Gluten-free Cranberry-Orange Scones Recipe (with a dairy free option)
If you’ve been craving a Starbucks cranberry orange scone, but need a gluten free version, this recipe is for you! This cranberry-orange scone recipe is gluten free, with options to make it dairy free and refined sugar free, too. These easy scones make for a delicious holiday breakfast addition.
Today I want to share with you my recipe for gluten free cranberry orange scones. They’re so easy to make (especially if you have an electric kitchen mixer) and taste like the Starbucks version, in my opinion.
If you know me much at all, you know that I kind of have a thing for carbs.
And I really love getting away with eating them for breakfast.
When my sister worked for a local coffee shop she would get to bring home all of the baked goods that they would’ve tossed otherwise.
My favorite thing she’d bring were the leftover scones.
This was all pre gluten-free eating. I didn’t know they were wreaking havoc on my insides.
I love scones.
They’re perfect to me. Fluffy, but slightly dry.
Soft, but a touch crunchy on the outside.
Sweet, but just barely.
Yep.
I could eat them all day.
They’re legit amazing with a cup of coffee.
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But they’re also hard to come by in gluten-free form.
Once I started learning how to bake gluten-free, scones were one of the first things I wanted to try to make.
These gluten free cranberry orange scones are everything I remember regular scones being.
I first made these gluten free cranberry orange scones when my husband and I were travelling to St Louis for a missional conference when I was pregnant with our firstborn. We had to be at the airport before breakfast the day after Christmas.
I packed these gluten free cranberry orange scones in a plastic container and they traveled beautifully. Not to mention, they paired perfectly with our airport Starbucks coffees. It was seriously like we bought them there.
And it made my pregnant self really happy.
If you make these gluten free scones, I doubt you or your loved ones will be able to tell they don’t have the gluten in them
A couple tips to note
- If you make these dairy free, use coconut oil that isn’t melted and isn’t too hard. You want it at that lovely soft stage.
- I also recommend using refined coconut oil so that the taste isn’t quite as obvious. There is debate about whether or not refined coconut oil is as healthy as unrefined coconut oil. Use what you are most comfortable with.
- I have not tried these with a flax egg, but I bet it would work just fine! I’ve done it successfully in my vegan pumpkin scones
- The flour blend I use is one I make myself, and I haven’t tested this with other gluten free flour blends. I’d suggest sticking with blends that are rice based and don’t have garbanzo bean flour in them (it tends to be a strong flavor, but if you like it, go for it!).
Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten free flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- Zest of one orange
- 7 tablespoons butter or 6 tablespoons solid coconut oil
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup milk (any kind)
- 1 egg or flax egg
- 1 cup dried cranberries (homemade or store bought)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper
- Mix all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a kitchen mixer
- Add in the butter or oil and mix with paddle mixer on medium for one minute. You could also just cut it in the old-school way with a fork or pastry cutter. You want it to look crumbly
- Add the juice, milk, and egg and stir until combined
- Fold in the dried cranberries
- Sprinkle a bit of gluten free flour or tapioca starch onto flat surface and dump dough in the middle. Sprinkle with a bit more flour or starch and press into a 2 inch disc
- Cut into 8-10 scones. I like to use a pizza cutter for this
- Place on a baking sheet and cook for 14-16b minutes
- Allow to cool before icing
- To make icing, add powdered sugar to a small bowl
- Slowly add in orange juice, one teaspoon at a time
- The icing should have a thick glue consistency when ready
- Drizzle icing over scones
- I suggest leaving scones out, uncovered overnight before enjoying. This helps them dry out perfectly, in my opinion. Then store any leftovers in an air-tight container
- I dare you to try to just eat one. Enjoy!
Just wondering how much confectioners sugar and OJ for the drizzle?
It depends on your taste, but I usually do about 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and then add orange juice a teaspoon at a time until it’s a thick glue consistency. You definitely want to add the juice slowly, as it can get too liquidy fast!
Is the salt amount correct- 3/4 teaspoon?
Yes it is. A full teaspoon seems a bit much, but 3/4 of a teaspoon balances the tang of the orange and cranberry very well 🙂 Thank you for your question!
These were delicious and I am not even a fan of orange cranberry. Wondering if this recipe could be made into lemon blueberry ? Planning on giving it a try after this batch is gone ~ most likely soon !
That is fantastic to hear! I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
I made some blueberry lemon scones during the summer and they were delicious! I forgot to write what I did down, so I’ll experiment again soon <3 I bet you could simply tweak this for lemon and blueberry.