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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Love this recipe! I also use it as my cookie recipe. Instead of doing a scone shape I use my cookie Or biscuit cutters. For Christmas I used a variety of sizes of the cutters and I even colored the icing to make them extra pretty. It made a wonderful display to give out to friends and family. I would have posted a picture but don’t think I can as a comment.
Carolyn, I love your site and frequently look here for recipes. Would the Monkfruit Sweetner do well as a replacement? Thanks so much for all of your help.
Do you mean an erythritol based sweetener that has some monk fruit in it, like Lakanto? If so, then yes.
yes exactly. I went ahead and tried. I am taking the out of the oven now, and they smell wonderful! Will get back after I taste, but I see success!! Thanks for answering so quickly!
Carolyn, these are delicious! I used 1/4 tsp of Fiori Di Sicilia flavoring from King Arthur. I will make these again! Thank you for all of your help, you make this journey so much easier.
I’d love to make these! My challenge is there is a severe tree nut/legume allergy in the household who is also wheat sensitive. I can’t use almond or coconut flours. What can I do instead?
You can try sunflower seed flour but it will have a distinct green-grey appearance.
Hi there, quick question. When I put the glaze on, it kind of sunk into the scones instead of nicely sitting on top. Was it too liquidy? Does anyone else have this? They are totally yum regardless!
What sweetener were you using?
That happened with mine as well. I think it may be because they were a bit undercooked. They taste amazing though. Just not quite as pretty.
What is the net carb count per serving please?
You should be able to do the math yourself there. Total – fibre.
These are delicious. Just wondering if there is a way to make the glaze harden.
It will firm up within a few hours, unless you used a different sweetener?
Made a batch today, delicious and easy!! Thanks!
Should have added the 5 stars!
This was my first attempt at Keto baking. They’re awesome!! Thank you for your great recipes! I’ll be trying more of them. I appreciate the fact that you personally work through these recipes, taste test them, and offer options. I’ve bookmarked your site, definitely a fan!
So glad you liked them!
These turned out perfect and were absolutely delicious! I will definitely want to get the vanilla bean powder for the next time since I only had extract. They were still good though 🙂
very very good! i love baking scones and these were my first keto version. mine were a little on the dry side without icing. one question tho; i measure my almond flour since ive had such bad luck with keto baking recipes. my dough was a lot more sticky than your, hard to deal withs do u measure out your flour or do you weigh?
I usually do volume but when I weigh it, which I sometimes do, I find that my brand (Bob’s Red mill) comes to about 100g per cup.
My T1D 12 yr old was in a breakfast rut, but this recipe snapped him right out of it…thank you!! We decided to skip the glaze and topped instead with your whipping cream recipe and fresh berries…so delicious and steady blood sugars all morning long!
These so awesome! And so delicious!
So brilliant- these are delicious!
The keto diet is always so hard for me, but these scones surely made it easier! So delicious, and guilt-free!
Looking forward to making these for breakfast tomorrow! Will pair perfectly with my morning cup of coffee!