These Lemon Scones are amazingly tender and full of fresh lemon flavor.  They’re completely Sugar Free as well as Gluten Free and Dairy Free.  They’re wonderful plain, but they’re out of this world spread with a smear of fruit-sweetened raspberry jam.

You guys know I love scones.  If you don’t, please read my classic Scones post to find out all about my love affair with scones. 

These scones are inspired, once again, by a recipe in Sarah Clelland’s lovely and charming National Trust Book of Scones.  The lemon flavor in these scones is so fresh and vibrant – these scones really blew me away the first time I made them.

The lemon juice and zest not only gives these scones a sunny lemon flavor, but the lemon also makes these scones more tender than my classic scones.  They reminded me just a little bit of very tender Southern biscuits.  When baked, the Lemon Scones spread a bit more, so the layers are not as distinct, but the tenderness of the crumb is worth losing a few layers.  There’s really no comparison – each scone is beautiful in its own way. 

You can eat these Lemon Scones plain, but I highly recommend spreading some fruit-sweetened raspberry jam on them.  The combination of lemon and raspberry is a winner, and you won’t regret it.  I hope you enjoy these scones as much as my family and I did!

Why You’ll LOVE this Recipe:

• Gluten Free
• Completely Sugar Free
• Dairy Free
• Zesty lemon flavor
• Low-FODMAP

Ingredients for Lemon Scones:

• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• baking powder
• salt
• Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
• lemons
• eggs
• egg yolk
• liquid stevia
• coconut milk

Notes on Ingredients:

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour – Scones have a lot of flour.  That’s what makes them dense and crumbly in all the right ways.  I have tried a lot of different mixes of gluten free flours over the years, and I have found that Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour works the best.  It’s easy to find and easy to use, and I’m always one for efficiency.

Baking powder – What gives a scone those distinctive layers and the incredible rise is a ton of baking powder.  Too much, though, and it can turn your baked goods bitter.  A lot of British recipes call for “Self-Rising Flour” which has baking powder already mixed in.  That’s not available in the U.S., so I need to add the baking powder separately from the flour.  I have found that 6 teaspoons is just the right amount.

Salt – Salt not only gives baked goods flavor, but it brings out the flavors of the other ingredients.  It’s like the best back-up singer in the pantry.

Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks – These vegan buttery sticks have a very neutral taste and work perfectly for delicate, tender scones.  They’re also lower in cholesterol than most other fats which is a win-win.

Lemons – We’re using both the zest and the juice of two lemons in this recipe.  The lemon juice not only gives the scones that zesty fresh lemon flavor, but it also makes these scones softer and more tender.

Eggs – Eggs are the binder in this recipe, and they’re also providing fat, creating those biscuity layers of delicious, fluffy delight.

Egg yolk – It was truly a revelation when I figured out that just adding one extra egg yolk would give the scones enough binding and structure to hold them together without being stiff and stodgy.  This one egg yolk makes the scones work without any added sweetener aside from stevia.

Liquid stevia – This is the only sweetener in this recipe.  It’s all that’s needed.

Coconut milk – Coconut milk works best of any liquid I have tried for this recipe.  Coconut milk has a high fat content, and fat makes baked goods more tender.  That’s what we want here, because without that extra fat, there’s a risk of scones being too dry.  With the right amount of fat, the result is a scone that is tender and soft but still just crumbly enough. 

How to Make Lemon Scones From Scratch

First of all, preheat your oven to 425 F. 

Then, in a large bowl, use a whisk to mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Next, you’re going to rub the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks into the flour mixture.  You can use a pastry cutter, but I’m all for simplicity, and I prefer to use my hands.  If you have little ones helping you in the kitchen, this a terrific activity for building strength in their hands which improves their fine motor skills.  Rub the Earth Balance in until you don’t see large chunks of it anymore and the flour mixture resembles coarse, wet sand.

At this point, zest and juice the 2 lemons, and add both the zest and the juice to the flour mixture.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 whole eggs, the 1 egg yolk, the liquid stevia, and the coconut milk.  Set aside 2 Tbsp. of this liquid mixture to use as the egg wash later.  Don’t forget to do this, because it really makes a difference.

Now, pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and use either a mixing spoon or your hands to incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  I usually start with a spoon and then switch to my hands.  You really just want to mix everything together until it’s just combined.  You don’t want to overwork the dough.  Even though we’re not using a flour with gluten, we still don’t want to the dough to be overworked.  Easy does it. 

Put a handful of gluten free flour on a cutting board and turn the dough out onto the cutting board.  Add just enough flour so that they dough holds together and you can form it into a disk. 

This is very important.  Don’t make the disk too thin.  Gluten free dough will NOT rise as much as regular flour with gluten.  So if you want a nice, tall scone, you have to make the disk tall, too.  I make my disk about 2 inches thick.  Make the sides even and tall, too, so that you get the most scones you can out of the first cutting.  Each time you have to reshape the dough, you will lose some of the layers, so it’s ideal to cut as many scones out in the first round as possible.

Get your baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat mat ready.  Get out your scone cutter and start cutting out scones. 

*Pro tip: Do not twist the cutter at all or you will lose the crenellated edges and you will squish the layers.  Just press the cutter down and pull the cutter straight up again. 

Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet.  Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the scones with the milk mixture that you set aside earlier.  This will give the scones a shiny golden top and also holds the top of the scone together so it doesn’t crack too much in the oven.

Bake the scones in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let them cool. 

These scones are delicious while warm, so once they’re cool enough to handle, enjoy them.

Scones will keep for about 2-3 days in an airtight container on the counter.

MORE SUGAR FREE & GLUTEN FREE SCONES RECIPES:

• Classic Scones - Sugar Free Gluten Free Dairy Free
• Hazelnut Chocolate Scones - Sugar Free Gluten Free Dairy Free
• Cherry Almond Scones - Sugar Free Gluten Free Dairy Free