This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Almond Flour Carrot Cake Scones are a low-carb breakfast or snack rich in heart-healthy fats. Incredibly moist, these gluten free scones are the perfect addition to any brunch or dessert spread.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love these Almond Flour Scones
As spring approaches, these nutrient-rich scones are a must on your baking list. Brimming with warm spices and speckled with fresh carrots, they offer the essence of carrot cake in a heart-healthy pastry.
These scones are also super easy to make. The idea of homemade scones seems to intimidate most, however if I can pull them off, anyone can.
They may even be simpler than baking a carrot cake (much like my Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf). Plus, they’re WAY lower in sugar than most scones/breakfast pastries.
The texture of these scones is quite different than your average (read: not dry at ALL!) thanks to the almond flour.
And in true carrot cake fashion, they’re also studded with walnuts, coconut flakes, plus some fresh orange zest.
Recipe Ingredients
- Almond Flour: The almond flour lends a buttery texture, making these gluten free scones super moist and almost a cross between a scone and a muffin.
- Maple Syrup: A little goes a long way in terms of sweetness.
- Glaze: The glaze is optional (but highly recommended!). Plus, it’s only two ingredients (powdered sugar and fresh orange juice), so why the heck not.
- Carrots: Freshly grated carrots is a must! Using a box grater makes the grating process pretty seamless.
- Coconut: I love the way coconut complements the classic carrot cake flavors.
- Spices: A mix of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg lend the classic warm spice profile.
- Coconut Oil: Make sure the coconut oil is room temperature, which makes for easier handling of the dough.
- Walnuts: For extra heart-healthy fats and a little crunch! Alternatively, you can use pecans.
Recipe Tips and Tricks:
Firstly, let me provide you with a couple tips to make the BEST homemade 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, 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.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- Combine your wet ingredients: egg, maple syrup, carrots, and vanilla in a small bowl; whisk to combine.
- Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl: almond flour, shredded coconut, baking powder, spices, and salt; mix well.
- Add the coconut oil and combine using a pastry cutter (or your hands) until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients and combine with a rubber spatula until everything appears moistened. Next, fold in walnuts.
- Work the dough into a ball with floured hands and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Press into a neat 8-10″ disc and cut into 8 equal wedges with a sharp knife. Sprinkle turbinado sugar overtop, if desired.
- Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before cutting through into 8 wedges. Lastly, prepare glaze by gradually whisking orange juice into powdered sugar until desired consistency is achieved. Drizzle glaze over scones right before serving.
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.
Recipe FAQs
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.
Almond flour and almond meal are sometimes labeled interchangeably, however there are slight differences between the two.
Store: Wrap any leftover scones, then place them in an airtight container, and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. After 2 days, refrigerate any remaining.
Freeze: Freeze baked scones in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy as desired.
If you give these gluten free scones a try, take a pic and tag #dishingouthealth on Instagram so I can see your beautiful creations. Also, follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest recipe updates!
Other Gluten Free Breakfast Recipes:
Almond Flour Carrot Cake Scones
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup finely grated carrots
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg or allspice
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/3 cup solid coconut oil (at room temperature)
- 3 Tbsp. finely chopped walnuts, plus more for garnish
- 1 Tbsp. turbinado sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice + 1 tsp. grated orange zest
Instructions
- 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, nutmeg, and salt; mix well. Add the coconut oil and combine using a pastry cutter (or your hands) until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Drizzle egg mixture over the flour mixture and combine 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. Sprinkle turbinado sugar overtop.
- Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before cutting through into 8 wedges.
- Prepare glaze by gradually whisking orange juice into powdered sugar until desired consistency is achieved. (if you need to thin it out more, add more orange juice in 1 tsp. increments.) Stir in orange zest.Drizzle glaze over scones right before serving. Garnish with extra finely chopped walnuts, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
I calculate these values by hand to ensure accuracy, however expect up to a 10% variable depending on food brands.
Just made these with Trader Joe’s almond flour. I used an egg for 1/4 cup of the water, and added xanthan gum. I made two smaller circles and baked them for 25 minutes in a 325 degree convention oven. They are tender and not dry. I will certainly make these again, and use more almond extract and coconut, because the flavors were mild, imho.
I have made these about five or six times now, and all I have to say is that these are TOP NOTCH. I love carrot cake anything, and this recipe lets me have it for breakfast, mostly guilt free, AND lets me sneak some veggies into my kids, too!
A couple of notes: the first time I made these, I forgot the coconut oil, and they came out just fine, so I’ve omitted it ever since… but eventually I’ll get around to trying them with it. Secondly, I’ve tried them with and without the glaze, and I definitely recommend taking that extra little time to put it on, because it fills out the other flavors so much! My favorite substitution is swapping the nuts for raisins, but sometimes I use them both. Great job on this recipe!!
This recipe looks amazing! I bought all the ingredients to make for a brunch tomorrow. Do you think if I prepared them tonight, but waited to bake until morning they would turn out? I would just keep dough in fridge overnight…
Hi Nina,
Sorry for the late reply!! I think the dough would hold up fine! I hope you enjoy them.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I substituted fresh ginger and added two drops of Stevia and chopped organic dates. I love the flavor burst! Unfortunately, I couldn’t get them not to crumble after baking. I will try again though for sure!
Love those additions you made! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Have you frozen these?
If so, how were they?
Made these this morning for a neighborly visit. They are good, but we felt they need a bit more sweetness. I will include 1/4 cup brown sugar next time. All-in-all this recipe is a keeper, and I thank you for sharing it!
What can I substitute for the coconut? Not fond of flaked coconut.
Hi Mary,
You can either leave out the flaked coconut or sub in golden raisins. Enjoy!
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!
I added raisins and chopped almonds instead of walnuts. Delish!
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!!