Keto Vanilla Bean Scones are buttery, tender, and packed with rich vanilla flavor. These sugar-free, gluten-free scones rival the famous Starbucks treat with a fraction of the carbs. Grab your coffee and let’s dig in!
In case you haven’t noticed, I love making keto Starbucks copycat recipes. I hardly ever go to the famous coffeeshop chain anymore, but I look back fondly on all the high carb, sugary treats I used to love. They have given me so much inspiration for low carb makeovers, like Keto Frappuccinos and Keto Cranberry Bliss Bars.
These easy almond flour scones are a copycat of the petite vanilla bean scones from Starbucks. My kids loved them but they were off limits for me, so I created my own keto version back in 2015. And they’ve been a favorite ever since!
★★★★★
Toni says: “One of my first Keto desserts I made when I started eating keto back in 2018. Initially, I thought baking was behind me then I found alldayidreamaboutfood. I do shape them as cookies, flatten them a little before I bake and then drizzle the icing on top. These don’t disappoint.“
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: I find that almond flour makes the best keto scones. Coconut flour will not work in this recipe.
- Sweetener: I typically recommend erythritol based sweeteners for a recipe like this, as it gives them the right texture. You will need a powdered sweetener for the glaze. Please see the sweetener options for more information.
- Vanilla powder: Made from ground vanilla pods, vanilla bean powder is an easy substitute for vanilla beans. You don’t have to work to scrape out the little vanilla seeds and a little goes a long way. So it ends up being less expensive too!
- Vanilla extract: Because we want strong vanilla flavor, a good vanilla extract is imperative.
- Eggs: Traditional scones don’t take eggs, but we need them in keto baking to help bind the mixture and keep it from falling apart.
- Heavy cream: This adds richness to the scones. You also need it to make the luscious vanilla glaze.
- Baking staples: Butter, baking powder, salt.
How to Make Keto Vanilla Scones
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, vanilla powder, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the eggs butter, cream, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together.
- Form the scones: Split dough into 3 equal portions and form into disks. Cut each disk into 8 equal pieces to make 24 small scones.
- Bake the scones: Place on a prepared baking sheet and bake 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Prepare the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sweetener, vanilla powder, and heavy cream. Add water to thin, if needed.
- Glaze the scones: Dip the top of each scone into glaze and place on a baking rack until set.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
Almond flour provides the best texture for scones. Coconut flour is too absorbent and requires too many eggs, so they turn out overly moist and rather spongy. Scones should be on the dry side and a little bit crumbly but still very tender.
If you can’t access vanilla bean powder, you can use the seeds from 1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. The extract obviously won’t give the flecked appearance of vanilla seeds, but it will taste delicious!
The consistency of the glaze can differ depending on what sweetener you use, so you may or may not have to add water to thin it out. Add the water a tiny bit at a time (half a teaspoon is good), as it can thin out quickly.
You can skip the glaze if you prefer, but I recommend adding a little more sweetener to the scones themselves, to make up for it.
Sweetener Options
As noted above, I prefer erythritol sweeteners for scones. While you can use whatever sweetener you like best, you should be aware that allulose may make them very soft and cakey, rather than firm and tender.
For the glaze, any powdered sweetener should do the trick. However, powdered allulose thins out faster than powdered erythritol, so add the liquids slowly. Glazes made with allulose also take a long time to set, so leave the scones out overnight to help dry it out.
Keto Vanilla Bean Scones
Ingredients
Scones:
- 3 cups (336 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (47.5 g) sweetener, (erythritol recommended)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla powder, ground vanilla beans OR seeds scraped out of 1 vanilla bean OR 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) melted butter
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze:
- 1/3 cup (63.33 g) powdered sweetener
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder OR seeds of 1/2 a vanilla bean OR 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (45.65 g) heavy cream
- Water , if your glaze is too thick
Instructions
Scones:
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, vanilla powder, and salt.
- Stir in the eggs, melted butter, cream and vanilla extract until the dough comes together.
- Split the dough into 3 equal portions and form into disks, each about 1 inch thick and 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Cut each disk into 8 equal pieces.
- Separate the scones and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until just golden and firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely.
Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetener, vanilla powder, and cream until well combined. If your glaze is very thick, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until a dippable consistency is achieved.
- Dip the top of each scone into glaze and place on a baking rack until set.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Made these today, so delicious and also approved by the non-low carber in the family! Also made the coffee cake last week which was a big hit. You are amazing, thank you for these recipes. I have about 20 bookmarked for trying out! You have made low carbing so much more exciting.
These are fantastic! I’ll also use this as a base recipe for different flavored scones. Thank you! Thank you! My little ones love them for breakfast.
Just wanted to confirm that it is 1 tablespoon baking powder, if you could confirm this would greatly appreciate it, thanks
Yup. 1 tablespoon.
Hi there, I am in Australia and we differentiate between almond flour and almond meal (ground almonds), so I am wondering for your recipe which one I need. FYI Almond flour here is the dehydrated pulp left over from making almond milk and is much drier with less oil content than almond meal.
Thank you 🙂
Almond flour here is just ground almonds but I try to get the finest one I can. Coarse ones can make things not turn out very well. If your almond meal is to coarse, i would do a combo of both to get a finer consistency.
Thank you 🙂
These look great! How long do they keep for? Do they need to be kept in the fridge? Just wondering if I should half the recipe depending how long they keep for 🙂
Thanks
They will keep for a week in the fridge.
made these last nite ! Very good & easy to make! Didn’t need the water for the glaze.
Will put these in my rotation!
Thank you!
Glad you liked them!
I just made these and they are amazing! Mine came out a little more cakey than scone but I’m not complaining! Delicious!
I just made these and they are amazing!!!! Dessert for breakfast??!! Yum! Only change I made was to use cream cheese instead of cream in the icing. My son wanted to use the cream in his little icrcream maker☺️
Being dairy free, would using ghee instead of the butter work?
Also coconut creamer or full fat coconut canned milk instead of cream?
They look so good!
Yes, ghee and full fat coconut milk would work well.
Isn’t Ghee just clarified butter?
It is but because the milk solids are removed, it’s pure fat and completely lactose free which means many people can tolerate it.
Hi Carolyn
Can I use vanilla bean paste instead? If yes how much ?
You could but it usually contains sugar. And I don’t know how much, because I don’t use it. Guessing about the same amount?
Can you tell me if these are gluten free? They look yummy!
Yes, they are gluten-free.
Hubby and I tried these today. What a great recipe! It has been ages since we’ve had anything remotely “cake-like,” and we enjoyed the heck out of these little scones. Thank you!
Pam
Hello Carolyn,
I remember a while back you stated you like NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia liquid. I purchased this product and really like it. Was going to reorder on Amazon and noticed a few comments from people stating they have changed the product and it doesn’t taste anything like it used to. Have you found this to be true? If so, can you refer me to a product you like.
Thank you,
Lesley
I still use it and it tastes fine by me!
How best to store these scones and how long will they keep?
They can simply be in the counter for 3 or 4 days (covered or wrapped up) but should be refrigerated if you think they will be around longer.
My kid’s first sentence was actually copying me hollering my order at the Starbucks drive thru! He couldn’t pronounce Starbucks so he said “Saba Saba, decaf mocha and bacon sandwich”
I love all your recipes and blogs, I am disappointed that you like Starbucks!!!! You live in Stumptown now…so many GOOD coffee choices! Just a friendly chiding from a devoted fan…..and fellow T1D.
Haha, I get it. But I am a new transplant to Stumptown and I am exploring the coffee scene. I do frequent some independent coffee places, I just still like the Starbucks “style”, if you will.
Loving the look of these scones – they look like they’d blow Starbucks’ scones out of the water! 🙂
Vanilla Bean is one of my favorite flavors. These look divine.