These sweet Chocolate Chip Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Scones are the perfect use for your gluten-free sourdough discard! They’re dairy-free and vegan, and make for a delicious gluten-free breakfast or snack.

Craving savory scones? Try this recipe for Savory Gluten-Free Sourdough Scones!

Hello, sourdough friends new and old! I’m so happy you’re here for another gluten-free sourdough recipe. If you’ve been making gluten-free sourdough bread for any period of time, or even just building your own gluten-free sourdough starter, then you know that sourdough discard is part of the process.

Sourdough discard is the part of your sourdough starter that you remove when you feed your starter to ensure it doesn’t get overwhelmingly large. Though it’s called the “discard” because you’re removing it, I sure don’t like to actually discard it, especially not when there are SO many delicious sourdough discard recipes you can make! A few of my favorites are:

And the newest favorite to be added to the list is definitely these Chocolate Chip Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Scones!

How to make gluten-free sourdough discard scones

The ingredients you’ll need to make these scones are as follows:

  • Blanched Almond Flour
  • Arrowroot or Tapioca Flour: this starchy flour helps add lightness and crispness to the scones.
  • Coconut Sugar: feel free to use any granulated sweetener here, but avoid using a liquid sweetener as it will throw off the balance of dry to wet ingredients.
  • Baking Powder & Salt
  • Cinnamon: optional, you can substitute other favorite spices if desired or leave it out.
  • Refined Coconut Oil or Butter: make sure to use coconut oil or vegan butter to keep dairy free.
  • Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard: see Notes in the recipe card for details on this!
  • Milk of Choice: I used oat milk, but any milk, dairy-free or not, will work depending on your preferences and needs.
  • Mix-Ins: I used chocolate chips, but there’s tons of options! I suggest some options below.

To make the scones, start by combining all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together.

Add in the chilled fat of your choice, cut into small pieces. Work it into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or two forks until it’s in pea-sized bits, but not fully incorporated.

Mix together the sourdough discard and milk, and mix into the dry ingredients delicately to bring the dough together. Fold in your mix-ins of choice.

Press the dough into an 8″ circle, refrigerate for an hour, and then cut into wedges. Coat with sugar if desired, and then bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Devour while warm!

Other scone mix-ins you can use

Not a chocolate chip fan? No worries! These other options for adding flavor to your sourdough discard scones are great too, just make sure the amount stays close to ½ cup.

  • Pecans or other favorite nut, toasted is even better!
  • Blueberries for sourdough blueberry scones, adding lemon zest would be great here too.
  • Dried fruit like cranberries or raisins.
  • Extracts like vanilla, mint, orange, lemon, almond, etc.
  • Zest of your favorite citrus, like lemon, orange, lime, etc.

Tips for the best gluten-free scones

  • Don’t overwork the fat! The little bits of coconut oil or butter help add lightness and tenderness to the scones.
  • Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar before baking for a crispy, sugary topping.
  • Don’t add too many mix-ins or they won’t hold together as well.
  • Use a kitchen scale for the most accurate results.
  • If your sourdough discard is super liquid-y, don’t add all of the milk at once. Add as needed to bring the scones together.

Tips for storing and freezing scones

To freeze before baking: after making the chocolate chip scone dough and wrapping in a round, you can either freeze the dough in the circle, or you can cut the scones and garnish. After cutting and garnishing, place the scones on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then transfer to a ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. To bake, bake straight from frozen, following the directions as instructed, but adding about 3 to 5 minutes onto the baking time.

To freeze after baking: after baking, but before glazing, place the scones on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then transfer to a ziplock back or airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat, bake at 300°F for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until thawed and warmed.

Storing baked scones: store the baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.

More fabulous gluten-free scone recipes:

Rachel Conners

Chocolate Chip Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Scones

4.95 from 18 reviews
These sweet Chocolate Chip Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Scones are the perfect use for your gluten-free sourdough discard! They’re dairy-free and vegan, and make for a delicious gluten-free breakfast or snack.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 8 scones

Ingredients
 

  • 1¾ cup (174g) blanched almond flour
  • ⅔ cup (85g) tapioca flour, or arrowroot flour
  • ⅓ cup coconut sugar
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
  • ⅓ cup (66g) refined coconut oil, or butter of choice (vegan if needed), firm
  • ½ cup (125g) gluten-free sourdough discard, see Notes
  • ¼ cup milk of choice, I used oat milk
  • ½ cup chocolate chips, optional, you can substitute with your favorite sweet mix-in!

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the blanched almond flour, arrowroot flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together.
    1¾ cup (174g) blanched almond flour, ⅔ cup (85g) tapioca flour, ⅓ cup coconut sugar, 1¼ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • Add in the coconut oil or butter and use a pastry blender or fork to work the fat into the dry ingredients until small, pea-sized bits of fat remain. You don’t want it to be fully incorporated.
    ⅓ cup (66g) refined coconut oil
  • Whisk together the dairy-free milk and starter, and then add to the dry ingredients and stir or pulse until completely combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
    ½ cup (125g) gluten-free sourdough discard, ¼ cup milk of choice, ½ cup chocolate chips
  • Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and dust with arrowroot flour. Put the dough on top of the parchment, dust with more arrowroot flour, and press into a circle, about 8” across. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours to chill. If leaving in the refrigerator for more than a few hours, I recommend wrapping the dough in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
  • When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the circle into 8 scones and separate from each other so they’re not touching. Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the scones with a small amount of dairy-free milk. Sprinkle each scone with sugar if desired. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Serve warm and store any extras in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

For the discard: this recipe uses a sourdough starter as an ingredient, so if you’re not maintaining a sourdough starter, this isn’t the recipe for you!
  • Don’t use discard that is from a super new starter – it should be smelling good and at least a week old. The starter does not need to be active and should be fed with about 100% hydration.
  • If it seems super liquid-y, hold off on adding all the milk to the recipe and add as needed. You don’t want the dough to be too wet.
To freeze before baking: after making the chocolate chip scone dough and wrapping in a round, you can either freeze the dough in the circle, or you can cut the scones and garnish. After cutting and garnishing, place the scones on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then transfer to a ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. To bake, bake straight from frozen, following the directions as instructed, but adding about 3 to 5 minutes onto the baking time.
To freeze after baking: after baking, but before glazing, place the scones on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then transfer to a ziplock back or airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat, bake at 300°F for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until thawed and warmed.
Storing baked scones: store the baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.
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