If you are craving a bakery-style treat you can make at home, these gluten-free blueberry scones are just the thing. They are tender and buttery, with golden crispy edges and juicy pops of blueberry in every bite. The dough comes together quickly, and the scones bake up soft and flaky with golden edges; no one will guess they are gluten-free.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: These homemade gluten-free blueberry scones have a soft, buttery texture with golden, crisp edges. They are easy to make with pantry staples and ready in 35 minutes. Scones are great with tea or coffee, and are freezer-friendly.
These scones are one of my most-loved recipes on the blog for a reason! The texture is light and flaky, they are bursting with blueberries, and they freeze beautifully. Whether you prefer a traditional wedge shape or easy drop scones, this recipe works every time, plus it has built-in tips to help gluten-free bakers succeed.
I am a total sucker for a flaky, delicious scone. If you are new to making scones, check out my Gluten-Free Scones Guide. It is full of scone recipes, baking tips, and more!
I based the dough on my favorite Gluten-Free Pecan, Date, and Coconut Scones. It was one of the earliest recipes I posted on my blog years ago, and it remains one of my favorite scone recipes.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I have not tested other flours, and I can not guarantee the recipe will work if you use other mixes.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon.
- Sugar – Sugar adds sweetness and helps the scones get a little golden.
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Eggs – Use large eggs.
- Butter – Use very cold, unsalted butter. Use dairy-free butter sticks for a plant-based option. The butter is what helps make those flaky layers!
- Blueberries – Fresh or frozen, both work well. If using frozen, thaw and pat dry first, then toss in a tablespoon of flour to help prevent bleeding into the dough.
A Note From My Kitchen
Gluten-free scone dough can feel a bit tricky at first. If your dough feels sticky, that is normal! Different gluten-free flour blends absorb moisture at different rates, so you may need to adjust by adding a tablespoon of extra flour or milk. The dough should hold together but still feel soft; do not overmix, or the butter pockets will melt, making the scones dense. If you are nervous, try the drop scone method first. It’s the easiest and most forgiving.
How to Make Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk to blend.
Step 2: Chop the cold butter chunks into the flour. You can use a pastry blender, as shown above, or freeze the butter and grate it into the flour with a large cheese grater. The final mixture should resemble pebble-sized bits in the dry ingredients.
🔑 Sandi says: Chopping the cold butter into the flour is an important step when making scones and biscuits. When the tiny chunks of butter melt, they create the popular flaky layers.
Step 3: Whisk the wet ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the blueberries, and mix them into a soft dough.
Step 5: Gather the dough with your hands and put it onto a silicone mat. Dust the silicone mat or the top of the dough as needed.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. Soft dough means add more flour, and dry dough means add more liquid. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
Tips for Shaping Gluten-Free Scones:
You can shape your scones in three different ways.
- Press the dough to 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. Use a biscuit tool to cut out scones. Do not twist the biscuit cutter, or you will seal the edges, and your scones will not rise.
- Press the dough into a circle. Make cut lines halfway through the dough. After baking, cut along the lines while the scones are still warm.
- Make gluten-free drop scones. Drop the dough onto the baking sheet using an ice cream scoop or a large cookie scoop.
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Step 6: Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place the cutout scones on the baking sheet. They will not spread much, so place them 2-3 inches apart. I prefer to use parchment paper instead of baking spray because it keeps the bottoms from getting greasy.
Step 7: Bake the biscuits. They will look golden when they are finished baking.
Remove the scones from the oven and put them on a wire cooling rack. Note that the blueberries will be super hot, so be careful if you decide to eat one before they are cooled! You may also love these Gluten-Free Strawberries and Cream Scones.
Serve warm blueberry scones with a pat of butter, clotted cream, a drizzle of honey, or a spoonful of lemon curd. They pair perfectly with coffee or a mug of Earl Grey tea.
Optional Toppings:
Want to dress them up? Try brushing the tops with cream and sprinkling with coarse turbinado sugar before baking. Once cooled, you can also drizzle with a simple lemon glaze for a sweet finish. (Mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.)
Storage and Reheating Tips:
- These gluten-free scones are best enjoyed the day they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Warm them in a 300°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes before serving to restore their texture.
- You can definitely freeze gluten free scones. Allow them to cool fully, then place them in a zippered bag. Squeeze out all the air, then seal and freeze.
- They also freeze well for up to 2 months.
Scones Troubleshooting:
- Is your dough too dry? Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk.
- Is your dough too sticky? Sprinkle in a little more flour.
- Scones are not flaky? Be sure your butter is cold and not overmixed.
- Blueberries turning the dough purple? Pat frozen berries dry and toss them in flour before mixing.
Frequently Asked Questions:
If your scones are dry, you either used too much gluten free flour or baked them too long. When evaluating your dough, my rule of thumb is: if it is too runny, add more flour; if it is too thick, add more liquid.
The secret to flaky scones is to cut very cold butter into tiny bits so that your flour mixture looks crumbly. These bits of butter bake the flaky layers into your biscuits.
If you use a 1:1 flour blend that already has a binder, you do not need to add any additional xanthan gum. If your blend doesn’t contain a binder, then you would want to add 3/4 teaspoon.
More Gluten Free Scone Recipes:
If you love scones as much as my family does, you will want to check out all of my popular gluten-free scone recipes on the blog.
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free blueberry 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!
The Best Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ¼ cup extra flour for working the dough
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup almond milk or soy milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large bowl, add 2 cups gluten free flour blend, 1/4 cup extra flour for working the dough, 1/2 cup cane sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon salt, whisk to blend.
- Cut the cold 1/2 cup unsalted butter into chunks and add them to the dry ingredients.
- Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour. Continue cutting until your butter is the size of little crumbs.
- In a medium bowl, add 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup almond milk, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix.
- Add 1/2 cup fresh blueberries and very gently fold them in. I use my hands so I can be very careful not to smoosh them.
- Lay a piece of wax paper on the counter. Dust it with some of the extra flour.
- Drop the dough onto the wax paper or silicone mat. Sprinkle more flour on top. Press to flatten a little.
- Place another piece of wax paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll the scones 1" to 1 1/2" thickness as desired.
- Use a biscuit cutter to cut out circles of dough.
- Place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes until done.
- Cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend in this recipe. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend does not contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. Frozen blueberries will add to the cook time. If you thaw the frozen blueberries, you want to drain as much liquid as possible from them.
- These scones will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
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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.
This recipe was updated from an old August 2019 post.
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!
I’m a newbie to making scones, as in, this was my very first try. Although I do bake a ton, especially GF. Anyway, this was a bit trickier to roll out the dough and cut. Next time I might try a few other tricks, perhaps cooling the dough first in the fridge? Not sure if that’s a good thing to do with scones. They taste very good, but mine look horrible. Still going to make lemon curd and serve, because I’m more about the taste than the presentation.
Hi Meri, what gluten free flour did you use? I state to add more flour until the dough is workable in the post directions. Did you measure and level the measuring cups? Knowing these things will help me understand why your dough was so wet.
Hi – I used King Arthur Measure for Measure. I did level the cups, but did not weigh them. It might be one of those situations I need to play around with to help get it right. Thanks for helping trouble shoot! So many food bloggers don’t answer questions; glad to see that you do:)
I always respond, and you can also email if you have questions. I would add more gf flour when you are working the scone dough next time. I have tested that flour blend and it should work really well. You can also make a circle and cut it into pie wedges if you don’t want to work the dough much.
Is lactose free or regular milk ok to use? Thanks.
Hi Cindy, you can use either in this recipe. Thank you, Sandi
Mine turned out really good. I used Namaste gluten free flour, replaced the sugar with monkfruit sugar replacement, used a combination of fresh blueberries and raspberries, added some lemon zest and substituted some lemon juice for some of the milk. They are really good. My mom who has Chron’s and is diabetic really loved them. I am a bit concerned about the glycemic index of gluten free flours, but as a rare treat, I think it is okay.
I am so glad you enjoyed the scones and that monkfruit sweetener worked in my recipe. Thank you for coming back to let me know Joy :-).
Can I use almond flour? They look so yummy. Waiting for your response. Thank you
Hi Joan, I haven’t tested just using almond flour. Almond flour doesn’t absorb as much liquid, nor does it hold together without other flours mixed in.
I make these often. Some in my freezer now. I made a blueberry preserve to drizzle on top
Great recipe and not difficult to make.
I am so glad you like the recipe Lea, I really appreciate your coming back to let me know.
Hi, just wondering what gluten free flour you used. PC flour has corn in it so nice try to avoid it. Gluten free all purpose flour us so different and can have such different outcomes.
Hi Brenda, I am not sure what PC flour is. I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend successfully in this recipe. The variation of different flours is in the ingredients. Gluten free baking is like a science experiment. Many flour blends are very starchy and need different amounts of liquid to work properly.
I haven’t had a scone in 6 years… Until today when thanks to your recipe I’ve had 4…
Excellent!!! Followed it exactly and they were perfection! Thank you so much as I have been craving scones for so long!
(I used PC brand GF flour and it worked very well.)
I am so glad you liked this recipe Janet, you made my day coming back to let me know 🙂
Can these be frozen after cooking?
Hi Ellie, I haven’t tried freezing them, but I don’t see why you can’t.
So if i left out the sugar and blueberries, would this recipe make a good GF biscuit? A reputable recipe for GF biscuits is hard to come by. Thank you!
That is great question. In theory, it should work. I will have to try it.
I think a little sugar will help their texture and you won’t really taste it in your biscuit., like a tablespoon or two. Keep them tender. Just a thought. I kinda want to make a batch up that way for with dinner.
Can you use milk instead of almond milk? Also do you need to use Xanthem gum?
Hi Katrina, you can use regular milk in this recipe. Enjoy 🙂
I made these today, and I was more than slightly nervous, as I have not made something gf from scratch yet. These turned out wonderful!! Thank you for such an amazing recipe!!
I am so glad you liked them Courtney!
Our blueberry season has started early. My daughter and I decided to make your blueberry scone recipe. My other daughter tried it and gave a thumbs up, The dough was pretty wet, but next time I know to work in additional GF flour. Thank you for this recipe! It’s taken me some courage to make GF from scratch. This is a keeper!
I am so glad you both loved the recipe. I am not sure which gluten free flour you used, but some need more flour in a recipe than others. It sounds like you know this and plan to add more flour next time.