When it comes to baked goods that combine simplicity and elegance, scones reign supreme. The crumbly texture, buttery flavor, and versatility make them a beloved treat for any occasion, like Mother's Day or Easter Brunch. Whether enjoyed as a breakfast treat or a delightful afternoon snack, these gluten free lemon poppyseed scones are sure to brighten your day and satisfy your craving for a tangy, yet satisfying, baked delight.

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Recipe Ingredient Notes
Gluten Free Flour: I recommend using a "structure flour heavy" blend such as my gluten-free multipurpose flour blend or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 for this gluten free lemon scone recipe. These blends provide a balanced texture without being too dense or gummy. It's important to avoid flour blends with excessive cornstarch content, like Cup4Cup, as they can result in a heavy batter. If you opt for a gluten-free flour blend without added xanthan gum, remember to include 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum. This will help with binding and texture.
Butter: To achieve flaky and tender scones, using butter is a must. I recommend using unsalted butter for baking. If you prefer using salted butter, please reduce the amount of salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon (1 gram). If you follow a non-dairy diet, you can use your preferred dairy-free or vegan butter substitute (avoid the spreadable kind).
Kefir or Buttermilk: I tested various dairy products in this recipe: buttermilk, kefir, and a homemade buttermilk substitute using milk and vinegar. The gluten-free lemon scones made with buttermilk and kefir rose taller and had a much better flavor than those made with the homemade buttermilk substitute.
Lemons: Since the lemon zest is added to the scone batter, I recommend using organic lemons. No matter what, make sure to give the lemons a good rinse. And make sure to zest them before juicing them.
Poppyseeds: You can locate poppy seeds in the spice or baking aisle of your grocery store. These seeds originate from the same plant that generates opiates like morphine and codeine. Due to legal restrictions, poppy seeds cannot be grown in the US, so they are imported from countries that allow their cultivation.

How to make Gluten Free Lemon Scones
There is no need for a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to make Gluten Free Lemon Poppyseed Scones. Just grab a large bowl, a whisk, a flexible spatula, a zester for lemon zest, a pastry brush, and a sharp knife to cut the scones before baking. These basic tools are all you need to whip up a batch of delicious Lemon Scones.
Step 1: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
Step 2: In a small bowl sift or whisk together the gluten free baking flour, baking powder, poppyseeds, and kosher salt and set aside.
Steep 3: In a large bowl, combine the granulated white sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar, infusing it with a delightful lemon flavor.
Step 4: Combine the dry ingredients with the lemon zest sugar mixture and stir until well mixed. Cut the butter, which should be cold, into small cubes and add them to the dry ingredients. Alternatively, you can use a box grater to grate the cold, frozen butter. Using a fork, a pastry blender, pastry cutter or your clean hands, incorporate the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Step 5: In a separate bowl, whisk together the kefir, egg, and lemon juice using a fork until frothy. Don't allow the mixture to sit because the lemon juice will cause the egg to curdle. Pour the wet ingredients into the mixture of flour and butter. Gently stir everything together using a spatula. Even if the dough appears dry and shaggy at this stage, don't worry as it will eventually come together.
Step 6: Transfer the gluten-free lemon scone dough to the parchment-lined sheet tray and push the dough together. Avoid kneading the dough since it will make the scones tough. With your hands shape the dough into a 7×5″ rectangle (around 1″ tall). If the dough appears sticky, feel free to add a little bit more flour.
Step 7: Fold the dough in half and carefully pat it down into a rectangle again. Pat it down with your hands in a rectangular again and fold it in half. Repeat this one more time - a total of THREE folds. If the dough becomes sticky due to a warm kitchen or warm hands, feel free to refrigerate it for 5-10 minutes between folds. These folding steps are crucial for achieving flaky gluten free scones with delightful buttery layers (just like making gluten free biscuits)

Step 8: Pat out your dough in a 6-inch circle, around ¾" - 1" thick. Do not go thinner than ¾" or you will end up with flat, sad scones. Place the uncut gluten free lemon poppyseed scones dough in your fridge for at least 10 minutes. This gives the butter in the dough to chill down again and will ensure light and flaky gluten-free lemon scones. Chilling the dough also makes it a lot easier to cut. In the meantime fully preheat your oven to 400F.
Step 9: When your oven reaches 400F, remove the scone dough from the fridge and use a sharp knife to cut it into eight equally-sized scones. The easiest way to do this is by cutting the circle into quarters and then half each quarter again.
Step 10: Arrange the gluten-free lemon poppyseed scones on the prepared sheet tray, using a pastry brush lightly brush them with some additional kefir and sprinkle them with raw sugar. Bake at 400F for 22-26 minutes until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely (and glaze).

Lemon Glaze
Make sure the gluten-free lemon scones are completely cooled before topping them with this simple lemon glaze. To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and fresh-squeezed lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Using a spoon, drizzle it over the top of the gluten free lemon poppy seed scones. Garnish with additional lemon zest and poppy seeds if you like. Even toasted Almonds make a delicious garnish. Allow for the icing to set before serving.
Storage & Freezing
Scones in general (not just gluten-free scones) taste the best the day they have been baked. If you happen to have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to nuke them at 50% for maybe 30 seconds to warm them up before serving.
To freeze baked scones, place them in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze up to 3 months. Allow thawing at room temperature. Please be aware the lemon glaze may become sticky during freezing.
I actually recommend freezing them before baking. Cut the gluten free scone dough, place it on a sheet tray, and freeze until solid. Transfer to a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. If you would like to freeze them for an extended period of time, I recommend wrapping each unbaked scone in plastic wrap for extra protection from freezer burn. When ready to bake, bake them straight from frozen but please be aware they will need additional 4-6 minutes to bake (depending on your oven).

FAQ - Gluten Free Lemon Scones
Leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda are responsible for the rise in your scones. If they are expired or not used in the right amounts, your scones may not rise properly. Check the freshness of your leavening agents and measure them accurately.
No, scone dough should not be kneaded. It is best to handle the dough as little as possible to avoid developing gluten, which can result in a dense texture. Mixing the ingredients until just combined is sufficient for making scones.
No, it's not a good idea to give poppyseeds to dogs. Poppyseeds can have tiny amounts of opioids that can harm dogs. If dogs eat a lot of poppyseeds, it can make them feel sleepy, affect their breathing, and upset their stomach.
Baking in grams
I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and very affordable. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. Measuring cups are very inaccurate and can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.
Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures
All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.
If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Be also prepared that the convection oven can cause your baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Be aware that it takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.
Substitutions and Modifications
Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.

More Gluten Free Lemon Recipes to try
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Lemon Scones

These Gluten Free Lemon Poppyseed Scones are bursting with zesty citrus flavor, perfect for breakfast or a delightful afternoon snack.
Ingredients
Gluten Free Lemon Scones
- Zest from 2 medium lemons
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 300 grams gluten free multipurpose flour
- 14 grams baking powder (1 tablespoon)
- 9 grams poppyseeds (1 tablespoon)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 113 grams unsalted butter, cold
- 125 grams kefir (or buttermilk)
- 1 large egg
- 25 grams lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- Raw Sugar
- Extra Kefir or Buttermilk
Lemon Glaze
- 50 grams powdered sugar
- 10-20 grams lemon juice
Instructions
How to make Gluten Free Lemon Scones
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a small bowl sift or whisk together gluten-free flour, baking powder, poppyseeds, and kosher salt.
- Combine the granulated white sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar.
- Add the dry ingredients to the lemon zest sugar mixture and stir to combine.
- Cut the COLD butter into smaller pieces and add to your dry ingredients. Using a fork or your washed, clean hands, work the butter into the dry mixture. The butter should look very crumbly. You may also use a box grater to grate the butter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the kefir, egg, and lemon juice using a fork until frothy. Pour the wet ingredients into the mixture of flour and butter. Gently stir everything together using a spatula. Even if the dough appears dry and shaggy at this stage, don't worry as it will eventually come together.
- Transfer the gluten-free lemon scone dough to the parchment-lined sheet tray and push the dough together. Avoid kneading the dough since it will make the scones tough. With your hands shape the dough into a 7×5″ rectangle (around 1″ tall). If the dough appears sticky, feel free to add a little bit more flour.
- Fold the dough in half and carefully pat it down into a rectangle again. Pat it down with your hands in a rectangular again and fold it in half. Repeat this one more time - a total of THREE folds. If the dough becomes sticky due to a warm kitchen or warm hands, feel free to refrigerate it for 5-10 minutes between folds.
- With your hands shape the dough into a 6" inch disk, around 1″ tall. Do not go thinner than ¾" or you will end up with flat, sad scones. Place the uncut gluten free lemon poppyseed scones dough in your fridge for at least 10 minutes. At this point, you can allow them to sit in your fridge for up to 12hrs.
- While the scone dough is setting up, preheat your oven to 400F.
- When your oven reaches 400F, remove the scone dough from the fridge and use a sharp knife to cut it into eight equally-sized scones. The easiest way to do this is by cutting the circle into quarters and then half each quarter again.
- Arrange the gluten-free lemon poppyseed scones on the prepared sheet tray, using a pastry brush lightly brush them with some additional kefir and sprinkle them with raw sugar.
- Bake at 400F for 22-26 minutes until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely (and glaze).
Lemon Glaze
- While the scones are cooling, prepare the lemon glaze by combining the ingredients in a small bowl. If your glaze is too thick, add some additional lemon juice. Please be aware that a little goes a long way.
- When the scones are cool, use a spoon and drizzle them with the lemon glaze. Garnish with additional Lemon Zest and Poppyseeds if you like
Notes
Storage: Scones in general (not just gluten-free scones) taste the best the day they have been baked. If you happen to have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Poppyseeds: Poppyseeds are optional. Omit if you like.
Flour: To make the scones with regular all purpose flour, please substitute the gluten free flour with 275 grams of all-purpose flour.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 366
Calories are a guestimate and randomly generated.
Marta says
I made these lemon scones to serve at a brunch where I knew a few people were gluten free. They loved them so much they begged for the recipe! I'm sure you'll have an influx of new readers because of it.
Bonny says
Looks like another yummy recipe from you! Quick question: when I click on your Bob's Red Mill link it takes me to King Arthur's GF Measure for Measure on Amazon. Which one do you recommend for these scones? I have both, and find that in some recipes one works better than the other, depending on the recipe. Thanks again for all your great recipes!!
Daniela says
Both flours work fine 🙂 I will fix the link when I am on my computer
Jenny Graves says
Lemon flavors are a huge hit in our household. This yummy scones recipe has the added bonus of being gluten free. Enjoy!
Noelle says
So easy to make! The pictures of how to form into a circle and cut were super helpful. I love using bob's 1:1 gluten free flour... turn out so good!
Jamie says
Wow! This Scones recipe looks incredibly delicious and very yummy! I agree, a perfect dish for breakfast! Loving this already! Plus this is Gluten-free which makes this a healthy treat for everyone to love and enjoy!
Carrie Robinson says
I am all about anything lemon right now! These would go perfectly with my afternoon tea. Definitely baking up a batch soon. 🙂
Monica says
Lemon scones are simple perfection, and I am so glad to have a delicious, tried and true gluten-free options! We often have guests who need or prefer a gluten-free diet, and I will be so happy to offer them a tasty treat all the same.
Claire says
The lemon scones sound amazing and I love that you included poppy seeds. Can't wait to give your recipe a try!
Moop Brown says
Whether as a snack, treat, or breakfast item, these scones are incredibly versatile and look really tasty as well. Thanks for sharing.
Colleen says
I love everything lemon, and these scones did not disappoint! Having to be gluten-free can be hard, but delicious recipes like this help a lot!