Cheese and Chive Scones

These soft and fluffy cheese and chive scones are a quick and easy savoury snack that make a delicious addition to lunchboxes, afternoon tea, or kid friendly snack at any time of the day.

Why we love this recipe

• Adding chives to cheese scones add a delicate onion flavour to these savoury scones, slightly milder than cheese and onion scones which use spring onions. Yes we love savoury scones! But there is always room for sweet scones like these Caramilk scones and lemon and white chocolate scones too 😉
• Scones can be whipped up in minutes, from basic ingredients, and I find them to be a great last minute lunchbox filler – my saviour when I find someone’s eaten the last slice of bread!
• These eggless scones are a fun recipe to make with kids, my son loves helping to make scones.
• Savoury scones are so useful! Not only are they great for taking on picnics, or in lunchboxes, but they make a tasty side for soup or a salad, and even a last minute side for stews or casseroles!

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Ingredient notes and substitutions

Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.

• Flour – plain flour or all purpose flour.
• Butter – use cold butter. I use unsalted butter, if you use salted butter omit the extra salt. The cheese is already salty so it’s best to use unsalted butter to prevent your scones from tasting too salty.
• Baking powder – helps the scones rise.
• Cheese – I often use tasty cheese or mild cheddar cheese and grate it myself, however you can use a stronger cheddar cheese for a little more cheesey flavour or another cheese such as Gruyère or even blue cheese!
• Chives – fresh chives.
• Worcestershire sauce – for added flavour, brings out the cheese flavour, but this is an optional ingredient.
• Milk – full fat milk. I like to use half milk and half water for a lighter textured scone however you can use all milk if you prefer.
• Black pepper and salt – salt enhances the flavours of the scones, and freshly ground black pepper adds extra savoury notes.

How to make cheese and chive scones from scratch

Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full recipe.

1. Mix the flour with baking powder. Lightly rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until it resembled breadcrumbs (see image below).
2. Add the grated cheese, chopped chives and mix lightly.

3. Pour in the milk, water and Worcestershire sauce and mix lightly, taking care not to over mix – this can result in heavy dense sconces.
4. Place the scone dough on to a lightly floured surface and roll slightly – you don’t want to roll too much as the dough needs to be thick – around 3 cm (1.18″) thick. TIP: If you roll the scone dough out too thinly your scones will be thin.

5. Place the scones on to a lined baking tray, just about touching. TIP: This will help them to rise.
6. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top of the scones and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 12 minutes until risen and golden. Leave to cool slightly before serving.

FAQ

My recipe tips

• Cool hands and ingredients make the best scones. If it’s a hot day then place your butter in the freezer for a few minutes before you use it, and run your hands under a cold tap and then dry if they are feeling too warm!
• Don’t work the dough too much – working the dough creates a gluten network which can result in heavy and dense scones.
• You don’t need to roll the scone dough much: you want the dough to be 3 cm (1.18″) thick to ensure you have tall scones.
• If your cookie cutter is sticking to the dough, dip it in plain flour before cutting each scone.
• Make sure the oven is at it’s preheated temperature before placing the scones in to cook.

Serving Ideas

Fresh from the oven whilst the cheese is melty and warm, these savoury scones are absolutely delicious on their own, maybe spread with a little butter but that is purely optional. But savoury scones are also delicious served:

• With a bowl of hot soup – savoury scones make the best accompaniment to soup!
• Alongside stews and casseroles.
• As part of a picnic or afternoon tea; with chicken mayo sandwiches, bourbon biscuits and lemon drizzle cake.
• Top with cream cheese, cottage cheese or extra cheddar and chutney.

Make ahead/storage

Cooked scones are best eaten the day they are made, when they are soft and fluffy on the inside and with a slight crispness to the edges. However you can store completely cold scones in an airtight container for up to 3 – 4 days and reheat in the oven or in the air fryer.

To freeze scones: 

• Unbaked: Freeze cut scones on the tray then transfer to a container/bag when frozen. Freeze for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen, they will take 3-5 minutes longer to cook.
• Baked: Cool scones completely then wrap well and freeze for up to 1 month. Unwrap and defrost, and then heat in a preheated oven at 150˚C / 300˚F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through, or warm briefly in the microwave (too long in the microwave makes the scones tough.)

Leftovers

Leftover chives: If you bought a bunch of chives, use the leftover chives to make coronation chicken salad, to make a homemade vinaigrette like the one used to make this smoked salmon salad or sprinkle them over this avocado vinaigrette.

Leftover scones: halve, top with grated cheese and toast under the grill. Spread with a little tomato puree / tomato paste before adding the cheese to make a scone pizza.

Why not try…

You may also like these other easy savoury baking recipes: