Lemon Blueberry Scones (Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free)
These gluten-free dairy-free lemon blueberry scones are bright in flavor and super soft and flakey in texture. The scones are perfectly sweet from the fresh blueberries and a thick naturally dairy-free lemon glaze. With the right ingredients, this recipe is straightforward and comes together rather quickly. These lemon blueberry scones are so good you can’t tell they’re gluten-free and dairy-free and they’ll quickly become a friend and family favorite. Enjoy these scones as a fun gluten-free breakfast, brunch, dessert, and more!
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Tips on how to make this gluten-free dairy-free lemon blueberry scone recipe:
- Use the flour blend listed in the recipe. To keep things simple, I typically use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (the blue bag) in all of my recipes. These scones have not been tested using other flours, so for best results I recommend sticking to what I use in the recipe (not sponsored). I buy a few bags at a time from Amazon since it’s the lowest price I’ve found.
- Use fresh blueberries. In a pinch, frozen blueberries technically work but the color will bleed into the dough creating a blue/purple-sh grey color. Additionally, expect to use much more flour when rolling and folding the dough. Frozen blueberries will create a wetter, stickier dough so use a generous amount of flour to prevent sticking.
- Let dough sit in freezer for 20-30 minutes before cutting into scones. This will chill the butter and allow the dough to hydrate. Essentially, chilling the butter allows for that delicious flakey texture and hydrating the dough helps prevent a gritty texture.
- Any dairy-free butter works. I typically recipe test using Trader Joe’s vegan butter, but I made these using Miyoko’s salted butter and oh my goodness they turned out amazing.
- Regular butter and regular milk also work if you’re not dairy-free. Make sure butter is salted and I recommend using a low-fat milk.
- If you’re dairy-free, use an unsweetened non-dairy milk. Luckily, there are so many options these days so any sort of nut, oat, or soy milk will work fine (just make sure it’s unflavored and unsweetened).
- Create lemon sugar by rubbing the lemon zest against the sugar granules. This will take a few minutes of rubbing but you want to end up with sugar that has the texture of damp sand and you want it to be ultra fragrant of lemon aroma.
- Save the zested lemons for the glaze. You will use the zest of 2 lemons for the sugar in the beginning of the recipe, juice of 1/2 lemon for wet ingredients in the scone dough and then the juice from the remaining 1 1/2 lemons for the glaze.
- Sanding sugar adds the perfect crunch. This is optional but adding sanding sugar to the top of the scones before they go into the oven will give the scones a beautiful sparkle and a crunchy top. I use this sanding sugar from Amazon, but any brand works just fine.
- The dairy-free lemon glaze should resemble the consistency of thick craft glue—smooth, pourable, but not runny. Start by adding all the lemon juice to a medium bowl. Then, vigorously stir the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. To avoid clumps, aim for the right thickness and keep stirring quickly; the motion and a thick consistency helps the powdered sugar break up any lumps on its own.
What you need to make gluten-free dairy-free lemon blueberry scones with dairy-free lemon glaze:
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Medium Bowl
- Fork
- Rubber Spatula
- Measuring Cups
- Tablespoon & Teaspoon Measurements
- Large Knife
- Kitchen Towel or paper towel
Ingredients
- 2 Cups 1:1 Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour
- ¾ Cup Dairy-Free Butter Cold
- ⅓ Cup Granulated White Sugar
- ⅓ Cup Plant Milk Unsweetened
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- Juice from 1 Lemon use one of the zested lemons
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- ½ Baking Soda
- ¼ Tsp Kosher Salt
- Zest from two lemons approximately 1-2 tbsp of zest, and make sure to save the orange for the glaze!
- 1 Cup Fresh Blueberries washed and dried (can with 1 cup frozen blueberries but scones will turn out blue/purple in color)
Topping (optional)
- 3 Tbsp Sanding Sugar
Dairy-Free Lemon Glaze
- 1½ Cups Powdered Sugar (may need ½-1 cup more depending on the amount of juice in the lemons)
- Juice from 1 Lemon Use the juice from one of the two zested lemons
- ⅛ Tsp Salt
How to make the best gluten-free dairy-free lemon blueberry scones:
Instructions:
Prepare the Dough
In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until the mixture is extremely fragrant and the texture of damp sand. Set aside.(save the lemons!)
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, plant milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice until fully combined. Set aside.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the lemon sugar in the large bowl. Whisk until everything is evenly combined.
Add the cold plant-based butter to the flour mixture.
Using your hands or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs, with pea-sized bits of butter throughout.
Gently toss the fresh blueberries (or frozen blueberries, if using) into the butter and flour mixture until evenly distributed.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Use a spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold the mixture just until it comes together, scraping the bottom to incorporate any dry bits.
Form the dough
Place a sheet of parchment paper on your counter or a large cutting board. Lightly flour the surface, then turn the dough out onto it (NOTE: If using frozen blueberries, dust an extra two tablespoons of flour onto the dough since the blueberries will release more moisture as they defrost).
Sprinkle a bit more flour on top and gently press the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Fold one-third of the dough over the center.
Then fold the other third over it, like folding a letter.
Form the folded dough into a circle, about 1.5–2 inches thick.
Wrap the dough in parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
After chilling, unwrap the dough and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into halves. Then into triangles, creating 6 wedges. Space the wedges about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle sanding sugar over the tops.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp of sanding sugar on the tops of each scone before baking.
Bake at 425º for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. In the meantime, prepare the cream cheese icing using the following steps.
Wipe knife with a warm, damp towel to remove excess dough and then cut into quarters.
Finally, cut the quarters in half, creating 8 wedges.
Space the wedges about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle sanding sugar over the tops.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp of sanding sugar on the tops of each scone before baking.
Time to bake!
Bake at 425º for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. In the meantime, prepare the lemon icing.
Dairy-Free Lemon Glaze
In a clean medium sized bowl, mix together juice from remaining lemons, powdered sugar, and salt. Mix until the powdered sugar is completely smooth. (NOTE: If the lemons didn’t have enough juice, simply add 1 teaspoon of water until the glaze reaches the consistently of thick craft glue).
Remove the scones from the oven and drizzle with the dairy-free lemon glaze while they’re still warm. Sprinkle with additional sanding sugar if desired. Enjoy!
Generously cover the scones in the dairy-free lemon glaze while still warm. Let icing set and enjoy!
Equipment
- Fork
- Kitchen Towel or paper towel
Ingredients
- 2 Cups 1:1 Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour
- ¾ Cup Dairy-Free Butter Cold
- ⅓ Cup Granulated White Sugar
- ⅓ Cup Plant Milk Unsweetened
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- Juice from 1 Lemon use one of the zested lemons
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- ½ Baking Soda
- ¼ Tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Zest zest from approximately 2 lemons, and make sure to save the lemon juice for the glaze!
- 1 Cup Fresh Blueberries washed and dried (can with 1 cup frozen blueberries but scones will turn out blue/purple in color)
Topping (optional)
- 3 Tbsp Sanding Sugar
Lemon Glaze
- 1½ Cups Powdered Sugar (may need ½-1 cup more depending on the amount of juice in the lemons)
- 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice Use the juice from one of the two zested lemons
- ⅛ Tsp Salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, plant milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice until fully combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until the mixture is extremely fragrant and the texture of damp sand.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the lemon sugar. Whisk until everything is evenly combined.
- Add the cold plant-based butter to the flour mixture. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs, with pea-sized bits of butter throughout.
- Gently toss the fresh blueberries (or frozen blueberries, if using) into the butter and flour mixture until evenly distributed.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold the mixture just until it comes together, scraping the bottom to incorporate any dry bits.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on your counter or a large cutting board. Lightly flour the surface, then turn the dough out onto it (NOTE: If using frozen blueberries, dust an extra tablespoon of flour onto the dough since the blueberries will release more moisture as they defrost). Sprinkle a bit more flour on top and gently press the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Fold one-third of the dough over the center, then fold the other third over it, like folding a letter. Form the folded dough into a circle, about 1.5–2 inches thick.
- Wrap the dough in parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- After chilling, unwrap the dough and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into halves and then into triangles, creating 6 wedges. Space the wedges about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle sanding sugar over the tops. (Tip: Clean the knife with a warm and slightly wet kitchen towel to prevent the dough from sticking to the knife. This will create cleaner and straighter cuts.)
- Sprinkle 1 tbsp of sanding sugar on the tops of each scone before baking.
- Bake at 425º for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. In the meantime, prepare the cream cheese icing using the following steps.
Lemon Glaze
- In a clean medium sized bowl, mix together juice from remaining lemons, powdered sugar, and salt. Mix until the powdered sugar is completely smooth. (NOTE: If the lemons didn't have enough juice, simply add 1 teaspoon of water until the glaze reaches the consistently of thick craft glue).
- Remove the scones from the oven and drizzle with the lemon glaze while they’re still warm. Sprinkle with additional sanding sugar if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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