Warm, homemade scones are our love language! With spice-infused dough and a cinnamon glaze, these pretty scones are perfect for book club, a baby shower, or brunch with friends. Made with freshly-grated carrots and chilled butter, these scones are super moist with just the right amount of flaky, buttery goodness.
For more carrot cake love, try our classic Carrot Cake or our Perfectly Soft Carrot Cake Cookies.
Why Our Recipe
- Freshly grated carrots keep these scones super moist long after they’ve come out of the oven.
- Grated butter technique simplifies the process, making it easier to blend into the flour for perfectly flaky scones.
- From mixing bowl to oven in just 10 minutes—and ready in under 30!
Make a batch of freshly baked scones for the rest of the week with our easy, make-ahead and freeze-for-later options. Whether you’re baking the pre-cut dough from the night before, or you’re warming up leftovers from the freezer, you’ll have warm, homemade scones ready to go in minutes! We love these scones for their versatility and ease. Perfect for breakfast, to take on your way to work, or for an easy after-school snack.
Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose is going to be your go to. Can also use bread or pastry flour, but it will change the texture slightly.
- Sugar: Can reduce by half if you would prefer a less sweet scone.
- Cold Butter: Can use a cheese grater (small side), food processor, or pastry cutter. Place in freezer for 15 minutes before grating to help it grate into little pieces.
- Heavy Cream: Adds richness to the dough, and when brushed on top, helps the scones brown.
- Shredded Carrots: Finely shred carrots for the best consistency and texture.
- Walnuts: They not only add texture but also complement the flavors of the carrot and spices.
- Powdered Sugar: For a thicker glaze, add 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor. Pure vanilla extract is recommended for the best taste, but artificial vanilla can be used in a pinch.
Glaze and Additions
Drizzle with our homemade, cinnamon glaze. This glaze really brings out the spices in the scone and looks pretty, too.
Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top for the finishing touch. Topping with walnuts ties this whole recipe together, with the walnuts in the dough. However, you can add pecans instead or use a combination of both.
Adding raisins to the dough or as a garnish is also a great option, keeping in line with classic carrot cake flavors.
Grating Butter vs. Pastry Cutter
Using a cheese grater to add butter to your scone dough is a nifty little trick that can make the process simpler and often more effective than using a pastry cutter. Grating the cold butter produces small, uniform pieces that mix evenly and quickly into the flour, which is key to achieving the perfect flaky texture.
This method can be a real time-saver and is especially handy if you don’t have a pastry cutter. In fact, we like this method even better than using a pastry cutter because it distributes the butter into the flour perfectly for just the right consistency and flakiness.
Make-Ahead Option
This dough freezes nicely to be made later on. Make the dough and cut into wedges, and then wrap in parchment paper and seal in a freezer bag. To make, thaw the dough and bake as directed.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Store leftover, baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Consider wrapping in an additional layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn for longer storage. Grab-and-go when ready to eat and let thaw at room temperature which will take about 2 to 3 hours.
Reheat individual scones in the microwave on high in 10-second increments. Remember that baked goods warm quickly in the microwave.
can you freeze these before baking?
Yes, scones are great to freeze before baking. They thaw so quickly they can sit out while the oven preheats and be ready to put in the oven.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Will the scones need to be stored in the fridge after baked?
Nope! You can store the scones at room temperature.
Would milk or half and half still work for these instead of using cream? I’m trying to cut down on fat. I realize they won’t be as rich, I’m just curious if they’ll still work out ok.
They will still work, but they might be a little more dense and dry. If you are going to try, I’d stick with at least half and half.
Do you drizzle the glaze while the scones are hot or after they cooled down? And will the glaze be soft and liquidy or solid after a while?
Thank you for the recipe! Can’t wait to try it:)
We have you drizzle the glaze while they are still warm.
Can you make scones with whole milk instead of heavy cream?
You can definitely experiment with it, but it does change the fat content so the texture will be a bit different. With whole milk, your scones may turn out a little less soft and slightly drier, but they’ll still be tasty.
Can you substitute evaporated milk for the heavy cream?
You can definitely substitute with it, but it does change the fat content so the texture will be a bit different. Your scones may turn out a little less soft and slightly drier, but they’ll still be tasty.
I love the choice of your baking ingredients
Your ingredients are very easy to find in the
Shops while my cousin prefers using the Box
Cake mixtures.
Have you an air fryer recipe for these. They sound lovely
You can definitely make these carrot cake scones in the air fryer. Air fryers are like mini convection ovens!
Prepare the scone dough just as the original recipe describes: mix the dry ingredients, cut in the cold butter, and stir in the cream, shredded carrots, and chopped walnuts until it comes together. Shape the dough into a 2-inch thick disc and cut into 8 wedges. If your air fryer basket is small, work in batches and only place a few scones in at a time, making sure they have room to expand without touching.
Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper (trimmed to fit with holes poked for airflow) or use silicone liners if you have them. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F, then place the scones inside and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Air fryers vary, so check around the 8-minute mark.
Let the scones cool on a rack, then drizzle with the cinnamon glaze as directed.
Love all the scone recipes on here! Can’t will try this one this weekend 😀
Could you cut these with a biscuit butter to make them a little smaller?
You could make them whatever size you really want! Just note that if they are smaller, they make cook a little faster, so watch closely. I love the idea of a carrot cake biscuit! Covered in a yummy warm, buttery, creamy syrup? Now we are talking!
Hi Caytlin
Thank you for sharing your lovely scone. Look super yummy.
For the heavy cream, can subsitute with something else? Pls advise
Thank you
Margaret
You can use half and half, whole milk, or evaporated milk, but changing the fat content will make the scones slightly less soft and slightly drier. They’ll still be tasty though!
They sound yummy 😋 can you make drop scones with this recipe.
You can shape the scones however you’d like. It’s more of a dough than a batter so it’s not particularly “drop-able” but as a chef I feel like I understand where you are coming from enough to say that yes, you could kind of work it that way.