Toasted Coconut Scones with Almonds (& How to Make the Best Scones!)

This recipe for Coconut Scones is a simple scone recipe that features hints of lemon and coconut. They have a yummy, sweet coconut glaze with a delicious toasted coconut and almond topping. If you’re a coconut lover, you’ll love the taste of the tropics in this recipe!

Creating this Coconut Scone Recipe

I have spent the last couple evenings cooking and baking with a friend and have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have adult company in the kitchen once in a while as well as how it reminds me how much and why I really love cooking.

For Mother’s Day this year I will be enjoying a Mother’s Day Brunch that I don’t have to make. Something that will be really nice for this busy single mama.

But I did spend a little time in the kitchen this week whipping up a few treats to help with your Mother’s Day and Spring Brunch celebrations – including this delicious Coconut Almond Scone Recipe.

Once you are confident with the method for making scones, they really are not that difficult. I did some tweaking to my Basic Scone Formula to come up with this recipe. 

The scone recipe itself is a pretty simple recipe that features hints of lemon and coconut, but toasted almonds and coconut combine to make an incredible topping to these scones.

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Tools Needed to Make these Coconut Scones

You’ll need a few different kitchen tools to prepare this recipe for toasted coconut scones. Here’s what I recommend:

• Large Bowl – use a large bowl to combine all of the dry ingredients.
• Small Bowl – a small bowl is used to combine the wet ingredients.
• Wire Whisk – you’ll use a wire whisk to sift the dry ingredients together and mix the wet ingredients.
• Pastry Blender – a pastry blender is used to cut the butter into the flour when making this coconut scone recipe.
• Wooden Spoon – a wooden spoon is used to gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
• Rolling Pin – a rolling pin is used the shape the dough.
• Parchment Paper – I like to lining pans with parchment paper so the coconut scones don’t stick.
• Baking Sheet – bake the scones on a large baking sheet.

What Ingredients are in Coconut Scones?

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

For the Coconut Scones:

• Sugar
• Lemon
• All Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Cold Unsalted Butter
• Shredded Sweetened Coconut
• Large Eggs
• Buttermilk
• Coconut Cream
• Lemon Juice
• Lemon Zest
• Vanilla Extract

Don’t have buttermilk? Learn all about common buttermilk substitutes as well as how to make buttermilk. If you have extra buttermilk after making this recipe, you can also freeze buttermilk!

For the Sweet Coconut Glaze:

• Melted Butter
• Powdered Sugar
• Coconut Extract
• Unsweetened Coconut Cream

For the Toasted Coconut and Almond Topping

• Sliced Almonds
• Toasted Coconut

How to Make these Coconut Scones

Make sure you follow the steps carefully for best results. Preparing a recipe for scones might look complicated at first, but the process is pretty simple once you’ve done it a time or two.

Preparing the Coconut Scone Dough

1. First, combine the sugar and zest in a small bowl. After that, rub the sugar and zest together, and set aside.
2. Then, in large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add the sugar mixture.
3. Next, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In a smaller bowl, the wet ingredients. Whisk until well combined.
5. Then, make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour in the egg mixture. Then, stir until the scone dough comes together.
6. Next, turn out on a lightly floured surface and very gently knead a few times until the dough holds shape.
7. Divide into two equal portions and roll into an 8 or 9-inch circle. Dust the bottom of the circles with flour. Cut each circle into 6 or 8 triangles. Place the triangles on the prepared baking sheets.
8. Lastly, bake until golden and cooked through.

How Do You Cut Butter into Flour?

Don’t know what it means to cut butter into flour or what a pastry cutter is? Check out my tutorial with 4 different ways to cut butter into flour. This is great information if you’re new to making a recipe for scones.

The 4th method of cutting butter in flour on this list is my all time favorite kitchen tips, and also the best way to cut butter into flour if you’re wondering “what can I substitute for a pastry blender”!

Making the Toasted Coconut and Almond Topping

Making the toasted coconut and almond topping for these coconut scones is super easy. Here’s how to do it:

1. Toast the coconut and sliced almonds, stirring frequently until the almonds are golden and toasted.
2. Then, combine and set aside in a bowl.

How Do You Toast Coconut?

Learn how to toast coconut flakes in 3 different ways (they’re all super easy!), how to store toasted coconut, how long toasted coconut lasts, and the many different ways you can use this fun, tasty ingredient! You can also purchase toasted coconut if you prefer.

Glazing the Coconut Scones

Here’s a quick overview of the best way to glaze these coconut scones:

1. Combine all of the glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk well.
2. Place the a sheet of parchment paper on the counter, then lay a cooling rack on top.
3. Put the cooled coconut scones on top of the cooling rack.
4. Then, drizzle glaze on top of the cooled scones.
5. Immediately sprinkle with the toasted almonds and coconut.
6. Discard the parchment paper once no additional glaze drips from the scones.

Tips for Making the Perfect Scones

Have you ever wondered what the secret to making great scones is? Here are a few tips to use when preparing these homemade scones:

Don’t soften your butter. The best scones are tender scones, and cold butter is necessary for that. You can even use frozen butter so it doesn’t warm too much while you’re preparing the dough.

Don’t over measure the flour. Using too much flour is another reason that a good scone recipe can turn out dry. Proper measuring technique – fluff, scoop, and level. Or, you can use a kitchen scale and weigh 4 ounces per cup of all-purpose flour.

The dough should be lumpy with a crumbly texture when making a recipe for scones. You don’t want the dough to be smooth and thoroughly mixed like a cookie dough.

Don’t over mix the dough when you’re preparing these coconut scones. Mix the dough gently until just combined. Overzealous kneading will cause even the best scone recipe to become tough rather than light and flakey.

Chill the dough before baking. No matter how cold the ingredients are, the butter will warm while you’re preparing the recipe. Before baking a recipe for scones pop them in the freezer while your oven preheats. This will help firm up those small bits of butter.

These coconut scones taste best straight from the warm oven, so plan to keep the prepared dough on a baking sheet in the refrigerator until about an hour before you plan to serve them.

Don’t over bake these coconut scones. Over baking is another cause of dry scones, and no one likes a dry scone!

How to Make Dairy-Free Coconut Scones

I have not tested this myself, but if I were to adapt this scone recipe to be dairy-free I would do the following:

Substitute coconut oil or vegan butter in place of the dairy butter. Whatever you substitute, you’ll still need to make sure it is cold. Coconut Oil is pretty soft, so I recommend putting it in the fridge before preparing the recipe and then putting the crumbly flour mixture (with the coconut oil added) in the freezer before proceeding with the recipe.

You’ll also need to substitute your favorite non-dairy milk for the buttermilk and cream. In this coconut scone recipe, I recommend coconut milk, almond milk, or oat milk. Make sure you use unsweetened, otherwise your scone recipe may be too sweet.

I’m Allergic to Nuts!

If you’re allergic to almonds or can’t have almonds that may be processed with other nuts that you’re allergic to, then simply omit the almonds when preparing this recipe for coconut scones.

If you are able to consume a different type of nuts and want to substitute, I recommend using macadamia nuts in place of the almonds in this recipe.

I don’t think pecans, walnuts, or pistachios would offer the right profile when paired with the rich coconut flavor of this scone recipe.

Can You Freeze Coconut Scones?

Yes, this recipe for coconut scones can be frozen without the glaze on top. Simply seal inside an airtight container or freezer bag (such as a gallon sized ziplock bag) and freeze for up to three months.

When ready to eat, thaw on the counter or gently reheat in the oven.

More Scone Recipes

Do you want more recipes to make fresh scones? Here are some delicious recipe ideas so you can enjoy these coffee shop treats:

These Savory Scones are flavored with the quintessential fall flavors of apple, sage, and Gruyere. Perfect for dipping into a warm bowl of soup!

Studded with fresh cranberries and flavored with orange juice and zest, these Cranberry and Orange Scones are a great make-ahead holiday breakfast idea!

These moist Strawberry Scones are full of flavor with a hint of meyer lemon tanginess. Perfect for spring and summer!

Like poppyseed muffins? You’ll definitely want to give these Buttermilk Poppyseed Scones a try. They’re tender and buttery with a hint of grapefruit.

Once you are confident with the method for making scones, they really are not that difficult. You can also try tweaking my Master Scone Recipe (+ Flavor Variations!) to come up with tall sorts of scone recipe variations

Looking for a different recipe for scones? Check out all of my scone recipes.

What do you like to serve for a Mother’s Day Brunch?

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This recipe was originally published May 9, 2015 and was recently updated from the archives. It was sponsored by Fisher Nuts and I was compensated for the creation of this recipe. All opinions are my own.

Photography: photos taken in this post are by Rachael from Set the Table.