Easy air fryer cheese scones, baked to golden perfection in just eight minutes!
The savoury scones are packed with rich and tangy cheddar cheese and have a light and soft texture, perfect for spreading with creamy butter.
Serve these easy cheese scones for a savoury afternoon tea with crumbly local blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, and chutney! They're also great with soup!
This recipe makes a small batch (5 scones if you use a 5cm round cutter), and that way they air fry evenly and quickly!
Check out my eBook⭐Easy Air Fryer Recipes⭐ which includes 20 straightforward and easy-to-follow recipes for your air fryer. You'll be a pro at air fryer cooking in no time! Don't miss out, get your copy today!
You might also like my sweet air fryer scone recipe, which is perfect with jam and clotted cream!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- A quick and easy cheese on toast in air fryer recipe.
- Experiment with different flavours and add-ins, such as herbs, spices, or different types of cheese.
- Freezer-friendly and great for batch cooking.
- Perfect for lunch or a savoury afternoon tea.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Flour - self-raising flour is used for cheese scones to get a nice rise.
Salt - for seasoning and flavour.
Cayenne - adds a touch of heat which contrasts well with the cheese.
Mustard Powder - helps to bring out the flavour of the extra mature cheddar.
Baking Powder - to help the scones rise.
Butter - chilled and cubed. Unsalted is best as it allows you to control the salt content.
Cheese - grated extra-mature cheddar cheese, but use other cheeses if you prefer such as red leicester.
Milk - full-fat whole milk (or semi-skimmed).
Lemon Juice - lemon juice is used to sour the milk which helps to produce a light and fluffy textured scone.
You'll also need a little bit of plain flour for kneading and a small amount of extra milk for glazing.
🥄 Equipment
Which air fryer? I use the Ninja Foodi 5.8 litre Grill and Air Fryer with 4 customisable cooking functions including air fry, roast, bake, and dehydrate!
🔪 How to make cheese scones in air fryer
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Preheat the air fryer to 200C (400F).
Two: Place the dry ingredients (self-raising flour, salt, cayenne, mustard powder and baking powder) in a large mixing bowl and give them a mix. Add the chilled cubed butter to the mixing bowl and rub it in with your hands until you get fine breadcrumbs form.
Three: Stir in 100g of the grated cheese (the rest is needed for the tops).
Four: Heat the milk in the microwave for 20 seconds, squeeze in a little lemon juice (about ¼ teaspoon) and leave it to stand for 2-3 minutes. Pour the soured milk into the mixing bowl and use a metal dinner knife to stir it in.
Five: Once the scone dough has started to come together, use your hands to bring it together into a ball.
Six: Lightly flour your work surface then knead the scone dough for a few seconds to cover it in flour. Shape the dough into a disc about 3 cm thick with your hands then stamp out 5 scones with a 5cm cookie cutter. You'll need to keep reforming the dough into a disc with your hands until you have used it all up.
Seven: Using a pastry brush, glaze the tops of the scones with milk then sprinkle over the reserved grated cheese.
Eight: Place the scones in your air fryer basket and air fry for 8 minutes until risen and golden brown.
💭 Expert tips
- Always use cold cubed butter straight from the fridge. If you try to rub in soft warm butter you will be left with a sticky mess. Cold butter helps to keep the dough cool and gives the scones the perfect flakey texture once baked.
- You don't need a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Just shape it with your hands into a disc shape.
- When shaping the dough, try to handle it as little as possible and keep your hands cool. Warm hands can melt the butter in the dough and lead to a tough texture.
- Make sure your self-raising flour and baking powder are in date to ensure the scones rise.
- If you prefer, you can make the scone dough in your food processor instead, using the pulse function. Be careful not to overwork the dough though!
🍴 Serving suggestions
Cheese scones are a British classic and best served warm with butter, cheese, chutney and, salad vegetables.
They can also be eaten with soup, chilli, or taken on a summer picnic!
📖 Variations
- Use different cheeses. Swap the grated cheddar cheese for crumbly blue cheese, gruyere, or Parmesan. You could also add some chopped walnuts for crunch!
- Add a pinch of garlic powder for more flavour, dried herbs like thyme or even freshly chopped herbs like oregano or rosemary.
- Love a bit of heat. Add a pinch of chilli powder to the scone dough.
- Stir some cooked bacon pieces into the dough for a smoky savoury flavour.
- Make sweet scones instead!
🥡 Storage
Store - air fryer cheese scones can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. Let them cool completely before storing them.
Reheat - to reheat cheese scones, place them back in the air fryer for a few minutes to heat through, or use an oven or microwave.
Freeze - place the cooled cheese scones in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Air fryers use hot air to circulate around the food and cook it at high temperatures. The hot air is created by a heating element and a fan, which blows the air around the food to cook it evenly
Yes, it's recommended to preheat the air fryer for a few minutes before baking the scones. This helps ensure that the air fryer is at the right temperature to properly cook the scones.
No, you don't need to flip the scones in the air fryer as they will cook evenly on both sides.
😋 More easy air fryer recipes
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- Air Fryer Baked Camembert
- Air Fryer Roast Potatoes
- Air Fryer Turkey and Brie Toastie
- Air Fryer Sausage Rolls
- Air Fryer Tuna Melt
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Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Cheese Scones
Ingredients
- 175 g Self Raising Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 55 g Unsalted Butter chilled and cubed
- 120 g Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese grated
- 85 ml Whole Milk
- ¼ teaspoon Lemon Juice fresh
Other ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Plain Flour for dusting
- 2 tablespoon Milk for glazing
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 200C (400F).
- Place the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and give them a mix.175 g Self Raising Flour, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, ¼ teaspoon Mustard Powder, ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- Add the chilled cubed butter to the mixing bowl and rub it in with your hands until you get fine breadcrumbs form.55 g Unsalted Butter
- Stir in the grated cheese (reserving a few heaped tablespoons for the tops).120 g Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese
- Heat the milk in the microwave for 20 seconds, squeeze in a little lemon juice (about ¼ teaspoon) and leave it to stand for 2-3 minutes. Pour the soured milk into the mixing bowl and use a metal dinner knife to stir it in.85 ml Whole Milk, ¼ teaspoon Lemon Juice
- Once the scone dough has started to come together, use your hands to bring it together into a ball.
- Lightly flour your work surface then knead the scone dough for a few seconds to cover it in flour. Shape the dough into a disc about 3 cm thick with your hands then stamp out 5 scones with a 5cm cookie cutter. You'll need to keep reforming the dough into a disc with your hands until you have used it all up.2 tablespoon Plain Flour
- Using a pastry brush, glaze the tops of the scones with milk then sprinkle over the reserved grated cheese.2 tablespoon Milk, 120 g Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese
- Place the scones in your air fryer basket and air fry for 8 minutes until risen and golden brown.
Notes
- Always use cold cubed butter straight from the fridge. If you try to rub in soft warm butter you will be left with a sticky mess. Cold butter helps to keep the dough cool and gives the scones the perfect flakey texture once baked.
- You don't need a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Just shape it with your hands into a disc shape.
- When shaping the dough, try to handle it as little as possible and keep your hands cool. Warm hands can melt the butter in the dough and lead to a tough texture.
- Make sure your self-raising flour and baking powder are in date to ensure the scones rise.
- If you prefer, you can make the scone dough in your food processor instead, using the pulse function. Be careful not to overwork the dough though!
- Use different cheeses. Swap the grated cheddar cheese for crumbly blue cheese, gruyere, or Parmesan. You could also add some chopped walnuts for crunch!
- Add a pinch of garlic powder for more flavour, dried herbs like thyme or even freshly chopped herbs like oregano or rosemary.
- Love a bit of heat. Add a pinch of chilli powder to the scone dough.
- Stir some cooked bacon pieces into the dough for a smoky savoury flavour.
Sheila
Wonderful texture and lovely and cheesy!
Antony
Delicious tea time treat!