Classic Scones (Low-Carb, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free)
Recipe makeover! Buttery scones with tender centers and a crisp sugar coating. Free from gluten, dairy, eggs and sugar! This easy recipe is delicious whether you have dietary restrictions or not. Fits low-carb, keto, paleo and vegan diets.
Originally published April 2019, Updated August 2022
What to eat for breakfast when you’re Gluten-Free & Low-Carb?
Breakfast! It’s one of the meals people struggle with when they give up gluten, dairy and sugar. Probably because ALL traditional American breakfast foods are made with exactly those ingredients.
Scones have held a dear place in my heart for years because my parents would make them for our big family breakfasts when all the kids and grandkids would come to visit. We’d have 15 of us huddled around the dining room table eager for a freshly-baked ‘Classic Cream Scone’, hot from the oven.
The original recipe calls for white flour, white sugar, cream, butter and eggs.
But what do you do when you’re gluten-free and low-carb?? That’s why I’m here to help! I did a recipe MAKEOVER so you can enjoy classic scones again! These have NONE of the conventional ingredients. But they’re still absolutely DELICIOUS. Yummy enough to serve to your own family and friends even if they don’t have the same dietary restrictions you do! YAY!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an affiliate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you).
Special Occasion or Typical Weekday Breakfast?
Although these are perfect for big family gatherings, fancy events, and ladies’ brunches, you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to enjoy scones!
Classic scones make a delicious Tuesday breakfast or afternoon treat. I’ve been having them every. single. day. And that’s how I live my best life 😉 Pair them with piping hot coffee (I’m obsessed with French Press coffee!) or freshly brewed tea. Mmmm. Can you just TASTE them?
What do they taste like?
The outside of the scone is firm and slightly crisp. The top is coated with sparkling “sugar” crystals. The inside is buttery and tender. Warm and delicate.
Slather it with “butter” and it melts in your mouth! It’s like a big sugar cookie. But not too sweet.
And actually made with good-for-you ingredients!! COOKIES FOR BREAKFAST. And they’re healthy? Is this real life?! lol. YES. Yes it is. 
How to Make Grain-Free Scones
Swap #1 Without the use of traditional flours which are high in carbs, the best option for low-carb baking is almond flour (OR another nut/seed flour that you can tolerate). Finely ground almond flour has a very neutral flavor and gives baked goods a great texture. Just make sure it’s *finely* ground, otherwise, your scones will taste more like cornbread.
Almond flour is a pantry staple that’s perfect for anyone who’s gluten-free, paleo or keto. It works for a variety of dietary needs. I like Thrive Market brand almond flour. It’s great quality for a GREAT price. (
Key Ingredients
- Almond Flour
- Tapioca Flour – this helps lighten up the texture so they’re not too dense and heavy or too grainy.
- Note: Yes, this is a starchy flour, and yes it does add some carbs to the recipe. But it’s only 3 tablespoons of flour spread out over 6 to 8 servings. Imo, since it’s such a small amount it’s perfectly find for a low-carb/keto lifestyle. If it fits your macros, go for it.
- If you can’t have tapioca flour or any starches, simply use more almond flour. It will make a heavier, denser texture, but should be ok.
- Monkfruit for the crisp sugar coating and firm-on-the-outside texture
- Vanilla – this one from Amazon has INCREDIBLE flavor
- Oil – I love to use Buttery Coconut Oil (it’s naturally flavored and dairy-free!)
Plus a little water, salt and baking soda. Simple everyday staple ingredients!
Now it’s EASIER than Before!
Making this recipe is actually the same method you would use to make traditional scones. It’s simple. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet in another. Then mix them together into a dough.
And I made this recipe even EASIER than my previous scone recipes. How? I eliminated the need for an egg replacer. That’s right! No flax eggs.
So there’s a whole step that’s gone. POOF. I found out that these still hold together (and have a more CLASSIC scone texture) without the flax, but with a little more almond flour. Winning.
“Pour some SUGAR on me”
Ok, it’s NOT actually sugar. If you’ve been following my blog for ANY amount of time, you probably realized I don’t use refined sugar. Like EVER. (cuz it makes me feel sick) But I DO use something that looks and tastes just like sugar. And you know I’m OBSESSED.
Classic Monkfruit is absolutely *perfect* for Classic Scones. Just sprinkle on 1 or 2 teaspoons onto your scones when they come out of the oven and you’ll have that AMAZING light crust of sugar that is so insanely delicious!
I buy my monkfruit from Thrive Market because that’s often the cheapest option. Don’t forget I have a 25% discount for my readers! Yasss! Click here.
Sweetener Sub
If you’re not low-carb or keto, or monk fruit’s just not your thing, you can use whatever granulated sweetener you want 🙂 Coconut sugar would be my recommendation, although I would sprinkle the coating on before baking, or brush on a little oil first so it sticks.
I have tried these with monkfruit/allulose and didn’t like how they came out pretty brown on the outside. Plus the texture wasn’t the same – too soft.
An erythritol-based sweetener is my recommendation due to the way it crisps. Need help with an alternative? Drop a comment below.
How Sweet it Is! Sweet Breakfast Series
Have you been enjoying my healthy sweets for breakfast series?! Something a little sweet for breakfast makes me so HAPPY.
- Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes
- Blueberry Donut Holes
- Chocolate Chip Scones
- Orange Scones
- POWDERED SUGAR MINI DONUTS
Ahh I’m in love! What breakfast treat do you want to see made over next?
ps. Have you entered the Vitamix giveaway yet?? I’m SO excited that Pretty Pies is nominated for a Food Blogger Award! Eek! And when you vote, you’re automatically entered to win a $500 Vitamix!! OMGGG (Giveaway & voting ends 4/30/19) This contest has ended.
If you make these scones, be sure to tag me over on Instagram @emily.likes.food and leave a star rating and/or review below!!
Classic Scones (Keto, Paleo, Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2.125 cups fine almond flour - 2 cups + 2 Tbs
- 3 Tbs tapioca flour - or more almond flour
- 1/4 cup buttery coconut oil - or any neutral oil
- 1/4 cup granulated monkfruit - (or coconut sugar for non-keto) + more for sprinkling
- 3 Tbs water
- 2 tsp baking powder - homemade for Paleo
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch pink salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Melt buttery coconut oil in a small bowl and whisk in water and vanilla.
- Pour wet over dry and mix well into a dough. If too sticky, add 1 tsp almond flour. If too crumbly, add 1 tsp water.
- Place dough onto baking sheet and flatten into a 8-inch disc.
- Use a pizza cutter to slice 6 or 8 wedges (depending on how big you want them).
- Separate scones 1-2" apart using a spatula.
- Bake in the center rack for about 20-22 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and the top is firm.
- Immediately sprinkle with 1-2 tsp monkfruit for the "sugar" coating. Enjoy warm with a smear of buttery coconut oil and/or jam!
Notes
- Cal 247
- Fat 22
- Total Carb 15
- Fiber 3.2
- Sugar Alcohol 6.6
- Net Carb 5
- Protein 6.2
46 Comments
Lori Berges
I voted for you
Emily
Aww thanks so much Lori!! I appreciate it! Good luck in the giveaway!
Emily
Aww thanks so much Lori!! I appreciate it! Good luck in the giveaway
Lisa Schwartzenburg
Do you think it would be ok to add fruit inside the pastry? This look great and I plan to try it asap. Do you ha e a great biscuit recipe you have found?
Emily
Yes, you should be able to add some fruit. Depending on what kind, it may add a lot of moisture though, so the scones probably need to cook a little longer.
Maybe also dust the fruit in coconut flour to help absorb some of the liquid.
I haven’t made a biscuit recipe yet, but maybe in the future 🙂
Melissa
These are so easy to make and taste delicious! I added fresh blueberries and didn’t have to add any extra time. I’ll definitely be making these again soon (especially since we’ve already almost eaten all of them ). Thanks!
Emily
Yay! Glad to hear it worked Enjoy!
Maisie
Hi, thanks for the recipe. Can I use regular butter instead of coconut oil? And if I’m okay with eggs, do I just throw one in? Thanks!
Emily
Regular butter should work (but I haven’t tried it)
Honestly it doesn’t need an egg. They hold together great and don’t crumble. Adding one might make the dough too wet and soft, resulting in a more cake-like texture. But I’m not sure.
If you try the recipe, let me know how it goes
Stephen
Hi! Little confused about the serving information – it says a serving is 1/8 of the recipe but the recipe makes 6 scones. Would that make it closer to a little over 6g of net carbs if I eat just one of these? Looking forward to trying these out this weekend!
Emily
In the instructions I put that these can be cut into 6 or 8, however you like. But you can even make “petite” scones and make 12. 🙂
For 6 scones, the net carbs are 7 each. If you want to lower the carbs, swap out the tapioca for almond. I just like the texture better with tapioca, but all almond is still good!
Hope you enjoy!
Sanja
Great recipe, plan to make this weekend! Can I use monfruit drops instead of granulated monkfruit?
Emily
That would change the texture to much. The granules are what make it crisp up like a scone & add volume to the dough. 🙂
Izzy
Hi,
I have coconut oil or vegan butter but not buttery coconut oil.
Can I use either of those?
Emily
Either will work. But Vegan butter will probably give it a better flavor 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
Jeanie
I made these and they are delicious! The only thing is that I they are rather thin, about 1cm thick. They look thicker in the photo. I rolled them into an 8” circle as instructed. So they are a bit more like a scone cookie.
I’m grateful for the recipe! I’m vegan and my paleo sister-in-law is coming for a visit, so I’m exploring that intersection of vegan and paleo diets.
Jeanie
FYI, I used coconut sugar, and Earth Balance (olive oil version — I hope that’s paleo!) instead of the coconut oil.
Kim
Question: it says bake time 10 minutes but recipe says 20-22… which is correct? These look amazing and I want to try them. Thank you.
Emily
Sorry about that! It’s 20-22 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Emily
So glad you liked them!
Not sure why they came out so thin for you. Hmm, was your baking powder fresh?
If so, next time, you could roll to 7 or 7.5” to make them thicker. 🙂
I’ve got literally hundreds of vegan/Paleo recipes so you’ve got lots to choose from! Let me know if you need any recommendations or help.
Amelia
I made this with Bob’s Red Mill baking powder and that’s all I could taste…help!
Emily
Oh no! I wonder why that one tastes so strong?? I’m sorry! My baking powder didn’t do that at all.
To counteract that taste, I would add a sweet & flavorful topping, like a cinnamon glaze, chocolate drizzle, jam/jelly, or whatever you like!
And for next time, maybe try a different brand baking powder. Hope that helps!
Em
I made this today for my vegan parents and it was digusting! The consistency was shokingly great but one ingredient seems to be ruining it. I has a horribly bitter aftertaste. i have baked lots with the sugar sub I used. i am thinking it is the tapioca flour since i do not usually use it but I used a bit in a glaze on the side and that tasted fine. i cannot figure this out. So sad it was ruined and worthless. Maybe you can help me figure out what i did wrong so i can make it again because my keto son can actually have a little also, so I wish this had worked. 🙁
Emily
Seriously?? That’s so strange! I make these weekly and I’ve never experienced anything like that, nor have I heard from anyone else that they turn out bad. These get rave reviews. Maybe it was one of your ingredients that had gone bad? If you used coconut oil, that can go rancid. Did you make any changes to the recipe? Accidentally use baking soda instead of baking powder? (Baking soda tastes really bad!esp in large amounts)
I would check each ingredient to see if any of them are off. I’m so sorry about that. Hope you can figure out the culprit!
Dusty
These scones are a breakfast favorite! We love them with and without strawberry jam!
Emily
So glad you love them! They’re my favorite too 🙂 Thanks for your review
Steph
I’m wondering if I could sub out the coconut sugar with honey? I can’t have coconut bit would love to try these!
Emily
Maybe if you reduce the water? I would try 2 Tbs honey + 2 Tbs water. They may be a little softer with honey, but I think it should work 🙂
Steph
Thank you so much, I will try this on the weekend and see how they turn out!
Faiza
Can I swap almond flour for coconut flour in this recipe?
Emily
I’m sorry that won’t work 🙁 You could possibly sub another nut or seed flour, such as pumpkin seed flour though
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Shannon Compton
I turned this into a chocolate scone recipe by adding cocoa powder and chocolate chips! Thanks for the basis that I built off of! Mine came out pretty good…they dried out super fast within a day after baking but the flavor was great!
Emily
Oh yay!! I’m glad it turned out I do have a recipe specifically formulated for chocolate for next time! https://prettypies.com/chocolate-scones
Mimi
Delicious! This became a huge hit in my family overnight. I used coconut sugar and omitted the salt, and it’s still quite tasty. Served with homemade strawberry jam. Will be making this again. Thanks for sharing!
Emily
Wonderful! So thrilled your family enjoyed! Thanks for your review & you are welcome!
es
Just made these for the first time today and they came out smelling like a dream and tasting delicious!
I did have to make a few adjustments based on what I had available.
Little less than 2 cups unblanched fine almond flour (still waiting on new shipment)
3 Tbs ground flaxseed (instead of tapioca or almond flour)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (the borrowers seem to have stolen my coconut oil!)
1/4 cup granulated monkfruit (same)
3 Tbs water (same)
2 tsp baking powder (same)
1 tsp vanilla (same)
1/8 tsp pink salt (does that count as a pinch?)
Made into ~7″ disc (6 pieces)
I was unsure how my adjustments would turn out, especially with the flour ratio and flaxseed substitution, but it came out great! Softer than a usual scone. Does taste healthy (kind of like a bran muffin, which aren’t always healthy) but in a more delicious tasty buttery way. Now my morning coffee breaks will be complete.
Excited to follow your recipe more closely when I get my ingredients in order.
Thank you so much for sharing this beyond awesome recipe!
Emily
Wonderful! I’m glad you were able to make it work with what you had on hand. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment 🙂 Enjoy!!
Ariel
These are good. 🙂 I had everything on hand, so I whipped them up. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Emily
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review
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Jenny
Have made this a few times. Love it!! Never fails to please! Trader Joes makes an unsweetend ginger powder for tea and I am going to add it today for something different. Thanks for a great quick treat!
Emily
Awesome! Hope you love the ginger as well 🙂 thanks for leaving a review!
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Theresa
Hi Emily – I would love to see a recipe for grain and sugar free orange and cranberry biscotti for breakfast!! Yummo please :0)