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Make light, tender and buttery gluten free scones with this easy master recipe. It’s endlessly customizable and delivers classic scones that are never dry or too crumbly.
This is the base recipe I use for nearly every scone variation on the blog. I’ve tested it for years to perfect the texture—crisp edges, soft centers, and just the right amount of sweetness.
Why you'll love these scones
Endlessly versatile – Start with a simple base and add any dry mix-ins you like, from chocolate chips to dried fruit.
Make-ahead friendly – Mix the dry ingredients, with or without butter, in advance and store in the fridge for fresh scones anytime.
Light and tender – Crisp edges, soft centers, and just the right amount of moist crumble.
Great any time of day – Sweet but not too sweet, they're perfect for breakfast, snack time, or alongside a cup of tea.
Recipe ingredients
To make these scones, you’ll need just a few basic ingredients—plus any dry mix-ins you’d like to add.
- Gluten free flour blend – Use a high-quality all purpose blend with superfine rice flour for the best texture.
- Xanthan gum – Even if your blend contains it, add a bit more for a taller, more stable rise.
- Leaveners & salt – Baking powder, baking soda, and salt work together to lift the dough, brown the tops, and balance the flavor.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness and keeps the crumb soft.
- Butter – Adds rich flavor and helps create crisp edges.
- Buttermilk – Moistens and binds the dough.
- Honey – Contributes moisture, sweetness, and a hint of depth.
How to make gluten free scones
Here’s a step-by-step guide to making the perfect batch of these pastries:
1. Make the dough
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Add cold, chopped butter, toss to coat, and flatten each piece into shards between your fingers.
Mix in your dry add-ins, like chocolate chips or dried fruit, if using.
Pour in the buttermilk and honey, and stir until a thick dough forms.
Shape it into a rough disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 15 minutes.
2. Shape the dough
Lightly flour the chilled dough and roll it into a rough rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.
Fold it in thirds like a letter, then again into a square.
Shape the dough into a round about 8 inches across using your hands and rolling pin.
3. Cut and chill
Slice the round into 8 equal triangles using a sharp knife or bench scraper.
Place the pieces on a lined baking sheet about an inch apart, and brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.
Freeze the shaped scones for about 15 minutes, or until firm.
4. Bake
Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for about 18 minutes, or until puffed, golden brown, and firm to the touch.
Let cool slightly before serving warm or at room temperature.
My Pro Tip
Expert tips for perfect scones
A few simple techniques make a big difference in how your gluten free scones turn out:
Keep the dough cold – Cold butter helps the scones puff and hold their shape. If the dough gets too warm, the butter melts too early and the scones won’t rise.
Fold for better texture – Folding the dough (a light lamination) helps create lift and structure. You’ll get taller scones with a more tender crumb.
Cut cleanly – Use a sharp knife or bench scraper for crisp edges that rise evenly. Avoid dragging or compressing the dough as you slice.
Ingredients and substitutions
Here’s how to adapt this recipe for dietary needs or if you're missing an ingredient.
Dairy free: Use a block-style vegan butter like Melt or Miyoko’s Creamery. Earth Balance sticks are too soft and melt too fast, so avoid them. For the buttermilk, use 1/2 cup plain nondairy yogurt or sour cream plus 1/2 cup unsweetened nondairy milk. Avoid anything with added flavor or grit, like oat milk. Check that your mix-ins are also dairy free.
Honey: Lyle’s Golden Syrup or light corn syrup both work well. Maple syrup adds too much moisture, but you might get away with using 2 tablespoons instead of 3.
Xanthan gum: This recipe uses a bit more xanthan gum for structure and rise. If your flour blend doesn’t include any, try using konjac powder (glucomannan) instead in equal measure.
Gluten Free Scones Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups (420 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes for recommendations), plus more for sprinkling
- 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum, if your blend already contains it, add only 3/4 teaspoon more (See Recipe Notes)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅜ cup (75 g) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, very cold
- 1 cup mix-ins, See Recipe Notes
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk, very cold
- 3 tablespoons (63 g) honey
- Cream, for brushing (optional)
- Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Add the cold, diced butter and toss to coat. Flatten each piece between your fingers to create thin shards.
- Stir in your mix-ins, if using. Pour the cold buttermilk and honey into the center and mix until a thick, stiff dough forms.
- If any dry spots remain, sprinkle in a bit of cold water just to moisten them.
- Press the dough into a rough disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 15 minutes (30 is better).
- Lightly flour a flat surface. Unwrap the dough, place it on the surface, and dust the top with more flour.
- Roll the dough into a rough rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Fold it in thirds like a letter, then again into a square.
- Shape the dough into a round about 8 inches across using your hands and a rolling pin.
- Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the round into 8 triangles.
- Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.
- Freeze the shaped scones on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes, or until firm.
- Bake for about 18 minutes, or until puffed, golden brown, and set in the center. Let cool briefly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Flavor variations
This master gluten free scone recipe is best with dried mix-ins or small add-ins like chocolate chips. For fresh or frozen berries, use my gluten free blueberry scones recipe instead.
Here are a few simple combinations to try:
Chocolate chip or chocolate berry – Use 1 cup of chocolate chips, or half chips and half dried berries like cranberries or cherries.
Lemon – Add 1 to 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest to the dry ingredients. Replace 2 to 3 tablespoons of buttermilk with fresh lemon juice. Optional: drizzle cooled scones with lemon glaze (powdered sugar + lemon juice).
Orange cranberry – Add 1 to 2 teaspoons orange zest to the dry mix and stir in dried sweetened cranberries. Replace some of the buttermilk with orange juice for more flavor.
Peanut butter chocolate – Use half peanut butter chips and half chocolate chips as mix-ins. You can also swap 1 tablespoon of the flour with powdered peanut butter for a stronger flavor.
Storage & make ahead tips
Store baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze them tightly wrapped for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, or warm in a 300°F toaster oven.
You can also freeze the raw, shaped scones. Bake them straight from frozen—just increase the oven temperature to 400°F for the first 5 minutes, then reduce to 375°F to finish baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not in this one. Fresh or frozen berries release too much moisture—use my gluten free blueberry scones recipe instead, which is designed just for that.
You may have added too much liquid or not enough flour. Be sure to measure your dry ingredients by weight—not volume—for accuracy.
That can happen if the dough was too warm, overhandled, or if you used wet mix-ins. Make sure the dough is cold and your mix-ins are dry and self-contained (like chocolate chips or dried fruit).
Yes! You can shape the dough and freeze the scones raw, then bake straight from frozen—just start at 400°F for the first 5 minutes, then reduce to 375°F to finish.
They may have been overbaked or had too much flour. Always measure your ingredients by weight and remove the scones from the oven as soon as they're golden and set.
I make these dairy free by substituting powdered coconut milk and vegan plant butter. Works brilliantly!
That’s so great to hear, Anne! I love that these vegan substitution ingredients have gotten so good in the last few years, and that they’re so much more widely available, too. Thank you so much for sharing that!
Can these be made with gingerbread flavors
I think that would require a different recipe, I’m afraid, Barbara, since gingerbread flavor calls for spices, which you could add, but also honey and molasses which would change the recipe too much. If you’d like to try just the spices, I’d recommend 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger. But you’ve definitely given me an idea for a recipe to develop!
Would powdered Goats milk work in this recipe?
I haven’t ever baked with powdered goat’s milk, but I suspect it would work, yes.
I used powdered Goats Milk and “Melt” dairy free margarine. I froze the Margarine, as it is very soft. I made Lemon Blueberry Scones and they were great. Thank you for your recipes. My family is always amazed when I make a new recipe from your collection.
So glad it all worked out, Kathy! That’s really useful to know about your substitutions, and especially how you handled the ingredients. Thank you for sharing that.
Is it correct that the dry buttermilk or milk are different measurements, but same number of grams? Does one weigh more?
Yes, Prasada. There is no error in the recipe. The weight varies by volume, which is part of why it’s so important to measure by weight, not volume.
Is there no dairy free option?
Please see the text of the post under the heading “Gluten free, dairy free scones”. This isn’t a dairy free recipe, so these are substitution suggestions, not an optional recipe.
Hi Nicole thanks for some great recipes. You’ve gotten me to weigh my ingredients and I think I’m a better baker for it. I haven’t tried your scones yet but plan on it. My husband had cinnamon scones (not GF) quite a while ago and still goes on about them as the best thing he’s ever had. If I were to use this recipe to make cinnamon scones how much cinnamon would you suggest?
Thanks for your reply.
Hi, Barb, good question! There isn’t a lot of sugar in these scones (only 2 tablespoons), and I always balance the amount of cinnamon to make cinnamon-sugar with the amount of sugar, or the cinnamon flavor is overpowering. I’d try adding between 1/2 and 3/4 of a teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry mix. Then, brush the tops of the prepared raw scone wedges lightly with melted and slightly cooled butter, and sprinkle the tops with more cinnamon sugar before you bake them. To make cinnamon-sugar, I usually use 1 full teaspoon ground cinnamon for each 3/4 cup (150 g) of granulated sugar. That’s a pretty spicy ratio, though. So when you’re making your cinnamon sugar for sprinkling, add cinnamon slowly, to taste. Hope that helps! I really should add that as a variation in the text of the post. And I’m so glad to hear you’re weighing your ingredients! It makes all the difference.
Hi, Nicole. Quick question re Better Batter. I noticed some comments that it has changed recently. I am almost out and was about to order more, as I love your recipes and it is what you typically recommend. Do you know if it has changed? Can I use the artisan blend that they say in interchangeable with the regular blend?
Thanks so much for all your great recipes! It has taken the “sting” out of going gluten-free!
Hi, Wendy, their “classic” blend is what they now call what used to be their only “all purpose” blend. That’s the only one I recommend. I don’t like their artisan blend at all, and it won’t work properly in my recipes. There is no such thing as a 1 for 1 replacement for wheat flour, and there’s also no such thing as a 1:1 replacement for rice flour-based all purpose gluten free flour blends, so I wish they wouldn’t claim that. It’s simply not true, and causes a lot of confusion!
I also have a substitution question and don’t dare ask it because I see where you refer people to the substitutions section.
Believe me, I’ve searched. I cannot locate it this section.
You don’t dare ask it, Gudrun? That seems rather dramatic! I go out of my way to answer these types of questions in the post, and since most people don’t read the post and just skip to the recipe, referring them back to the post is appropriate. If you’d like to ask your question here, I’m happy to try to help. Referencing the post is one way of helping when the question was already answered.
Ok, so I’ll ask. Somebody else already asked the same question and got no answer, so I was hesitant.
Is there a way to make this dairy free?
And for future reference, where is this “substitution section?”
The substitution section is the part of every post on the blog that says some form of “ingredients and substitutions.” There’s no cocoa powder in this recipe, and I discuss how to make these scones dairy free in that section of the post. The best place to start is always the text of the individual post, where you’ll find particular information tailored to that recipe.
I found the FAQs section. Maybe that’s what you mean by “substitution” section?
However, it does not address the dairy-free question.
Well, I finally found it! All that trouble and then I won’t be able to make the scones anyway because cocoa powder doesn’t work for me, either. Darn!
Back to the drawing board.
Thanks for your patience.
Can one substitute potatoe or tapioca starch for corn starch ?
Please see the Ingredients and substitutions section, Henri, for that information!
Hi, is there a dairy free replacement? I saw you replied to someone that the recipe calls for water and also you could use yogurt. Do you think I could use dairy free greek/plain yogurt instead of ilk powder?
Please see the Ingredients and substitutions section of the post for all of that information, Sophia!