten-free, check out our post on starting a gluten-free diet.
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Why I love this recipe:
- It's bursting with sweet blueberry flavor and balanced by the zesty lemon glaze!
- They have a super soft and juicy inside and crisp outside.
- When it comes to scones, fresh homemade blueberry scones are so much better than store-bought.
- While there are quite a few steps to gluten-free scone making, this recipe is broken down into many quick and easy-to-follow steps.
- No one knows these are gluten-free and dairy-free!
- Scones are the best sweet baked good in my opinion, and this recipe is mouthwatering.
Ingredients and Substitutions for Blueberry Lemon Scones
Only 10 ingredients are needed to make these irresistible gluten-free scones from scratch. I’ve also included alternatives and suggestions to make this a vegan and dairy-free scone recipe, too.
Wet Ingredients
- Coconut milk - You can substitute this for any plant-based milk, cow’s milk, or half and half.
- Vanilla extract
- Egg - Make sure the egg is cold.
- Butter sticks - I use vegan buttery sticks for dairy-free scones but you can use regular butter here as well.
Dry Ingredients
- All-purpose gluten-free flour - I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour and Pamela's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour. Any 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend s.
- Granulated sugar - I prefer using coconut sugar, but this recipe will also work well with regular white cane sugar.
- Salt
- Baking powder - Clabber Girl and Rumford brands are gluten-free.
- Blueberries - fresh or frozen are both great in this recipe! Frozen blueberries will dye your scone dough blue and have a softer, sweeter bite while fresh blueberries have a bright pop of juicy blueberry.
Glaze
- Powdered sugar - - For anyone who is sensitive to corn, Wholesome has a corn-free powdered sugar that I use and love.
- Lemon - zest and juice
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones
This easy gluten-free scones recipe has a few more steps than most of my baking recipes, but don’t worry, I am going to walk you through each step to get the best results. Go ahead and pull out your wet and dry ingredients to get this recipe started. This recipe is 100% worth the extra effort for fresh home-baked scones!
Prep: Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicone liner, or grease.
Wet Ingredients: In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the coconut milk, vanilla extract, and egg. Set aside.
Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Add the Butter: Chop the cold butter into chunks and use a pastry cutter or your hands to incorporate into the dough until butter is well distributed and the pieces are no larger than a blueberry.
Add the Blueberries: Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to gently fold the blueberries into the scone dough.
Combine wet and dry mixes: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix with the spatula or spoon until just mixed but uniform in texture throughout. It may seem a bit dry and crumbly but that's ok for this recipe!
Form a Disc: Dump the dough onto the lined baking sheet and use your hands dusted with flour to form a ball. Press the dough into a disc, about 7-8 inches in diameter. It may still be crumbly and that’s okay.
Prep for Baking: Cut the disk into 8 equal sections with a sharp knife and brush the tops with milk.
Bake: Bake for 22 minutes, remove from the oven and use a greased knife to gently separate each scone wedge to crisp up the inside. Return to the oven for another 6-8 minutes or until the scones are set and lightly golden brown on the outside.
Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Thin with additional lemon juice if needed.
Cool: Remove from the oven and place scones on a cooking rack. Once cooled, drizzle on the lemon glaze and fresh grated lemon zest.
If you use frozen blueberries, keep them in the freezer until ready to toss in the dough. They should not be thawed beforehand.
Hint: Making these gluten-free blueberry lemon scones is easier when you use a silicone liner on a baking sheet. Plus, it makes for much easier clean-up!
Variations
Making scones gluten-free is already a great way to enjoy your favorite recipes on a restricted diet, but I also love how versatile this recipe is. Wonderful recipes are absolutely possible with gluten-free baking!
- Strawberry Lime - Switch the blueberries and lemon for strawberries and lime.
- Blueberry Walnut - Add a cup of walnuts to the mix when you fold in the blueberries. The dough will be a little crumblier but because we bake these in a disc first, this isn't an issue and will bake up just the same.
- Mini Blueberry Lemon Scones - Split the dough into two discs and cut into 16 mini scones, 8 triangles per disc. Lower the baking time by a few minutes.
- All the berries, please. Add a trifecta of berries to scones for an absolutely delightful sweet biscuit that's perfect for breakfast like these Triple Berry Scones.
See this Vegan Blueberry Lemon Muffins on my website if you love the combination of sweet and zesty fruit flavors.
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- whisk
- wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- pastry cutter (or use your hands like I did)
- baking sheet
- parchment paper or silicone mat
- sharp knife
- wire cooling rack
How to store scones
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or covered at room temperature no longer than 12 hours after baking.
Freeze scones for up to 4 months in a freezer-safe airtight container.
Chef's Tips
Use cold ingredients.
Using cold butter, eggs, and blueberries (if frozen) is what gives this scone recipe its tender, flaky texture. The cold butter will melt slowly in the dough while baking and create little steam bubbles that soak into the sweet biscuit.
Don’t skip the milk before baking.
Brushing on the coconut milk, or whichever milk you choose to use, is an important step to give you that classic scone crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coconut oil is an excellent substitute for butter in scones. Measure and chill coconut oil in the refrigerator before using so it has a similar texture to butter or vegan butter when mixing it into the dough.
For a good rise, preheat the oven before baking your scones and start the baking process with the scones very close to each other (touching or almost touching). Then for crisp edges, you will nudge them apart near the end of the baking process.
Using plenty of cold butter, starting the baking process with the scones touching, and the right ratio of ingredients are the secrets to making good scones!
Milk or plant-based milk can be used in place of heavy cream or coconut milk in scones. The end result will have a similar texture but with less richness.
Scones that are too hard are usually the result of overworking the dough. Before shaping the dough, it should seem a bit dry and crumbly with blueberry and pea-sized pieces of butter.
More Gluten-Free Baking Recipes
- Irish Soda Bread
- Streusel Blueberry Muffins
- Strawberry Chocolate Muffins
- Apple Coffee Cake
- Mango Breakfast Muffins
Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones
Fall in love with these tender and buttery gluten-free blueberry scones with a zesty lemon glaze! Enjoy them for breakfast, with a cup of hot tea, or as a dessert.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
- Category: Baking, Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American, British-inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (120 ml) coconut milk, other plant-based milk, cow's milk, or half and half
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (285 grams) all purpose gluten-free flour
- ½ cup (70 grams) granulated sugar (I used coconut sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
Mix-Ins
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cold butter (9 tablespoons or 125 grams, I used vegan buttery sticks)
- 1 ¼ cup (about 180 grams) fresh or frozen blueberries
Glaze
- ¾ cup (90 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper, or grease generously.
- Wet Ingredients: In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the coconut milk, vanilla extract and egg. Set aside.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Add the Butter: Chop the butter into medium-sized pieces and work it into the dough with a pastry cutter or your hands. When finished, the pieces of butter should be blueberry sized or smaller and it should be well distributed into the dough.
- Add the Blueberries: Add the blueberries to the dough and mix in gently with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
- Combine Wet and Dry ingredients: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix with the spatula or spoon until just mixed but uniform in texture throughout. It may seem a bit dry and crumbly but that's ok for this recipe!
- Form a Disc: Flour both sides of your hands generously and form a large ball of dough in the center of your baking sheet. Use your hands to compact the dough in a ball before pressing it into a disk about 7-8 inches in diameter. It may still be quite crumbly but as long as it is roughly sticking together, that's just perfect! Be careful not to squish the berries.
- Prep for Baking: Cut the disk into 8 equal sections with a sharp knife. Then use a brush or your fingers to lightly coat the pieces with milk.
- Bake: Bake for 22 minutes. Then remove the scones from the oven and use a greased knife or thin spatula to separate the wedges from each other just a little bit, so they can bake and get crisp. Return to the oven for another 6-8 minutes or until the scones are set and lightly golden brown on the outside.
- Glaze: Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to to the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Add more juice in small increments as desired to thin.
- Cool: Cool on a cooling rack before glazing and topping with fresh grated lemon zest for decoration. Or if you can't wait, allow them 10 minutes to cool and drizzle on some glaze and zest right before eating!
Notes
If using frozen blueberries, keep them cold until the last minute. Do not thaw ahead of time.
See the step-by-step photos in the blog post for more guidance.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days after cooled. Leave out at room temperature for no longer than 12 hours after baking. They can also be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Keywords: gluten free scones, gluten free blueberry desserts, dairy free scones, lemon blueberry scones
Alma
I love the sweet and tangy lemon blueberry combination! We’ll be making these again.
★★★★★
Jamie
Thank you for the review Alma!