Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Scones (Vegan + Paleo)

These Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Scones are everything a good scone should be: tender and fluffy on the inside, with a crispy, slightly crumbly exterior. These paleo scones are loaded with chocolate chips and make for a delicious breakfast, snack, or dessert.

I’m not sure I’ve ever had a recipe that has been more obsessed over when I shared the recipe development process over on my Instagram Stories. I got so many messages and emails asking for the recipe that I shuffled things around so I could get the recipe up ASAP.

This recipe was also quicky devoured at my house, too. Not lying when I say Kyle crushed about 6 of these in one day. One day. That’s a lot of scones. We ate the second batch just as quickly too. They’re pretty hard to resist.

What makes these Chocolate Chip Scones so obsession-worthy?

Well, I asked you guys what a good scone should be on Instagram. I developed this recipe with all of that feedback in mind.

You guys said a scone should be:

• “Not too sweet, crumbly on the outside, fluffy on the inside”
• “Crispy outside and chewy inside!”
• “Super buttery or flaky”
• “Crisp on the outside, beautifully soft and moist on the side AND minimal crumbles”
• “Lightly sweet, a little denser than a biscuit”
• “Light but still dense and crumbly”
• “Melt in your mouth texture”
• “Somewhere between a muffin and a biscuit”

So, I ran with these comments (even though there were some conflicting opinions on how crumbly and dry a scone should be). The result is a scone that is the teeniest bit dry and crumbly, but also tender, buttery, and melts in your mouth. These chocolate chip scones aren’t too sweet either, although the chocolate chips do add a little extra sweetness.

Something to keep in mind – these are Americanized scones, which are different than the more traditional British scones. Those tend to be less sweet, a little more crumbly, smaller, and usually, don’t have anything mixed into the dough.

Are they easy to make?

Why yes, yes they are. The method is traditional to making scones, we’re just switching out the ingredients for gluten-free, vegan, paleo-friendly ingredients. They do require a stint in the fridge to chill, which helps make the scones flaky, but that waiting period is the hardest part of making these. 

As for the ingredients, we use a combination of almond flour, arrowroot flour, baking powder, and salt for the best texture. We use coconut sugar for sweetness. I love adding to a touch of cinnamon for extra warmth too, but that’s optional. 

Instead of the butter that’s traditionally used in scones, we use coconut oil in this recipe. You could use vegan butter if you prefer. The fat will be cut into the dry ingredients with a fork, food processor, or pastry blender. This makes the scones super flaky. 

For the dry ingredients, we substitute the traditional heavy cream for full-fat coconut milk. A flax egg and vanilla extract bring the dough together, and then, of course, we stir in the chocolate chips. After letting the dough chill, we’re ready to bake (and make your house smell like a bakery). 

I love making big chocolate chip scones and if you do too, you can make 8 big scones with this recipe. You could also cut into smaller scones, where you can get closer to 16 or 20 scones. However you cut them, you’ll have a hard time not eating them all warm!

I hope this recipe becomes a staple in your kitchen like it surely will be in mine!

Want more scone recipes?! All are gluten-free & vegan.

• Vanilla Bean Scones
• Apple Cinnamon Scones
• Lemon Blueberry Scones
• Cranberry Orange Scones
• Maple Pecan Scones
• Gluten-Free Sourdough Scones

Rachel Conners

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Scones (Vegan + Paleo)

5 from 6 reviews

These Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Scones are everything a good scone should be: tender and fluffy on the inside, with a crispy, slightly crumbly exterior. These paleo scones are loaded with chocolate chips and make for a delicious breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Servings: 8 scones

Ingredients

 

½x1x2x

• ▢ 2⅓ cups (224g) blanched almond flour
• ▢ ¾ cup (96g) arrowroot flour
• ▢ ¼ cup coconut sugar
• ▢ 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
• ▢ ½ cup (100g) coconut oil, firm
• ▢ ⅓ cup full-fat canned coconut milk, plus a little extra to brush on top of the scones
• ▢ 1 flax egg, see Notes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ cup chocolate chips
• ▢ Raw turbinado sugar, to sprinkle on top (optional)

Instructions

 

• In a food processor or large mixing bowl, combine the blanched almond flour, arrowroot flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse or whisk together.
  2⅓ cups (224g) blanched almond flour, ¾ cup (96g) arrowroot flour, ¼ cup coconut sugar, 1¼ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Add in the coconut oil and pulse or use a pastry cutter or fork to work the coconut oil into the dry ingredients until only very small chunks of coconut oil remain.
  ½ cup (100g) coconut oil
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, flax egg, and vanilla extract. Add to the dry ingredients and stir or pulse until completely combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  ⅓ cup full-fat canned coconut milk, 1 flax egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 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 1½” thick and 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 coconut milk. Sprinkle with raw turbinado sugar, if using. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  Raw turbinado sugar
• Serve warm or let cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

For the flax egg: whisk together 2½ tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon flax meal. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened and gel-like before using.

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