Rediscover a delightful morning treat in these gluten-free scones made with an essence of fresh carrot cake and drizzled with citrus glaze.
I have consumed so many scones the past few days, I am *this* close to turning into a walking, talking breakfast pastry. And yet, I’m totally fine with it.
These carrot cake scones are my spring gift to you, in all of their melt-in-your-mouth, crumbly glory.
These scones are basically portable carrot cakes masking themselves as breakfast pastries. They’re brimming with heart-heathy fats, fiber, and protein, and, most important, won’t send you “glazed” over into midmorning nap mode.
If you’ve never baked scones before, it’s MUCH simpler than it seems.
The texture of these scones is quite different than your average. I find most scones to be too dry unless their dunked in hot coffee or tea. The almond flour lends a buttery texture, making them supremely moist and almost a cross between a scone and a muffin. In true carrot cake fashion, they’re studded with chunks of walnuts, freshly grated carrots, coconut flakes, and warm spices.
The glaze is optional (but highly recommended!). The scones themselves are subtly sweet, so if you prefer your breakfast pastries on the sweeter side, you’ll want the citrus glaze. Plus, it’s only two ingredients (powdered sugar and fresh orange juice), so why the heck not. 
How To Make Gluten Free Scones:
Scones, like biscuits, are most tender when handled minimally. So, have your ingredients ready and use a soft touch when mixing and patting the dough. The dough will still be sticky after mixing, but refrain from adding more flour, as any extra could dry them out. Even though we’re working with a gluten free flour here (almond flour), and you don’t have to worry about the dough becoming gummy from overworked gluten, you still want to achieve as light a crumb as possible.
Instead of wedges, you can also scoop and drop the dough by 1/4 cupfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet for easier prep and more crispy browned edges. Store any leftover scones in an airtight container for three to five days, or freeze up to one month.
What is the Difference Between Almond Flour and Almond Meal?
They’re quite similar, and some brands may even label them interchangeably, however there are slight differences between the two. While they are both made from ground almonds, almond flour is typically made from blanched almonds that are pulverized more finely. Almond meal has a grittier texture (similar to cornmeal) and generally requires more structure and binding agents for optimal leavening.
I generally find that almond flour works best for gluten free breads, muffins, cakes, and pancakes. 
Enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, a mid-morning snack, or even dessert with tea or coffee. Easter and Mother’s Day approved!
Other Healthy Breakfast Pastry Recipes:
Healthier Hummingbird Cinnamon Rolls
Strawberry-Lemon Cardamom Brunch Cake
Healthy Baked Red Velvet Donuts
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¾ cup finely grated carrots (from 1 large carrot)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2⅓ cups almond flour
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, softened
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped walnuts
- **Sweet Citrus Glaze** (optional)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange or pineapple juice
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- Place egg, maple syrup, carrots, and vanilla in a small bowl; whisk to combine.
- In a larger bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flakes, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt; mix well. Add the softened coconut oil and combine using a pastry cutter (or your fingers) until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Drizzle egg mixture over the flour mixture and then toss the mixture together with a rubber spatula until everything appears moistened. Fold in walnuts. (Dough will be a little wet/sticky.) Work the dough into a ball with floured hands and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Press into a neat 8″ disc and cut into 8 equal wedges with a sharp knife.
- Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before cutting through into 8 wedges.
- Lastly, prepare glaze by whisking powdered sugar and orange juice together; drizzle lightly over scones right before serving.
I'm Jamie - A Registered Dietitian, recipe developer, and full-fledged foodie inspiring you to live deliciously. 
Verdict: scrumptious!! I even forgot to add the coconut oil, and they still came out moist, tender, and very flavorful! I will confess to omitting the walnuts and adding raisins instead, because I absolutely love raisins in my carrot cake, and I also added a dash of cloves and some nutmeg, because I like my carrot cake spicy. I will definitely be making these again!
Hi! I am going to try these this morning, because I love all things carrot cake ^_^ but I had a question. I know you’re not likely to answer before I make them, but I’d still like to know—in a gluten free dough like this one, why should it matter if you overwork it? Usually, in a baked good with gluten, overworking produces a tough finished product because of the overproduction of gluten. But that’s not the case here. So I’m curious. 🙂
Hi Jamie, this recipe looks Felisha. I am on a dairy, grain and sugar free cleanse. What can I use instead of the eggs?
Thank
Hi Janine—I have not made these without eggs and I honestly don’t think they’d do well without the structural integrity/binding agent of the eggs. I’m sorry!!
Made them so easy can’t wait to taste! But mine didn’t rise much is that how they are.
Hi, Baskuta! Hmm… were your leavening agents within the suggested use date? I hope they still turned out delish despite not rising as much!
Thanks for the suggestion! Yes it’s still within usage date. They were delicious! Shared the recipe with my friends. They all loved it. I didn’t have coconut oil. Made with olive oil. Going to try tomorrow with coconut oil.
Oh I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for coming back and leaving a review. Cheers!
This is a awesome treat. I substituted the ginger for nutmeg and cinnamon for pumpkin spices.
Also, no walnuts so I used what I had which was
Almonds. I added 1/3 cup brown sugar and it turned out great. Without the 1/3 cup of brown sugar it was slightly unsweetened. We enjoyed!
Thanks,Yah Bless!
Can I substitute brown sugar for the maple syrup in the recipe?
Hi Rebecca, I haven’t tried using brown sugar myself, but I’d imagine it would work fine.
What can I substitute for the coconut oil? Butter? Or canola oil?
Hi Barbara, canola oil will work just fine!
If I dont add the coconut should I just add more almond flour?
Hi Nicole! You can just leave the coconut out. No need to swap in more almond flour. Enjoy!
These are delish, I made them today to send with my daughter for the weekend because one of her friends is gluten intolerant. This is my first try using almond flour, they turned out wonderfully, very moist and tasty. Will definitely make them again.
Thank you,
Michelle
Hi Michelle, I’m so happy to hear this!! Thank you for taking the time to leave a note. Cheers!
Are the walnuts just for flavor/texture? I’m allergic and wondering if they can just be omitted? The recipe looks delish!
Hi Rachele, you can totally leave them out or sub them for pecans. They’re just for a texture/flavor boost.
The instruction to cut the disk into 8 wedges is repeated twice. Are you supposed to cut the wedges before baking, after baking, or both?
I think when she says cut through the second time, it’s just to separate them.
I can’t eat egg whites… Do you think just an egg yolk will work?
HI Shawna,
I can’t say for certain since I haven’t tried that route, but I would probably use 2 egg yolks in place of the 1 whole egg., and then cut down the coconut oil to 1/4 cup. I hope they turn out!
I love scones. Always looking for a healthy. Low carb recipe. Thank you. I can enjoy scones again.
That’s wonderful, Chrislyn! I hope you enjoy these!