These gluten free blueberry scones feature a cashew flour base that is made lighter and fluffier with arrowroot starch, and are perfectly sweetened with fresh blueberries and real maple syrup for the perfect healthier breakfast treat!
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Do you love road trips as much as I do? Samantha, my youngest sister, and I are on the ultimate road trip. Starting point: San Antonio, Texas. Ending point: Seattle, Washington. Duration: 5 days. I’m writing to you as we roll through Western Arizona, soon to be South Eastern California. Samantha starts grad school this Fall in the Seattle area, so I volunteered to accompany her and all her stuff for the drive. I’ll help her get settled then fly back to TX. I will probably sit in amazement on that flight, marveling at the miracle of speedy travel by airplane. Nothing makes you appreciate modern transportation like a 5-day road trip across the country!
Anyhow, even though I’m not in my kitchen and am surviving on dried goodies and gas station waters, I’ve prepared something very special for you all. My friend Juli Bauer of PaleOMG {okay, we’ve only met once, but I’ve decided we’re going to be great friends} posted this recipe for Lavender and Vanilla Bean Scones. I drooled over the recipe, immediately made a batch, and then kept playing. I wound up with a gluten free blueberry scone version that I now make every single time we have company.
Paleo Blueberry Scones Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to grab to whip up these fluffy gluten free scones!
- Cashews – the flour base for these gluten free blueberry scones is unique – cashews! You can make your own cashew flour by blending up cashews (you’ll need 1½ cups) in a food processor or buy already-made cashew flour. If you don’t have cashews/cashew flour, feel free to sub for almond flour here!
- Arrowroot – we’ll use ¼ cup of arrowroot starch (beware – it’s very messy, BUT works wonders in gluten free baked goods!)
- Salt – just a pinch is all you’ll need!
- Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon of baking powder will do the trick here.
- Blueberries – blueberries (fresh or frozen) are the star of the show in these scones!
- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil – we use ¼ cup of coconut oil for this recipe, but feel free to sub for butter if you need to!
- Maple Syrup – 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup (the GOOD stuff!) adds the perfect touch of sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract – 2 teaspoons add a subtle hint of vanilla!
- Egg – 1 egg is all you need!
How to Make Gluten-Free Scones
Y’all, it is SO EASY! A typical scone involves cutting in cold (sometimes even frozen) butter and shaping, but not these puppies! These gluten free scones have the taste and texture that you’d expect from a good scone, but simply require mixing and pouring into a pan – that sounds like a win-win to me!
- Preheat the oven + line your pan. Preheat oven to 350°F & line a 9-inch metal pan with parchment paper.
- Make the cashew flour. Measure out 1½ cups of cashews and add them into a food processor, blend until they resemble a coarse meal, then pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Whisk the cashew flour, arrowroot starch, salt, and baking powder together, and then stir in the blueberries.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. Whisk the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extra, and egg together, and then stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Note that the texture of the batter will have more of a wet, cake-like consistency than a dry, crumbly, biscuit-like consistency.
- Pour + bake. Pour the batter into the parchment-lined 9-inch pan, and using the back of a spoon and/or your fingers, pat the batter into the pan so that you have an even thickness. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes!
- Cool, slice, and enjoy! Let the scones cool for at least 10 minutes, slice, and enjoy!
Can I use other types of fruit?
Absolutely! If blueberries aren’t your thing (or you just don’t have any), any berry will do! If you’re using strawberries, we recommend slicing or chopping them rather than leaving them whole. Otherwise, follow all of the same steps with any berry you choose! If you’re looking for some inspiration, these Cranberry Orange Scones are DIVINE, as are these Sausage Cheddar Scones (I deem the sausage + cheddar variety the BEST darn savory scone out there!)
How to Store
These gluten free blueberry scones are best kept in an airtight container (we love this glass set) in the fridge, and will last for 2-3 days stored this way! We recommend waiting to transfer the scones to a container until they are room-temperature…hot scones sealed in an airtight container run the risk of getting super mushy, and mushy scones are NO good! These scones also freeze well! Wrap individually sliced portions in parchment paper, toss them all in a gallon Ziploc bag, and store in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, just remove the parchment paper, and heat in the microwave until warmed through!
More Favorite Baked Good Breakfast Recipes
Paleo Blueberry Scones
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Cashews or 1 1/3 cups ground
- 1/4 cup Arrowroot
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 cup Fresh Blueberries
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
- 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 Egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F & line a 9 inch metal pan with parchment paper.
- Blend the cashews in a food processor until powdered.
- Whisk all the dry ingredients together then stir in the blueberries.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together then stir into the dry.
- Pour into the baking pan and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
- Let cool for at least 10 minutes, slice, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Yum! I used the almond flour substitution of 1 1/3 cups (reason being I was too lazy to grind the cashews) and all my measurements were made by a 4 year old (probably not too exact). I also baked it in a glass 9×9 and had to extend the cooking time by about 5 minutes. My point is, I rarely make a dish exactly to the recipe due to lack of ingredients or some other random reason and this came out beautifully. It must be resilient. I love your recipes, I love your positive posts, and I will keep coming back for more!
Your comment made my day! I’m so glad you liked the scones. Thanks for writing 🙂
I wanted to let you know that I tried this recipe today with Almond flour. Used 1 1/3 cups as you suggested and it turned out really good. Definitely will be making this again. No other changes were made. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
That’s great to know!! Thank you so much!
These look delicious! I have two questions: Should the cashews be salted or does it not matter? Or if they’re unsalted should I add some salt to compensate? Also, any advice on how to adjust cooking time if using a glass baking dish instead of metal? Thanks. I’m excited to try them this weekend!
Hi Sarah! I used salted cashews, but I’ve heard that the recipe will work with either. If you want the flavor to match as closely as possible and you’re using unsalted nuts, add an additional pinch of salt. I’m not sure how much longer it will take to bake in a glass dish, but you can use the toothpick test pretty easily. Insert a toothpick in the baking scones. If it comes out with dough on the stick, they need more time. If it comes out clean, they’re done! You can also tell by the look of the top crust. It should be golden brown. Hope that helps!
Do you think this recipe would work just as we’ll without the maple syrup?
I haven’t tried the recipe without the maple syrup, so I can’t really say. The moisture added is necessary to the consistency of the finished scones. You can experiment by substituting honey or an equal amount of water. I’m not sure what the flavor or texture will be like, though. Please let me know if you give it a try! I’d love to know how they come out with that modification.
Reblogged this on tulabugblog.
If you used almond flour how much do you think you should use? Because 1 1/2 cups of whole cashews will turn out to be how much after you grind it?
Good question …I need to grind some up and then I can let you know. My best guess is 1 & 1/3 cup. I’ll need to verify though.
Awesome Scones!
Thanks, Michelle!! I’m so glad you liked them.
Because so many paleolithic era people had access to baking powder…
Good point! They did not. The Paleo lifestyle that I promote and build recipes from is structured more around certain nutrition principles than as a reference to the Paleolithic era.
If the issue is with baking powder specifically, I’ve heard the Paleo police say the cornstarch in it is a no-no, compared with the pure sodium bicarbonate in baking soda. But I don’t sweat the small stuff!
Great point, Rachel! I like to use baking powder because I find it a little more reliable than baking soda {which then requires the use of some form of acid}. I’m with you on the small stuff, but this has given me great food for thought. I’ll start experimenting with repeatable baking soda use portions. Thanks, girl!
Hi would I be able to use almond meal instead of cashew meal?
Cheers
Hey there – pls disregard my question, I just saw someone else had asked. Will give it a go and let you know 🙂
Haha sounds good! Thanks!
Eeeek! Love your blog! On the road to curing my autoimmune through diet and sites like yours are always a treasure to find! I have a huge batch of frozen blueberries, would I need to thaw them first before using?
Hi!! The frozen berries should work fine. You may need to increase the cook time a bit if the scones don’t set. I wish you all the best and please let me know how else I can be a resource for you along your journey!
Holy cow, this is deliciousness! But mine is falling apart. Made just as directed…any suggestions? I will eat this wkth a spoon, I don’t care, but I’d prefer it to hold together.
Maybe more time in the oven. Depending on the moisture of the blueberries, it may just need a little more heat to firm up. I hope that helps! I ate a few trial batches with a spoon too 😉
This recipe looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it. Do you think almond flour would work the same here? I always have almond flour in my pantry.
I haven’t tried it with almond flour but it may work! If you do give it a try, I’d love to know how they turn out.
Awesome blog! Great read, recipe and pics!
Thank you!! 🙂
On a different topic: I host Paleo Pen Pals (the Paleo ingredient swap and recipe development community). Don’t know if you have the time or interest to participate in the August swap, but because of you culinary creativity, I’d love to see what you come up with! Details and the signup form are here: https://grokgrub.com/paleo-pen-pals-community/
What’s the purpose of the arrowroot powder? Does it make it hold together better, or…?
Hi Rachel! Good question, and yes. The arrowroot combined with the cashew meal result in a flour that behaves more closely to that of wheat flour.
“A flour that behaves more closely to that of wheat flour” = the Holy Grail of Paleo baking, amiright? 😛
Haha pretty much!!
I made a version of these scones with almond flour. Mine also has various other substitutions and changes, not least of which is the addition of turmeric! https://grokgrub.com/2013/09/22/paleo-turmeric-scones/
Brilliant! They look really great, Rachel. You may have just inspired a turmeric obsession.