The Best Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones (Dairy-Free)
Hi, everyone! I have to be honest. I feel a bit badly that I haven’t brought you all more dessert and pastry recipes. However, I hope to rectify that today by telling you all about these quick and easy gluten-free blueberry scones we just made. They are so much fun to make, and they satisfy any craving you might have for something slightly sweet to go alongside your morning coffee or tea.
These gluten-free blueberry scones turned out so well because we utilize a combination of dairy-free buttermilk and vegan butter or coconut oil to give them richness and that signature flakiness. We also add very minimal sugar since the combination of the blueberries and the lemon glaze will sweeten these up nicely already.
Ready to make them?
What’s the deal with GF flours?
Full disclosure: I used a gluten-free store-bought flour blend for this recipe since I’m not the most experienced baker. At some point in the near future, I plan to experiment with making my own blend as this allows you to tailor the weights of all the different flours to create the perfect texture for your baked goods. However, I’m pressed for time right now (as I’m sure we all are), so using a store-bought blend was just easier for this project.
I prefer to use King Arthur Flour’s Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour for sweets. This is for one very important reason. The other commonly available gluten-free blend is Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Flour. Bob’s is primarily made with chickpea flour, which can yield your baked goods a slightly beany flavor. This is fine for savory baked goods, but is a bit strange when juxtaposed with sweet baked goods. Trust me ;). Cup4Cup is another option, but is not available in grocery stores near me, so unfortunately I don’t have enough experience to give an educated opinion.
How to make dairy-free buttermilk.
Next, I absolutely love scones made with buttermilk. It makes them super fluffy, tender, and moist. However, this is obviously a hurdle when you are dairy-free. Fear not, though! I learned a really cool trick for making dairy-free “buttermilk” from several vegan recipes I’ve tried over the years. Just combine some sort of dairy-free milk (we used hemp milk for this recipe) with a squeeze of lemon juice, and it will essentially serve the same purpose as real buttermilk.
For the rest.
Finally, you’ll need to achieve that quintessential flakiness for your gluten-free blueberry scones! You’ll do this by cutting your dough with vegan butter or coconut oil. We tried batches with both, and both turned out well. I used Miyoko’s Vegan Butter for the batch in the photos. Cold coconut oil also works swimmingly, but it does give your scones a little bit of coconut aftertaste. Thus, they end up tasting less buttery and more coconut-y. Nothing wrong with that, but that all depends on your preferences.
Then, the rest is simple. Just knead your dough, form it into perfect little doughy triangles, bake, and get to the eating!
If you liked this recipe, don’t forget to rate it! Also, we’d love to see your results, so don’t forget to post them on social media and tag us (#savorharvest) so we can see all the great things you’re making! <3
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 2/3 tsp. xanthan gum *omit if your flour blend already has xanthan gum
- 1/2 cup frozen vegan butter, or solid coconut oil *chopped into small, finger tip-sized cubes
- 1/2 cup raw turbinado sugar
- 2 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tbsp. lemon zest *finely grated
- 3/4 cup hemp milk *or other dairy free milk
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 eggs *beaten
- 1.5 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 pinch sea salt
Optional Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 2 tbsp. hemp milk *or other dairy-free milk
- 1 tbsp. lemon zest *finely grated
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Line a metal baking sheet with parchment paper or, alternatively, coat evenly and lightly with cooking spray.
- Create your buttermilk by combining dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to use (make sure the mixture sits for at least three minutes).
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Add frozen, chopped butter or solid coconut oil to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Then, break butter into smaller pieces by pressing it through the tines of a fork. Be sure to work quickly for this step as the butter needs to remain solid in order to create the correct flakiness. Once the butter is totally cut into the dry ingredients, the mixture should resemble fine, sandy soil.
- Add in the wet ingredients and lemon zest and stir to thoroughly combine, but do not over mix. The dough will be very, very sticky.
- Flour a clean counter surface, or a large, smooth cutting board, flour your hands, and then turn out the dough on the floured surface.
- Using your hands, shape dough into a circle that is approximately 8 inches in diameter and 2-2.5 inches thick.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter, divide dough into 8 sections and arrange them on the parchment-lined baking sheet you prepared earlier.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until scones have puffed up and the tops have browned slightly.
For the optional lemon-vanilla glaze:
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. You can use a spoon to carefully drizzle the glaze over the surface of the scones, or you can also cut a small hole in the corner of a ziplock bag (for a makeshift icing bag) if you would like a more precise drizzle.