Peach season means one thing in my kitchen: finding every possible way to bake with peaches before they're gone. These Gluten Free Peach Scones with Crumble Topping take a classic bakery scone and load it with juicy, fresh peaches and a golden streusel topping. Completely dairy free and refined sugar free without sacrificing that tender scone texture everyone actually wants.
I could bake peach recipes all year long, if only they were in season for longer. I have so many delicious peach recipes on my website, but I had to upgrade a basic scone for the best time of year. And I also obviously had to add a crumble topping! My signature move is to add a crumble to any dessert I can, so I knew I had to make a peach scone recipe inspired by delicious, classic peach cobbler.
Scones have really grown on me over the last year. if you also don't normally enjoy scones because they are too dry and flavorless, definitely give this recipe a shot and try some of my other delicious scone recipes: Gluten Free Raspberry Scones or Gluten Free Cinnamon Crumble Scones.
Why You'll Love These Gluten Free Peach Scones
- Allergy friendly: made with gluten free flour and dairy free yogurt, these scones are also corn free, soy free, and nut free. We use simple ingredients to make this allergy friendly peach treat!
- Refined sugar free: sweetened with coconut sugar, there is no white sugar in this recipe.
- Crumble topping and a glaze: most peach scone recipes finish with a sweet glaze. This one has a golden streusel topping baked right on top then we add the glaze.
- Real peaches, real texture: flaky and tender with sweet, juicy peaches in every bite. These peach scones bring the peach flavor!
Ingredients for Gluten Free Peach Scones with Crumble Topping
- Gluten free flour: use a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour blend with xanthan gum for best results.
- Tapioca starch: helps keep gluten free scones soft and prevents dryness.
- Coconut sugar: the unrefined sweetener used for the scone dough and streusel topping.
- Dairy free butter or coconut oil: either will work, although I do find the scones puff up a bit more with butter.
- Egg: 1 large egg helps hold the dough together and help it rise.
- Dairy free yogurt: stick to a plant based yogurt to keep this recipe dairy free. You'll want to use a higher fat yogurt like coconut yogurt for best results.
- Baking powder, salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract
- Ripe peaches: fresh, in-season peaches are best for the most flavor.
- Powdered sugar: this will be used for the sweet glaze. You can even make a refined sugar free version from home!
How to Make Gluten Free Peach Scones with Crumble Topping
- First, dice peaches and lay on a parchment lined tray. Place in the freezer while you make the dough.
- In a small bowl, combine the crumble ingredients together until they hold together when pinched. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt for the scones in a large bowl. Place in the fridge.
- Whisk together the egg, vanilla extract, and yogurt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cut cold butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter or fork until you have a sand-like texture with coarse crumbs.
- Add the remaining wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a fork to combine the scone dough until it holds together.
- Toss frozen peach pieces in flour then fold them into the dough.
- Form the dough into a round shape on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The disk should be about 8-9 inches in diameter and about an inch thick. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top and press down gently so it sticks.
- Place the baking tray with the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. This helps the scones hold their shape and bake into crispy, golden perfection instead of flat or tough scones.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- When ready to bake, slice the dough into 8 scones with a sharp knife and separate them on the baking sheet. They will expand during baking.
- Bake for ~30 minutes until golden brown.
- Let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- When ready to serve, mix together the powdered sugar and yogurt until you have a pourable mixture. Add more yogurt if it is too thin. Drizzle over the tops of the scones and enjoy!
Substitutions and Variations
- Dairy free butter: coconut oil also works, but I find the scones spread more and are a little flatter. Still delicious!
- Tapioca starch: arrowroot starch should also work.
- Coconut sugar: white sugar works, but the scones won't be refined sugar free.
- Dairy free yogurt: coconut cream also works. I have not tested dairy free buttermilk, but I think it could work in a pinch.
- Ginger-peach variation: add fresh grated ginger to the dough.
- Peach swaps: other stone fruits will work like nectarines or apricots.
Fresh vs Frozen Peaches
Fresh in-season peaches are best as they provide more flavor and less excess moisture. Frozen peaches work in the off-season, though. No need to thaw, dice while still frozen, toss in flour, and fold into the dough. Skip canned peaches as they contain too much liquid and often are preserved in processed sugar and other additives.
Tips for the Best Gluten Free Peach Crumble Scones
- Measure flour correctly: be sure to scoop flour into the measuring cup then level it off, otherwise you can end up with too much flour resulting in dry scones.
- Keep all ingredients cold: you want to use cold ingredients, especially the butter/coconut oil, because it helps with the flaky and tender texture. If the butter melts into the dough before baking, the scones can spread flat or be too dense.
- Make sure dough isn't too dry or too wet: to make sure your scones aren't too dry and crumbly, ensure the dough holds together well when mixing it. If it's hard to form into a ball or falls apart when forming a disk, add an extra tablespoon or two of yogurt until the dough holds together. You also don't want the dough to be too wet because the peaches will release a lot of liquid. Add a little extra flour if it seems too wet and sticky. The dough should just hold together before adding the peaches in.
- Coconut oil vs butter: I've made this recipe with dairy free butter and coconut oil and it is delicious both ways. With butter, the result is a higher rise and slightly flakier scone. Coconut oil results in a very moist scone, but flatter.
- How to work with coconut oil: If using coconut oil, measure out the amount needed then scoop into a parchment lined plate and pop in the fridge until solid. Pull the oil out of the fridge when you gather your other ingredients. This keeps it solid without being unworkably hard.
- Don't overwork the dough: when mixing the wet ingredients into the dry, mix until just combined and the dough comes together. Over working the dough will result in tough scones.
- Don't skip chilling the dough: chilling the dough before baking helps scones hold their shape and rise properly.
Serving and Storage
These gluten free peach scones with a streusel topping are delicious as part of a brunch spread, in the afternoon with a cup of tea, or for a healthy dessert. Serve them with my vegan cinnamon ice cream or with peach jam for extra peach flavor.
Since the glaze contains yogurt, store scones in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you don't glaze them right away, they can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days and glazed when ready to eat.
Freeze baked scones on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen scones in the fridge and warm in the oven on a low temperature when ready to eat.
FAQ
Yes, these peach crumble scones are gluten free as written.
Yes, they are dairy free as written!
You can, but fresh peaches taste best. If using frozen, you don't need to thaw them. Just dice the frozen peaches and use.
I have not tested a vegan version of these peach crumble, but I do use plant-based butter and yogurt to keep these scones dairy free. If you try a vegan egg-substitute, leave a comment and let us know how it went!
You either over-packed the flour or didn't add enough fat. Make sure to measure the flour correctly or add a little extra yogurt if needed (see baking tips above).
If you used coconut oil, they won't rise much and that's okay. If they flattened out too much though, it could be that your baking powder was old, you mixed the dough too much, or the fat wasn't kept cold and melted into the dough before baking. That's why it is important to keep the ingredients cold.
If you are making them for an event, I recommend not making them more than a day ahead of time. Add the glaze before serving.
You'll know they are done when the tops are golden brown. You can use an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of a scone and it should ready 200-200F.
More Gluten Free Peach Recipes
Gluten Free Ginger Peach Galette
Dairy Free Peach Crumble Cheesecake
Ninja Creami Peach Crisp Ice Cream
If you try this Gluten Free Peach Scone recipe, please leave a rating and review. Tag me on social media and drop any questions in the comments below.
Gluten Free Peach Scones with Crumble Topping (Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
Scones
- 1 ¾ cup 1:1 gluten free flour sifted
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 6 tablespoon cold dairy free butter or coconut oil
- 1 egg
- 6-8 tablespoon dairy free yogurt or coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup diced peaches
Crumble Topping
- ½ cup 1:1 gluten free flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon melted butter or coconut oil
Sweet Cream Drizzle
- ¼ cup powdered sugar *see notes above for making your own with coconut sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon yogurt or coconut cream
Instructions
- First, dice peaches and lay on a parchment lined tray. Place in the freezer while you make the dough.
- In a small bowl, combine the crumble ingredients together until they hold together when pinched. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, sugar and salt for the scones in a large bowl. Place in the fridge.
- Whisk together the egg, vanilla extract, and 6 tablespoon yogurt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cut cold butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter or fork until you have a sand-like texture with coarse crumbs.
- Add the remaining wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a fork to combine the scone dough until it holds together. If it is too dry, add an extra tablespoon of yogurt as needed.
- Toss frozen peach pieces in 1 tablespoon flour then fold them into the dough.
- Form the dough into a round shape on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The disk should be about 8-9 inches in diameter and about an inch thick. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top and press down gently so it sticks.
- Place the baking tray with the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. This helps the scones hold their shape and bake into crispy, golden perfection instead of flat or tough scones.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- When ready to bake, slice the dough into 8 scones with a sharp knife and separate them on the baking sheet. They will expand during baking.
- Bake for ~30 minutes until golden brown. You'll know they are done when the tops are golden brown. You can use an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of a scone and it should ready 200-200F.
- Let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- When ready to serve, mix together the powdered sugar and yogurt until you have a pourable mixture. Add more yogurt if it is too thin. Drizzle over the tops of the scones and enjoy!
Leave a Reply