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

We’ve been in full sourdough land over here, and I know a lot of you have been following along with the gluten-free sourdough bread process as well! Nothing makes me happier than seeing all of your beautiful bubbly gluten-free sourdough starters and golden, crunchy loaves of sourdough bread!
But if you’re a sourdough bread maker, you know that there is maintenance for keeping up your starter! And part of that maintenance is discarding part of your starter with each feeding.
Why waste gluten-free sourdough discard when you can make something great with it?! Whether it’s cinnamon sugar crackers, sourdough chocolate chip cookies, or these gluten-free sourdough scones, you can be sure all of my sourdough discard is going to good use!
See all my favorite ways to use your gluten-free sourdough discard!

What is sourdough discard?
When you’re creating a sourdough starter, whether it’s gluten-free or regular, you must feed it regularly with flour and water. Every time you feed your starter, you discard half of the starter to keep it at a manageable size.
The part of the starter that we take out is referred to as “sourdough discard.” There is nothing wrong with the discard, it’s the same as the starter we’re feeding — we just want to keep our starter manageable, so we get rid of half of it.
But, if you hate wasting food like I do (especially when it’s useable!), you’ll never want to actually discard your sourdough discard. I usually scoop mine into a jar, and bake another treat that day using the “discard”!

What if I don’t want to bake with the sourdough discard that day?
If you’re not baking with your discard that day, you can keep it in the refrigerator, or even the freezer, until you’re ready to use it! No need to throw something away when you can use it to make more delicious goodies…like these fabulous gluten-free sourdough scones!
What ingredients do I need?
- Blanched Almond Flour
- Arrowroot Flour or Tapioca Flour
- Everything Bagel Seasoning & Nutritional Yeast: or your flavor additions of choice! Herbs work well here, or you can go in a sweet direction.
- Baking Powder
- Sea Salt
- Coconut Oil
- Dairy-Free Milk: any kind you like works well here!
- Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard: I recommend using starter that is around 100% hydration. It does not need to be active!

How do I make sourdough scones?
These gluten-free & vegan sourdough scones are made pretty in a similar way as my other scone recipes, like these chocolate chip scones. However, we make a few adjustments to account for the sourdough starter addition!
To start, you’ll whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Then, you’ll use a pastry cutter or a food processor to cut in the coconut oil, until it’s in small bits.
In a separate bowl, you’ll whisk together the sourdough discard and dairy-free milk. Then, you’ll pour over the dry ingredients and mix gently until the dough comes together.
Once you have your dough prepared, you’ll place it on a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap, form into a thick disc shape, and wrap it up. Into the fridge it goes for at least an hour before slicing into wedges, garnishing, and baking until golden and beautiful!
Recommended Equipment

What’s the best way to serve gluten-free sourdough scones?
I love toasting these a little bit until warm and adding a little vegan butter. Simple and delicious! My dad loves them with a bit of cream cheese. If you leave out the seasonings, you can make them go sweet or savory with your toppings! A plain version would be fabulous with some jam spread on top.
How do I store them?
At room temperature: They keep well in an airtight container for two days.
To freeze: seal in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months! Reheat in the oven to defrost, or defrost on the counter.

I hope you love these gluten-free and vegan sourdough scones! If you do, let me know your thoughts in the comments down below.
Want more gluten-free sourdough discard recipes?
- Gluten-Free Sourdough Focaccia
- Cinnamon Sugar Sourdough Discard Crackers
- Chocolate Chip Sourdough Discard Scones
- Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Crackers
- 10+ Ways to Use Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard

Gluten-Free Sourdough Scones
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
- Category: Scones
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These savory Gluten-Free Sourdough Scones are the perfect use for your gluten-free sourdough discard! They’re flavored with everything seasoning, and make for a delicious breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup (174g) blanched almond flour
- ⅔ cup (85g) arrowroot flour
- 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning, plus more to garnish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup (66g) refined coconut oil, firm
- ½ cup (125g) gluten-free sourdough discard, see Notes
- ⅓ cup dairy-free milk
Instructions
For the scones
- In a food processor or large mixing bowl, combine the blanched almond flour, arrowroot flour, everything bagel seasoning, nutritional yeast, baking powder, and salt. Pulse or whisk together.
- 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 small chunks of coconut oil remain.
- Whisk together the dairy-free milk and starter, and then add to the dry ingredients and stir or pulse until completely combined.
- 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 dairy-free milk. Sprinkle each scone with more everything bagel seasoning. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve warm. They’re delicious with a little bit of vegan butter or cream cheese.
- Store 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.
Keywords: scones, sourdough, sourdough discard, gluten-free, everything, savory, snacks
So excited to try this one. Are there any substitutions for the tapioca/arrowroot flour?
★★★★★
Hi April, it’s pretty necessary for the right texture, but you’re free to experiment and see if another flour will work in its place. It likely will work, will just be a little bit different texture.
Ok yes! Immediacy loving these and I only tried the recipe once… so far! I actually used brown rice flour instead of the arrowroot and it worked great. I’m definitely going to revisit this one. So yummy, especially w a lil cream cheese or jam
So glad you’re loving them, Chloe! Thanks for the feedback :D
These turned out amazing! Perfectly crispy/crunchy on the outside and light and flaky on the inside! Easy to make, turned out exactly like the picture! I used real finely grated parm/romano instead of the nutritional yeast because I tolerate it, and they are going to be fabulous for breakfast this week since I’m cutting my sugar back for a week as a little reset :) I love your savory recipes too Rachel, they are spot on when I need a little sugar break hehehe!! So happy to use my sourdough discard!!
★★★★★
Okay YUM on the real cheese!!! Sounds so good. Thanks, Vanessa!! So glad you’re loving them :)
Hi there,
I made these today and they are perfect! My sourdough starter is 120% hydration (brown rice from the Cannelle et Vanille book), so I left out the milk to account for that. Also I added dukkah instead of the bagel seasoning because that’s what I had and it was tasty. Great recipe which I’ll make again though I’ll try a neutral version next time to see what it’s like
★★★★★
Also I used unsalted vegan butter/margarine (Alsan Bio) instead of coconut oil – just in case anyone is wondering if that works too
Thanks for sharing this tip, Jen!
Amazing, so glad you liked it and happy it worked out well! Dukkah sounds like a great addition :)
I cannot stop eating these. I’ve had 3 already today. So good!!
Oops, forgot to add a star rating. So I’m replying to my own commet to add 5 stars. So delicious!
★★★★★
So glad you’re loving them, Lola!! Thanks for the feedback and stars :D
I can’t believe I’m just now finding this recipe! I followed along and made the starter with you and have loved every recipe you’ve released but I somehow missed this one. My family has thoroughly enjoyed this one! Excited for all the different flavor possibilities we can try! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
So glad you’re loving it!!! Thanks for the feedback :D
Can I use liquid coconut oil?
Hi Kuan, I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe.
I made this recipe for the first time yesterday, and it was delicious!
Not flakey like how I remembered scones to be, but very soft. I used potato starch instead of arrowroot flour, as I read somewhere that they’re interchangeable, but that may have affected the texture. I’ll get arrowroot flour for next time! Or is there a better substitution for that?
I also had to add quite a bit of extra almond flour (maybe half a cup of so), because the dough was way too sticky in the foot processor. I used my scale instead of measuring cups for the ingredients.
I skipped the everything bagel seasoning and nutritional yeast, and instead topped with some sugar before I put them in the oven, and it turned out great!
I’ll definitely make these again!
★★★★
Hi Mary, thanks so much for the feedback! Potato starch has a slightly different texture than arrowroot as it’s a little more absorbent and starchier, so that could have affected it a bit. My best guess for the texture was that the coconut oil was blended in too much – the flakiness comes from small bits of coconut oil running through the dough, which melt as the scones bake and creates flakier layers. Glad you enjoyed them though!! :)
Hi! Holy moly! So delicious! I did end up switching arrowroot for tapioca out of desperation and the texture was softer. I did 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and chocolate chucks and the flavor was *chefs kiss*!! Looking forward to using arrowroot powder and experimenting more with flavors!!
★★★★★
Sounds so fabulous, Andrea!! So glad you’re enjoying them :D
Your recipes look delicious! I just found your website and I’m trying my first one today…the gf sourdough bread. These scones look great, is it important to use the starch flour? Could it be substituted with buckwheat or anything like that?
Hi Lisa, it helps give them a light, flaky texture but you could replace with a different flour. The texture will just be a little different!
This was my first discard recipe & they were sooo good! I’d never had a savory scone before and well these converted me! Yum!
I made them exactly per the recipe except I used real milk.
Looking to make all the discard recipes before I attempt my first loaf this weekend. Thanks for a great recipe.
★★★★★
So glad you loved them, Izzy!! Hope your first loaf goes fabulously :)
These are delicious and a great way to use my discard! I left out the savory seasonings and sprinkled the top with cinnamon sugar and a bit of turbinado sugar and loved the combo of tangy with a little bit of sweet. The dough is wetter than I’m used to for scones, but the finished scones are VERY yummy. I cut them after chilling and freeze, then I bake one up fresh in my toaster oven whenever the craving hits. I find they bake beautifully from frozen at 350F for 30 minutes.
★★★★★
So glad you’re loving them, Melissa! Thanks for the feedback and the tip about baking from frozen :)
Hi, can I make this a sweeter scone (like blueberry lemon)? Thank you for offering this gf sourdough discard recipe! Your gf sourdough starter blog has changed my life!! I can enjoy delicious bread again and share its with others who are gluten intolerant/have Celiacs !
Hi Jenn, yes absolutely!! Ditch the seasoning & nutritional yeast, add 1/4 cup coconut sugar, and whatever flavors you want. For lemon blueberry, you can use the add-in amounts from this recipe. Hope this helps! SO glad you’re loving the starter recipes :) makes me so happy to hear!
Thank you for letting me know those adjustments! It tasted so good!! This is my new go-to sourdough discard recipe!
It was a little tad too wet for me so maybe I will cut down to 1/4 cup milk next time. Quick Scone hack: Line an 8” cake pan with plastic wrap, dump your dough inside and spread it out. Stick it in the freezer for an hour or until solid. Then lift it out of the pan, cut and bake directly from frozen. Bakes beautifully and minimizes spreading :)
Thanks again for a delicious recipe! Even my gluten-loving non vegan family members loved it!!
★★★★★
Yay so glad to hear it!!! The level of moisture in the discard can definitely affect how wet it is, which makes discard recipes a little trickier, but I’m glad it worked out. Also loveeee that trick with the cake pan – thanks for sharing!
I made these and they were incredible!!!!
★★★★★
So glad you loved them, Cait!!
Can you replace the almond flour with another GF flour? I have oat, brown and white rice, and millet flours. I cannot have almond due to a sensitivity. These look fabulous and I would love to try them as is (I love almonds! They do not love me). Still learning all the tricks to GF flours and such. I have my first ever starter going and hoping to start using it next week.
Hi Amber! I haven’t tested with another flour, but that should work out just fine. I hope you enjoy!
I just made these scones with my sourdough discard. Oh my goodness! Bakerita does it again! The flavor is so good and the texture is perfect. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful treat!
★★★★★
Woohoo!! So glad you’re loving them, Ginny.
Super easy and so nice to be able to use my discard. I made them plain because I just had abdominal surgery and can’t eat seeds yet. They’re very tasty. Also made the chocolate chip version – double yum!
★★★★★
So glad you’re loving them, Barbara!