Mango & Cranberry British Air fryer Scones! Step-by-step tutorial for scones that rise well, & how to bake in the air fryer! Using Foodie Flavours Mango extract for an amazing fruity taste!
Cut the 75 grams Butter to about 1cm (⅓") size when weighing or measuring it, as smaller surface area softens quicker. We DO NOT USE COLD BUTTER, but not too soft either.
If using a small basket-air fryer, plan out how many scones you can bake at one time with the cookie cutter. (Normally about 4 or 5).
For the air fryer, cut a small piece of baking/parchment paper just big enough to hold the scones, with no excess that can cause a fire in an air fryer. **Make sure you are using paper that is safe for high temperature - do not use grease-proof.
Prepare The Dough
Mix the 450 grams Plain Flour with 7½ tsp Baking Powder. (If using UK self-raising flour, only add 2 tsp baking powder). Then mix in the softened 75 grams Butter (unsalted) & toss to coat. 'Cut the butter' into the flour with a pastry cutter (pastry blender) until like rough large breadcrumbs. Should only take about 1 minute to do, or you can use 2 butter knives or your hands. Lift the mixture between your fingers, and run your thumb across the fingertips. Regularly lift more mixture up and work across the bowl. See video for reference. DO NOT USE A FOOD PROCESSOR.
Add in the 50 grams Caster Sugar (extra/super fine sugar & should not be omitted) & mix till combined. Leave to the side and crack 2 Med-Large Eggs into a jug, before adding in enough of 240 ml Milk to take it to the 300ml (10 fl oz, 1¼ cup level). Give a good whisk to combine. Reserve 2 tsbp in a small dish for egg-washing later.
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture & add half of the egg/milk mixture. Mix in before using a spoon or spatula to push down on the mixture, making the flour take on as much liquid as possible, before adding anymore liquid. Add only little drops from here on, till a dough starts to come together and is only a little bit sticky. You can use your hands to bring it together & feel the texture, before forming into a disc. **Note you might not need all the egg/milk mixture or need a tiny bit more.
Flour a work area (or use the bottom of the bowl if large enough), and open out the dough with your knuckles or palms. Add ⅓ - ½ of the chopped 80 grams Dried Cranberries on top of the surface of the dough, followed by 10 drops of the Foodie Flavours Mango Extract. Fold over the ends of the dough, into the centre, then turn the dough over and open out again by hand. Sprinkle the rest of the cranberries on top, as well as 10 more drops of the extract & repeat the folding over motion. This should incorporate the cranberries evenly.
Flour a work area or baking/parchment paper. Form the dough into a disc & open out to at least 1" (2½ cm) thick by using your palms (DO NOT USE A ROLLING PIN).
Dip the cookie cutter (straight edge side), into some flour before cutting out the scones. Try for as many as you can get form this first round. 5-6 scones is normal. Any scones that lift up, shake onto a prepared, paper-lined baking tray (baking sheet) if using a regular oven or larger air fryer. Or onto the prepared basket air fryer rack. TRY NOT TO TOUCH THE SIDES OF THE SCONES. Any scones that don't lift up can be released at the end by pulling away the excess dough & transferring with a spatula.
Once you have your scones on the air fryer rack (on top of small piece of paper), very carefully brush the reserved egg-wash on top of the scones, making sure not to let it drip down the sides. **TOP TIP - tap your brush of excess liquid, then brush from the centre of the top of the scone, working your way out, to reduce chances of drips.
Bake The Scones
Preheat your air fryer if your machine requires it, to 200°c/400°f before baking the scones for 8 - 10 minutes. The scones should be well risen and golden. Then carefully turn the scones over, brush on any left-over egg-wash & continue baking for another 4 minutes, until the bottoms are golden. This extra step is usually required for a small basket-style air fryer.
If using a large open-front air fryer or regular oven, bake all the scones at one time, in a pre-heated oven to: 220°c/200°c Fan Oven/425°f/Gas Mark 6.
For the air fryer scones, while the first batch are baking, gently bring together the excess dough as best as possible with as little handling as you can. These will not bake off as perfec tas the first batch but will still taste great. Pat out as before & cut out as many scones as you can (normally about 11 scones). Make sure the correct thickness each time.
When the first scones are baked, transfer to a cooling rack & continue baking the next batch.
Serving, Storing & Freezing
Serve the scones warm or at room temperature, cut in half. Top each piece with butter, whipped or clotted cream, jam or curd. Try some homemade butter, blueberry orange curd, or the lemon curd I used in the photos.
Store left-over scones (or bake ahead of time), in a metal cake or cookie tin & they can last about 1 week.
Scones freeze really well. Wrap each scone in paper, then cling film/plastic wrap or foil, followed by a labelled food bag or airtight container. These scones are fine for up to 3 months1. Defrost scones at room temperature or in the fridge overnight. When defrosted, cut in half and microwave for no more than 15 seconds and they will taste like just baked.
Flour –Plain (All Purpose) Flour is used, as well as baking powder. If using UK Self-raising flour, only add 2 tsp baking powder.Gluten free flour Self-raising or Plain/A.P. flour with Xanthan gum also works well.Sugar – Caster sugar (Extra/super fine sugar) is used & in a small amount, for structure, texture & preserving the scones. Make your own fine sugar from granulated sugar.Butter - unsalted butter is always recommended in sweet or savoury baking, for best & consistent results.Milk – the recipe was developed using cow's milk. But I know readers have successfully used lactose-free & goat’s milk. (The scones just might not be as a deep golden colour). Buttermilk works great too. Read my Homemade Buttermilk & Butter recipe.Eggs - UK medium to large sized used, which is about large to extra large in US sizing.Mango Extract - believe me when I say this mango extract by Foodie Flavours is amazing. Try the pineapple one in my Tropical Banana Bread, or Pineapple Coconut Cake Truffles. read more about them before this recipe card or check out their flavours on the Foodie Flavours website.Cookie Cutter – straight edged cookie cutter advised, and with a diameter of 5 to 6cm or 2 to 2⅓″. My cutter is 5¾cm or 2¼”.Air Fryer – my small basket-style air fryer can make 4 scones at a time. Read more before the step-by-step instructions. Alternatively you can use a regular oven, with all the temperatures provided in the recipe. **Read my Cello double air fryer review.Scones (UK)Yield – using the same cutter & thickness, you should get about 10-11 scones from the recipe.Important tips for British scones naturally included in the directions, but more are listed at the beginning of the post. With scones it is WHAT NOT TO DO! If you stick to the tips your scones will rise well.Lots more scone & air fryer scone recipes on my website. Try my Original British Scones recipe, the Double chocolate orange Scones version or Air fryer Cheese Scones. New for 2025, air fryer lemon blueberry scones. **Total Time to make – based on making 3 batches of 4 scones, for 12 minutes each in a basket-style air fryer. If your air fryer is larger, and can bake more than 4 scones at one time, (or use a regular oven), total time would be reduced.New for 2026, Gluten-free AIr Fryer Scones.Browse Recipe IndexTry my beginner's recipe - Tear-&-Share Cheese Scones for an easier recipe.Reference – 1 Freezing information from website Freeze It.co.uk @ https://freezeit.co.uk/can-you-freeze-scones/
***I am not a qualified nutritionist, & all nutritional values are based on a serving of 1 mango cranberry scone (from a batch of 12 as per recipe above), with no fillings/toppings. Bigger or smaller scones & the nutritional values will change. All values from MyFitnessPal.com
Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer British Cranberry Mango Scones
Serving Size
1 Scone
Amount per Serving
Calories
269
% Daily Value*
Fat
11
g
17
%
Saturated Fat
6
g
38
%
Monounsaturated Fat
2
g
Cholesterol
43
mg
14
%
Sodium
238
mg
10
%
Potassium
42
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
36
g
12
%
Sugar
5
g
6
%
Protein
8
g
16
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Butter - unsalted butter is always recommended in sweet or savoury baking, for best & consistent results.
Milk – the recipe was developed using cow's milk. But I know readers have successfully used lactose-free & goat’s milk. (The scones just might not be as a deep golden colour). Buttermilk works great too. Read my Homemade Buttermilk & Butter recipe.
Eggs - UK medium to large sized used, which is about large to extra large in US sizing.
Mango Extract - believe me when I say this mango extract by Foodie Flavours is amazing. Try the pineapple one in my Tropical Banana Bread, or Pineapple Coconut Cake Truffles. read more about them before this recipe card or check out their flavours on the Foodie Flavours website.
Cookie Cutter – straight edged cookie cutter advised, and with a diameter of 5 to 6cm or 2 to 2⅓″. My cutter is 5¾cm or 2¼”.
Air Fryer – my small basket-style air fryer can make 4 scones at a time. Read more before the step-by-step instructions. Alternatively you can use a regular oven, with all the temperatures provided in the recipe. **Read my Cello double air fryer review.
**Total Time to make – based on making 3 batches of 4 scones, for 12 minutes each in a basket-style air fryer. If your air fryer is larger, and can bake more than 4 scones at one time, (or use a regular oven), total time would be reduced.
New for 2026, Gluten-free AIr Fryer Scones.
Browse Recipe Index
Try my beginner's recipe - Tear-&-Share Cheese Scones for an easier recipe.
Reference – 1 Freezing information from website Freeze It.co.uk @ https://freezeit.co.uk/can-you-freeze-scones/