This keto scones recipe is buttery, soft and deliciously crumbly on the edges! My almond flour scones are easy and ready in 25 minutes. They contain only 5 ingredients! Simply slice in half and enjoy with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
I used to adore "proper" scones - crumbly, buttery and utterly comforting. One of my favourite indulgences was to book "posh afternoon tea" with a few girlfriends. We'd drink Earl Grey (and a glass of bubbly or two) and polished off a jumbo plate of scones with heaps of cream and jam.
After I started a low carb diet, I missed scones terribly. Earl Grey all on its own is just not the same.
That's why I had to create a recipe for keto scones!
Actually, the recipe does not differ much from traditional scones. Only, that I used almond flour instead of wheat. Of course, I also swapped out the sugar for a sugar substitute.
I love my healthy low carb scones and have made them countless times.
And yes, my girlfriends have all come over to taste-test.
Update: I originally posted this keto scone recipe in June 2017. Since then, I have improved it to make the method easier. The flavor is the same, but the texture is even more fluffy and delicious.
FAQ
Before we get to the recipe, let me answer two questions I get regularly:
Regular scones are not keto, because they are made with wheat flour. But by swapping it out for almond flour, scones can be gluten-free, equally delicious and low in carbs.
American scones are sweet triangle-shaped pastries, often studded with berries or chocolate chips and topped with glazes. They are stand-alone treats, often enjoyed at breakfast (for example, my keto blueberry scones). English scones are less sweet and are eaten in the afternoon. They have a round shape and you eat them sliced in half and topped with clotted cream and jam.
Ingredients
(This section contains step by step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. Find the recipe card with ingredient amounts and nutritional information at the bottom of the post.)
Here are the ingredients you'll need for easy almond flour scones:
- Almond flour - I'm using ground almonds in this recipe. It's the same as coarse almond flour in the US. For super-fine almond flour, reduce the amount to 2 cups / 200g
- Butter - should be melted, then. cooled
- Sugar substitute - I like erythritol monkfruit sweeteners. You can also use Swerve, xylitol or allulose.
- Egg - large and room temperature
- Baking powder - for a better rise
- Vanilla extract and lemon zest - Both optional, but recommended. The lemon zest really lifts the taste
OPTIONAL: You can add a pinch of salt for extra flavor and ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum for a stronger crumb structure.
Instructions
(This section contains step by step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. Find the recipe card with ingredient amounts and nutritional information at the bottom of the post.)
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients - melted butter, lemon zest, vanilla and egg. Stir into the dry ingredients until a dough forms.
You can use a fork for this or an electric mixer.
Step 3: Form a dough ball and place it onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Step 4: Roll out into a disc shape, about 1 inch thick. Cut out 5 -6 scones using a cookie cutter (mine had a diameter of 6.5 cm / 2.5 inch).
If you don't have one, simply form scone shapes by hand. Or, roll the dough into a log and cut 5-6 thick discs.
Step 5: Move the scones apart. Brush with beaten egg and bake in the oven until golden.
The dough makes between 5 and 6 scones, depending on how thick your scones are (and how much dough you "taste" during baking). I've calculated the nutrition for 5 scones in the recipe card below. These are generous in size (85g) and filling.
Top tips
Shape them. Keto scones don't rise as much as traditional wheat scones! That's why it's important you shape them into the form you want.
Cool before slicing. Make sure you let the scones cool completely in the pan. They are fragile when hot but they firm up as they cool down.
Variations
Below are a few ideas how you can change the recipe:
Nut free: Instead of the almond flour, use a blend of sesame flour and sunflower seed flour.
Dairy-free: Use coconut oil instead of butter.
Add-ins: Not traditional at all, but possible: Add sugar-free chocolate chips, sugar free dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, pecans or berries such as blueberries, raspberries or chopped strawberries.
Toppings: Sprinkle the tops with granulated sweetener. Or, make a simple glaze with powdered sweetener and a little water and drizzle over the cooled scones.
Shape: Form American-style scone wedges instead of rounds.
Coconut flour: I haven't tried this yet. If you want to experiment, try using a scant cup / 90g coconut flour. You'll also need to add another egg, because coconut flour is more brittle. Or, make my coconut flour scones.
Serve with
- a generous dollop of butter
- Sugar-free strawberry jam
- clotted cream (this is extra thick spoonable cream)
- Sugar-free whipped cream
- Sugar Free Blueberry Jam
- Easy No-Cook Sugar Free Raspberry Jam
Storage
Refrigerator: I keep these scones in a cake tin on the counter for a couple of days. After that, I store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Reheating: Simply re-heat them in the microwave for 10 seconds or slice and pop in the toaster.
Freezer: Almond flour scones freeze well for up to 3 months. I freeze them on a baking sheet until they are solid. Then I transfer them into a freezer bag. That way, they don't stick together.
Thawing and reheating: Defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds or slice and pop in the toaster.
Related recipes
For a savoury version of scones, check out my almond flour biscuits and these cheesy keto biscuits. Below are more sweet keto breakfast ideas:
I'll leave you with a fun fact: Scones were invented in Scotland in the 16th century. They became popular as a tea time treat through Anna, the Duchess of Bedford, who loved them so much she rang for them every afternoon a 4 pm.
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Scones with Almond Flour
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Equipment
- round cookie cutter (6.5 cm / 2.5 inch diameter)
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup / 225g almond flour or ground almonds. Use 2 cups if your almond flour is super-fine
- ¼ cup / 60g butter melted
- ¼ cup / 45g granulated sweetener
- 1 egg large, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon optional
- 1 egg optional, beaten, for brushing the tops (you'll only use ½)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit (electric) or 160C / 320F (fan).
- Combine the dry ingredients - almond flour, sweetener, baking powder - in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter, lemon zest, vanilla and egg. Stir into the dry ingredients until a dough forms, or use an electric mixer.
- Form a dough ball and place onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Flatten into a disc shape, about 1 inch thick. Cut out 5-6 scones using a cookie cutter (or use your hands to form scone shapes). Move them apart and brush the tops with beaten egg.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden. Let cool completely in the pan - these scones are fragile when hot but they firm up as they cool down.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Susan Robinson
Hi can you please tell me where the 'sugars' come from in these? As in the sugar in the nutrition label.
Katrin Nürnberger
I guess it's the carbs from the almond flour. Most foods contain small amounts of sugars, unless it's pure fat.
Monika
Wow! Another delicious treat! had it with extra thick double cream Lidl and stevia strawberry jam. I have been on Keto diet for three month and your desserts make it so easy to stick to. But is it really 358 cal in 85g? Whatever you say I will have it anyway
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, they are high in calories - lots of almond flour and butter. But they are also very filling - I doubt you'd want to eat more than one! 🙂
Julie
These scones are one of my family’s favourite and the recipe is so simple to follow. I have made a few batches now and frozen some. Taste much better than a traditional scone and the lemon zest adds a great flavour. We have them with clotted cream
Anne
This recipe is awesome! I've had excellent results every time I've used it except for Holland and Barrett's almond flour (which isn't even fit to be called ground almonds!) and that batch was still good. My son loved the taste but he's doing WW so he asked for smaller ones so they are more point friendly. I'd made your thumbprint cookies which are lovely and everyone liked but it's a not a recipe for hot weather (I ended up adding coconut flour). Today I decided to do the scone recipe but use a small cookie scoop for portioning which got me 18 then used my 1/4 tsp measure to make the wells and added sugar free jam. End result is amazing, they thank you profusely for the recipe! Even better they only come out at 4 points each (and that's allowing for birch Xylitol which is the only sweetener my son can stand and doesn't upset his IBS)My son tells me 4 points for the scone bite (as he's named them) is awesome considering it's the same as a fibre one bar. That lead to me lecturing on the evils of sugar and list of rubbish in those things! This recipe is going to become a staple in our home. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
Katrin Nürnberger
What a great idea to make wells for jam, LOVE IT!!!!
Fani Zucker
Dear Katrin,
I hope that you are well.
You haven't heard from me because I have not been well.
But, we will all get through this horrible time together.
I LOVE THE SCONES. THEY ABSOLUTELY GOT RID OF MY DEPRESSION.
MY DAUGHTER MADE 2 DOZEN AND SHARED THEM WITH SOME OF MY NEIGHBORS.
Thank You Dear Katrin
XO Fani
Katrin Nürnberger
Ah Fani, so nice to hear from you! I'm glad you all liked the scones. Have a wonderful week 🙂
Elaine
I love these scones. Perfect for anytime of day.
Jo Harding
I loved these. So nostalgic. Remind me of fun times baking with my grandma!
Ruth Heller
Hi Katrin,
I made these scones yesterday, and everyone agreed that they are a royal treat!
Thanks again for another culinary delight, Ruth
Katrin Nürnberger
Glad you liked them Ruth!
AleksandraLM
Do these scones freeze well?
I work in a tearoom and i think.it's time for me to try to convince my boss to offer low carb/keto options for her afternoon teas etc (bloody covid)
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, all almond flour baked goods freeze well 🙂
Tannedhaggis
Thank you so much for this brilliant recipe. I have tried making many low carb/ keto treats and the after taste of the sweetener rendered them to the “never again” list. However these were lovely with just the right balance of sweetness. Though mine wouldn’t pass as a scone for a high tea, they certainly have made their way onto my “well worth the effort” list
Katrin Nürnberger
Glad they hit the spot!
Claire
Hi I only have single cream at the moment....would that work? Thanks for all the wonderful recipes
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, I think that would work. Maybe add a little more butter, too.
Tracie Oldfield
Loved these. Is the nutritional value per scone or per batch? Thank you
Katrin Nürnberger
Glad you liked the taste. I calculated the nutrition per scone.
Chetna reay
is this total carbs per scone or net. Do i need to minus the fibre and sugar for uk values
thank you
Katrin Nürnberger
To get the net carbs, you need to deduct the fibre from the total carbs.
Michelle Curtis
Hi - I've baked your scones twice both batches have worked well and looked great however both batches leave a nasty bitter chemical taste. What am I doing wrong? I am using Erythritol Confectioners sweetener should I try a different sweeter?
Katrin
Which brand do you use? Maybe it's a problem with the brand. I like Sukrin, SoNourished and Lakanto. You'll never get around the slightly cooling taste when baking with erythritol, but it should not be bitter.
Katrin
Hi Michelle, maybe you just don't like the taste of erythritol then. You could consider trying inulin. It's less sweet than erythritol (I think it only has 30% of the sweetness), but it does not have an aftertaste. No point sweetening with something you can't get on with 😉
Leanna
Hello, Wonderful to find some grain free, sugar free scones. Thank you for presenting this for all. I do not use artificial sweeteners. Would it be possible to make these scones without adding an artificial sweetener to the ingredients or is the sweetener essential to the recipe working please? Thanks
Katrin
You could use any sweetener you like. Real sugar, coconut sugar, a bit of honey - or none at all, if you prefer.
Patty
Can I use Heavy whipping cream, which is the only heavy cream I can find where I live.
Katrin
Yes, here in the UK we call it double cream, in the US it's called heavy cream. Heavy whipping cream is exactly what you're looking for.
Katrin
Hi Kelly, I‘ll be sure to clarify this in the method description. Just rub the almond flour and butter between your fingers and palms until there are no butter lumps. Thank you for the comment
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Katrin
They’re fine for a few days. And you can freeze them too!
Karen Churchill
I've just stumbled on your blog. So far, I have pinned about 10 recipes! I am anxious to try them. I have a question about sweeteners. I bought some Monk fruit sweetener in different forms (actually a monk fruit/erythritol blend). Have you tried monk fruit? I have nearly zero experience cooking with sugar substitutes and I'm a little nervous about it.
Katrin
Monkfruit is not sold in the UK, so ai haven’t tried it. I hear from my US based blogger friends that the taste is really good though. I normally use a erythritol/stevia blend. Erythritol has a slightly cooling taste, but if you use it sparingly and with other strong flavours such as vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate or fruits, it blends in well and you can’t detect it. I hope this helps 🙂
Jaci
Hi
Shoukd I subtract the fibrefrom total carbs?
Lovethem by the way x
Katrin
Yes, that's how I do it 🙂 And I'm happy you like them!
Ali
Sorry, I'm a bit confused...did you make your scones with almond flour or ground almonds?
Thank you
Katrin
Hi Ali, the ones in the picture are made with ground almonds. Most of my readers are from the US, and over there they call almond flour what we generally call ground almonds here in the UK - even here in the UK there is some confusion about the terminology. I have, for example, tried a brand called Carbzone which sell "almond flour" that looked EXACTLY like ground almonds to me. I have, however made them with the Sukrin almond flour too, which is very finely ground.
Ali
Hi Katrin, thank you for your reply. I'm in the UK and I found some almond flour in Holland & Barrett to make the scones with, but I've got ground almonds too. Which do you think would be best? Also, I've found Stevia Sweet crystals which are Erythritol and Total Sweet Xylitol. Do you know which would work better?
Katrin
The finer the almond flour is, the more the texture will be like wheat flour. This recipe I really liked with the ground almonds, they were very light and fluffy. You could even use half and half! I think I tried the stevia sweet crystals when I first started the blog and they were ok. I haven't tried the xylitol - both would do the same job, I guess it's just about finding a sweetener brand you like the taste of. Recently, I have used Natvia and Sukrin, both erythritol with stevia.
Ali
Thank you again! I think it's brilliant that you not only share you're wonderful recipes, but actually help afterwards - I really appreciate it. I guess I might not be so appreciative if they hadn't gone well, but they have turned out pretty yummy! I used all almond flour although it felt just like ground almonds (but twice the price!!) and I used Stevia. I refrigerated for about 20mins first. I have a fan oven and baked them at 160C and they were done after 15 mins. The discs dropped a bit and spread but they're still thick enough to cut and fill. They were quite sweet for scones but the Stevia is twice as sweet as sugar, so maybe I should have used less. The sweetness was nice and made it a bit more like a cake, but I think because of that the flavour of the blueberries was lost. Or maybe the blueberries are just a bit tasteless! Overall, delicious!!
Katrin
I'm glad they ended up a success! Actually I remember now - I think that granulated stevia you bought IS twice as sweet as the same amount of sugar - the erythritol I use is 1:1. Definitely doublecheck your stevia pack and you can amend next time. Probably then the sweetness of the blueberries will come through more 🙂
Susi
Your recipe is perfect - thank you... I shaped them first and then remembered to put them in the fridge but they turned out perfectly... Being a diabetic is not all bad... Scones with cream and jam is a meal, its called a Cream Tea - tea-time is around 4pm and scones taste perfect at that time... Clotted cream from Cornwall is the icing on the cake, if you know what I mean... 🙂 Thank you for all your lovely recipes...
Katrin
I'm glad you enjoyed them! And I absolutely agree...clotted cream from Cornwall is THE BEST!!!!!
Susi
....egg and cress, thinly sliced peeled cucumber and smoked salmon crustless sandwiches and a slice of Coffee Walnut Cake and/or fruit cake for your Cream Tea nicely rounds it off ... Al Fresco, with a large pot of tea and some sunshine it cannot be beaten... So, a recipe for Coffee Walnut Cake for tea-time would be nice ma'am... Thank you once again for your lovely recipes, and the fact that you take the time to print grams as well as cup measures... I am most grateful...
Mary Ann
Can I use regular heavy cream?
Alison
Thank you so much for creating this dish! I don't ha h
have ground almonds only almond flour. Do I have to make any adjustments?
Katrin
That's a good question. I'm not sure about the exact measurements for almond flour. I would definitely use less as it's much finer, maybe 1/4 less. Start with that and check the consistency of the dough, adding as required until you get a consistency that is still light and fluffy but you can easily form discs with flat edges. I hope that helps. If you try I'd love if you could leave another comment and let us know how much you ended up using.
Meredith
I tried these with almond flour. I used 1/4 less as you suggested. The taste is great though they didn't rise very much. That didn't seem to matter as we just piled the berries and cream on top rather than inside two layers. Yum! I will definitely make this again though might try the blanched almonds next time to try the difference.
Katrin
Hello Meredith, thanks for letting me know! I'm glad you enjoyed them. xx
Maggie Summers
Oh, and I love the look of your scones. Thanks for the recipe
Georgie Beeman
How many scones per serving?
Katrin
Because they are made with ground almonds, they are actually quite filling. One is plenty.
Hannah
Your photos look so delicious I wish it was tea time right now...
Jane S
I adore scones and have not had ANY since going sugar free. Time to change that 🙂
Kerstin
Thank you so much for adding nutrition facts to your recipes. For those of us with Type 2 Diabetes it's a real help.
Katrin
It's always interesting to see the nutrition of a recipe. I try to be as accurate as possible, but I always advise people to make their own calculations if necessary.
Sarah
Wow! These tasted so good. Thanks for the recipe!
Katrin
Awesome Sarah! Let me know how yours turned out