Tender Almond Scones filled with almond paste pair perfectly with a morning coffee or an afternoon tea. These scones are soft and fluffy, with a simple yet complex flavor that is absolutely irresistible.
These Almond Scones have been a family favorite since the first time I made them. They start with a base of delicious buttermilk scones, stuffed full of chopped almond paste. The scones are soft and fluffy, with a simple yet complex flavor of almond extract.
The recipe calls for premade almond paste for simplicity, but making homemade almond paste is really easy and takes just 5 minutes. If you are obsessed with almond paste like we are, you need to try these recipes too:
- Apple Tart with Almond Paste Filling – the almond paste is spread on top of the pie crust, then sliced apples are layered over it, a mixture of cinnamon sugar gives it a finishing touch.
- Rugelach with Almond Filling – not traditional for sure, but an amazing twist to a typical rugelach recipe.
- Almond Croissant French Toast Bake – if you have leftover almond paste, this recipe is perfect for it since it doesn’t use up the whole batch.
How to make Almond Scones
Almond scone ingredients and substitution notes
The ingredients below do not represent the full list of ingredients for this almond scone recipe, refer to the actual recipe card for the full list. But I will be addressing some common questions and specific questions that readers have asked.
Flour
All purpose flour is called for in this recipe. You can substitute:
- White whole wheat flour
- Regular whole wheat flour
- Half all-purpose + half whole wheat, I’ve made these scones with half all-purpose + half white whole wheat before.
- If you’re planning to substitute almond flour, I will note that almond flour is gluten free and will not result in the same texture. I don’t recommend it but if you must, use half regular flour and half almond flour.
➤ All-purpose flour is my preferred choice and will yield more tender scones, so substitute at your own risk.
Leavening agents
Both baking powder and baking soda are used in this recipe. Baking soda will react with the buttermilk in the recipe, if you plan to replace buttermilk with regular milk, cream or plant based milk, you can omit the baking soda.
➤ Learn more about baking soda vs. baking powder.
Unsalted butter
I always bake with unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt added to the recipe. You can use salted butter if that’s all you have. In this case, reduce or omit the salt called for in the recipe.
Buttermilk
You can replace buttermilk with homemade buttermilk, cream, regular milk, plant based milk, whatever you have in your fridge at the time. But if you’re not using an acidic liquid like buttermilk or homemade buttermilk, you will need to omit the baking soda.
➤ Read more about buttermilk and how to make homemade buttermilk.
Almond extract
If you don’t have almond extract, just increase the amount of vanilla extract in the recipe. But if you want the full amazing flavor of almond, you shouldn’t replace or omit almond extract.
Almond paste
The only good substitute for almond paste is marzipan, but marzipan is much sweeter so you may want to reduce the sugar in the recipe to ¼ cup or less depending on your taste and whether you will serve the scones with jam or something sweet.
Making the scone dough
Making almond scone dough (Photos 1 – 2)
- Mix together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Add cold cubed butter, toss to cover the butter in flour. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender, or simply use the tip of your fingers to press the butter. If using your fingers, work as quickly as you can so you don’t melt the butter, just until the butter is about pea and bean size.
Making almond scone dough (Photos 3 – 4)
- In a measuring cup, add an egg and enough buttermilk to fill it to the 1 cup mark. Add vanilla and almond extracts and beat to combine. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, reserving 2 tablespoons or more to use as egg wash.
- Fold until a shaggy dough forms.
Shaping the almond scones
Shaping the almond scone dough (Photo 5 – 7)
- Roll out the dough into a sheet. Spread the chopped almond paste over the dough as evenly as you can.
- Roll and tuck it into a log as you would a cinnamon roll.
- Pat the log down to about 1” – 1 ½” thick. Cut it up into 8 scones and place them on a baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze for about 15 minutes before baking.
The method for shaping these almond scones is a little bit more involved but it ensures even distribution of the almond paste. If you don’t want to bother, you can add the chopped almond paste straight into the dry ingredients mixture after Step 2 above and skip the rolling.
Baking the scones
Baking the scones (Photo 8 – 9)
- Brush the reserved egg wash over the scones. Sprinkle sliced almonds and granulated sugar on top.
- Bake until golden brown.
Baker’s Tips
- I like to use my insulated baking sheet for scones and biscuits because they bake at high temperature and this baking sheet keeps the bottom from getting scorched.
- If you don’t have an insulated baking sheet, that’s okay. Use a lighter color baking sheet or just watch the bottom edges to make sure they don’t burn during the last few minutes and take them out a little earlier if necessary.
- Refrigerating or freezing the scones before baking will help them keep their shape and rise taller instead of spread during the baking process.
- This almond scone recipe yields 8 generous size scones, or you can make a dozen smaller scones. Bake the smaller scones at the same oven temperature but reduce the baking time to 15 minutes.
My scone dough is too sticky, what did I do wrong?
- Did you measure the flour correctly? I’ve given the exact gram measurement I used in the recipe card. Using a kitchen scale will give you more accurate measurement. If you used less flour, this could result in wetter stickier scone dough.
- Did you save some liquid to use as egg wash? If you add too much liquid, the scone dough can be wetter and stickier as well.
- Sometimes flour just absorbs liquid differently and can cause slight variation in texture, hold back some liquid while making the dough to ensure you get the desired dough texture.
- If you already have a very sticky dough, use extra flour while shaping and rolling it to keep it from sticking. But make sure don’t add too much flour so that the dough turns out too dry, a wetter dough will yield softer scones.
- Using a bench scraper to scrape and lift the dough up can mitigate the stickiness while you’re shaping the scones.
Storing almond scones
Baked scones can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped well individually for 3 – 5 days.
Can I freeze almond scones?
You can freeze baked scones for up to 6 months. Thaw completely at room temperature and reheat in the oven at 350°F for about 5 – 7 minutes for crispy scones, or simply microwave for 20 seconds.
You can also freeze the unbaked scones for up to 6 months and bake them up whenever you want fresh scones for a snack. You can bake them straight from frozen at the same oven temperature, but you’ll need to increase the baking time by 2 – 4 minutes.
Love almond? Try these recipes
- Plum Tart with Frangipane
- Peach Cobbler with Almond Streusel
- Almond Croissants
- Almond Shortbread Cookies
- Almond Pancakes
- Almond Spritz Cookies
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, send me a photo, rate it and don’t forget to tag me @wildwildwhisk on Instagram. I’d love to see what’s cooking up in your kitchen. Cheers!
📖 Recipe card
Almond Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (274 g)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (13 g)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (67 g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 oz unsalted butter (cold & cubed, 113 g)
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ - ¾ cup buttermilk (or enough to fill 1 cup including the egg)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 7 oz almond paste (or 1 batch of homemade almond paste)
- 2 tablespoon sliced almond
- Extra sugar for sprinkling
- Extra flour for rolling
Instructions
- Chop the almond paste into small chips, store in a bowl and set aside.
- Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder into a large mixing bowl, add kosher salt and sugar, whisk to combine.
- Add cold cubed butter to the flour mixture, work the butter into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry blender until all the butter pieces are about pea and lima bean size.
- Add egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract and almond extract to a measuring cup to fill 1 cup, whisk to combine. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid mixture, reserving 2 tablespoons to use as egg wash later. Fold with a spatula or wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, pat the dough out to about ½” thick and fold it over itself. Do this a few times to create layers. Shape into a rectangle.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about ¼” thick and 12” - 14” long. Sprinkle the chopped almond paste evenly over the dough. Roll the dough into a log starting at the long edge. Then pat it down to about 1” - 1 ½” thick. Cut into 8 triangles.
- Place the scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze for about 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Before you put the scones into the oven, brush the top and sides with the reserved egg wash, sprinkle with some sliced almonds and a little bit of granulated sugar for shine.
- Bake for 21-22 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet 5 - 10 minutes before transferring the scones to the wire rack to cool completely. Best served warm.
Video
Notes
- Use an insulated baking sheet or a lighter color baking sheet to avoid the bottom of the scones getting burned.
- Refrigerating or freezing the scones before baking will help them keep their shape and rise taller instead of spread during the baking process.
- This almond scone recipe yields 8 generous size scones, or you can make a dozen smaller scones. Bake the smaller scones at the same oven temperature but reduce the baking time to 15 minutes.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 12/20/2014. The recipe has been updated and republished on 7/22/2020 with the latest improvements, extra tips, and a video to help you in the kitchen.
Trang! These scones are delicious! My original plan was to freeze half of them because there are only 2 of us eating them, but we have eaten almost all of them over the last few of days, only one left. No sense in freezing the last little guy now! Thanks for a great recipe.
Thank you Sheri! So glad you enjoyed these, one of our favorites 🙂
Excellent recipe, they turn out perfect every time. The almond paste is so delicious. Will never buy pre-made again. Thanks
OMG!!! Made these for Mother’s Day this morning. Huge hit!!! Best scone I’ve had!!
Woohoo! So happy to hear that, happy mother’s day!
I made this recipe using some homemade marzipan that I had in the freezer. I also substituted lactose-free plain yoghurt for the buttermilk, as I can’t find lastose-free buttermilk and a family member has to follow a low-FODMAP diet. I was a little disappointed in the scones (not to mention how much work the marzipan was to make from whole almonds). I have a new plan for the buttermilk and I will also make your recipe for the almond paste (almond flour – yippee!). Will let you know how my next scones turn out!
Thanks for trying out the recipe Violet. And yes, be sure to let me know how the next ones turn out.
I made these today. I did use whole wheat flour and replaced the sugar with Truvia sugar substitute to make it less calories. I liked how it turned out. It was really easy to make.
Glad to hear the substitutions work out well for you!
I just made these– they are divine! I grew up eating almond croissants, but for every day love a very good scone batter. I never thought to mix the two. The almond paste was super easy and delicious to make. I also appreciate the storing/freezing info at the end. Thank you !!!
Happy to hear you enjoyed these!
My first time making these turned out great my son in law loves them and asked me to make more.. said they tasted like a bear claw
Thanks for trying the recipe and taking the time to leave a review, Lorrie!
I made these today and they were the best!
Glad to hear Sharon!
I made these scones are they were really outstanding! This is definitely a keeper recipe.
Thank you Kelley!
Just made these today, they are SO good! Tender, slight crisp from the granulated sugar top, love the chunks of almond paste. I didn’t have slivered almonds unfortunately, but I’ll make a point of grabbing some for my next batch. I’m sure the texture they add is lovely.
I’m almost due to give birth and I plan on sticking a batch or two in my freezer for snacks and breakfast!
Congratulations on the baby! I’m so glad you like these, enjoy them and time with your baby.
Excellent!
These are absolutely delicious!
I usually grate my frozen butter, but this time I used cubes and I think the cubed frozen butter makes for more pillowy pockets of butter in the dough! Thank you for posting the recipe. I would definitely use it again in the future.
Thank you Renee! I’m glad to hear this recipe was a success 🙂
These have become a new staple in my house. We always keep a batch in the freezer and pop them into the toaster oven for ~10 minutes to defrost and warm. They are such a treat!
Happy to hear your family enjoy these! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Absolutely AMAZING!
My new guilty pleasure!
Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
LOVE this recipe, it’s definitely a keeper! I, too, couldn’t figure out why my dough was so wet, even though I was able to successfully give it a few folds and roll it out. Afterward I read the part about keeping out 2 Tablespoons of the milk/egg mixture; I was just so excited to use the egg yolk left over from making the almond paste as the wash before baking.
I love this recipe and have made it severa time. I’ve have found that alterations to it can cause issues, so:
1. I made 12 scones….and baked for the full 21 minutes. Bad idea. If you want to make smaller scones, don’t bake as long. They get a bit roasted on the bottom.
2. I ran out of white flour and ended up going half white/half whole wheat. This resulted in a more chewy, bready scone. Still tasted good, but I’d keep to the white flour next time.
Hi Kathy, thanks for adding your experience. You are correct, if you make small scones, the bake time should be shortened per the recipe note. I have made this with half white whole wheat flour, it will be more tender than if you use whole wheat. I definitely recommend sticking with AP flour if you can, but if you’re trying to do more whole grain, I suggest white whole wheat.
Made the almond scones using the Solo almond pie filling and they were absolutely delish. When I ran out of the almond pie filling I decided to try using coconut powder (less stringy than the ordinary type of baking coconut, so you get a very smooth textured scones) and dried cranberries. Again the scones were a complete triumph. And I learned something too, how to make buttermilk !! These are truly the best and moist scones I have ever tasted using the ingredients for the basic scone mix.
Thank you Lorraine! So glad to hear all the variations work out so well. 🙂
I just made this receipe and followed exactly and these are the best scones. I’m always a little nervous about a new receipe but this one was easy to follow and they taste wonderful. Definitly a keeper.
Wow sooo good! I had some extra almond paste from another recipe and decided to make a half batch. I also substituted the buttermilk with lactose free milk and omitted the baking soda as the recipe suggested and the recipe still turned out! My scones were more on the petite size since I did a smaller batch, so I did have to adjust the cooking time and only baked them for ~17min @400° ! Will 10000% be using this recipe again for when I have some leftover almond paste!
Thank you, Abby! So glad to hear you loved these scones 🙂
Oh. My. Goodness. I have been on the quest for the perfect almond scone. This is the third recipe I have tried in the last two weeks and BINGO! We have a winner. These are tender and flavorful, and texturally divine. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Lori! I’m so happy you found it!
What an amazing recipe, I’ve made these over 20 times with no issue, the neighbours love them as I share with anyone who will eat them. I have now taken this recipe and bumped it up by adding lemon juice, lemon zest and poppyseeds for a lemon poppyseed almond scone and they were a hit as well. Thank you so much for this recipe that I will be handing down to my grandchildren.
Thanks Cindy! And wonderful additions too. I’m so honored to hear this recipe will be handed down to your grandchildren, wow!
yippee
I made this today and for some reason when I tried to roll out the dough, it was so sticky it stuck to the pin even with flour, I couldn’t really shape it or do anything with it without having it go everywhere. What did I do wrong? Hope to make it again.
Hey Mads, did you save about 2 tablespoons of liquid to use as egg wash? Too much liquid can make it too wet, or if you measure the flour differently could throw the texture off. 1 cup of flour can range between 120 – 140 g, I added my exact gram measurement in the recipe card if you have a scale to work with. This scone dough is definitely a bit wetter and softer, so you’ll probably need to use extra flour to roll and shape it. The trick is to work with it lightly and flour often but just enough to keep it from sticking without adding too much flour cuz we don’t want the scones to come out dry. I like to use a bench scrape to lift the dough, it helps a lot when you need to get the dough off the counter and it sticks a bit. Another way you can make this is to toss all the chopped almond paste into the flour like you would blueberries or dried fruits, you may not get super even distribution but it saves you from having to roll the dough out. I hope you’ll try it again, these scones are really good!
Hi the scones are great but a question about baking powder. It says 2 Tablespoons and in parentheses it is 13 grams. 2 T is 26 grams. Just wondering which is the correct amt
Hi Marjorie, the recipe says 1 tbsp not 2.
These scones are unbelievably delicious. No butter or jam required. I didn’t have buttermilk so I added a tablespoon of vinegar to the egg then filled with milk to the 1 cup mark. I will definitely make them again.
Excellent! You made the perfect substitution, thanks for leaving a review, Jess.
Hi Trang, I’m in the UK and would love to make these scones. Would you mind clarifying for me one or two points – All purpose flour is this UK plain flour or English? Granulated sugar – is this our caster? and 2cup, in ounces, 1/3 cup in ounces, 3/4 cup butter milk in fl ops. Thanks so much in advance. Tracey
Hi Tracey, all purpose is plain flour in UK, and granulated sugar is caster. I recently made this recipe again and took the measurement in grams, please look at the recipe again for the updates I just added. I hope it helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks Trang, that’s really good of you XX
Light, flaky, full of mouth watering almond flavour and easy to make, thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe. I didn’t have buttermilk so I used heavy cream and lemon juice and let me tell you that these turned out so wonderful. I had also made instant pot clotted cream and 3 ingredient strawberry jam as I always serve scones that way but these Almond Scones didn’t need any condiments, I shared them with the neighbours and they loved them as well. Brilliant recipe
Thank you so much Cindy! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe and was able to share with your neighbors 🙂
Lovely
Best scone recipe I have ever used!
Thank you Helia!
Could you use almond flour? In what quantity and as a whole replacement for the all purpose flour or half and half? Thanks. These sound good!
Hey Chris, almond flour doesn’t have any gluten and won’t give you the same texture as all-purpose flour. Ideally, I wouldn’t replace it. If you really want to, I would do half and half.
Hello!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I just wanted to ask does salted buttet work too? If i do not put kosher salt and instead use salted butter because during quarantine it is difficult to get unsalted butter here.
Yes, you can use salted butter and less or no kosher salt.
These were excellent and ridiculously addictive. I’m not great at baking, but the first time I made these all went very well. I didn’t have to fish for compliments, the fam was like, “hey, these are really good!!”
I’m so happy to hear everyone enjoyed these, Kath!! Thank you for visiting and making my recipe 🙂
Excellent. So happy we tried the recipe. I doubled the recipe and baked the first 8 scones for 22 min (I think it was a bit much, at least my oven) so I baked the second batch for about 18 min and I feel they were perfect.
The almond taste is lovely, and overall, the scones are not too sweet. I made my own almond paste (following your recipe) and found the flavour really great; first time I’ve ever made- definitely not like marzipan.
Tip #1 for readers: be sure to chill scones in fridge at least 30 min in fridge.
Tip #2 for readers: brush tops with egg white wash. Then toss almonds with a 1-2 tsp white sugar and very little egg white. The almonds will have a great sheen and taste. Sprinkle in too before baking
Thanks for all the tips, Gabriella. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed these, they’re def one of our favorites as well!
I love marzipan and I love scones. This recipe is quick and delicious. But it’s more like a biscuit than the dense, flaky scone I expected.
Can these be frozen, and reheated? I want to make as a gift ahead of time. Thanks!
You can freeze the unbaked dough and bake it the day before at the same oven temperature but increase the bake time by 2 mins when bake from frozen. Or freeze the baked scones and then thaw and reheat in the oven at 350F for a bout 5-10 mins before serving.
I’m prepping to make them for the umpteenth time. They are always great and everyone loves them. Easy recipe to follow. Can’t wait till they are done. Thanks so much!
Thanks Nan! These are one of our favorites too, so happy you love them 🙂
Made these for the first time this morning. they could be an award winner!. I sent the butter and almond paste (both, but individually) through the greater in the food processor, and did all my mixing in there as well. Worked well, and was so easy! Rave reviews on these!
Thanks Mary for the feedback! I’m so happy you enjoyed these 🙂
I have been dying to make these but didn’t have any almond paste on hand. Around here, we can’t just go to a store and pick some up – I’ve never found any and trust me I’ve checked! Even the baking supply store doesn’t sell it…they try to pass marzipan off as almond paste. These days I just make my own and its so easy. Just use 1 1/2 cups ground almonds, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 egg white and 1 tsp of almond extract. Just stir until mostly combined and then knead until a ball forms. Roll into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour. That will make just under 14 oz of almond paste – enough for two batches of these incredible scones! They were definitely a bit more work than your average scone but they are soo worth the effort. I may or may not have had 2 already before they had a chance to completely cool lol. Since I have half my almond paste left I can’t wait to make these again!
I’m so glad you enjoy these Jane! They are definitely one of our favorite around here too. And making your own almond paste is really not that bad, you should try out some of my other recipes with almond paste 😉
Apple tart with almond paste
Rugelach with almond paste
Does rolling the scone dough at the long edge mean that is opposite to lengthwise? Your recipe sounds delicious and I would like to try it out.
Hi Marta, please look at the process photos in the middle of the post to see how it’s rolled. You want to roll it into a long log so you can cut it into 8 portions.
Second time making this recipe.
They are absolutely delicious!
Thank you!
Thank you Sharon! So glad you enjoy these, one of my favorite scones too 🙂
I’ve made these several times and they are consistently awesome! The recipe is easy to understand and follow. I can whip them together in under twenty minutes and I am neither a pastry chef nor a kitchen whiz.
A batch is cooling right now. Yum! And many thanks!!
Woohoo!!! These are one of my favorites and I’ve made them multiple times as well. Thank you so much for your feedback 🙂 I always aim to provide recipes that everyone can make and enjoy at home.
sconedelicious
I don’t understand Steps 5-7. Would you/Could you possibly add a video to demonstrate those steps? Your recipe sounds fantastic!
Hi Judy, I’m sorry but I don’t have the resources to create videos at this time. I hope that the updated process photos within the post will help enough. If and when I’m able to work full time on this blog, videos will certainly be something I need to learn. What exactly don’t you understand, could you be more specific? For example, in step 5, making well? folding to form the dough? Perhaps I could help explain further if I understand what you’re struggling with.
I’ve made these only twice and of all the scones I’ve baked (and eaten!) these are my favorite! Slightly more work than other recipes, but SO worth it! And SO much yum!
Yay!! Thanks Suzie, I’m so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
I absolutely love marzipan, and did have to make my own as I didn’t have any. These were a little tricky to make, but you never would know once they came out. One of the best things I have ever baked! Love them!
I’m so glad you enjoy them. I love that you made your own marzipan too!
As a huge marzipan lover, I was so excited to try them.
I just made them.
Holy #%%&^% these were the best scones I’ve ever tasted!! Thank you for such an awesome recipe!
Hooray!! Thank you for your feed back Jaime, you made my day 🙂
I was at a coffee shop in Decorah, Iowa called Impact. They had the most awesome scones!! It was apple almond – I swear I tasted almond paste in there. Since the workers at the coffee shop didn’t make them, I think a company called Waving Grains did. I decided to find a recipe that at least came close. I think your recipe does but will use all purpose flour and no wheat. I will add chopped apples and a bit of cinnamon on top of the almond paste. They also used raw very coarse sugar and almonds on top.
Your recipe should be a good one!! Thanks for sharing it!
Oh wow apple almond scones sound really good, I think I will have to make that now. Have you seen my Apple Pie Scones? If you mix the two recipes, I think you’ll get what you’re going after. If you love apple and almond, I think you’ll love this Apple Tart with Almond Paste Filling as well. I hope you’ll enjoy the scones!! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Almond paste and marzipan are two different products … marzipan has alot of sugar in it … very sweet … so which one do you use? I love the flavor of almond and would like to try this recipe … but these are expensive ingredients and want to get the right one. Thanks so much!
My apology for the confusion. My ingredient of choice is always almond paste because it is less sweet. I used store bought almond paste for this particular recipe, Odense brand, you can get at Target or regular grocery store. I agree with ya on the price, if you want to try making your own paste you can see the recipe in this Apple Tart post. The homemade version will be wetter, so you may not be able to slice it. You could spread it on or try freezing the paste and see if you can slice it then.
This looks wonderful! I pinned this as soon as I saw the pictures! Lately I have been obsessed with scones and this recipe I must try!
Thank Manali! Hope you had a wonderful holidays and Happy New Year (soon!) to you and your family!