Air Fryer Cheese Scones is a quick and easy recipe for four delicious light and fluffy savoury scones packed full of cheese and baked in your air fryer.
Why make Air Fryer Cheese Scones?
Cheese Scones are a delicious quick bread and ideal for a savoury snack. And making cheese scones in your air fryer is really convenient and ideal for small quantities. Scones bake best in high heat and the circulating heat in the air fryer helps to ensure they bake evenly all over.
Compared to your oven, an air fryer will heat up quickly due to the smaller size and the fan. And cooking in an air fryer is about half the cost of cooking in a standard oven.
What is an Air Fryer?
An air fryer is a bit like a mini oven. However, the element is only at the top of the air fryer and it uses a powerful fan to circulate the heat. This combination of intense heat and circulation means that food crisps up quickly.
Air fryers were originally sold for their ability to create ‘fried’ food with less fat. However, the air fryer has developed and more people are recognising the potential to cook and bake all kinds of foods in this way.
What kind of Air fryer can I use to bake cheese scones?
You will need the kind of air fryer that has temperature control as well as a timer and no paddle. Otherwise, any air fryer brand should do the job very well.
My air fryer is a model with a pull-out square drawer and it needs to be pre-heated before use. If you have a different kind of air fryer you may need to adjust the timing or temperature by a minute or two either way.
What ingredients do I need for Air Fryer Cheese Scones?
The ingredients are things that you will probably already have in your pantry or fridge. Here is what you will need:
- self-raising flour
- baking powder
- butter
- ground cayenne pepper (optional)
- mustard powder (optional)
- cheese
- milk
A full list of the ingredients and the required quantities is found in the recipe card at the end of this article.
I don’t have self-raising flour what can I substitute?
If you don’t have self-raising flour you can make it at home using plain (all-purpose flour) and baking powder.
This recipe uses 150g self-raising flour therefore you need to add one and a half teaspoons baking powder to plain (all-purpose) flour. This gives you self-raising flour, you will still need to include the additional baking powder as listed in the recipe.
What is baking powder?
Baking powder is a chemical raising agent that is a combination of bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar. To make homemade baking powder combine ¼ of a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda with ½ a teaspoon of cream of tartar for every teaspoon of baking powder your chosen baking recipe requires.
Can I use baking spread instead of butter in Air Fryer Cheese Scones?
You can use baking spread to make Air fryer Cheese Scones. You can also use other vegetable spreads as long as they are full fat. Spreadable butter and low-fat spreads are not suitable as they contain a high proportion of water that will affect the recipe.
What is cayenne pepper?
Ground cayenne pepper is a medium hot chilli spice powder that adds a little kick to your cheese scones. It is also a flavour enhancer that works well with the cheese in the scones. If you don’t have any cayenne pepper you can leave it out of the recipe or substitute another type of ground chilli, but do be careful of the heat level.
What is mustard powder?
Colman’s English Mustard Powder is a very British ingredient and one that I always have in my larder. It’s a great ingredient to add to cheese sauce and, of course, cheese scones.
I don’t have any mustard powder what can I substitute?
If you have any whole mustard seeds you can grind them yourself in a mortar and pestle or an electric spice grinder. You can also use ready made mustard, preferably English mustard but Dijon will also work. Very mild mustard won’t have the same effect so go for something punchy.
If you plan to use ready made mustard, I recommend that you carefully mix it with the milk rather than trying to rub it into the flour. This will make sure that the mustard is evenly distributed.
What kind of cheese should I use in Air Fryer Cheese Scones?
I use Scottish Cheddar which is a hard cheese and can be medium or mature and has a good flavour. It’s a ‘red’ cheese which also adds a bit of colour to the scones. You can use any firm cheese that you can grate. But you definitely want something that has a good flavour because that will affect the flavour of your scones.
What kind of milk should I use?
I use whole milk or semi-skimmed milk in these scones. However, you can use any milk that you have in the fridge.
Although I have not tried plant milk in this recipe, there is no reason why it should not work just as well as dairy milk. I recommend that you try out different types of plant milk to find your own favourite as the flavour and richness of the milk will influence the taste of the scones.
Can I make Air Fryer Cheese Scones ahead of time?
Scones are best eaten the same day you make them. If you want to get ahead then I recommend that you make up the scone mixture to the breadcrumb stage and store it in the fridge in an airtight container until you plan to make your Air fryer Cheese Scones.
You can store the mix in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. The scones only take 11 minutes to bake so it’s great to have some scone mix ready to go.
Can I freeze Air Fryer Cheese Scones?
Scones freeze really well and it’s an ideal way to store baked scones. Let the scones cool completely on a cooling rack before freezing them in a freezer-proof container or freezer bag.
You can store them for up to 3 months without deterioration. Defrost on a cooling tray covered with a clean tea towel. Or use the defrost setting on your microwave.
Can I make more than four scones?
I can fit four scones cut with a 6 cm (2 1/2 in) cutter into my air fryer and maybe a little extra one made from the last of the trimmings! If I cut them with a smaller cutter then I can definitely fit in more scones.
If you plan to make a batch of 8 scones or more then it’s probably more efficient to bake them in the oven at 200C (400F) for 10 minutes.
Tips for making great scones!
- Rub the butter or baking spread thoroughly into the flour (or whizz in a food processor) the result should look like fine breadcrumbs
- Add the milk slowly until you get a soft slightly sticky dough. You may need slightly more or less than the recipe suggests because different flours absorb liquid at a different rate.
- Do not overmix. Gently bring together the mixture and roll or pat it into a thick round before cutting out the scones.
- Do not twist your scone cutter, this seals the edges of the dough and stops the scones from rising. Press straight down and lift, if you dust the cutter with flour it will lift off easily.
Safety Note
Do not put the baking parchment into the air fryer when preheating your air fryer. The paper will rise up with the air circulation and burn on the heating element. Once the air fryer is preheated it is safe to put in the parchment and place the scones on top. The weight of the scones will hold down the paper and it is perfectly safe.
Vegetarian
Air fryer Cheese Scones are meat-free and suitable for vegetarians.
How should I serve Air Fryer Cheese Scones?
There are so many ways you can serve cheese scones. Here are a few ideas:
- Let the scones cool on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes, then split and spread with butter which will instantly start to melt. Absolutely heavenly!
- Serve Air Fryer Cheese scones as an alternative to bread with soups and salads.
- Use the cheese scones like bread buns and fill them with your favourite sandwich fillings.
- Make smaller cheese scones and serve split in half topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon as a canape or appetiser.
- Serve warm for breakfast topped with scrambled egg and bacon.
Equipment
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Air Fryer
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Food Processor optional
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Measuring spoons
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weighing scales
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measuring jug
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medium bowl
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blunt knife
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6 cm (2.5 in) plain edge pastry cutter
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baking parchment
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Pastry brush
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Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 150 g (1 ¼ cups) self-raising flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 40 g (3 tbsp) butter
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp mustard powder
- 50 g (½ cups) cheddar cheese finely grated
- 20 g (2 tbsp) cheddar cheese coarsely grated
- 80 ml (⅓ cups) milk
Instructions
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Weigh 150 g (1 ¼ cups) self-raising flour into a medium bowl, add ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper and ¼ tsp mustard powder.
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Add 40 g (3 tbsp) butter cut into small cubes.
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Rub the butter through the flour with gentle movements until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. OR use a food processor to combine the ingredients.
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Add 50 g (½ cup) finely grated cheese to the flour mixture in the bowl and stir through. OR add to the food processor and pulse just enough to combine.
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Preheat the air fryer if required.
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Add 80 ml (⅓ cup) milk to the dry mixture in the bowl. You may not need all the milk or might need a little more.
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Bring the mixture together with a blunt knife and once a soft dough begins to form use your hands to form it into a ball. Dust the work surface with a little extra flour and pat out the dough into a flat disk about 2 cm deep.
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Use a plain 6 cm (2 ½ in) cutter to cut out four scones. Pat the dough back together gently so you can use all the dough. You may have a little dough left over but not enough for another full scone.
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Put a piece of baking parchment in the base of your air fryer and place four scones, spread apart, onto the baking parchment.
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Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the scones with a little extra milk.
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Sprinkle the 20 g (2 tbsp) coarsely grated cheese over the scones.
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Close the air fryer and set to 185C (365F). Bake the scones for 11 minutes.
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Remove from the air fryer and cool on a cooling rack.
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Serve the scones with butter.
