These luscious Keto Lemon Scones are made with ricotta for extra tenderness. They make the perfect addition to any low carb brunch or breakfast!
Oh hello sunshine! Nice to see you. Wait! Where did you go? Oh there you are, I see you peeking from behind the clouds. Oh, now you’re gone again. Is that rain I feel? Dang it!
No matter what the weather is doing, these Keto Lemon Scones are a hit. So tender, so bright and fresh, and so easy to make. They are a great treat for any spring brunch, like Mother’s Day. To be honest, they are delicious any time of year.
And if you really want to be next level awesome, pair them with my Keto Lemon Curd!
Why you need to try this recipe
Hi, I’m Carolyn and I’m a scone-aholic. And so when I embarked on a keto diet, I had to find a way to make my favorite breakfast pastry low carb. I’m delighted to say that have succeeded many times over. I’ve got Keto Scones of all sorts, including blueberry, maple pecan, and cinnamon roll!
Lemon is one of my favorites flavors and I know many readers who feel the same way. So some lemon scones was just a natural next step. And since readers love my keto ricotta cake, I thought it would make these extra tender.
I made one small update to this recipe and took the time to drain the ricotta for an hour, before adding it to the dough. That helped reduce any stickiness some readers were experiencing.
Oh my, were they ever good. These Keto Lemon Scones absolutely must be part of your spring breakfast rotation!
Reader Reviews
“One of the best ricotta scones I have ever ate thanks for this delightful recipe!” –Darleen
“OMG !!!! These Lemon Ricotta Scones are so good and super easy to make? I love all of your recipes, so much.” –Susan W.
“Yet another fabulous low carb recipe. These were delicious! Made my first batch today and followed the recipe to the letter; they turned out beautifully. I like the smaller size of scone and they really fill you up. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes that don’t require a bunch of specialty ingredients!” — Joni
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: I feel strongly that almond flour makes the best keto scone texture. Coconut flour just won’t work here, I’m afraid. You could try sunflower seed flour for a nut free version, but they will have a grayish appearance.
- Sweetener: Erythritol sweeteners work best in this recipe, as allulose may make them brown too much.
- Lemon: Use the juice and zest from a fresh lemon.
- Whole milk ricotta: I recommend whole milk ricotta, as it is the only source of fats in this recipe. It will keep the scones from being too dry.
- Lemon extract: For more lemon flavor without the carbs, I also add lemon extract.
- Powdered sweetener: By using powdered sweetener, the glaze has a smooth and grit free texture.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, baking powder, and salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. Drain the ricotta: Line a sieve with a piece of paper towel or a coffee filter and set in the sink or above a bowl. Place the ricotta in the sieve and let drain 1 hour.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
3. Stir in the wet ingredients: Add in the eggs, ricotta, and lemon extract and stir until the dough comes together.
4. Shape the scones: Divide the dough in half and pat into two circles, about 5 to 6 inches in diameter, on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone liner. Cut each circle into 6 even wedges.
5. Bake: Gently lift the wedges with a spatula and spread around the pan a few inches apart. Bake about at 325ºF for 25 minutes, until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool.
6. Prepare the glaze: Whisk the powdered sweetener and lemon juice in a small bowl and drizzle over the cooled scones.
Expert tips
I find that basket shaped coffee filters are ideal for draining things like ricotta. But you can also use paper towel. If your dough is still too sticky to work with, add another tablespoon or two of almond flour.
Sweetener Options: Erythritol based sweeteners are going to be your best bet for these scones. Unfortunately, allulose makes them brown too quickly. You can try using concentrated extracts like monk fruit or stevia if you wish, but I can’t guarantee the consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keto scones freeze very well! I recommend layering them between pieces of parchment or waxed paper and freezing in an airtight container.
Lemons are a relatively low carb citrus fruit and can be used in keto recipes. Half a cup of fresh lemon juice has 10 g of carbs and 3g of fiber. But one rarely consumes half a cup of lemon juice in one sitting, so the carbs are much lower when spread out over a number of servings.
This keto lemon ricotta scone recipe has 5.8g of carbs and 2.5g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.3g net carbs per scone.
More keto lemon recipes
Keto Lemon Ricotta Scones Recipe
Ingredients
Scones
- ½ cup whole milk ricotta
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup Swerve Granular
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Zest from one lemon
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
Glaze
- ⅓ cup Swerve Confectioners
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Line a sieve with paper towels or a coffee filter and set in the sink or over a bowl. Place the ricotta in the sieve and let drain 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, Swerve, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Add in the eggs, ricotta, and lemon extract and stir until the dough comes together.
- Divide the dough in half and pat into two circles, about 5 to 6 inches in diameter, on the prepared baking sheet. Cut each circle into 6 even wedges.
- Gently lift the wedges with a spatula and spread around the pan a few inches apart. Bake about 25 minutes, until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool.
- Whisk the powdered Swerve and lemon juice in a small bowl and drizzle over the cooled scones.
Tammy Demers says
I just plucked one lonely lemon off my little lemon tree and knew I had to come here to find a way to honor it, lol. I’m choosing this scone recipe – yum! Can’t wait to try it!
Robin says
Carolyn, the lemon ricotta muffins (page 218) in your Keto Baking book – are they freezable? With or without the glaze?
Carolyn says
Absolutely… both with or without glaze.
Dale says
“But one rarely consumes half a cup of lemon juice in one sitting” HaHa! My daily “smoothie” is juice of 3-4 lemons, 2Tbsp apple cider vinegar, half a grind of black pepper to activate 1/4 tsp turmeric. I will enjjoy one of these scones an hour later with a coffee. These look great!
Annabelle says
Your recipe states 1 tablespoon baking powder. Is this correct??
Carolyn says
Yep, sure is.
Jen V says
I just made these and I don’t know what happened, but the batter was wet, which resulted in the scones turning out weird shaped. They’re definitely not triangular shaped……lol!! I haven’t tasted them yet so I hope they taste better than the way they look. The only thing I did different, was I didn’t have lemon extract, so I used a teaspoon of lemon juice from the lemon exhausted. Would that have affected the batter?
Jen V says
That was supposed to say, “I used a teaspoon of lemon juice from the lemon I zested”
Carolyn says
So I am going to guess that your ricotta had too much liquid in it. Maybe drain it a bit next time, or add a touch of coconut flour to help firm them up.
Jennifer says
I made these scones yesterday and they are lovely and delicious. I will definitely make them again. Lovely for Easter breakfast. Thank you Carolyn.
Carolyn says
Happy to hear it!
Genevieve Waltrip says
Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. My family and friends love so many of them!
Carolyn says
Delighted to hear it!
Kathy Williams, says
Hello!
I’ve been trying to satiate my sweet tooth on this keto venture I’m on and you’re recipes look absolutely delish!
I’m trying to understand how you come to a total of 2 net carbs per scone on your lemon ricotta Scones?
You list 13g total carbs and 3g fiber. That would equal 10g net carbs but it is listed as 2g.
Thanks for your recipes and your time!
Carolyn says
So I am not listing it at all… that’s Swerve. And Swerve is mostly erythritol, which has zero impact on blood sugar, thus… you subtract it.
Tarah says
I just had to get on here and comment. I love scones and have been on the hunt for a keto scone that is as pleasant as a normal one. And hadn’t found one I loved until this one! I followed the recipe exactly, although I packed the almond flour a little generously in light of the sticky comments. The lemon flavor came through so beautifully! Usually the almond flour overpowers everything. But, not in this case! The texture was more scone like than any I’d tried yet. They also came out of the oven, looked decent and were so easy to handle. Really, they were just delightful! Thanks so much…I’m now a regular fan and can’t wait to try some of your other stuff!