Gluten Free Scones (Plain or Fruit) (2024)

Nothing beats fresh, warm Gluten Free Scones when it comes to an afternoon tea. And whether you like plain scones or fruit scones, this gluten free bake is the ideal treat to serve up with cream and jam. Plus this is the easiest scone recipe ever!

Gluten free scones are a classic British bake, usually served up as part of a gluten free afternoon tea or a cream tea with clotted cream and jam.

Of course, being from North Devon I firmly believe it should be cream before jam – but I don’t mind if you serve up fruit scones or plain scones.

This easy gluten free scone recipe only uses a few ingredients and is perfect for beginners.

Try serving them up alongside other classic British bakes like my Gluten Free Victoria Sponge, Gluten Free Carrot Cake or Battenberg Cake.

And of course if you want a savoury version check out my Gluten Free Cheese Scones or my Chilli Cheese Scones too.

Why make this scone recipe?

Scones are a traditional British bake – similar to American biscuits – and something I think every baker should try.

They’re kind of like a cross between bread and cake – and just because you are on a gluten free diet doesn’t mean you should miss out!

• 100% gluten Free – Why miss out on the foods you love because you have coeliac disease? It’s easy to make scones gluten free.
• Just 7 ingredients – You don’t need any complicated ingredients to make these gluten free scones, just a few storecupboard basics.
• Perfect for beginners – Scones are such an easy bake, anyone can make them, even if you’re new to baking. They’re great for making with kids.
• Make ahead – These scones are simple to make ahead of time and you can freeze them if you want to prepare them in advance.
• Plain or Fruit – Scones are such a versatile bake. You can enjoy them plain with their slight hint of sweetness or add dried fruits like raisins and sultanas.
• Dairy Free Option – Check out my substitutions below to make gluten and dairy free scones everyone can enjoy.

This recipe is for plain scones with an option to turn them into fruit scones if you prefer. Or why not make a batch of both!?

Ingredients and Substitutions

There’s a full printable recipe card below, but to give you an idea how easy these are to make, I’ll share the ingredients here too.

To make this easy gluten free scones recipe you will need:

• Gluten Free Self-Raising Flour – any shop-bought gluten free flour blend which is self-raising will work here. If you don’t have self-raising flour, you can add 1 tsp of baking powder per 100g of gluten free plain flour or all purpose gluten free flour instead.
• Caster Sugar – Any US readers, you’ll want to use a baker’s or superfine sugar for this recipe. Not a lot of sugar is used but it gives the scones a very slight sweetness.
• Unsalted Butter – Make sure the butter is cold when adding it to the scone mix, otherwise you won’t be able to easily rub it into the flour. For a dairy free recipe you could use a hard, vegan margarine instead.
• Egg – I use egg in my scones, though I know some recipes don’t. I just find it helps with the texture and creates a softer scone.
• Milk – I add milk to the scone mixture as well as using it to brush the tops of my scones. For dairy free scones you can use dairy free milk like almond or soya milk.
• Baking Powder – Most baking powders nowadays are gluten free but always double check, as some still aren’t. Even with self-raising flour you need to add extra gluten free baking powder for a good rise.
• Xanthan Gum – You can omit this if you don’t want to use it, but you will find your scones will be a lot crumblier. It also makes the dough little easier to work with.
• Dried Fruit – If you’re making fruit scones, you will need raisins, sultanas or a mix of both to add to the scone mix. Currants would also work.

Variations

Want to try something a little bit different using this scone recipe as a base? Here are a few ideas you could try…

• Blueberry Scones – try adding a handful or two of blueberries to your mixture for fruity bursts throughout your blueberry scones.
• Chocolate Chips – Chocolate makes everything better in my eyes, so why not switch the dried fruit for chocolate to make chocolate chip scones?
• Lemon Scones – Add some lemon zest to the scone mixture for a subtle but delicious citrus taste. Orange zest would also work well.

How to make gluten free scones

The full method is in the recipe card below but I’ll detail the steps here for you along with a step-by-step video to guide you.

Watch how to make gluten free scones in my video tutorial:

First, rub the butter and dry ingredients together, a little like you would if making gluten free pastry or a gluten free crumble topping.

Then add the milk and egg, bringing the mixture together into a sticky dough.

Once you have your dough you can roll it out, cut your scones and bake them on a lined baking sheet – it’s really that simple.

To make fruit scones, add the dried fruit such as sultanas or raisins to the dough before rolling it out, ensuring the fruit is mixed through evenly.

Don’t forget to brush the tops with some extra milk for a lovely golden top too.

I’ve got lots of other top tips in the FAQs below so make sure you check them out if you’ve never made scones before.

How to serve gluten free scones

Because scones are so plain they are very adaptable and perfect for serving up at any occasion.

My favourite ways to serve these gluten free scones are:

• As a cream tea – Serve the scones warm with clotted cream and strawberry jam for a traditional cream tea.
• Honey cream tea – Switch the jam for honey for a delicious honey cream tea – the combination of honey and cream works so well.
• Simply buttered – Slather the warm scones with butter and let it melt into them for a simple and tasty treat.
• Afternoon tea spread – Plate up your scones with some other treats for an afternoon tea – my gluten free sausages rolls and gluten free marble cake work brilliantly for this.

If you have another way you love to eat your gluten free scones, please do share it in the comments at the bottom of this post.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about my gluten free scones to help with your baking.

This recipe is for plain or gluten free scones with fruit but you can also make my gluten free cheese scones if you prefer a savoury option.

This makes around 12 scones and they’re best eaten fresh. And in my eyes this really is the best gluten free scones recipe.

You can freeze them and freshen in the microwave though, so don’t worry if you’re the only gluten free person in the house!

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know bytagging me on my Instagramor using#theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.

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