Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Scones | Olivia's Kitchen (2024)

These gluten-free lemon blueberry scones are fresh and zesty with the perfect scone texture. Crisp on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside, this recipe is perfect for a springtime brunch or snack, with just 15 minutes of hands-on work!

These Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Scones are the taste of spring! Packed with fresh blueberries and a whole lemon, these scones are zesty and fruity while providing the soft, tender texture you expect from a classic scone. What no one will guess is that they are gluten-free!

Delicious just as they are, these lemon blueberry scones are dressed up with a lemon glaze. They are also great when toasted or air fried lightly with some butter. Perfect to stash in the freezer for your next brunch or snack.

Use up some of your fresh spring fruit with these gluten-free lemon blueberry scones. Keep reading to learn how to make them!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Seasonal. Make the best of your spring produce by using fresh lemon and blueberries. And when out of season... frozen will work just as well!
• Quick to make.Just 15 minutes of hands-on time can prepare you delicious fruity scones.
• Bakery quality at home.No need to spend $7 a pop when you make them at home! Great ingredients and a little love make these delicious gluten-free scones.
• Freezes well for later.See below for storage and freezing instructions. These scones are great to keep on hand for brunch, snacks, or dessert.

What Makes the Perfect Scone?

• Cold ingredients. Most importantly the butter. Cold butter ensures that the butter only melts once the scones are in the oven, creating the deliciously flaky texture. If warm butter goes into the oven, it may leak out before the scones are even baked. I like to cut my butter into tiny cubes, then place the cubes back into the fridge (or even freezer on particularly warm days) until ready to use. Some people love to freeze their butter and grate it (then I would also store it in the fridge until ready to bake).
• Not overworking the dough. In relation to the point above, you don't want to knead the dough so much that the butter melts. In these gluten-free scones, at least we don't have to worry about overworking the gluten! 😉
• Eating fresh. Scones are best on the day they're baked, but can be refreshed afterwards with some tips in the How to Serve section.

Ingredients

Here is everything you'll need to make these gluten-free lemon blueberry scones:

For the Scones

Gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum:My favourite is the Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag). Any should work!

Lemon: This recipe leaves little waste by using the zest and juice of one whole lemon.

Cinnamon: I think a little bit of cinnamon pairs lovely with blueberries. Feel free to adjust the quantity up or down to your liking. It's a subtle taste but is so good.

Milk: Use as high fat milk as you can. I often use 2% lactose-free milk. Cashew or soy milk would be a good dairy-free substitution.

Cold butter: This is the key to fluffy scones! Keep the butter as cold as possible by cutting it into little cubes, then placing in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to blend it in. A solid dairy-free butter should work in this recipe.

Blueberries: Great to use fresh when they're in season! And when they're not... frozen should work just fine! See the below section on fresh vs. frozen blueberries.

Coarse sugar: I like to sprinkle the tops of the scones with some coarse or raw sugar just before baking. It gives them a wonderful crunch and shine.

For the Glaze

Feel free to omit the glaze if you prefer your scones a little less sweet.

Icing sugar

Lemon juice: Feel free to omit if you only have one fresh lemon, or use bottled lemon juice.

Milk: Gives the glaze some colour and stability so you can see it beautifully drizzled over the scones.

Vanilla extract: Gives the glaze a nice balanced flavour.

Substitutions

There are many ways to change up these scones depending on your mood. Here are some substitution suggestions:

• Gluten-free flour. Ensure that you use a gluten-free all-purpose blend that contains xanthan gum. Other than that, most brands should work the same. I typically use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag) or Robinhood gluten-free flour blend.
• Dairy-free. For dairy-free scones, use a solid dairy-free butter like a Becel block or Miyokos Creamery. Cashew or soy milk would work in place of the milk.
• Change the shape.Shape dough into balls instead of slices for a more biscuit-style shape. Cooking time may vary depending on the size.
• Add more mix-ins. Raspberries, blackberries, white chocolate, or walnuts would be delicious additions to these scones. Just make sure to adjust the amount of blueberries so the total mix-ins are about 1 cup.
• Add an extract. If you want even more lemon flavour, add some lemon extract. Start with ½ tsp.

Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries

If I have the choice, I'll pick some nice juicy, in-season fresh blueberries for these scones. If I don't have that luxury though, frozen blueberries will work just as well! They just require a little extra care by noting the below tips.

1. Do not thaw the blueberries before stirring them into the batter.
2. Frozen blueberries will dye the batter slightly purple. Fresh blueberries will not do this.
3. Scones made with frozen blueberries will need to bake for about 2 minutes longer. Use a toothpick to poke near a blueberry to judge if the scones are done. If it comes out clean, they are done.

See the above image with frozen blueberries tested on the top, and fresh blueberry scones on the bottom row.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions for how to make gluten-free lemon blueberry scones.

(Prep) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

(1) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Zest the lemon into the dry ingredients.

(2) In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, vanilla extract, and juice of the whole lemon. Set aside.

(3) Place the cold butter cubes in the bowl of dry ingredients. Toss to coat them in flour, then use your hands or a pastry cutter to break apart the butter pieces and blend them into the flour. Keep cutting the butter into the flour until the pieces are small and the mixture looks like sand. Work quick to avoid the butter melting.

(4) Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula just until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries until evenly dispersed. The dough will be quite sticky. Add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if it is too sticky to handle.

(5) Flour a surface and turn the dough out of the bowl. Flour your hands and press the dough together into a circle about 8-inches wide and ½-¾" thick. Cut into 8 slices and transfer the scones to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press a few blueberries on top for presentation.

(6) Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. If the dough is feeling soft, chill the scones for 15-20 minutes until firm.

(7) Bake for 21-22 minutes, until firm with a light golden colour. Scones made with frozen blueberries may take 2 minutes longer. Allow the scones to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy warm or allow to cool before icing.

(8) Stir the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. Use a spoon to drizzle over the cooled scones while they are still on the wire rack. For easy clean up, place a piece of parchment or aluminum foil under the rack. The icing will dry in about 10 minutes. Scones are best enjoyed fresh!

How to Serve

There are so many ways to enjoy your homemade gluten-free scones. Here are some suggestions:

• Eat as a quick morning breakfast
• Pack as a to-go snack
• Serve at a spring brunch
• Enjoy with a warm cup of coffee
• Indulge as a fresh and zesty dessert!

Storage & Freezing

Storage Instructions: Scones are best enjoyed on the day that they're made. Leftover scones can be stored in an airtight container lined with paper towel for 1-2 more days.

Freezing Instructions: Baked scones freeze quite well. Ensure the scones are cooled, then place in a freezer safe container or bag with parchment paper between layers. Freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove scones from the container and place on a wire rack to thaw for 1-2 hours. Enjoy soon.

Reheating Instructions: To bring scones back to their freshly baked texture, place them in the air fryer at 350ºF for 5-7 minutes, or the oven at 400ºF for the same time. They will be nice and crisp on the outside while still soft in the middle.

Expert Tips

Here are some of my top tips and tricks for successful gluten-free scones:

• Keep the butter as cold as possible.Cold butter = flakey, fluffy scones = delicious snack with no mess. Warm butter may cause the scones to leak and not shape properly.
• Keep the other ingredients cold, too. Keeping your egg, milk, and even blueberries and flour in the fridge just until needed will all help to keep the dough cold.
• Try to eliminate lots of extra flour on the surface of the scones.Yes, you need some flour to knead and shape the dough, but too much and you will taste the flour on the final product.
• Let the scones cool before glazing. Otherwise it will just melt and run everywhere.
• Best served on the day they're made, or freeze.This will keep the scones in peak freshness and keep the glaze in good condition without condensation. See reheating instructions above!

Frequently Asked Questions

These gluten-free lemon blueberry scones are the ultimate spring treat! They are perfectly soft and tender while being packed with zesty fresh fruit. Look no further for your next springtime brunch, snack, or dessert recipe!

More Gluten-Free Scones:

• Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Scones
• Gluten-Free Cheddar Cheese Scones

Have you made these gluten-free lemon blueberry scones? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️review below, and tag me on instagram @fromoliviaskitchen!

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