Soft, delicious carrot cake scones are the best combination of carrot cake and scones! They’re filled with warm spices and freshly shredded carrots and topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Perfect recipe for Easter brunch!
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Carrot scones are soft and tender scones that taste like carrot cake! Freshly shredded carrots and warm spices add amazing flavor. They are topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
For more carrot cake recipes, try my pumpkin carrot cake and these delicious pumpkin carrot cake cupcakes!
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- Best taste and texture: Carrot scones have a soft, rich buttery taste and texture just like my date and orange scones and lemon lavender scones.
- Perfectly spiced: They are perfectly spiced with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. For another carrot cake recipe, try my carrot loaf cake.
- Cream cheese frosting: Like classic carrot cake, these scones are topped with cream cheese frosting. Cinnamon adds a warm flavor to the frosting!
- Carrot cake flavor for breakfast: Enjoy the flavor of carrot cake for breakfast or an afternoon snack with these scones. My applesauce carrot muffins make another delightful morning or mid-day treat.
Ingredients
Below are useful notes about some of the ingredients.
- All Purpose flour: Measure your flour accurately.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder makes our scones rise.
- Unsalted Butter: We’re using unsalted butter in the scones and the frosting. The butter should be cold for the scones. For the frosting, use room temperature butter.
- Carrots: I recommend shredding your carrots at home. Store bought shredded carrots are too dry. I don’t recommend using baby carrots. For another yummy carrot cake flavored treat, be sure to make this easy carrot cookies recipe!
- Heavy Cream: Make sure it’s cold, not room temperature. Buttermilk or whole milk can also be used. For best results, I recommend heavy cream. It makes these scones moist just like my cranberry white chocolate scones!
- One egg yolk: Use one egg yolk from a large egg.
- Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar for this recipe. Use light or dark.
- Spices: I like to use a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg like in my delicious spiced pumpkin scones recipe!
- Cream cheese: The frosting has butter and cream cheese in it. Make sure both are at room temperature before making it.
See recipe card below for complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Instead of frosting, top scones with a little coarse sugar before baking. It adds a little extra sweetness and texture!
- Cardamom and cloves can be used in place of one or some of the spices. If you love cardamom, be sure to try my orange cardamom olive oil cake!
- You can replace equal parts cinnamon for the ground ginger or nutmeg.
- Use pecans or pistachios in place of walnuts.
How to Make Carrot Cake Scones
Quick Video Recap
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1 (Picture 1 above)– Whisk to combine the sugars, flour, spices, baking powder and salt.
Step 2 (Picture 2 above)– Incorporate the cold, cubed butter using a pastry cutter til butter is the size of peas or smaller. Stir in the carrots, nuts and raisins. Make a well in the middle.
Step 3 (Picture 3 above)–Pour the egg yolk, 1/3 cup of the cold heavy cream and vanilla into the well. Use a fork to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients. Add more heavy cream as needed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dough will be shaggy. Fold the dough over just a few times to shape it into a ball.
Step 4 (Picture 4 above)–Use your hands to pat it into a 7 inch circle. Slice into 8 triangles. Chill at least 1 hour.
Step 5 (Picture 5 above)–Brush tops and sides with milk or cream. Bake scones at 400 Fahrenheit for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Allow scones to cool.
Step 6 (Picture 6 above)–Beat the butter and cream cheese until completely combined. Mix in the vanilla and salt. Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Beat on low until powdered sugar is no longer visible. Turn mixer to medium high and beat for one minute.
Recipe FAQs
Butter is definitely the secret to good scones! It adds flavor and gives scones their flaky, crumbly texture, crisp edges and it helps them rise.
Yes. You can use milk, but I recommend heavy cream or buttermilk. These thicker liquids will give you better flavor and texture.
Carrot scones are best the day they are made, but unfrosted scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. Store frosted scones in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze unfrosted scones for up to 2 months. Top with frosting once thawed.
Expert baking tips
- Don’t Overwork the Dough. Overworking the dough will result in a dense, heavy texture.
- Use cold eggs, milk or cream and butter. Cold ingredients help keep the butter from melting before it hits the oven. Cold butter will help make the scones nice and flaky.
- Use freshly grated carrots. Grate carrots using the small holes on a box grater or food processor.
- After forming the scones, it’s important to chill them before baking.
- Toast nuts. Nuts have the best texture and flavor when they are toasted. Toast them in a dry medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Stir as you toast them until they are fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the from pan and set aside. Once cooled, chop the nuts.
More Recipes You Will Love
Did you try this recipe or any other recipe on my website? Please leave a 🌟 star rating and 📝 comment below.
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Carrot Cake Scones
Equipment
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Scones
- 2 ½ cups (312 g) all purpose flour plus more for work surface
- ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar light or dark
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter cold
- ¾ cup (96 g) shredded carrots about 2-3 medium carrots
- ⅓ cup (39 g) walnuts toasted then chopped, plus more for topping (optional)
- ¼ cup raisins optional
- ⅔ cup (157 ml) heavy cream cold, divided
- 1 large egg yolk cold
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 ounces (56 g) cream cheese full fat, brick style, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (28 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1-1½ teaspoons heavy cream or whole milk
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream
Instructions
Carrot Cake Scones
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the butter in the freezer for 15 minutes. Next, chop the cold butter in half lengthwise. Turn it on its side and cut lengthwise again. Slice the butter into thin slices. Place butter in the fridge to stay cold until you're ready to use it in the recipe.
- If using nuts, I recommend toasting them for best flavor. Toast them in a dry medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Stir as you toast them until they are fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the from pan and set aside. Once cooled, chop the nuts.
- Shred carrots using the small holes on a box grater or food processor. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, stir to combine the egg yolk, vanilla, and ⅓ cup of the heavy cream. Place bowl in the fridge for a few minutes while you continue with the next step in the recipe. (Reserve the rest of the heavy cream to add to the recipe as needed and for brushing on scones before baking).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to cimbine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Add the butter to the flour mixture. Toss the butter a few times to coat it with the dry ingredients.
- Work the butter into the dry ingredients using 2 forks, a pastry cutter or your fingers until the butter is about the size of peas or a little smaller than that. Use a spatula to stir in the grated carrots, raisins, and chopped walnuts til just combined. Make a well in the middle of the bowl. Pour the prepared mixture of 1/3 cup of heavy cream, egg yolk and vanilla into the well.
- Use a fork to slowly combine the wet and dry ingredients. If you see some dry spots, add more heavy cream, a tablespoon at a time, as needed. Avoid adding too much heavy cream (you don't want the dough to become sticky). Stir mixture with a fork in the bowl until it's too hard to keep mixing with a fork.
- Turn dough out onto your lightly floured work space. Dough will be shaggy. Lightly fold the dough over itself then rotate it. Do this again 1-2 more times while shaping it into a ball. Do not ovework the dough more than necessary (overworking the dough will make the scones tough). Dough shouldn't be too dry. It should be moist but not wet or sticky.
- Use your hands to pat the dough into a circle between 6 and 8 inches. Use a long sharp knife or bench scraper to slice the dough into 8 triangles. Place scones on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator or freezer for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush tops and sides with heavy cream.
- Place scones evenly about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 18-22 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top.
- Allow scones to cool before topping with cream cheese frosting.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a hand held mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until completely combined, creamy and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and salt.
- Turn mixer off and add the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Beat on low until powdered sugar is no longer visible. Turn mixer to medium high and beat for one minute.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Martin
I’m a big fan of carrot cake and decided to try this latest scone recipe. I am happy to say it blew me away. These carrot cake scones are amazing. The balance of spices is just right and so delicious. The dulce de leche cream cheese frosting sends this recipe over the top. Well done!
Natalie
Hi Martin, Thank you so much for your review! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the scones and the frosting! I hope you have a fantastic week 🙂 -Natalie
Barbara Ward
“Warmly spiced” won me over! Adore scones & these scones sound exceptionally Delicious!
Natalie
They are as delicious as they sound! Thank you! 🙂