Oat Flour Scones

The simplest, tenderest gluten free oat flour scones that are made just with oat flour. Use this recipe as your base for all sorts of add-ins, from fruit to chocolate to maple syrup and more.

Similar to my recipe for oat flour muffins, this oat flour scones recipe creates a reliable gluten free scone that you can adjust and adapt to suit anything your heart desires. No bland or dry scone here - gluten free oat flour and heavy cream plus plenty of butter combine to form a gorgeously tender scone without a lot of effort. I adapted this recipe from King Arthur Flour and it's a winner. Scroll down to see add-in ideas, scone-baking best practices, and more.

Why You'll Love Oat Flour Scones

If you've been missing scones since you went gluten free and aren't satisfied with using a commercial gluten free flour mix to adapt your favorite recipe to being gluten free, you will be so happy you found this oat flour scones recipe! I promise that these scones bake up beautifully moist and tender every time, so similar to a "regular" scone. I hope you love these as much as I do. Some high points include:

• So easy to customize - Use this oat flour scone recipe as your base and make any type of sweet or savory scone you love. Some of my favorite combinations include dried cherry and chocolate, lemon, almond and blueberry, and fresh peach!
• No crumbly or dry scones. One of the reasons I prefer not to use store-bought gluten free flour mixes is because they can bake up into dry or gritty baked goods. This is particularly noticeable in scones which by their nature are a bit on the dryer side anyway. When you use oat flour and properly hydrate your dough you will have the light and tender scones you crave!
• Simple ingredients. Take a look at the ingredients list below and you'll note that you won't need anything fancy, complicated, or expensive to make these scones. That's always a win in my book.

Ingredient Notes

This short ingredients list will have you baking scones in no time! You can find the full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.

• Oat flour - Naturally gluten free oat flour is the only flour you'll need for these scones. If you can't eat oats, try sorghum flour or brown rice flour.
• Granulated sugar - See my notes lower down on how much sugar to use. You can also sprinkle sugar over the tops of the scones before baking.
• Salt - A pinch of fine sea salt balances the sweetness of the scones.
• Baking powder - Make sure to check the expiration date on your carton of baking powder! If it's old, the scones won't rise well.
• Unsalted butter - Always use unsalted butter in baking recipes unless otherwise specified so that your finished product is not too salty.
• Eggs - I used large eggs in this recipe and I recommend using large eggs.
• Heavy cream - I love using heavy cream in gluten free scones because it gives that extra richness and moisture needed in gluten free baking. However, I have also made this recipe using whole milk, and the scones also turn out very well.
• Add-ins - See my ideas below for add ins and flavors!

How to Make Oat Flour Scones

Below, take a quick look at how to make easy oat flour scones.

• Make dry mix: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder plus any spices if using.
• Make wet mix: In a small bowl bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream.

• Add butter: Work in the butter just until the mixture is very crumbly.
• Combine: Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir together to combine and a dough forms. If using any add-ins, stir them in now.
• Prep dough: Line a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle it with oat flour. Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5" circle about ¾" thick.

• Add cream: Brush each circle with cream, and sprinkle with sugar if you like.
• Divide: Slice each circle into 6 wedges. Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them.
• Freeze: Place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Bake: Bake the scones in the upper part of your oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they're a light golden brown.

Gluten Free Scones Tips

These simple tips are applicable to any kind of scone you bake, with a few extra specific just to gluten free scones. I hope they help you when you make this recipe!

• Rest and chill the dough: For best the texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes. Like with all gluten free baking recipes, resting the batter is important so that the flour can hydrate. Placing the scones in the freezer before baking them also chills the fat, helping the scones to be flakier once baked.
• How to tell they're done: When you separate the scones they should look baked all the way through with no wet edges.
• Make them refined sugar-free: Use coconut sugar or maple sugar for the granulated sugar.
• Add brown sugar: Or, use light or dark brown sugar in place of the granulated sugar for a richer taste.
• Make them sweeter: One more note about sugar - these are lightly sweet scones. If you like your scones less sweet, use less sugar. Or, if you like them sweeter, feel free to add a bit more.
• Make them dairy-free: Swap very cold coconut oil or your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter. Switch the whole milk for non-dairy milk.
• Freeze: To make scones ahead of time and save them until you wish to bake them, place the scones after they've rested in the freezer in a in a zip-top plastic bag, then store them in the freezer for up to 1 month. You can bake them directly from the freezer, but may need a couple of extra minutes of baking time.

Add In Ideas

You can add in anything you like to oat flour scones - I added cherries and dried ginger to the batch used in these photographs - from nuts to spices to fruit and more. Some ideas include:

• Chocolate - I recommend using finely chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips in scones so that you don't end up with big clunky chunks of chocolate. Try semisweet, milk chocolate, or white chocolate!
• Dried fruit - Allll the dried fruits are great in oat flour scones. I especially love dried cherries and blueberries.
• Citrus zest - The zest of a lemon, lime, or orange is a wonderful way to add easy flavor to a batch of scones.
• Fresh fruit - Any fresh fruit you like is perfect in scones! Remember that if you use a more delicate fruit, such as raspberries, you'll want to very gently fold them in. A sturdier fruit like chopped apples or pears will hold up a bit better to kneading.
• Spices - Fresh ginger, dried ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves - all are lovely in oat flour scones.
• Vanilla - Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the wet ingredients, or add ½ teaspoon of almond extract.
• Maple syrup - Add maple syrup instead of the sugar to the dough to make maple-flavored scones, or brush 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup over the tops of the scones before baking.
• Nuts - Ooh, I love crunchy nuts in scones! Chopped walnuts are my favorites, but sliced almonds are also nice, as well as shelled pistachios and pecans.

Serving Suggestions

Scones are, in my opinion, the absolute best when served warm. I love to split them in half and spread a little bit of softened salted or unsalted butter over each. Jam is also lovely, and a little whipped cream can make scones into more of a dessert.

Proper Storage

Scones keep well, and they're great to freeze after baking to save for another time. Here's how to do it:

• Counter - Wrap cooled scones in plastic or place them in an airtight container and store on the counter at room temperature for up to several days.
• Freezer - Place the baked scones in a freezer-safe, sealable bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat them from frozen, which will take longer, or thaw them in the fridge before reheating.
• To Reheat - Place the scones on a baking sheet, tent lightly with foil, and warm in a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.

More Gluten Free Scones Recipes

• Gluten Free Rhubarb Scones
• Gluten Free Cranberry Scones
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones

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Oat Flour Scones

Nicole Spiridakis

The simplest, tenderest gluten free oat flour scones that are made just with oat flour. Use this recipe as your base for all sorts of add-ins, from fruit, to chocolate, to maple syrup.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Resting time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine British

Servings 12 scones

Calories 216 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 ¾ cups oat flour (330 grams)
• ▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ ½-⅔ cup heavy cream, or whole milk
• ▢ Add-ins: 1-2 cups chopped dried fruit, fresh fruit, chocolate, nuts, or dried spices

Instructions

 

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
• Work in the butter just until the mixture is very crumbly. If using any add-ins, stir them in now.
• In a small bowl bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir together to combine and a dough forms.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle it with oat flour.
• Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5" circle (if you haven't incorporated any add-ins); or a 6" circle (if you've added fruit, nuts, etc.). The circles should be about ¾" thick. Slice each circle into 6 wedges.
• Brush each circle with cream, and sprinkle with sugar if you like.
• Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about ½" space between them at their outer edges.
• Place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 425°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

recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

Add In Ideas

• Chocolate - I recommend using finely chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips in scones so that you don't end up with big clunky chunks of chocolate. Try semisweet, milk chocolate, or white chocolate!
• Dried fruit - Allll the dried fruits are great in oat flour scones. I especially love dried cherries and blueberries.
• Citrus zest - The zest of a lemon, lime, or orange is a wonderful way to add easy flavor to a batch of scones.
• Fresh fruit - Any fresh fruit you like is perfect in scones! Remember that if you use a more delicate fruit, such as raspberries, you'll want to very gently fold them in. A sturdier fruit like chopped apples or pears will hold up a bit better to kneading.
• Spices - Fresh ginger, dried ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves - all are lovely in oat flour scones.
• Vanilla - Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the wet ingredients, or add ½ teaspoon of almond extract.
• Maple syrup - Add maple syrup instead of the sugar to the dough to make maple-flavored scones, or brush 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup over the tops of the scones before baking.
• Nuts - Ooh, I love crunchy nuts in scones! Chopped walnuts are my favorites, but sliced almonds are also nice, as well as shelled pistachios and pecans.

Tips

• Rest and chill the dough: For best the texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes. Like with all gluten free baking recipes, resting the batter is important so that the flour can hydrate. Placing the scones in the freezer before baking them also chills the fat, helping the scones to be flakier once baked.
• How to tell they're done: When you separate the scones they should look baked all the way through with no wet edges.
• Make them refined sugar-free: Use coconut sugar or maple sugar for the granulated sugar.
• Add brown sugar: Or, use light or dark brown sugar in place of the granulated sugar for a richer taste.
• Make them sweeter: One more note about sugar - these are lightly sweet scones. If you like your scones less sweet, use less sugar. Or, if you like them sweeter, feel free to add a bit more.
• Make them dairy-free: Swap very cold coconut oil or your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter. Switch the whole milk for non-dairy milk.
• Freeze: To make scones ahead of time and save them until you wish to bake them, place the scones after they've rested in the freezer in a in a zip-top plastic bag, then store them in the freezer for up to 1 month. You can bake them directly from the freezer, but may need a couple of extra minutes of baking time.

Nutrition

Calories: 216kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 5gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 215mgPotassium: 123mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 293IUCalcium: 93mgIron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is an estimate (I'm not a nutritionist and can't guarantee accuracy!). Even when not specified, be sure to check that all the ingredients you use are gluten free if you need them to be by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer.

Did you make this recipe?Let me know in the comments how it went!