Gluten-free cheese scones are a savory, fluffy scone recipe flavored with cheddar cheese and garlic. What’s the secret to a tender, flaky recipe? Swapping out sour cream, rather than buttermilk, and a brief rest before baking eliminates grittiness. Let’s bake these with GF success, together!
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Best Savory Cheese Scones Made Gluten-Free
Homemade gluten-free cheddar scones are the homemade bread I make consistently. Everything mixes up easily in a bowl, drop them on a pan, and bake. Most importantly, they turn out amazing and not like an inferior gluten free version!
This savory cheddar version is a spin-off on another of community favorite – these fluffy gluten-free-biscuits recipe. They are so highly reviewed in our gluten-free bread recipe collection, I figured why not use them as a base recipe for absolutely divine cheddar garlic flavored scones.
The cheddar biscuit experiment was a raging success. Now I’m having a hard time going back to my original biscuit recipe because these are just too damn good to pass up! 😍 They’re perfect served alongside breakfast dishes, as an afternoon snack, or for the ultimate treat – smother in creamy gluten-free sausage gravy.
These were amazing! My celiac son loved them and the rest of us at our share as well! You’d never know they were GF. I’ll definitely be making them again!
—Erika
Avoiding Dry, Crumbly Homemade Scones
- Instead of buttermilk, use yogurt. Since gluten free flour doesn’t absorb liquid as well, buttermilk causes them to spread too much.
- Resting the dough. Mix everything together, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. This allows time for the flour to hydrate and not be gritty.
- Placing the biscuits closer together on the baking sheet. Biscuits become more tender because of the trapped steam.
- Use a quality gluten-free flour! I prefer Cup4Cup all-purpose gluten free flour because the added cornstarch softens the texture and it has a neutral, pleasing taste.
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Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Whisk the dry and cut in butter
In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients. Then it’s time to work in the butter using a pastry blender, a fork, or even your fingers. You’ll want the butter to be mixed in enough so the mixture is sandy, without large clumps of butter.
Add liquid, cheesy goodness, and rest
In a separate small bowl whisk oil, optional milk, egg, yogurt, and lemon juice together. Pour those wet ingredients into flour / butter mixture with the freshly grated cheese and stir to combine until a nice, soft dough forms.
Now it’s time to chill the dough for 30 minutes. This gives time for the GF starches to soak up the moisture and fat, so they biscuits are soft and tender, instead of dry and gritty. Easy, but crucial step for success!
Easy to shape drop scones
If you are intimidated by making homemade scones, then you are going to love how easy these are to shape. Grease a 1/3 measuring cup with cooking spray and scoop out dough evenly into the cup. Plop it onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
To make sure they bake up tender, arrange them fairly close together in the center of the baking sheet. This helps trap in steam, so they are fluffy and soft.
Yummiest Add-In Ideas
Savory cheddar scones are pretty unbelievable tasting as is, but any of these additions would be fantastic flavor additions! Many of these additions work equally as well in my homemade gluten-free cheddar bay biscuits recipe as well.
- scallions / chives
- crumbled cooked bacon
- fresh herbs
- crumbed cooked sausage
- cayenne pepper
- peeled, chopped apple
- substitute cheeses, like pepper jack, mozzarella, swiss, parmesan, or gouda
Bonus Ingredient Swaps and Tips
- You can substitute sour cream for the yogurt with great results. I’ve also substituted vanilla yogurt without affecting the taste.
- If you don’t have lemon juice on hand, substitute vinegar.
- Using sharp cheddar really gives a great cheese flavor, but mild cheddar may be substituted
- I prefer using freshly grated cheese because it melts better. It’s free from the anti-clumping coating bagged shredded cheese contains.
- Bake on two baking sheets stacked together. These bake at a very high temperature. You don’t want to burn bottoms before fully cooked.
- Space the biscuits close together in center of baking sheets to trap steam and make them more tender.
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Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Gluten Free Cheese Scones (Extra Tender)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (307 g) all-purpose gluten free flour blend, I recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ( ) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- ¾ cup (190 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, low-fat may be substituted
- ¼ cup (61 g) milk, optional, see recipe notes
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons (27 g) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice, I've substituted vinegar for this with good results
- 1 cup (125 g) shredded Sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the butter to the mixture cut in with a pastry blender, fork, or fingers until small, pea-size pieces remain.2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour blend, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 3 tablespoons butter
- In a separate bowl whisk together yogurt, optional milk, egg, oil, and lemon juice. Stir the yogurt mixture and cheddar into the flour mixture until no flour pockets remain. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to allow the starches to blend with the liquids and make the dough easier to shape. Preheat oven to 425ºF (230ºC)¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 cup shredded Sharp cheddar cheese, ¼ cup milk
- Place one baking sheet inside a second so you have a double layer, and line the top baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease a 1/3 cup measuring cup and scoop a heaping amount of batter into it. Drop on prepared baking sheet, spacing the scones only about 1/2 inch apart in the center of the sheet (this traps a little extra steam between the scones and makes them more tender).
- Bake until golden, about 15-17 minutes, watching carefully and rotating pan 1/2 way through.
- Place baking sheet on wire rack and cool for 5-10 minutes before serving
Notes
Optional Milk
Since Cup4Cup has changed their formula, I’ve found the biscuit dough to be drier. Therefore I recommend adding ¼ cup for biscuits to hold their shape, up to ½ cup if the dough is still dry, or you prefer a softer biscuit with more spread.Tips and Tricks
- You can substitute sour cream for the yogurt with great results. I’ve also substituted vanilla yogurt without affecting the taste.
- If you don’t have lemon juice on hand, substitute vinegar.
- Using Sharp cheddar really gives a great cheese flavor, but mild cheddar may be substituted
- I prefer using freshly grated cheese because it melts better. It’s free from the anti-clumping coating bagged shredded cheese contains.
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I have not made them yet but am going to make them for a family weekend! Our daughter is celiac and has Hashimoto’s disease. How long would you guess they will stay fresh? Are they freezable? Have you ever frozen the dough and cooked from frozen?
Hello,
GF baked goods lose moisture quickly so if I’m not eating them in a day or two, I will freeze them. I freeze these all the time, and yes, I have also baked them right from frozen. They work out great! Just add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Best,
Melissa
So I should have used my scale for the flour mix! Mine came out dry, but I only used my cup measures. I used dairy free sour cream, added about 1/4 cup of df milk because it was so dry, and also used dairy free cheese that was rinsed, which helps it melt better. I had two right out of the oven … lol… they were still good, but just too dry. I was going to share some with fellow celiacs at work, but not sure if I want to now. Anyway – next time… I will weigh my flour! Great recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Patty! I agree, scales are always the best way to measure. I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Best,
Melissa
I’ve made these twice now. I used King Arthur flour and apple cider vinegar. I used my ceramic pizza stone to bake them on. The first time they were a bit dry and as I was making the second batch I realized I used greek yogurt instead of regular, I had already doubled the recipe so I just added 1/4 cup water to the yogurt. I got interrupted so they stayed in the fridge for about 2 hours before baking. I think the extra liquid and rest time really helped them to puff up and I got a few more scones also. I missed your note about pre-shredded cheese for this batch so I will correct that in the next one. They were delicious! Thanks so much for your recipes!
Thank you so much, Debi, for taking the time to share! I’m glad you were able to salvage them. 🙂
Best,
Melissa
I love that you show the ingredients in with the directions. It makes it so much easier, not having to scroll or flip a printed page. Thanks!
My pleasure, Linda! Thank you for sharing.
Best,
Melissa
These were amazing! My celiac son loved them and the rest of us at our share as well! You’d never know they were GF. I’ll definitely be making them again!
That is my favorite compliment ever! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know!
Best,
Melissa
I can’t tell you enough that the way you recap ingredients needed when you instruct us all how to mix them is something I’ve harped on with others.
Finally a cook who realizes how to write a recipe for all of us amateurs !!
I’ve just made my first of your recipes. The cheddar gluten free biscuits. They are cooking and look amazing and I’m sure they will taste as good as they look.
Give a thought to gluten free for diabetics
My husband is gluten free and I’m diabetic ..bit of a challenge but I manage to cook a meal every day
We are thinking of going meat free next year to see how that affects my diabetics and free of dairy
Thank you again for the way you presen your recipes !
This is so sweet. 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know and I love hearing the recipes are approachable for beginners! I know how learning to bake and cook gluten-free is very overwhelming and intimidating! I hope you find this website to be a great resource for your and your husband!
Best,
Melissa
Used sour cream instead of yoghurt and threw in a handful of chives and Presto! Fantastic.
Thank you, Heb! I appreciate the time you took to drop a line. It’s appreciated and so helpful for others!
Best,
Melissa
These are SO good. Foolproof, simple recipe
Hi Melissa. I would love to make these scones but I was just wondering about the two weight measurements for the all-purpose g/f flour blend 214.29g (292 g) and the milk/yoghurt 157.5g (190 g) – which measurements do I use? Thanks.
Hi Denise,
Use the ones in parenthesis. These are the ones I actually measured. The other ones are an auto converter for recipes that I don’t have the metric measurements provided. Sorry for the confusion!
Best,
Melissa
Hi Melissa, I was really excited to make this recipe but my scones have all bled together into one giant pancake… Any idea what I could have done wrong? I added a cup of bacon and jalapeño. Going to see if I can rescue the scone pancake now 😬
Thank you,
Sylvia
Hi Sylvia,
Oh no! (Although, I love your improvisation with a scone pancake;) It sounds like there was too little flour, too much liquid, or the dough could have been chilled before baking, perhaps it got too warm. If you try again, I would hold back some of the yogurt and add it if the dough is too stiff. Also chill the dough before shaping the biscuits. I hope this helps!
Best,
Melissa
Thanks for getting back to me, Melissa. I missed the chill part! They still turned out delicious 😋
Hello, does this recipe work well if cut in half?
Hi Linda,
That would be fine, but the only issue would be cutting the egg in half. What I do is whisk it and pour it in a small liquid measuring cup, using only half the amount. Hopefully this makes sense!
Best,
Melissa