Are you a fan of scones? Are you a fan of rhubarb? If the answer is “yes to both!”, then you will definitely want to make these Gluten Free, Dairy Free Rhubarb Scones. With Mother’s Day coming up, these scones would be a perfect addition to a brunch menu for the occasion!

One thing that can be really hard when you finally stop eating foods you know aren’t serving you is feeling like you’ll never be able to eat some of the foods you really enjoy. When I say a food is “not serving you” I’m talking about foods that you know make you feel miserable from eating them or foods that you know are causing negative health effects in your body.

It can leave you feeling pretty helpless and hopeless for what your future meals will be like. It can also make you feel like you’re never going to enjoy food again, which might make you throw in the towel and give up on making any changes in the first place! Sound familiar?

I’m here to tell you there IS hope, and you don’t have to GIVE UP all the foods you really enjoy! You just have to make them in a DIFFERENT way. You CAN learn to like the new versions of your favorite foods as long as you desire to like them, and as long as you focus on how much better you’ll feel by eating differently.

That was DEEP, I know, but I’m telling you that once you start feeling the magic of eating in a way that truly serves your body and your best health, you won’t want to go back to your old ways of eating! And, you won’t feel so deprived or hopeless about what you choose to no longer eat because you’ll be feeling SO GOOD!

Now, let’s talk more about scones, okay?

What Are Scones?

Scones had me at first bite! And that first bite, while I can’t remember exactly where, was somewhere in England, where I was living as part of a work abroad program in college. I can’t believe I had never had a scone before the age of 19, but what a better place to first eat them than in England, where they are known far and wide for their perfect scones!

I do have a really vivid memory of eating a scone while on this tiny island off the coast of Scotland, where I had been traveling for a few days during that summer. It was at a small inn on the island, and I wasn’t even staying there. I’d simply stopped in to get a late afternoon bite to eat. I had THE BEST scone there! I feel like I can still taste that scone and how much joy it gave me to eat it while looking out over the peaceful countryside.

I was enjoying the scone so much that I nearly missed the ONE and only bus that would be passing by the inn to take me back to the port to catch the boat I needed to get back to the mainland! Yikes! That scone was worth it though, and luckily, I caught the bus in time!

Fast forward to now, and scones are still one of my favorite treats! If you’ve never had a good scone, you may not understand what all the fuss is about, so let me tell you why I like them so much!

Scones are basically like sweet biscuits, and I’m not talking about biscuits that come from those tubes that pop open (and that kind of freak me out, if you really want to know!). I’m talking about homemade, totally from scratch biscuits, and if you’ve never had one, you’re really missing out!

The flaky, buttery goodness of biscuits is about as good as it gets, but then when you add just a smidge of sugar and stir in bits of dried fruit or fresh fruit, it’s like taking biscuits to a whole new level. To me, scones are truly the perfect balance of sweet, buttery, and flaky goodness that is so hard to beat. 

How to Make Scones Gluten Free and Dairy Free?

Baking without using regular wheat flour has become pretty much second nature to me. Because of some other work projects I’ve been doing over the past couple of years, along with my own journey of eating gluten free, I’ve baked with a lot of gluten free flours!

Two of my favorite gluten free flours to cook and bake with are cassava flour and brown rice flour. I find both of these flours produce baked goods that have a similar taste and texture as they would if baked with regular wheat flour. If you want to read more about cassava flour, check out this gluten free muffins post!

Scones are usually made with butter, but because I wanted these rhubarb scones to be gluten free AND dairy free, I had to use something other than butter. In traditional scones, the butter is added cold and cut into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, which is how the scones get their flaky texture. Instead of butter, I used chilled coconut oil (the kind that is flavorless), which can be added in the same way as the butter normally is.

Traditional scones often use cream as the liquid. Besides the copious amount of butter, this is another reason why traditional scones are so dang good! Instead of cream, I used unsweetened coconut milk (the kind you get in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, not the canned type) in this recipe, which is very easy to find!

Besides swapping out the wheat flour, butter, and cream, this Gluten Free, Dairy Free Rhubarb Scones recipe is very similar to a traditional scone recipe, so if you’ve ever made scones from scratch, you’ll have no problem with these!

Before we get to the recipe, I want to know what your favorite rhubarb recipe is! Leave a comment below and let me know how you like to eat rhubarb. Then, get to your kitchen and give these Gluten Free, Dairy Free Rhubarb Scones a try!

Print Recipe

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Rhubarb Scones

Making brunch this Mother’s Day? Be sure to add these Gluten Free, Dairy Free Rhubarb Scones to the menu! With rhubarb season in full swing, it’s good to have a variety of rhubarb recipes to make, and these scones have the perfect balance of sweet and tang that makes rhubarb shine!

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups cassava flour*
• ½ cup brown rice flour*
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom or ground allspice
• 1/2 cup refined** coconut oil, chilled
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh rhubarb
• Unsweetened coconut milk (optional)
• Coarse sugar (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl combine cassava flour, brown rice flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. Whisk until well combined. Add chilled coconut oil; using a pastry blender, cut in oil until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl whisk together ½ cup milk, the egg, and vanilla. Add all at once to flour mixture; use a fork to stir until almost combined. Add rhubarb; stir until well combined. Gather dough together with your hands.
• Lay a sheet of parchment paper on the counter and shape dough into a 1-inch thick circle (about 7 1/2 inches in diameter) on the paper (you can also do this right on the prepared baking pan). Using a long sharp knife, cut dough circle into 8 wedges. Separate the wedges and place on the prepared baking pan, leaving space between the wedges. If desired, lightly brush tops of scones with coconut milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
• Bake scones for 12 to 14 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Transfer scones to a wire rack. Cool slightly; serve warm!

Notes

* When measuring flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup rather than digging the measuring cup into the flour and scooping out the flour. If you dig the measuring cup into the flour to scoop it up, you will pack the flour a lot and end up using way more flour than if you spoon the flour into the measuring cup. This will result in dry scones!

* The cassava flour I used in these scones is from Bob’s Red Mill. I have found that different brands of cassava flour work differently in recipes, so if you can buy the Bob’s Red Mill cassava flour, that would be best here!

** Refined coconut oil does not have a coconut flavor like “virgin” or unrefined coconut oil. Either oil will work in these scones, however, I prefer the refined oil so that the rhubarb flavor shines through.

Yield: 8 scones