These Air Fryer Scones are buttery, flaky, and ready in a fraction of the time it takes to bake them in the oven. Perfect for an English tea party, brunch, or an afternoon treat, they're crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
Afternoon tea just got a whole lot easier, with the help of an Air Fryer! We chose to make English-style scones, the kind you'll find served with a pot of Earl Grey tea.
Whether you're hosting an afternoon tea or a springtime brunch, these plain scones are the perfect canvas for clotted cream, Kumquat Jam, or Sous Vide Lemon Curd.
This recipe makes 12 scones, so I recommend air frying them in two separate batches to avoid overcrowding.
My inspiration for this recipe came from Claire Ptak, and her Sweet Cream Scones Recipe was featured on Saveur.com
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What is a Scone?
Let's talk about the difference between British Scones and American Scones.
- British Scones - Soft, tall, and often plain or with dried fruit like currants. These are served sliced in half with condiments like clotted cream, jams, and citrus curds, especially with afternoon tea.
- American Scones - They're typically sweeter, denser, and richer, often filled with chocolate chips or fruit and finished with a sweet glaze.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ready in minutes: No need to heat up the whole kitchen! These bake up in 10-12 minutes in the air fryer, making them perfect for a quick breakfast or afternoon tea.
- Freezer-Friendly: Make the dough, shape the scones, and freeze for freshly baked scones anytime you want! Perfect for last-minute guests when a craving hits.
- Topping anyone? Serve with lemon curd, whipped cream, fresh strawberries, clotted cream, and your favorite jams.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here is a visual overview of the Air Fryer Scone Ingredients. Scroll to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- I use all-purpose flour, but you can also use self-rising flour or a Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter and make sure to keep it cold.
- Heavy Cream - Heavy cream's high-fat content creates a rich, tender crumb in scones, but buttermilk makes a great substitute.
- Sugar - These are sweet cream scones!
- Baking Powder - For lift
- Salt
- Eggs - A lightly whisked egg is brushed on the tops of scones for a golden-brown color.
Pro Tip - Buttermilk is great in biscuits, scones, and muffins! For example, I use buttermilk in my Lemon Curd Muffins, Strawberry and White Chocolate Muffins, and Blackberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations
- Dried Fruit: Consider adding some raisins, currants, or cranberries.
- Citrus: Add some lemon, orange, or lime zest.
- Chocolate: Miniature chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
- Savory: Try adding sharp cheddar or Gruyère cheese and herbs like rosemary, thyme, or chives.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Follow these cooking steps and let me show you how to make air fryer scones.
Step 1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2. Add the butter and use your fingers to work it until the flour mixture looks like small pea-sized crumbs. A pastry cutter (affiliate link) is a great tool for working cold butter into flour.
Step 3. Pour the cold heavy cream into the flour mixture.
Step 4. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix just until the dough comes together. You never want to overwork a biscuit or scone dough.
Step 5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, shape it into a brick with your hands, and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Step 6. Fold the dough in half, like closing a book, then gently reshape it into a brick and let it rest for another 5 minutes.
Step 7. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough until it is 1 inch thick.
Step 8. Cut out scones using a 1 ¾-inch ring cutter. I like to coat my ring cutter with flour so the dough doesn't stick.
Step 9. Place the scones in the freezer for 20 minutes so the butter can firm up and the scones will puff up nicely.
Step 10. Preheat your air fryer to 365°F (185°C). Take the scones out of the freezer and brush the tops with the beaten egg. Place them in a parchment-lined air fryer basket and cook for about 15 minutes, or until they're golden brown.
Chef Tips
- Freezing the scones before baking will keep the butter firm, resulting in a scone that rises properly.
- You might want to invest in a pastry cutter (affiliate link) to work the cold butter into the flour.
- Use cold butter and cold heavy cream.
- I like to dip my ring cutter into flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Serve scones with whipped cream, lemon curd, and jam.
Recipe FAQ's
Cooking times can vary slightly depending on your air fryer model, so a little trial and error might be needed. A good starting point is 365°F (185°C) for 8-10 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and cooked through.
Yes! You have two great options:
1. Freeze after baking: Let your scones cool to room temperature, then place them in a ziplock bag or an airtight container and freeze.
2. Freeze before baking: Shape the scones and freeze them unbaked. When you're ready, bake them straight from the freezer in the air fryer - just add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Yes, this is a common complaint, and it has happened to me. You can purchase air fryer parchment paper (affiliate link) to solve this problem.
Put your scones on a paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds, and they turn out buttery, flaky, and moist.
I like to serve scones for Tea Parties and Brunches with clotted cream, jams, and lemon curd.
More Brunch Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Scones
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups all-puropose flour (310 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter (110 grams)
- 1¼ cup chilled heavy cream (295 mL)
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and use your fingers or pastry cutter to work it into the flour until the mixture looks like small pea-sized crumbs.
- Pour the cold heavy cream into the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon, until the dough comes together.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and gently shape it into a rectangular block. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Then, fold the dough in half, reshape it into a block again, and let it rest for another 5 minutes.
- Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough out to about 1 inch thick. Cut out the scones with a 1¾-inch round cutter, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes before air frying.
- Preheat your air fryer to 365°F (185°C). Remove the scones from the freezer and brush the tops with the beaten egg. Arrange them in a parchment-lined air fryer basket, leaving space between each one. Air fry for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
- Freezing the scones before baking will keep the butter firm, resulting in a scone that rises properly.
- You might want to invest in a pastry cutter to work the cold butter into the flour.
- Use cold butter and cold heavy cream.
- I like to dip my ring cutter into flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Serve scones with whipped cream, lemon curd, and jam.
Mike Cleavenger says
I love spreading lemon curd and jam on these English-style scones.