Keto Scones with Jam and Cream
These keto scones are made with Groovy Keto Scone Mix, cold butter, an egg and Greek yoghurt, then split and served with clotted cream and keto raspberry jam for a proper cream tea. Each plain scone has 3.2g net carbs. They take 45 minutes, including 15 minutes chilling the dough.
These keto scones borrow from some well-loved recipes. Mary Berry's scones on BBC Food give us the classic method: rub the butter into the dry mix until it looks like breadcrumbs, glaze the tops and cut straight down without twisting the cutter. Sugar Free Londoner's almond flour keto scones are a reminder to let almond scones cool before you move them, as they're fragile while hot. Keto bakers on Reddit's r/ketorecipes shared the tricks of grating the butter from frozen and chilling the dough, which keeps the soft dough from spreading. We've built the recipe on our scone mix, so there's nothing to weigh except the butter and yoghurt.
The result is a golden, buttery scone with a tender, slightly cakey crumb, made for keto jam and a generous dollop of clotted cream. An ordinary plain scone of the same size has about 40g carbohydrate; one of these has 3.2g net carbs. If you're searching for sugar free scones, these have no added sugar: the mix is sweetened with erythritol and stevia.
What we used: Groovy Keto Scone Mix for the scones, and Groovy Keto Powdered Monk Fruit and Erythritol Sweetener if you'd rather serve them with sweetened whipped cream.
Keto Scone Mix
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Powdered Monk Fruit and Erythritol Sweetener
View productKeto scones vs ordinary scones
Ordinary scones are made from wheat flour and sugar, so most of their carbohydrate is starch and sugar. These are made from an almond flour mix sweetened with erythritol, and erythritol counts as a polyol, which UK labels list within carbohydrate. For more on how traditional scones fit a low-carb diet, read our guide Are scones keto friendly?
| Per scone (72g) | Carbohydrate | Sugars | Net carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain scone, shop-bought | 39.7g | 9.1g | 39.7g |
| Plain scone, homemade | 40.2g | 3.9g | 40.2g |
| This keto scone | 13.1g | 1.9g | 3.2g |
Ordinary scone figures are worked out for a 72g scone, the baked weight the scone mix pack gives per scone, from UK CoFID 2021 data (food code 11-827, "Scones, plain, retail": 55.2g carbohydrate and 12.7g sugars per 100g; food code 11-958, "Scones, plain, homemade": 55.9g carbohydrate and 5.4g sugars per 100g) – McCance and Widdowson's composition of foods. Carbohydrate excludes fibre, as on UK labels. Our carbohydrate figure includes 9.9g polyols from the erythritol, which are taken off to give net carbs.
Tips for tall, light keto scones
- Keep everything cold. Grating the butter straight from the freezer is the quickest way to rub it in without it melting. Cold butter makes steam in the oven, which helps the scones rise.
- Don't overwork the dough. Stop as soon as it comes together. Kneading warms the butter and gives you flatter, tougher scones.
- Chill before cutting. Almond flour doughs are soft. Fifteen minutes in the fridge gives you clean, straight sides.
- Cut straight down. Twisting the cutter seals the edges and makes the scones rise unevenly or lean.
- Glaze only the tops. Egg dripping down the sides glues them to the tray and stops them rising evenly.
- Let them settle. Keto scones are fragile straight from the oven. Ten minutes on the tray firms them up before you move them.
Keto Scones with Jam and Cream
- Prep time15 min, plus 15 min chilling
- Bake time12–15 min
- Total time45 min, plus cooling
- Makes6 scones
- Net carbs3.2g per scone
Ingredients
For the scones
- 1 × 270g pack Groovy Keto Scone Mix
- 60g cold unsalted butter
- 1 medium egg, beaten
- 60g full-fat Greek yoghurt
To serve
- Clotted cream
- Keto raspberry jam
You will also need a baking tray, baking paper, a large bowl, a coarse grater, a 6cm round cutter, a pastry brush and a wire rack.
Method
- Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas mark 4) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Put the butter in the freezer for 10 minutes while the oven heats.
- Rub in the butter. Tip the scone mix into a large bowl. Coarsely grate the cold butter into the bowl, then rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Work quickly, so the butter stays cold.
- Add the egg and yoghurt. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the beaten egg into a cup and set it aside for glazing. Add the rest of the egg and the yoghurt to the bowl and stir with a round-bladed knife until the mixture clumps, then gently press it into a soft ball. Don't knead it.
- Chill the dough. Wrap the dough and chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes. This firms up the butter and makes the soft almond dough much easier to cut cleanly.
- Cut out the scones. Pat the dough out between two sheets of baking paper to about 3cm thick. Press a 6cm round cutter straight down and lift it straight up, without twisting, so the scones rise evenly. Press the trimmings together lightly and cut again to make 6 scones.
- Glaze. Put the scones on the lined tray about 3cm apart. Brush just the tops with the reserved egg, taking care not to let it drip down the sides.
- Bake. Bake on the middle shelf for 12–15 minutes, until risen and golden brown on top. Ovens vary, so check them from 12 minutes.
- Cool. Leave the scones on the tray for 10 minutes, as they are fragile while hot, then move them to a wire rack. Split them once they are just warm or cool.
How to serve keto scones
- A cream tea: split the scones and add clotted cream and keto raspberry jam, made with berries and a powdered sweetener, so there's no added sugar. Jam first or cream first is up to you (see the FAQ).
- With whipped cream: no clotted cream? Whip 150ml cold double cream with 2 teaspoons of powdered monk fruit and erythritol sweetener until it just holds soft peaks.
- Buttered and warm: a plain scone with a little salted butter is hard to beat with a cup of tea.
- Afternoon tea: serve them alongside a slice of keto Victoria sponge for a full no-added-sugar afternoon tea.
Storage and freezing
- Room temperature: keep the plain scones in an airtight tin for up to 2 days. Warm them in the oven for 5 minutes to freshen them up.
- Fridge: in hot weather, keep them in a sealed box in the fridge for up to 4 days and bring them back to room temperature or warm them before serving.
- Freezer: freeze the cooled, plain scones in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature, then warm through. Add cream and jam only when serving.
Ways to change it
- Cheese scones: stir 50g grated mature Cheddar and ½ teaspoon English mustard powder into the rubbed-in mix, and top with a little extra cheese after glazing.
- Lemon scones: add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon with the egg and yoghurt.
- Iced scones: once cool, spread the tops with a little of our keto cream cheese icing.
- Muffins instead: the scone mix also works as a muffin batter. Spoon it into muffin cases rather than shaping it, and check them from 15 minutes.
Any of these changes will alter the nutrition figures.
Nutrition
Per serving (1 plain scone, one sixth of the batch, without cream or jam):
| Nutrient | Per scone |
|---|---|
| Energy | 289 kcal |
| Fat | 25.3g |
| of which saturates | 7.6g |
| Carbohydrate | 13.1g |
| of which sugars | 1.9g |
| of which polyols | 9.9g |
| Net carbs | 3.2g |
| Fibre | 3.5g |
| Protein | 9.8g |
| Salt | 0.82g |
Net carbs are carbohydrate minus polyols. On UK labels, fibre is already listed separately from carbohydrate, so it isn't subtracted again. Figures are calculated from the per-100g values on the Groovy Keto Scone Mix pack label and UK (McCance and Widdowson's CoFID) data for the butter (17-661), egg (12-937) and Greek yoghurt (12-555), so they differ slightly from the per-scone figure printed on the pack and will vary with the brands you use. A 15g spoonful of clotted cream (CoFID 12-592) adds 0.3g carbohydrate and 88 kcal. Excessive consumption of polyols, such as erythritol, may produce laxative effects.
Allergens: this recipe contains nuts (almonds), milk and eggs. The Groovy Keto Scone Mix contains almonds and milk (whey protein), and its pack says it is made in a facility where there may be traces of other nuts, cereals, milk and eggs. The powdered sweetener pack says it is packed in a facility where there may be traces of nuts, cereals, milk and eggs. Always check the current pack labels before baking for anyone with an allergy.
FAQ
Are scones keto friendly?
Traditional scones aren't, because they're made with wheat flour and sugar: a 72g plain scone has about 40g carbohydrate. These keto scones are made with an almond flour scone mix sweetened with erythritol and stevia, so each plain scone has 3.2g net carbs. Clotted cream adds very little, but jam needs to be a no-added-sugar keto version.
Can you freeze keto scones?
Yes. Freeze the baked scones once they are completely cool, in a sealed freezer bag or box, for up to 1 month. Defrost them at room temperature for about an hour, then warm them in the oven at 180°C (160°C fan, gas mark 4) for 5 minutes. Add the cream and jam just before serving.
Jam or cream first on a keto scone?
It depends who you ask. In Devon, it's clotted cream first with jam on top; in Cornwall, it's jam first, then a dollop of cream. Both work on a keto scone. The almond crumb is a little more delicate than a wheat scone, so spread gently whichever camp you're in, and use a no-added-sugar jam.
How many carbs are in a keto scone?
Each plain scone in this recipe has 3.2g net carbs, worked out as 13.1g carbohydrate minus 9.9g polyols from the erythritol. It also has 3.5g fibre, 9.8g protein and 289 kcal. A 15g spoonful of clotted cream adds 0.3g carbohydrate; check the recipe you use for the jam's carbs.
Why are my keto scones flat or crumbly?
Flat scones usually come from warm butter, overworking the dough, patting it out too thin or twisting the cutter. Keep the butter cold, chill the dough and cut straight down. Almond flour scones are more tender than wheat ones, so let them cool for at least 10 minutes before you move or split them.
Can I make keto cheese scones with this mix?
Yes. Stir 50g grated mature Cheddar and ½ teaspoon English mustard powder into the rubbed-in mix before adding the egg and yoghurt, and scatter a little extra cheese on top after glazing. The scone mix is lightly sweetened, so they come out sweet and savoury, which suits butter and ham. The nutrition figures will change.
