Sweet and tender, these keto apple scones are the perfect fall breakfast treat. Drizzle with a little sugar free caramel sauce and enjoy!
Crisp fall mornings deserve keto caramel apple scones with a warm cup of coffee. This is just an undeniable fact, my friends.
I love apples. Or perhaps I should say that I used to love apples. And I used to love taking my kids apple picking too. For me, everything about them signals the start of fall. A hint of coolness in the air, days getting shorter, and leaves starting to change. And all the wonderful coziness that comes with it.
I love working a bit of apple into my keto baked goods more for what they represent than anything else. Just enough to get a bit of flavor and texture, but not enough to spike blood sugar.
The best of both worlds!
Carbs in apples
Now, I am fully aware that apples are not the most keto-friendly choice of fruit. The average medium apple has 25g of carbs, which is a hefty carb count for a single item.
However, I maintain that you can add just a little bit of chopped apple to a multiple serving recipe without blowing your diet. In this case, I added ½ cup of chopped apple to a recipe that serves 8.
According to the USDA, 1 cup of chopped apple is 125g in weight and contains 17g of carbs. A half a cup in this recipe is a total of 8.5g of carbs. So it adds only a single gram of carbs per scone.
But in case you aren’t on board with that but still want to enjoy these delicious scones, I have some suggestions for you! Be sure to check out the Tips section below.
Tips for keto caramel apple scones
This recipe is similar to my Keto Cranberry Orange Scones, but I did a few things differently this time. The results were so fabulous, I might use these tricks for all my scone recipes!
- Use brown sugar replacement. I highly recommend Swerve Brown for this, as it’s the most like real brown sugar. It really brings out the apple pie flavors.
- Add a little cinnamon. Again this helps bring out those delicious fall flavors.
- Grate the butter. This was a new method for me, but I thought it would help distribute the butter more evenly throughout the dough. It worked perfectly! Be sure the butter is extra cold before attempting to grate it. About 30 minutes in the freezer does it.
- Chop the apple finely. You want a small dice, with pieces no bigger than about ¼ inch. If the apple pieces are too large, it make sthe scones more fragile and crumbly. You could even grate the apple to get it super fine.
- Drizzle just before serving. The caramel sauce drizzle adds moisture to the scones and makes them softer. I found that drizzling the sauce on when I was ready to eat allowed the scones to retain that tender, crumbly consistency.
Omitting the apples
Okay so what do you do if you really don’t want to use apples? Well, you have a couple of options:
- Use apple extract. You can skip the apple altogether and use about 1 teaspoon of apple extract instead. I like this all natural one from Olive Nation.
- Use zucchini or chayote squash. These two vegetables have a similar texture to apples when cooked. I would suggest using the extract as well, for the flavor.
- Make caramel scones. If neither of the choices above suit you, then just make caramel scones! They will still be delicious.
Frequently Asked Questions
I really think that the mix of flours gives these scones the best consistency. However, if you insist, you can replace the coconut flour with another ¾ cup of almond flour. The nutritional counts will change.
Sure thing, but keep in mind that anything other than an erythritol based sweetener will make these very soft. Please see my Ultimate Guide to Keto Sweeteners for more information.
You should be able to use coconut oil or other non-dairy oils in place of the butter, but you will need to melt them and stir them in. For the cream, you can use coconut cream.
Storage Information
Keto apple scones can be stored on the counter in a covered container for up to three days, and in the fridge for up to a week.
They can also be frozen for two months, but I highly recommend not adding the caramel sauce until you plan to serve.
More delicious keto apple recipes
- Keto Apple Cheesecake Bars
- Caramel Apple Coffee Cake
- Apple Cider Donut Bites
- Keto Apple Cider Donut Cake
- Gooey Keto Apple Crisp
- Apple Pie Chaffles
Keto Caramel Apple Scones
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup Swerve Brown
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter frozen for about 30 minutes
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup finely diced apple
- ½ recipe Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat. Lightly grease the baking mat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Grate the chilled butter using a box grater. Sprinkle over the dry ingredients and toss to combine, making sure the butter is well distributed. Stir in the egg, cream, and vanilla extract until well combined. Gently fold in the diced apples.
- Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet and pat into a 7-inch circle. Use a very sharp knife to cut into 8 wedges, cutting straight down, rather than dragging the knife through the dough.
- Wiggle under each wedge with a knife or offset spatula, and spread the scones around the baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely on the pan. Drizzle with caramel sauce just before serving.
Tracy says
Is there any way of sweetening this without the sweetener but still making it keto friendly? Or could I leave it out?
I’m one of those people who can’t cope with the taste of any of the sweeteners in this amount, I get that horrible, metallic taste that overpowers everything else.
Otherwise, it was really easy to make and everyone else loved it.
Carolyn says
I honestly cannot advise, I’ve never made scones without some sort of sweetener.
Ann says
Fancied a nice sweet breakfast for a change. these were easy to make and tasted nice but could have done with more apple or maybe just some apple flavoring.
TrisKit says
I appreciate your perspective on higher-carb fruits like apples. I’m not doing strict keto, but use many keto recipes. It really helps me stick to a low-carb way of eating when I can use “normal” unprocessed foods, even if in moderation. It helps me keep thoughts of deprivation at bay. Apples are not “the devil”—they contain fiber and vitamins as well as sugar, obviously. These scones are delish, btw!
Deanna Paine says
WOW!! The flavor, the texture, the ease of preparing this! WOW!! Loving every bite!
Rachel says
Hello, I don’t have a silicone mat. Can I use parchment paper instead?
Carolyn says
Yes, it just doesn’t protect the bottoms as well.
Lois Sollenberger says
Just made these, can’t wait to try them!
Kristen says
I made these for my kids as a surprise treat and they loved them and asked for me to make them again. Thanks for the recipe.
April says
These were amazing – tasted just like fall!
Kristyn says
Oh, my!! I will be making these again & again!! Love the gooeyness & flavor & the fact that they are keto friendly!
Robin says
I was so disappointed, which is unusual as you are a huge fav of mine. The dough was sticky and I had to do drop scones. I can’t taste the apples…They are really bland.
Carolyn says
If the dough was that sticky, then there wasn’t enough flour.
Robin says
I thought that might be the case. Hubby warmed them and put puréed berries on ‘em. Pretty good 😊 Thank you!
Carolyn says
Well good save! I am not quite sure what happened in your case but it just sounds like they were low in the flour department somehow.
Jackie Martin says
I did make a change but still wanted to add my review. I didn’t have an apple so used a peach (chopped, with skin on) and a smidge of ground nutmeg to the recipe and I didn’t add any sauce – otherwise I made no other changes. The grated butter was a a great idea! The scone is lovely and moist (right out of the oven) and flavourful 🙂 Thank you!
Sara says
Delicious, I used honey for the sweetener on both the caramel sauce and the cake, still great !
Thank you very much, Carolyn, this receipe will go on our winning menu list. Bless you
LeKaren Lockridge says
Just to let you all know, if you try chayote squash you will be amazed at how much they taste like apples. I fry them in butter, cut up in chunks and they are wonderful. I am certainly going to try this recipes with them.
Sandra says
Is there a substitute for the almond flour? Nut allergy here and these sound so good but cant have the almond flour.
Carolyn says
You can try sunflower seed flour but it will have a greyish color. Also, you need to add a tablespoon of acid (lemon juice) to make sure it doesn’t turn green. Here’s more info: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/how-to-make-your-own-sunflower-seed-flour/
Carolyn says
I’m on a low carb low fat diet. What can I substitute for the butter in this recipe?
Carolyn says
No idea! I made them with butter and I cannot speak to how substitutes will work. I think you will need to experiment.
Megan says
What kind of apples do you recommend using?
Carolyn says
I just use fresh red apples like gala.
KAREN BEATTIE says
What kind of Apple works best for this recipe?
Pam says
Absolutely incredible. So excited to have a bit of apple after 2 1/2 years.
Susan says
Hi,
My family loved these and a bunch of your other desserts. I have tried at least 10 alternative sweeteners but either the taste or after taste is so bad to me that I just can’t eat them. I’ve tried cutting the amount, combining 3+ types together, etc. So far Allulose is the one that I can stand the most. Can you make recipes with Allulose OR write down the amount to use when substituting with it? I would be so grateful and so would the other “super tasters” like me!!!
Jennifer says
Swerve measures like sugar, so you could try using the conversion ratio on your package of allulose. Some allulose products have added a tiny amount of monk fruit or stevia so they measure like sugar which is simpler. I like them but I am not a super-taster.
Annie says
Have you tried Lakanto Monkfruit with Eryithritol ? I use the golden variety for most every thing I bake that’s law carb. I find there’s NO aftertaste. I am very sensitive to the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners and I too have tried various artificial sweeteners. Lakanto is a winner for me!! I order mine from Amazon. It is pricey but so forth it because I don’t taste any thing but sweetness with this!