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Move aside garlic bread, these light and fluffy cheese scones are our new favorite chili companion! These savory scones are filled with sharp cheddar cheese and a hint of green onion. They’re the perfect snack any time of day, and amazing with soups, stews, and chutneys!

These versatile pastries make a delicious breakfast, brunch, or dinner side. They smell so good that a fresh batch from the oven never lasts long in my house! Pair your warm cheese scones with a little butter and you have the picture of simple indulgence.

Why you’ll love these light and fluffy cheese scones

These fluffy scones can be served for afternoon tea, alongside chili at dinner, or even at a picnic with fried chicken. They travel much easier than garlic bread or buns, and don’t go stale as easily!

These simple scones come together in minutes, so you can whip them up while dinner is cooking. I always make a big batch so I can freeze leftovers for future meals!

If you like these cheddar scones, you’ll love sweet scones like these White Chocolate Matcha Scones with Raspberry Glaze or my delicious Apple Cider Scones!

Equipment

You’ll need a few simple tools to make these easy cheese scones:

Ingredients

All purpose flour – Make sure you level your flour with the back of a knife. Too much flour will make your scones crumbly and dry.
Baking powder – Baking powder will make your scones rise so they get nice and fluffy!
Salt – A hint of salt helps enhance the flavor.
Butter – Cold butter will help make your scones light and fluffy. I recommend using frozen, unsalted butter.
Buttermilk – The acid in buttermilk helps the dough rise, while the fat helps create a tender and moist crumb!
Sharp cheddar cheese – Sharp cheddar is aged longer than mild cheddar, so it has a more intense cheesy flavor.
Green onion – Sliced green onions help give these scones a hint of savoriness.

If you haven’t played with the tools that came with your food processor, hunt down the shredding blade. It’s the easiest way to shred cheese or vegetables quickly.

How to Shred Cheese Using a Food Processor

One of my favorite ways to reduce my waste in the kitchen is to use my food processor! Thanks to the shredding blade, I can shred vegetables, cheeses, and more with way less effort.

This allows me to stop buying things like preshredded cheese or shredded carrots, which immediately reduces the amount of plastic packaging I use. I even use it to slice cucumbers and onions to make pickles in the summer. Plus, it’s cheaper! Isn’t it great when that happens?

Remove the spinning blade carefully.
Review the shredding blade. Place it with the shredding side up.
Turn on the food processor and feed your block of cheese through the spout. Cut it to fit as needed. Use the pressing tool to shove the cheese into the processor.
The cheese will shred. Empty the bowl as needed.

How to Make Light and Fluffy Cheese Scones

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of your food processor.
Pulse to combine the dry ingredients.
Then, add the frozen butter cut into cubes.
Blend the food processor until the butter forms pea-sized pieces.

Add in half the buttermilk, pulsing to combine.
Add the green onions, shredded cheese, and the remainder of the buttermilk to the scone mix. Blend everything until large crumbs form.

Pour the dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Press the dough into a 3/4 in tall circle.
Cut into 8-10 pieces. Separate the pieces to give them space to rise.
Sprinkle the tops of the scones with a little flaky salt and some grated cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Allow the scones to cool on a wire rack before storing them in an airtight container.

Storing Suggestions

Once cool, these scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. You can also pop leftover scones into a freezer bag and store them in the fridge or freezer. They will keep for a week in the refrigerator and up to three months in the freezer.

Tips & Variations

Sprinkle these scones with my homemade green onion salt for an extra mild oniony bite.
Use the shredder attachment for your food processor to shred your cheese before you make your scone dough.
A pastry blender or pastry cutter is a great way to mix your dough if you don’t have a food processor.
Replace the flour, salt, and baking powder with 2 cups of self-raising flour.
Use a pastry brush to wash the scones with a little milk to make a nice golden brown crust.
Add a little cayenne pepper to the dough for a touch of heat, or garlic powder for extra savoriness.
Buttermilk makes these scones light and fluffy, but if you don’t have any, you can replace it with heavy cream.

How to Serve Cheese Scones

These cheddar cheese scones are delicious for brunch paired with poached eggs, crumbled goat cheese, and fresh cherry tomatoes. For the ultimate comfort meal, serve them with a piping hot bowl of vegetable stew or a spicy chili!

Give your meals more flavor and finesse by serving these cheese biscuits anywhere you’d serve dinner rolls. Chicken noodle soup, fried chicken drumsticks, pulled pork, and sloppy Joes are just a few ideas! Add your favorite egg omelet to the center along with sliced tomato and they make a delicious breakfast sandwich too!

A delicious savory scone and a cup of tea is also the perfect breakfast for a lazy Sunday morning!

FAQs

Why don’t my cheese scones rise?

If your scones didn’t rise, it could be because of a cold oven. It’s important to preheat your oven so the ingredients can react to the heat and create that beautiful rise!

Should you chill scones before baking?

The light and fluffy texture of these scones comes from the frozen butter in the dough. The pockets of cold butter create steam as they heat up in the oven, which makes the dough fluff up. As long as your butter is nice and cold before adding it to your dough, you don’t need to chill these scones.

What does adding an egg to scones do?

Some scone recipes use egg to add structure and richness. This cheese scone recipe doesn’t require eggs since the baking powder and buttermilk react with each other to create lift and structure.

Related Recipes

Looking for more delicious foods to bake, or something to pair with these cheese scones? Try these other recipes: