Savory Ham and Cheese Drop Scones | Easy Flaky Breakfast & Brunch Recipe

Easy Savory Ham and Cheese Drop Scones — a flaky breakfast or brunch favorite using leftover ham. Quick instructions, tips, variations, troubleshooting & storage.

These savory Ham & Cheese Drop Scones are the ultimate comfort-in-your-hands recipe — light, fluffy, and packed with cheesy, salty flavor from leftover ham, making every bite craveable. Whether you’re feeding a crowd at brunch, looking for a quick breakfast option, or simply craving comfort food with minimal fuss, this drop scone version eliminates the fear of overworking the dough —and delivers consistent results every time.

Why This Recipe Works

• Simple Technique: Drop scones make baking forgiving — no rolling or shaping required.
• Leftover Friendly: Uses leftover ham — perfect for Easter, holidays, or deli cuts.
• Balanced Flavor: Sharp cheese + savory ham pairs with herbs for a well-rounded taste.
• Versatile Meal: Works for breakfast, snack, lunch or brunch.
• Quick Bake Time: Ready in about 30 minutes from start to table.

What Often Goes Wrong & How to Fix It

• Scones turn dense: Too much mixing — stir just until combined to keep them light.
• Too dry: Dry ingredients too cold? Add a splash more milk, a teaspoon at a time.
• Soggy bottom: Ensure your oven is fully preheated and bake on a parchment-lined sheet.
• Uneven rising: Check baking powder freshness — old leavening = poor lift.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Cheese: Swiss, Gruyère, mozzarella, or Colby Jack for alternate flavor profiles.
• Milk: Buttermilk for tang + tenderness; oat or almond milk to make dairy-free.
• Ham: Swap for cooked bacon or cooked sausage for smoky variation.
• Herbs: Chives, parsley, or green onion for fresh brightness.
• Flour: Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour for GF version.

Ingredients & What Each One Does

** You can find the full recipe ingredients and instructions on the printable recipe card below.

• All-Purpose Flour: Structure + the base of your scone dough.
• Baking Powder: Leavening helps scones rise light and fluffy.
• Sugar: Slight sweetness balances savory flavors.
• Butter (melted): Tenderizes dough — no overworking required.
• Milk (or Buttermilk): Hydrates dough and contributes to tenderness.
• Cheese: Sharp flavor and melty pockets in every bite.
• Ham: Savory protein that adds texture and depth.
• Green Onions, Herbs: Bright, aromatic contrast.

How to Make Ham & Cheese Drop Scones

** You can find the full recipe ingredients and instructions on the printable recipe card below.

1. Preheat Oven: Get your oven hot before mixing.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: Flour + baking powder + seasonings.
3. Add Wet Ingredients: Stir in melted butter and milk until a sticky dough forms.
4. Fold in Cheese & Ham: Stir just until evenly distributed.
5. Spoon Onto Tray: Drop portions onto baking sheet.
6. Bake: Bake until golden and cooked through.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Don’t Overmix: Keeps texture light and tender.
• Room Temp Ingredients: Helps even absorption and texture.
• Preheat Fully: Ensures lift and golden tops.
• Rotate Pan: Mid-bake rotation gives even browning.

Recipe Variations

1. Cheddar & Jalapeño: Add diced jalapeños for a spicy twist.
2. Herb & Swiss Variation: Swap cheddar for Swiss + extra herbs.
3. Bacon Cheddar: Replace ham with crispy bacon pieces.
4. Sun-Dried Tomato: Vegetarian version with sun-dried tomato + basil.

Serving Suggestions

• Pair with Creamy Tomato Soup
• Serve alongside classic Buttermilk Scrambled Eggs
• Add to a board with Charcuterie & Dips
• Fresh fruit or a Simple Arugula Salad

How to Use Up Leftover Ham

Leftovers You’ll Love
Store extra scones and reheat for quick breakfasts, or use them to make sandwiches with eggs or greens.

Make-Ahead Breakfast Shortcut

Time-Saver Tip: Make dough ahead, refrigerate, then bake the morning you plan to serve.

Storage, Refrigerate, Freeze, Reheat

• Room Temp: 1–2 days in airtight container.
• Refrigerator: Up to 4 days.
• Freeze: Up to 3 months (freeze before or after baking).
• Reheat: Microwave briefly or bake 5–8 minutes to crisp edges.

People Often Ask (FAQs)

Q: Can you use buttermilk instead of regular milk?
A: Yes — buttermilk adds tang and extra tenderness.

Q: Can these be made gluten-free?
A: Yes — swap to 1:1 gluten-free flour.

Q: How do I get flaky layers?
A: Avoid overmixing; drop style already helps produce tender texture.

Q: Can I make these ahead?
A: Yes — prepare dough the night before and bake fresh.

Final Thought

Savory Ham & Cheese Drop Scones are a simple, comforting recipe that shines whether you’re clearing leftover ham from the fridge or feeding a crowd at brunch. This updated post structure features richer SEO signals, helpful user-focused content, and clear steps that improve usability and ranking potential. With better keyword targeting and deeper content, this recipe will reach more hungry readers searching for easy savory breakfast and brunch ideas.

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Easy! No-Fuss Ham and Cheese Scones [A Savory Drop Scone Recipe]

Ronda Eagle | Kitchen Dreaming

Ham and Cheese Scones are an easy, simple, family-favorite way to use up leftover ham! This scone recipe is a drop scone recipe that is not fussy like a traditional scone recipe. There's no fear of overworking the dough here. Just light and fluffy scones each and every time!

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 16 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, brunch, lunch, Snack

Cuisine English, French, UK

Servings 8 scones

Calories 288 kcal

Equipment

• Rimmed baking sheet [paid link]
• Parchment paper [paid link] or Silicone Baking Mat [paid link]
• Mixing Bowl [paid link]
• Measuring Spoons [paid link]
• Measuring Cups [paid link]
• Cheese Grater (if grating from a cheese block)
• Ice Cream Scoop (#8), 1/4 measuring cup or 4 oz serving Spoon – for dropping the dough
• Sharp Knife

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups All-purpose flour (240 grams)
• 1 tbsp Baking powder
• 2 tsp Sugar Optional. [See Notes]
• 4 tbsp Butter melted [See Notes]
• 1 cup Milk whole, part-skim (2%), or Buttermilk [See Notes]
• 1 cup Cheese shredded [ See Notes]
• 2 whole Green onions (Scallions) [See Notes]
• 1 tbsp Parsley, Italian freshly minced [See Notes]
• 1 tbsp Chives freshly chopped [See notes]
• 1 cup Ham chopped fine [See Notes]
• 1 tsp Salt more or less to taste
• 1/4 tsp Ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Garlic powder

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425°F/218°C. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet [paid link] with a silicone baking mat [paid link] or parchment paper [paid link]. Set aside
• Into a large mixing bowl [paid link], sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Then add the ground black pepper, garlic powder, parsley, chives, green onions (scallions), melted butter and milk. Stir together just until a soft dough forms. Add the cheese and ham and stir until incorporated. Note: The dough will be sticky and wet. This is normal.
• Using a #8 (4 oz) triggered ice cream scoop (standard size) or 1/4 cup measuring cup, portion out 8 level scoops of dough onto the prepared baking sheet.

  Do this by scraping the excess dough from the scoop either with a butter knife or by scraping the open edge of the scoop across the inside edge of the mixing bowl [paid link].
• Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.

  Note: A toothpick inserted into the middle of the scone should come out clean. If read by a digital thermometer, the center of the scone should read 205°F (96 °C). If they are still a little doughy, return them to the oven and bake 1 to 2 minutes longer.
• Serving Suggestions:

  Breakfast – These ham and cheese scones make a great breakfast on the go. For this, we typically bake them the night before for a quick morning breakfast on the way to the office or road trip.

  Brunch – Serve warm on a brunch buffet.

  Lunch – Serve warm with a tossed salad.

  Snacks – These make a great mid-morning or afternoon snack or pick-me-up.

  Appetizer – Prepare smaller 2 oz biscuits for a sun appetizer. Serve warm with butter. Adjust the baking time to 12-15 minutes.

  Soup – Serve alongside Baked Potato Soup or Chicken Soup, or Clam chowder for a hearty meal.
• Storage – See recipe notes for storage and freezing Suggestions.

Notes

• Sugar – ordinary white cane sugar is what we use in this recipe but you can opt for honey, maple syrup, or your preferred sugar substitute. For a sugar-free scone, omit the sugar altogether.
• Butter – Either salted or unsalted butter is acceptable for this recipe. Since this is a drop scone recipe, we use melted butter. For a more traditional cut scone recipe, you would use super cold, grated butter. No-fuss here! 
• Milk – many recipes call for buttermilk which imparts a certain tanginess to the scone, it’s easy to make ham and cheese scones without buttermilk, too. Simply substitute whole or part-skim (2%) milk in place of buttermilk. In this recipe, we use whole milk. Note: I have not tested this recipe with soy, oat, coconut, or nut milk. If you do, please let me know how it turns out.
• Cheese – the perfect cheese for this recipe is really up to you. Your favorite cheese will always taste the best in any recipe. For this recipe, we prefer a sharp cheddar. The bold flavor stands up to the flavors of the ham and herbs instead of shrinking into the background. Also, we grate our cheese from a block cheese rather than the prepackaged shredded cheese because we find it to be more flavorful. Other suitable options include Swiss cheese, gruyere cheese, aged Irish cheddar. For a spicy kick to your savory scone recipe, try jalapeno or habanero Jack.
• Ham – finely diced, this is a great way to use up some leftover ham from your holiday dinner. If you don’t have leftover ham, you can use cubed ham from the grocery. It is typically sold in 16-oz packages in the meat department alongside the ham steaks. Other savory scone flavors– swap in bacon crumbles, smoked sausage, or diced turkey. For a vegetarian cheese scone, omit the meat without substitution.
• Fresh herbs – Parsley, green onions (scallions), or chives – the flavor of fresh herbs make these scones pop. I prefer green onions (also called scallions) for the bright, bold flavor they provide. Chives have a more mild flavor that can be less discernable amongst the other bold flavors. I always add a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley just for the brightness and freshness in flavor it brings to the scone.

FAQs

How to Store Scones.

Store cooled scones in a refrigerator-safe storage container or food-grade zip-top bag. Wait until they have cooled completely to store them. Otherwise, condensation droplets will form inside the storage container or bag. See below for freezing instructions.

Do Ham and Cheese Scones need to be refrigerated?

Yes. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), all perishable foods, including scones, are not safe to eat after sitting at room temperature overnight. This rule holds true whether your scones have meat in them or not.

Can scones be frozen?

Absolutely. You can store both baked and unbaked scones in the freezer.
Baked scones will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer and you can reheat them within minutes in the oven or the microwave.

If freezing raw, follow the recipe instructions straight through to portioning them out on the baking sheet, then flash freeze them on the sheet pan in your freezer. Once fully frozen, remove from parchment and place in a zip-top bag for up to 1 month.

They do not need to be defrosted before baking. Uncooked scones go from the freezer right into the oven. A slight adjustment to the baking time of 2 to 3 minutes may be required.

Nutrition

Serving: 1(4 oz) SconeCalories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 12gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 579mgPotassium: 296mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 385IUVitamin C: 1mgVitamin D: 1µgVitamin E: 1mgVitamin K: 2µgCalcium: 210mgFolate: 63µgIron: 2mgZinc: 1mg

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