If you love gingerbread flavor, wait until you try these incredible Gluten-Free Gingerbread Scones. They are big, flaky, and topped with a sweet vanilla icing that brings together the ginger, cloves, and other flavors. They are so easy to make!
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I am a scone fan year-round, but the holidays hold a special place in my heart. This means creating the very best holiday scone flavors. Scones are traditionally enjoyed at teatime with coffee or breakfast. I created this gingerbread base scone recipe without refined sugar, and you can enjoy them plain or with the vanilla glaze.
If you are new to making scones, check out my Gluten-Free Scones Guide for more tips and 20+ recipes.
If you love holiday flavors, these Gluten Free Eggnog Scones are also delicious! I have a lot of incredible gluten free gingerbread recipes to enjoy over the holidays!
A Note From My Kitchen
I tested this recipe with two flour blends, as I do with all of my gluten-free scone recipes. These scones are full of holiday flavors, and you can add more ground ginger, cloves, and cinnamon if you would like the flavor to be more pronounced.
I also tested a dairy-free version for you. It took a couple of tries, but using dairy-free milk and butter will work well. It is really important to keep the dairy-free butter really cold. I prefer partially freezing it for 15 minutes, so when it is chopped and blended into the dry ingredients, it is cold enough to make the steam pockets during baking.
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 King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend. Other blends should work, but some blends are starchier than others. You may need to adjust the liquid-to-flour ratio.
- Xanthan Gum – If your blend does not contain a binder xanthan gum or guar gum, add one teaspoon.
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free to avoid any metallic aftertaste.
- Molasses – Use either regular or blackstrap molasses.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter.
- Maple Syrup – I use natural maple syrup. You can look at the list of gluten free maple syrup brands here.
- Eggs – Use large.
- Ground Spices – Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Most should be gluten free, but McCormick and Penzey’s are brands that label gluten free.
How to Make Gluten-Free Gingerbread Scones (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Add the dry ingredients to a large
Step 2: Add the cold unsalted butter chunks and use a pastry cutter to cut in the cold butter. Your final mixture should look like it is full of crumbs.
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Step 3: In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients. Whisk to blend.
👀 Sandi Says: If the molasses appears very thick when pouring from the bottle, you can warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
Step 5: This is what your gluten free gingerbread scone dough should look like. Optional: Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 6: Place your dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Shape it into a circle and press it down. I make mine 1 1/2 inches thick, but it is a personal preference.
Use a sharp knife to score the dough about 1/4 of the way through. Do not cut through the dough.
Step 7: Bake at 350º F for 25-30 minutes. Actual baking time will vary depending on the thickness of your scones.
Step 8: Remove the scones from the oven and place them onto a cooling rack.
Step 9: Mix up the icing. Ice the scones once fully cooled.
Tips For Success
1. Measure your gluten free flour carefully. Fill your measuring cup, then level it with a knife or spoon the flour into the cup. Don’t pack it!
2. I used maple syrup to sweeten these scones. You can also use coconut sugar or brown sugar.
3. Score the scone dough so you can easily cut out the scones when they are baked and fully cooled.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Store these scones in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can easily freeze these scones with or without the icing. If you freeze them with the icing, refrigerate them for 30 minutes to harden the icing before placing them in a freezer bag. These scones will keep fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer.
You can definitely cook these in a scone pan. Some scone pans are larger than others, so this can affect the time needed to bake.
You may also love these Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookie Bars or these Gluten-Free Gingerbread Biscotti are also popular during the holidays.
More Gluten-Free Scone Recipes:
Try all of my delicious Gluten-Free Scones Recipes.
- Gluten Free Cranberry Scones
- Easy Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones
- Gluten Free Chocolate Scones
- Gluten Free Blueberry Scones
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Gingerbread Scones
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder aluminum-free
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 egg size large
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or use brown sugar
- ⅓ cup molasses
- ½ cup milk or non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk or water use more if you don't want the icing thick
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F and set the oven rack to the middle of the oven.
- In a large bowl, add the 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour blend, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Whisk to blend.
- Add the cold ½ cup unsalted butter chunks and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the 1 egg size large, ⅓ cup maple syrup, ⅓ cup molasses, ½ cup milk or non-dairy milknd ½ cup milk or non-dairy milk. Whisk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix into dough.
- Place the dough on parchment paper. Shape it in a circle and press to 1 1/2 inch thickness.
- Use a sharp knife to score the dough into 8 pieces. Don't cut all of the way through the scone dough.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. The baking time can vary depending on the thickness of your scones.
- Remove from the oven to a cooling rack.
- Mix the 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk or water in a small bowl. Don't ice the scones until they are cooled.
Notes
- I tested this recipe using King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour blend. Other blends will work but keep an eye on the moisture level. Some blends are starchier than others and may need more or less liquid.
- If your blend doesn’t xanthan or guar gum, add one teaspoon.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
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.
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!
Great recipe
I am so glad you loved these scones, Francesca. Thank you!
Hi there…made these and the flavour is delicious, though I wasn’t 100% certain if the dough consistency was right. Would you mind clarifying the form of butter? In the ingredients you list it as “room temperature”, however in the instructions you say to add the “cold butter chunks” and to cut it into the flour mix.
I guessed and went with the cold but wonder if it should have been different.
I recently improved the recipe and didn’t catch that room temperature note, thank you. You did the right thing using cold butter and cutting it in. What gluten free flour blend did you use? Some definitely need more flour added, depending on the starch content in the blend you use.
I made these this morning. I live in NZ so our flour blends are a little different. they taste really good, but are very crumbly. I used a blackstrap molasses, so the dough was quite wet/sticky before baking.Any thoughts on what can help the crumble factor? we still devoured them, just with a fork and spoon 🙂
Hi Marnie, You didn’t mention the texture or stickiness of your scone dough, so my best guess is you used a starchier flour blend. I would recommend adding 1-3 TBSP additional liquid next time, adding one at a time. Please keep me posted. What is the name of the flour blend you used in NZ?
These are delicious! This was the first time I ever made scones and they turned out wonderfully! I followed the recipe exactly and uses Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour. These will be a Christmas breakfast tradition every year.
I am thrilled you made this recipe and now love scones! I have tons of gluten free scones recipes on the blog. Let me know which you try next!
I followed recipe exactly using Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 flour and dough was horribly sticky and soft, even after 40 mitin the fridge. I think they needed more flour, but I followed the recipe.
Hi Terri, I have tested this blend. Can I ask how you measured your flour?