These gluten-free cornmeal scones are flaky, golden, and loaded with savory fall flavor. Roasted delicata squash brings subtle sweetness and richness to these savory scones, while cornmeal adds rustic texture. My cornmeal scones with winter squash are the perfect side for your hearty soups, stews, or a fall brunch.
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❤️ Sandi’s Summary
1. Cornmeal adds rustic texture and a slightly sweet crunch to every bite.
2. Roasted delicata squash brings buttery softness and natural sweetness.
3. Serve with chili, soup, or shakshuka. These savory scones are made for dipping!
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(This recipe was updated from an old September 2014 post with more recipe details.)
If you are new to making scones, you will love this Gluten-Free Scones Guide. It is full of scone recipes, baking tips, and more! If you love the sweetness of winter squash, try these Paleo Chocolate Delicata Squash Brownies!
Ingredient Notes and Easy Swaps:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Cornmeal – I recommend using gluten-free cornmeal like Bob’s Red Mill. Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, but can often get cross-contaminated during manufacturing. Its coarse texture adds rustic crunch. You may also love these Gluten-Free Cornmeal Biscuits.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Authentic Foods Multiblend Flour Blend. Other flour blends will work, but you may need to tweak the wet and/or dry ingredients.
- Xanthan Gum – If your flour blend doesn’t have a binder like xanthan or guar gum, you will need to add 3/4 teaspoon.
- Baking Powder – I recommend using aluminum-free baking powder
- Butter – Use unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, omit the additional salt.
- Milk – I used whole milk. Use unsweetened dairy-free milk if you are dairy-free.
- Parmesan Cheese – This adds a ton of great flavor. VioLife makes a great dairy-free parmesan cheese that you can also use.
Substitutions
- Make them gum-free, using my DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend, which uses psyllium husk as a binder.
- Make them dairy-free, using plant-based butter and dairy-free milk.
If you are a scones fanatic like us, you will want to sink your teeth into all of my tasty gluten-free scones recipes!
A Note From My Kitchen
If you have visited my blog, you can’t miss all of the delicious gluten-free scone recipes. Although most are sweet, I do have a few savory scone recipes, such as these cornmeal scones. I tested these with pan fried delicata squash to add a touch of earthy sweetness to this recipe. Other winter squash like butternut or acorn squash will create a similar flavor.
Just a reminder that every flour blend has a different grain-to-starch ratio, which affects the moisture in your scones. If your dough seems dry, add more liquid. If your dough is wet and sticky, it needs more flour.
How to Make Gluten-Free Cornmeal Scones (Step-By-Step)
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Step 1: Peel, then roast, sauté, or microwave delicata squash until tender. Roasting enhances flavor best; just drizzle it with olive oil and bake until golden and caramelized. Let it cool before adding it to the dough.
Step 2: Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum (if using).
Step 3: Take your cold butter and use a pastry blender to cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients. The final mixture will look like it has a lot of crumbs.
Step 4: Whisk the wet ingredients together and pour them into the bowl.
Step 5: Mix the ingredients into a soft, workable gluten-free scone dough. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and press the dough into a round shape about 1 1/2 inches thick. Score the dough by cutting the raw dough 1/4 deep into wedges.
🔑 Sandi says: You can also use a biscuit cutter to cut out round scones, use a cast iron scone pan, or make drop biscuit-shaped scones!
Step 6: Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and press the dough into a round shape about 1 1/2 inches thick. Score the dough by cutting the raw dough 1/4 deep into wedges.
Step 7: Bake the gluten free cornmeal scones at 350º F for 25-30 minutes until done. The scones will look slightly golden on top.
Step 8: emove the scones from the oven. Move the scones to a cooling rack. I do this by sliding the parchment paper off the baking sheet right onto the cooling rack. Finish the wedge cuts with a sharp knife when the scones are fully cooled.
Tips For Success
1. Use very cold butter to get flaky layers. Don’t skip this! Cold butter gives you those flaky layers.
2. Cool the squash fully before adding it to the dough. Warm squash can melt your butter. Hot squash means dense scones.
3. Use aluminum-free baking powder to avoid any metallic aftertaste.
Frequently Asked Questions:
No. Corn flour is much finer and lacks the coarse texture cornmeal brings to these scones.
Yes! Butternut, acorn, or kabocha all work well. Avoid spaghetti squash because it’s too stringy.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They freeze well and can be stored in a single layer in a freezer-safe zipper bag.
Serve Cornmeal Scones With:
- This savory Gluten-Free Chicken Stew.
- Ground-Pork Chili is delicious for dipping!
- Garden Vegetable Shakshuka is another great meal to serve with savory scones.
- Gluten-Free Chili Mac Soup – These cornmeal scones are perfect scones with soup
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this recipe? Drop a comment below, and let me know how it turned out! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Rustic Gluten Free Cornmeal Scones with Winter Squash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced roasted delicata squash
- 1 ¼ cup gluten free cornmeal * see note
- ¾ cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder aluminum-free
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter * see note
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup milk or non-dairy milk
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese or vegan parmesan
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat.
- Peel and chop the delicata squash. Be sure to remove all of the seeds. Cook 1 cup diced roasted delicata squash until tender.
- Allow the cooked squash to fully cool. This is important because warm squash will melt the butter, leading to denser scones.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 1/4 cup gluten free cornmeal, 3/4 cup gluten free flour blend, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. (Also add 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum if your flour blend doesn't contain a binder. Whisk the dry ingredients to blend.
- Add the very cold 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. If you don't have a pastry blender, freeze the butter and use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture should look like it is full of small crumbs when you are finished.
- Add the squash and 1/2 cup milk or non-dairy milk to the flour and butter mixture.
- Mix well into a soft but workable scone dough.
- Put a piece of parchment paper down on a baking sheet.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, set it onto a sheet of parchment paper, and shape the dough into a 1 1/2 to 2-inch disc.
- Make 8 partial cuts about 1/4 deep into the scone dough, similar to a pizza. If dough sticks to the knife. Wipe the knife off to clean off any dough before making the next cut.
- Bake the cornmeal scones for 25-30 minutes until done. The actual baking time will vary depending on how thick your scones are.
- Move the scones to a cooling rack and serve when they have cooled. When cool, use the knife to cut down on the the cut lines all the way through.
Notes
- Make sure you use gluten free cornmeal to avoid cross-contamination of ingredients.
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Authentic Foods Multiblend. Other blends should work, but you may need to tweak things. My rule of thumb is if your batter or dough is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, use plant-based butter and milk.
- These scones will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Gluten-Free Related Reading
Gluten-free baking is like a science experiment. There are so many things you need to understand the different components of baking without gluten. My Gluten-Free Resources Section is here to help teach you the tools you need to know to become a confident gluten free baker.
My Best Gluten-Free Baking Tips For Better Baking!
Why Binders Are Important In Gluten-Free Baking
The Best Gluten Free Flour Blends – And how to use them!
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
can you swap and use a different squash, like pumpkin?
Hi Angela, yes you can. The squash will need to be a firm winter squash, but any would work well with the cornmeal and parmesan because of winter squashes natural sweetness. Good luck and let me know how it turns out 🙂