Low Histamine Scones Recipe (Medium Oxalate and Low Lectin)
Don’t low histamine scones sound good? Before I knew I had Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Histamine Intolerance, I loved sweets.
I would decide what I wanted for dessert first when I went out to eat. Then I would pick the rest of my meal to go with that dessert!
I wanted something sweet every single day. But when I found out I had Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Histamine Intolerance…that all had to change.
I know processed sugar isn’t good for anyone. But it’s particularly problematic for those of us with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance.
I eat a lot differently now. And my tastes have changed so much!
I found that out when my husband got a couple treats for me from a gluten free bakery for a special occasion.
I really appreciated the thoughtfulness! And I was excited to try them. But when I did, they tasted way too sweet for me.
I used to be the girl who could eat a dozen cookies in one sitting. It’s amazing how much things change!
I no longer crave sugar like I once did. But I do still like a treat every now and then.
So next I’ll tell you about a lovely blueberry scone recipe I made. It’s sweet, but not too sweet.
This recipe is:
You’ll learn about some of the low histamine ingredients I used. You can use these ingredients in other baked goods, too.
They are good substitutes if you have MCAS or Histamine Intolerance. But first, let’s look at what to avoid.
It’s important you know that this blog post is for informational and educational purposes. It’s not meant to treat any health condition or to be prescriptive for anyone. Always be sure to work with your healthcare practitioner.
Blueberry Scone Recipe Ingredients to Avoid
If you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance, you’ll need to avoid these traditional scone ingredients and toppings.
- Powdered sugar – can cause histamine release
- Heavy cream or buttermilk – both are fermented and therefore high histamine, and they can be a trigger for those who are lactose or casein intolerant
- Butter – dairy is high histamine, and can be a trigger for those who are lactose or casein intolerant
- Wheat flour – gluten and lectins can both be mast cell triggers
- Gluten free flour – some gluten free flours have ingredients like corn or sugar which can trigger your mast cells
- Vanilla extract – the alcohol is high histamine
But here’s what you can do instead to enjoy delicious blueberry scones.
Low Histamine Blueberry Scone Recipe
Let’s dig into how I make this. I want to share how I come up with my recipes so you can do your own recipe adaptations to fit your low histamine meal plans.
Sweeteners
One of the most common questions I get is how to make low histamine foods taste sweet without sugar!
Sugar makes both Histamine Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome worse.
Sugar can increase inflammation. It can also feed pathogens like bacteria and yeast in the body.
Instead of white, granulated sugar, I like using Better Organic Stevia or Pure Monk Fruit Extract in my dessert recipes.
Stevia and monk fruit are natural, plant-based sweeteners with no calories.
And stevia and monk fruit don’t affect your blood sugar like sugar, honey, and maple syrup.
But not all stevia and monk fruit products are the same. You need to check the ingredients to make sure they don’t have any other added ingredients.
Many stevia and monk fruit brands have fillers. And some fillers can be bad if you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance.
The brands I’ve linked here don’t have those fillers.
There is a noticeable difference in flavor, too. Some monk fruit sweeteners have a strange aftertaste.
Pure Monk is the best I’ve used. In this recipe, the monk fruit extract adds a slight caramel flavor.
You could add a few drops of stevia, too, if you want a much sweeter scone. I’d make them on the sweeter side if you are planning to share these at brunch with friends.
Depending on your taste buds, you can use a few drops of Better Organic Stevia.
If you’re extra sensitive, you may want to use this alcohol free Stevia with glycerite.
I personally stick with just the monk fruit extract, though. But you may prefer the added sweetness of stevia if you are newer to the low histamine diet.
Cassava Flour Scones
Wheat flour is a no-go for the low histamine diet.
That’s because gluten can be a problem when you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance. Gluten can cause more gut inflammation and trigger mast cells and histamine release.
It can also cause leaky gut.
Related Article: Are Wheat and Gluten Really Mast Cell and Histamine Triggers?
Gut issues are a big root factor in both Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Histamine Intolerance.
You can read more about the root factors involved in Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Histamine Intolerance.
Instead, I typically use Otto’s Cassava Flour for baking.
I find cassava flour to be one of the easier flours to bake with.
Cassava flour bakes very similarly to wheat flours like all purpose flour. But cassava flour is gluten-free!
Cassava flour is also a resistant type of starch. This means it doesn’t affect blood sugar as much. Resistant starches also feed good gut bacteria.
It is medium oxalate and lectin free too. What determines oxalate levels in some cases is how much you eat. In this recipe, one serving is medium oxalate.
If you don’t tolerate cassava flour, you could substitute organic white rice flour if you are less sensitive to lectins.
Or if you don’t have an oxalate issue, you could try blanched almond flour.
Coconut Milk & Cream
I use Native Forest coconut milk. The ingredients are only organic coconut and filtered water.
Native Forest is 100% coconut milk with no added ingredients.
Some other brands have preservatives that can be mast cell triggers.
This is the coconut cream I use for the topping.
Ghee
Ghee is clarified butter that has been strained of water content. It has a slightly different taste than the unsalted butter you might be used to.
I’d say it’s a little stronger in flavor. But I don’t notice any difference in baked goods.
If the plain flavor is out of stock, alternatively, you can buy ghee with salt.
I’ve found that ghee tends to be better tolerated, though. This is because ghee is casein free.
Casein is the protein in dairy that many struggle to digest. With ghee, you don’t have to worry about casein.
Vanilla Powder
Vanilla extract is high histamine because of the alcohol.
I like to substitute vanilla powder to get that warm, delicious vanilla flavor.
It does cost more than vanilla extract. But it lasts a long time if you store it in the fridge. And a little goes a long way.
Make sure the ingredient list only shows raw, ground vanilla beans. Some vanilla powders have additives.
And be sure the powder is brown, not white. White means it has been highly processed.
Frozen Blueberries
Blueberries are one of my favorite low histamine fruits. I use blueberries in a lot of recipes. So, I like to keep frozen blueberries on hand.
You could also use fresh blueberries in this recipe, though.
Blueberries are naturally high in quercetin. And quercetin is a natural antihistamine.
They also have a compound called pterostilbene. Which is another natural antihistamine!
Blueberries are a great source of:
You could also make these with fresh cranberries, too. Let me know in the comments if you try this adaptation!
The only fruit I like more than blueberries is mango.
Check out these mango recipes:
- Easy Mango-Basil Low Histamine Smoothie – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin
- Low Histamine Mango Blueberry Basil Salad – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin
- Easy Low Histamine Ice Cream – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin
Pasture Raised Eggs
Eggs play different roles in recipes.
They can add fluffiness because they act as a leavening agent (helps baked goods rise).
And the fat content adds rich flavor.
I used to have trouble eating 2 or more eggs at a time if I was just eating eggs alone. Like scrambled eggs for breakfast.
But if it was a small amount in a recipe like this, I was fine.
You might be avoiding eggs if you are in Phase 1 of the low histamine diet, though. You can always come back to this recipe in Phase 2 if you aren’t sure if eggs are right for you.
American vs. British Scones Recipe
Before I get to the recipe, I want to mention something about American vs. British scones.
American scones tend to be very large.
They are also much sweeter than British scones.
British scones are often served with jam and clotted cream. So, they don’t need to be as sweet since the jam adds sweetness.
British scones are also a bit crumbly.
I’ve followed more of the British style scone in this recipe.
Crumbly scones are the best scones for the Blueberry Topping and Coconut Cream Topping, in my opinion
If you prefer more of an American-style scone, you’ll want to add extra monk fruit and/or stevia to make the scones a little sweeter.
And if you prefer a less crumbly scone, you can add extra ghee or coconut milk to the dough.
What to Serve with Blueberry Scones Recipe
Scones are traditionally served with hot tea.
Regular black tea inhibits your DAO enzymes, though. But there are some nice alternatives. I like to have these scones with:
I put a few drops of Better Organic Stevia in my tea to sweeten it.
You can make it to your own taste. If you do use stevia, remember a little goes a long way.
I really hope you enjoy this recipe as a treat to have with afternoon tea, brunch, or anytime! Are you ready to make some delicious low histamine scones?
Low Histamine Blueberry Scone Recipe
Equipment
- Silicone Mat optional
- Unbleached Parchment Paper optional
- Hand Mixer OR
- Small Pan
Ingredients
Scone Dough
- ½ cup Ghee
- ⅙ teaspoon Smart Monk 100% Pure Monk Fruit Powder
- 1 Large Pasture Raised Egg beaten
- ½ teaspoon Raw Vanilla Powder
- ¾ cup Coconut Milk
- 2 cups Ottos Cassava Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Redmond Real Salt
Ghee Spread for Top of the Scones (Before the Bake)
- 6 Tablespoons Ghee
- ⅛ teaspoon Smart Monk 100% Pure Monk Fruit Powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Raw Vanilla Powder
Blueberry Topping (Added After the Bake)
- 1 cup Frozen Blueberries
- ⅛ teaspoon Smart Monk 100% Pure Monk Fruit Powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Raw Vanilla Powder
Cream Topping (Added After the Bake)
- 1 cup Lets Do Organic Coconut Cream
- ½-1 teaspoon Smart Monk 100% Pure Monk Fruit Powder
- ½ teaspoon Raw Vanilla Powder
Instructions
The Night Before
- If you will be making the cream topping with only coconut milk, place a can of Native Forest Coconut Milk in the refrigerator overnight. This will cause the coconut cream to separate from the coconut water. If you are using Let’s Do…Organic Coconut Cream, you can skip this step.
Scone Base
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a baking sheet with ghee. Or use a silicone baking mat or unbleached parchment paper.
- Make the Ghee Spread to spread on top of the scones before the bake. Do this by whipping the ghee, monk fruit, and vanilla powder together using a high-speed mixer or blender. Set aside until scones are ready to go into the oven.
- Mix together the ghee, monk fruit, and eggs until smooth with a whisk, food processor, pastry cutter, or high-speed blender. (Note: You can use an electric stand mixer with a pastry blender attachment if you have one, but the other methods work just as well.)
- Next, mix in the vanilla and coconut milk.
- In a separate bowl, mix your dry ingredients: cassava flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Once combined, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient mixture. Mix until the dough comes together. If the dough is too crumbly, add a little extra coconut milk, or ghee. If the dough is too wet, add a little more cassava flour.
- Shape the dough into scone shapes – about 3”x3” squares and place on your lined or greased baking sheet.
- Get the Ghee Spread mixture you made earlier and spread on top of the scones.
- Make sure scones are snug and touching to prevent them from drying out.
- Bake for 28 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let baked scones cool for 5-10 minute before removing from baking sheet.
- And remember, this is a crumbly scone. It will hold together when it comes out of the pan. But when you bite or cut into it, you will get crumbs.
Blueberry Topping
- While your scones are in the oven, heat blueberries in a small pan over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until they begin to bubble.
- Mix in monk fruit powder and vanilla powder.
- Top scones with Blueberry Topping when you’re ready to eat.
If Using the Coconut Milk for Topping
- After allowing Native Forest Coconut Milk to sit in the refrigerator all night, remove it from the fridge.
- Then open the can and scoop the thickest cream from the top.
- Whip the coconut cream, monk fruit extract, and raw vanilla powder with a whisk.
- Top scones with coconut cream.
OR If Using the Coconut Cream for Topping
- Scoop out 1 cup of coconut cream from the top of the can.
- Whip the coconut cream, monk fruit extract, and raw vanilla powder with a whisk.
- Top scones with coconut cream.
- You can use the leftover coconut water or coconut cream for smoothies or other recipes. You can freeze it in an ice cube tray to make it easier to use.
Notes
You can freeze these in an airtight container once they reach room temperature.
Will you make this blueberry scone recipe for your next brunch? Tell me your favorite brunch foods in the comments!
More Mast Cell Friendly Breakfast Recipes
- Low Histamine Cereal – Low Lectin, Low FODMAP, Medium Oxalate
- Low Histamine Yogurt – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin
- Low Histamine Ginger Cardamom Rolls – Low Lectin, Medium Oxalate, and Medium FODMAP
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References
Quercetin supports mast cells: Li, Y., Yao, J., Han, C., Yang, J., Chaudhry, M. T., Wang, S., Liu, H., & Yin, Y. (2016). Quercetin, Inflammation and Immunity. Nutrients, 8(3), 167. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8030167
Blueberries quercetin content:Häkkinen, S. H., Kärenlampi, S. O., Heinonen, I. M., Mykkänen, H. M., & Törrönen, A. R. (1999). Content of the flavonols quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol in 25 edible berries. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 47(6), 2274–2279. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf9811065
Thank You! I’m hoping to try this soon! My doctor wants me on low oxalate diet and there are so many conflicting lists. I was having a hard time finding info as to whether or not the cassava flour was low in Oxalates. What about monk fruit? I assume it’s low as well if included in this recipe?
Hi Amy,
Cassava flour is medium at small amounts. Think 1 muffin. You could also sub lower oxalate flour options. The monk fruit is very low. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
What about the baking powder? Is cornstarch an issue, it’s in there? I’m scared.
Hi Natalie, This recipe calls for baking soda-this doesn’t have cornstarch. Baking powder, which is different has cornstarch. Happy cooking!
But this recipe does call for baking powder AND baking soda 😉
Ah! I had forgotten about that! Thank you for the reminder! I had no issues when I tried it. You can use club soda as a sub for baking powder in cooking. Egg whites can also serve as a sub. Eggs are best if pasture raised. I don’t know exact proportions for the substitutions, but if you do an internet search, you should find something. Thanks again!
I tried this and they didn’t rise at all or brown. I followed the recipe except only used 1/4 tsp of monk fruit. They came out looking like they went into the oven. Just kind of dried out. What did I do wrong? Can you include a pic of what it looks like when you put them into the oven? How many is it supposed to make? Thanks!
Hi Karen,
The recipe wasn’t designed to rise. You could modify it with baking powder and some lemon juice if you can tolerate cornstarch and lemon. I can’t use cornstarch, so I made the recipe without the baking powder.
For number of servings, it depends on how big you make the scones. It will make between 6-10.
Baking powder is made of three ingredients… baking soda, cream of tartar powder, and a starch. Store bought uses corn starch, but you can make your own using another starch. Easy to find recipes online for the ratio of the ingredients for homemade baking powder.
Hi!
I know that Monk fruit isn’t an exact sugar substitute…and can have an after taste. I know they add erythritol to it and stevia as well. I looked up erythritol and histamine and could not seem to find any discussions on it. Do you have an opinion or recommendation? I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a sweetener, pure monk fruit, that I might not be able to palate. Just curious. Thank you for any info you can provide.
Hi Verlen,
Here is a link to the low histamine foods list. The sweeteners portion is near the bottom.
https://mastcell360.com/low-histamine-foods-list/
I made these and could barely eat one bite because the smell from the cassava flour made me gag. I have never used cassava flour before. Does anyone else find this? Is it something about the brand of cassava flour? I can’t imagine anyone eating what I ended up with and my apartment smells terrible.
Hi Claudia,
I’m so sorry to hear you experienced such a terrible smell! We have never heard of this potent odor before with Otto’s brand.
hi, I’m breastfeeding my daughter who has a dairy allergy so no butter or ghee will work for us. How much extra virgin olive oil would you substitute for the butter? We are also able to use organic unrefined extra virgin palm oil if you think that would work better. Also could I sub hemp milk for the coconut and flax meal for the egg? Thanks!
Hi Caroline,
According to the internet, in most recipes, olive oil can be substituted for butter at a 3:4 ratio by volume. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup (225 grams) of butter, you can replace it with 3/4 cups (180 ml) of olive oil. Olive oil does have a more distinct flavor, and having never made this recipe that way, we can’t say for sure how it will affect the taste. Flax eggs should be fine. In the blueberry muffin recipe, Beth has a recipe for that:
How to make Flax Eggs:
Mix 3 T ground organic flaxseed meal with scant ½ cup water.
Let sit for 5 minutes.
This makes three eggs. You won’t get as much rise with flax eggs.
Let us know how it goes with your substitutions!
I was very excited about baking with Otto’s Cassava flour but I have not had great successes. I tried two other recipes. The tortillas came out like cardboard. Last night I finally made some delicious waffles, not this recipe, but similar ingredients. I used 100% Ottos Cassava flour as well as a small amount of monk fruit. They were delicious and I was very happy until I was up all night just vibrating in a way I haven’t in a long time. I looked up Cassava flour on Susan Owen’s oxalate list and it is listed as High oxalate. I don’t know if Otto’s might be different. So remember that we are all different and may be more or less sensitive than others to a particular food. I think I will go back to white rice flour for baking and see what happens.
Hi Lucy,
Thanks for sharing your experience. You are absolutely correct that each person is unique. Beth will recommend products she finds to be generally well-tolerated by herself and clients. However, there will be people who won’t be able to tolerate them for any number of reasons. We do try to recommend that anytime anyone introduces anything new into their diet, they go slowly and monitor symptoms and reactions. Cassava flour in general can be higher oxalate, but Beth had found that most people with MCAS could tolerate Otto’s in smaller amounts (1-2 slices of the pizza for example). However, if someone has a history of kidney stones or severe oxalate issues, it can be too much.
I opted to make a sweeter bun without the toppings so added 1 1/2 T of Monk Fruit powder as recipe said 1- 2 T could be used. It was way too intense to me and left a lot of an after taste. Overall the flavor and texture for me isn’t worth making again but Im glad I gave this recipe a try. Thanks for all of the helpful stuff I learn on your website.
On my above statement, the texture firmed up and was much better to me after chilling. Even the taste improved but Personally I would cut back on the amount of Monk sugar that I chose to use but think this recipe is a keeper.
I don’t like to bake or cook anymore, it’s just me. I’m at a loss about what to do. How about the shakes like boost, slim fast etc? Thanks for the help, there isn’t anyone in this area to go to for help
Hi Stacy,
You’ll want to look into any pre-packaged products to see if there are fillers and preservatives which may be high histamine. You can check out the food list here for a list of common ones:
https://mastcell360.com/low-histamine-foods-list/
The additives will be toward the bottom under the miscellaneous category. You might like to start making your own smoothies based on low histamine foods on this list. With a personal blender like this one, it is really easy:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7Y3H73/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mc360-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01N7Y3H73&linkId=206bce1d3ee8b8725885e94612ac4234
Hope this helps!
Suz
I only eat duck eggs. they are usually larger than chicken eggs, so I’m wondering if using a duck egg in this recipe would work – or will it be too much egg and throw off the mixture?
Hi Grace, I can’t say for sure, but when I recently made this recipe, I made a half recipe. And I couldn’t figure out how to half an egg, so I just used one whole small egg and it was fine. –Suz
Is there a way to get a print friendly copy of the recipes? I can’t seem to figure it out!
I think Beth said at one time that the Otto’s is lower oxalate because it’s the only cassava flour that is not fermented.
thanks!
Hi Julie,
Right now we don’t have a print friendly option. It is something we can look into. I can see the value in having something like that! Thanks for your feedback!
Right now we can suggest to copy paste it into a word document and print it that way.
In regards to Otto’s, you are remembering correctly. It is not fermented and is lower oxalate than other brands Beth has tried. However, it is still considered medium oxalate. In the article that accompanies this recipe, we explain this (we hope) a little more clearly. You can find that here: https://mastcell360.com/low-histamine-cassava-herb-crackers-recipe-also-low-lectin-medium-oxalate-low-fodmap/
Best wishes,
Suz
Hi Lucy,
I was wondering what brand of white rice flour you use? I can’t use Cassava flour due to latex issues. However, I am nervous to just use any brand of white rice flour. The link provided in the recipe does not take me to a specific brand of flour. Also, is white rice flour okay when needing low FODMAP as well as low histamine?
Hi Emily,
Rice flour is low FODMAP up to 2/3 cup per serving. Here are some options to choose from: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Organic+White+Rice+Flour&i=grocery&_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&linkId=5d3c1b764f2d51ffad3a268226def52f&tag=mc360-20&ref=nb_sb_noss
Thanks for your interest in Mast Cell 360!
Thank you for the recipe. There is no amount for the ghee however. 1/2 what?
Thank you.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention! We’ve been updating some of our older posts and this must have gotten deleted when we updated the ghee. It is 1/2 cup and the website has now been fixed. Thanks again!
Hello – how many scones will this make? It seems that to make this low fodmap at one scone serving size, I will need to have a flour blend that is no more than 15g cassava flour per scone so I’m just trying to do the math there. Is there anything else I’m missing that would need to be adjusted to be low fodmap?
Hi Sebastian, For number of servings, it depends on how big you make the scones, but it will make between 6-10. Since you are concerned about FODMAPS, you may want to make them on the smaller size. Since this recipe was not specifically designated as a low FODMAP recipe, I am not aware of any other necessary adjustments.
I love your recipes! I would like to make these for my birthday ‘afternoon tea’ and wondered if you have a substitute for monk fruit because we cannot get that in the UK? thank you, Emma
Hi Emma! We love hearing that you enjoy the recipes! One alternative for monk fruit would be stevia. You might want have to experiment based on taste for how many drops you’d use.