Learn the secrets to making the best savory gluten free cheese scones that are always flaky and rise high to the heavens!
Pack in the most savory flavor with a very sharp cheddar cheese. Either way, these scones are way easier to make than you may think, and have so much flavor.
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How to make light and flaky gf cheese scones
First, keep everything very cold
To make your cheese scones light and flaky, you must keep all of your ingredients very cold. It's also important to handle the dough with your hands as little as possible, since that heats up the ingredients.
Pastry such as scones, biscuits, and pie crust has baking powder to help the pastry rise. But just using baking powder isn't enough to make your gf pastry rise.
Using cold dairy ingredients, such as butter, buttermilk, and cheese in this recipe, cold helps the pastry rise, too. The butter and cheese get folded into the dry ingredients and scattered throughout the pastry dough.
Then, the rolled-out pastry dough gets chilled in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before baking in a very hot oven. That way, when the cold butter hits the heat of the oven, it expands and helps the pastry rise.
Cut your pastry into shapes with sharp edges
To help your pastry rise high in the oven, like we do with our gluten free blueberry scones, cut the triangles out of the original rectangle of dough with a very sharp edge. I like to use a metal pastry cutter, which you can see me using in the video.
You can also use a sharp chef's knife to cut the shapes. Just be sure to press the knife down in one motion, rather than sawing back and forth.
You don't want to compress the dough at all, which will prevent the highest rise in the oven. And clean edges are never made by sawing a knife through the dough.
Can I add herbs and spices to my gf cheese scones?
Yes! Freeze-dried or dried herbs are great additions to these scones, and they won't affect the baking chemistry at all.
If you're looking for cheese biscuits with garlic and herbs, you can also try our Red Lobster-style gluten free cheese biscuits, too. I think of those biscuits as a dinner side, and these gf cheese scones as the perfect breakfast—but it's really your choice!
How to make gluten free vegan cheese scones
These scones are made with dairy in the forms of: milk powder, butter, buttermilk, cheese, and cream. You should be able to replace all of them with dairy-free alternatives, and make these gf scones vegan, too.
How to replace the milk powder
The gluten free pastry flour in this recipe is made by combining an all purpose gluten free flour (I really recommend using Better Batter here), milk powder, and cornstarch.
If you're using Cup4Cup gluten free flour, it's really already a gluten free pastry flour. You can just use 2 1/3 cups of that, as written in the recipe.
If you'd like to make my gluten free pastry flour recipe but make it dairy-free, simply use coconut milk powder in place of the dairy milk powder.
How to replace the butter
In place of butter in this gf cheese scones recipe, I recommend trying vegan butter. My favorite brands are Melt and Miyoko's Kitchen.
I do not recommend using Earth Balance buttery sticks. They have too much moisture and will not hold their shape to make flaky and light pastry.
How to replace the buttermilk
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, or you need to make this recipe dairy-free, you can make your own buttermilk substitute easily.
Replace the 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of buttermilk called for in this recipe with half milk (dairy or unsweetened nondairy) and half plain yogurt (dairy or nondairy), by volume. This is one time where volume measurements are necessary.
How to replace the cheese
There are many good dairy-free cheeses available these days. Try to avoid using pre-shredded cheese, dairy or nondairy, as it contains anti-caking agents that make it drier.
My favorite dairy alternative brand is Violife, which makes many different flavors of nondairy cheese. Daiya is also rather good.
No dairy-free cheese will melt as well as cow's milk cheese. But the best ones will provide the flavor you're seeking.
How to replace the cream
We brush the tops of the raw scones with cream here to help them brown in the oven. This step is truly optional, so you can just skip it if you're dairy-free.
You can also brush the tops with dairy-free cream or even a bit of dairy-free milk, as long as it has some fat in it. Melted dairy-free butter should also help them brown if you brush it on top.
Can I freeze these gluten free cheese scones?
Yes! These scones can be frozen raw and shaped, or after baking, once they're completely cool.
If you choose to freeze them raw, be sure to shape them completely first, and freeze them in a single layer without cream on top. Once they're frozen, pile them into a zip-top bag and bake them right from frozen.
To freeze them after baking, just be sure they've cooled all the way to room temperature. Defrost them briefly in the microwave, sprinkle with a bit of water, and refresh them in a 300°F toaster oven.
How to make gluten free cheese scones step by step
Gluten Free Cheese Scones
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Bench scraper or sharp knife
Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cups (326 g) gluten free pastry flour plus more for sprinkling (260 g (mock) Better Batter + 33 g cornstarch + 33 g milk powder)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter shredded and kept cold
- 6 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk chilled
- Cold water by the teaspoon as necessary
- Cream for brushing (optional)
- Coarse salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the gf pastry flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the shredded and chilled butter, and toss to coat the butter in the dry ingredients, breaking up any large clumps.
- Add the shredded cheese, and toss to coat the shreds in the dry ingredients. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- Add the cold buttermilk, and mix lightly to combine. The mixture should come together and everything should be just moistened in clumps.
- If there are very crumbly bits, still, after mixing, add cold water by the teaspoon right on the dry parts. Mix again, and repeat as necessary.
- Transfer the crumbly dough to a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. With clean, dry hands, lightly pat the dough into a rough square.
- Sprinkle the round lightly with a bit of gf pastry flour, and roll it out into a square about 8-inches in diameter and about 1/2-inch thick.
- Square the perimeter a bit by pressing the edge of a bench scraper or sharp knife up against the sides.
- Fold the dough over on itself like a business letter and reroll as necessary for it to hold together and appear smooth on top.
- Place the square dough into the freezer and chill until firm, about 10 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- Remove the dough from the freezer and, with a floured bench scraper or large, sharp knife, slice perpendicular lines through the center of the dough, creating 4 equal rectangles.
- In the same manner, slice each rectangle into 2 triangles. Place the triangles about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of each rectangle with a bit of optional cream, and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until the scones are puffed and firm to the touch, and brown on the edges (18 to 20 minutes).
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Allow the scones to set briefly before serving warm or at room temperature.
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
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