Whole-grain oat flour rhubarb scones are naturally gluten-free, brightened with a bit of orange zest and studded with jammy pockets of chopped rhubarb.
I love slipping whole-grain flours into my bakes, particularly in rustic, fruit-forward recipes. Oat flour performs especially well in these rhubarb scones, adding a hint of natural sweetness and creating a soft texture that's balanced by tart pockets of rhubarb.
You could top your scones with lemon glaze or maple glaze, although they're terrific plain. Or, dress them up by serving them with a dollop of lemon curd or honey lemon curd, strawberry honey jam, or strawberry and rhubarb jam and butter.
For variations on a theme, try my tried-and-tested gluten free rhubarb scones or whole wheat rhubarb scones.
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Ingredients Needed
Here's a look at what goes into these oat flour scones. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Oat flour - Learn how to make oat flour in your kitchen or pick up a package (certified gluten-free if necessary; oats are naturally gluten-free but can be processed in factories that also process gluten). If you don't eat oats, substitute sorghum flour or brown rice flour.
- Granulated sugar - Swap light or dark brown sugar for a different flavor note.
- Salt - Use fine sea salt or table salt.
- Baking powder
- Butter - Use very cold, unsalted butter.
- Orange zest - Or swap lemon zest, which is also nice.
- Rhubarb - Use fresh rhubarb in season, either chopped or diced, or frozen rhubarb.
- Eggs - Use large eggs.
- Milk - I like whole milk in the dough and brush a little on top of the scone dough before baking, too. For a richer scone, use heavy cream.
Variation Ideas
- Add strawberries - Turn these into strawberry rhubarb scones by adding ½ cup chopped strawberries along with the rhubarb.
- Other fruit - Raspberries, blueberries, or chopped peaches or nectarines are all nice complements to rhubarb.
- Try honey - Use honey to sweeten the dough instead of sugar in a 1:1 substitute.
- Lemon zest - Swap the orange zest for lemon zest.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's an overview in photos of how to make oat flour rhubarb scones:
1. Make dough: Whisk dry ingredients together, then rub in the butter. Add the zest and rhubarb.
2. Add wet ingredients: Mix in the eggs and milk to form a dough.
3. Form scones: Pat out the dough and cut it, then chill in the freezer before baking.
4. Bake: Place in a 400°F oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Baking Tip: What Size for the Scones?
For the photos in this post, I baked the rhubarb scones in a larger size. However, I also like to bake smaller scones! Here's how: Scrape the dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and divide it in half. Round each half into a 6" circle and pat out to be about ¾" thick. Slice each circle into 6 wedges. You can see more details on how to do this in my oat flour scones post.
Tips & Recipe Notes
- Keep the butter very cold. Use butter straight from the fridge, or even better, the freezer. The colder the butter, the more tender and flaky the scones.
- Refrigerate the dough. This gluten-free batter will be quite wet after you add the egg and milk. Place the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes or longer; this will make it a lot easier to work with.
- Make-ahead instructions. After placing the scones in the freezer, transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Then, bake directly from frozen.
- Refined sugar-free. Use coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup instead of granulated sugar.
- Dairy-free or vegan. Substitute very cold coconut oil or your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter and use non-dairy milk. I have not tried making a vegan version of this recipe, but I think using 2 flax eggs would work well. Let me know!
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Counter - Scones will keep in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge - Place the scones in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To Rewarm - Place the scones on a baking sheet and heat them in a preheated 300°F oven until warm. Or, toast them for a few minutes in a toaster oven.
More Gluten Free Rhubarb Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this oat flour rhubarb scones recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Recipe
Oat Flour Rhubarb Scones
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cups oat flour (330 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter ,cold
- 1 orange , zested
- 1 ½ cups chopped rhubarb , cut into ¼-inch pieces or smaller
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 ⅔ cups oat flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, and 1 tablespoon baking powder.
- Work in the 8 tablespoons unsalted butter just until the mixture is very crumbly. Stir in the 1 orange zest and the 1 ½ cups chopped rhubarb.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 large eggs and ½ cup whole milk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir together to combine and form a dough.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle it with flour. Pat the dough out into a circle about ½-inch thick. Brush with a little milk if you like, and sprinkle with sugar, or leave plain.
- Brush each circle with cream, and sprinkle with sugar if you like. Cut the dough into 8 wedges and carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit.
- Place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Bake the scones in the upper part of your oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they're a light golden brown. When you pull one away from the others, it should look baked all the way through.
- Remove the scones from the oven, and cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm.
Notes
- Keep the butter very cold. Use butter straight from the fridge, or even better, the freezer. The colder the butter, the more tender and flaky the scones.
- Refrigerate the dough. This gluten-free batter will be quite wet after you add the egg and milk. Place the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes or longer; this will make it a lot easier to work with.
- Make-ahead instructions. After placing the scones in the freezer, transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Then, bake directly from frozen.
- Refined sugar-free. Use coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup instead of granulated sugar.
- Dairy-free or vegan. Substitute very cold coconut oil or your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter and use non-dairy milk. I have not tried making a vegan version of this recipe, but I think using 2 flax eggs would work well. Let me know!
- Make smaller scones: Scrape the dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and divide it in half. Round each half into a 6" circle and pat out to be about ¾" thick. Slice each circle into 6 wedges. You can see more details on how to do this in my oat flour scones post.
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