This easy cranberry orange scones recipe is made without the traditional flour, butter or heavy cream. For a perfect paleo, gluten-free and dairy-free treat, pair them with your pumpkin spice latte for breakfast or with a cup of tea for an afternoon snack.
I love scones. They're a great not-too-sweet treat for breakfast or with a hot mug of tea in the afternoon. You can make many different versions using this basic gluten-free, grain-free, paleo scone recipe. The flavor inspiration usually comes from the season, or from what's in the pantry.
For this recipe, I had just enough dried cranberries left to make a batch of these cranberry orange scones. I added a little orange zest and orange extract and the resulting scones had the bright, tangy flavor of cranberries with just a hint of orange.
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How to make cranberry orange scones
This scone recipe is super simple and can be made in one bowl. And to get them in the oven quickly, I skip the rolling out and just drop them on the baking sheet. They're ready to bake in less than 10 minutes.
Start by measuring the almond flour (here's how). Note, this recipe is for almond flour (I use this one)---do not substitute coconut flour or any other type of gluten-free flour.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then make a well in the center of the almond flour mixture and add the wet ingredients.
When you first start stirring the batter together, it will seem like you don't have enough liquid. Just keep stirring and the dough will come together in a few minutes. Then use a large cookie scoop to drop the scones on a baking sheet and flatten the tops (they will not spread during baking).
Can I freeze gluten-free cranberry orange scones?
These scones freeze beautifully. To serve, defrost and reheat them in the oven. Just put as many scones as you need on a sheet of parchment paper in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 300 degrees and the scones should be thawed and warmed through in 15-20 minutes.
The cranberry orange scones were perfect with my dairy-free cappuccino this morning. And the rest went into the freezer for another day.
More paleo and gluten free scones
CRANBERRY ORANGE SCONES
Ingredients
- 315 grams almond flour about 3 cups
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ cup dried cranberries apple juice sweetened
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ⅛ teaspoon orange extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or fresh-squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Add the almond flour, baking soda, salt, orange zest and cranberries to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the remaining ingredients. Starting in the center, stir the dough until well combined.
- Using a large cookie or ice cream scoop, drop the scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly wet hands and gently flatten the tops of the scones. They should be about 1 inch thick.
- Bake 18-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
jennikenyon
How many does this make?
Lisa
I use an ice cream scoop and usually get 8-10 scones. I'll add the servings to the recipe. Thanks for the comment!
Laura Stone
Is the gram to cup ratio right? I just made these and they are very flour-y tasting. I also had to add some almond milk as the dough wasn't wet enough. Maybe I had too much flour? 🙁
Lisa
Great question – I did a post on this https://cookeatpaleo.com/how-to-measure-almond-flour/. Depending on how you measure, you can get anywhere from 80 to 120 grams of almond flour in a cup. I use about 100 grams per cup for the recipe conversions, but I ALWAYS measure by weight when I bake. Also, I only use finely ground blanched almond flour from Honeyville or JK Gourmet. I haven’t tested the recipes with any other brand.
Laura Stone
Ah, that explins it. I didn't weigh and the store was out of almond flour so I bought regular GF flour. I am new to GF cooking (3 weeks) and I'm still learning all the differences in some of the baking stuff 🙂 I will try again with almond flour!!
Tara
Baking soda?
Lisa
The baking soda reacts with the lemon juice in this recipe and replaces baking powder. I avoid baking powder as it generally contains corn, wheat or potato starch.
Carolyn Birrittella
I made these scones for breakfast this morning and I loved them. So did my husband who can be picky when it comes to grain-free baking. Thanks for the great recipe!
Lisa
Thanks Carolyn! Glad you enjoyed them!
Tammi
Can these be made with coconut flour as well?
Lisa
Almond flour and coconut flour behave very differently in recipes and can't be substituted for each other. This recipe would not work with coconut flour.
Anna
That explains the mess I got when I made them then! I used coconut flour because I didn’t have almond 🙁
Lisa
Yes, almond flour and coconut flour are very different!
Steph
These were the best scones my husband and I have ever had! And even in my bleary-eyed state early this morning, they were simple and quick to throw together. Thank you so much for this recipe! 🙂
Lisa
Thank you! This is one of my favorite recipes. I'm so glad you liked them!
minimor
I don't have almond flour, but I do have brown rice flour. Would that work with this recipe?
courtney
We cannot use almond flour in our house (my son is allergic), do you have any recommendations for a substitute?
Lisa
I have not tested it, but I have read that ground sunflower seeds can be substituted for almond flour. Here's a link about it: http://www.thekitchn.com/glutenfree-sunflower-seed-flour-187105. If you try the sunflower seed flour let me know how it turns out!
Tammi
These are so yummy. I love that they can be frozen, but I am not sure that I will ever have extra to freeze.
jody
i made these today and they're awesome! the texture is very much like a scone!
i plan to make these and some variations too - dried cherry/almond, pumpkin spice/pecan, strawberry. thank you for an awesome recipe!
Lisa
Yay! So glad you loved them, Jody!
alexa
how much apple juice is needed?
Lisa
Hi Alexa, just look for dried cranberries that are sweetened with apple juice instead of sugar. No need to add apple juice. 🙂
Lori Grabowski
I have been eating low carb and tried these to replace my recipe for cranberry orange scones that I have made for years. These are delicious, I like them better!! Thank you for the recipe. Do you have a nutritional breakdown?
Colette
Can I use fresh cranberries, I don’t have dried ?
Thank you
Lisa
Hi Colette, dried cranberries are better for this recipe as they won't add extra moisture.
June
I’ve been making these for a few months now, and I absolutely love them. They are my go to for breakfast now. So easy to make, and so good!