Potato scones are simple to make. There’s just four ingredients, but they’re oh so yummy! Also known as tattie scones, they’re a favourite in Scotland and are delicious served at breakfast, or as a tasty snack.
On our campervan adventures in Scotland we learnt to make these delicious potato scones - vegan style of course! They powered us on many long hikes in the Highlands. If you’ve never tried them, then we encourage you to give them a try!
Scottish tattie scones (or potato farls as they are called in Ireland) are quite different from what you would call an English or American scone.
Potato scones are made on a griddle or in a pan, rather than being baked in the oven. They are more like a savoury flatbread, with a soft inside and golden brown outside.
And their shape is traditionally a circle cut into quarters known as ‘farls’.
Ingredient tips
You only need four ingredients for this potato scone recipe:
- Potatoes - obviously! But it’s really important to use floury/starchy potatoes for this recipe. The lower water and higher starch content means the potatoes are easier to mash and form into a dough. Varieties of starchy potatoes include: Russet, Idaho, Yukon Gold, Maris Piper and King Edwards.
- Vegan butter - we love the taste of Naturli Organic Vegan Block
- Flour - plain or all purpose
- And a bit of salt for seasoning
How to make
Here's a quick visual guide - you'll find the full recipe in the card at the end of the post.
Step 1 - Boil the potatoes until tender and then mash with the vegan butter.
Step 2 - Add the flour and salt and mix into a dough.
Step 3 - Form the dough into three balls, then on a floured board roll each ball into a circle and cut into quarters.
Step 4 - Cook in a preheated greased pan or griddle on medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Helpful tips
Although it can be tempting, try not to add extra flour to the dough, as this can make the scones more gummy and rubbery in texture.
To roll a neat circle, roll out gently, pressing out rather than down, and turn the dough a quarter turn after you roll. Add more flour on the board as necessary to reduce sticking. You can trim the edges or just smooth them out with the side of a knife if you want to neaten them up.
To transfer the scones gently run a palette knife or thin spatula underneath. Cooking them in a pan/griddle larger than necessary will make it easier for your to flip the scones.
Variations and substitutions
We often skip peeling the potatoes if we’re feeling lazy, or don’t want to waste any of our delicious homegrown potatoes! Just dice them well and the pieces of peel won’t have much effect.
If you want to make gluten free potato scones, use a gluten free flour mix. As the absorbancy of gluten free flour varies, adjust the amount as necessary until you have a workable dough.
Instead of vegan butter or dairy free spread, you can also use refined coconut oil. You want to use refined rather than extra virgin or raw coconut oil, so that there's no coconut flavour.
Serving and storage
These potato scones are fabulous fresh from the griddle, generously spread with some extra vegan butter!
You can also enjoy these tattie scones as part of a Full Scottish breakfast. Here’s a few ideas for what you could include in a vegan version:
- Vegan sausages - we used Linda McCartney’s
- Our very yummy tofu bacon
- Chickpea or tofu scramble
- Fried mushrooms
- Tomatoes
- Baked beans
- And toast
One of our favourite ways to enjoy these tattie scones is as a side to a seasonal soup.
Although they are traditionally served with savoury meals, they are also delicious served with jam and a pot of tea.
If you have leftovers, store them in a container in the fridge, and reheat in a pan or in the toaster.
Potato scones also freeze really well. When cool, freeze them in a single layer on a tray (this stops them from sticking together) Next, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag for longer storage. You can prepare them directly from frozen by pan frying or heating on the griddle.
We hope you enjoy these yummy potato scones as much as we do! Check out our other great potato recipes.
This amazing and cozy Vegan Potato Soup
Our zero waste Potato Peel Crisps are perfect to use up your potato peels from making these scones.
This Austrian Potato Goulash with smoked tofu is one of our favourite comporting meals.
And this onepot Potato Lentil Dahl with Spinach is quick and easy.
📖 Recipe
Potato Scones
Ingredients
- 500 g (3 cups) starchy potatoes diced
- 125 g (1 cup) plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes. We often leave the peel on if we are using organic or homegrown potatoes.
- In a saucepan, boil the potatoes for approximately 10-15 minutes until tender.
- Drain the potatoes and then mash them with the vegan butter.
- Next, mix in the salt and flour until you have a smooth dough.
- Form three balls with the dough.
- Dust a wooden board and rolling pin with flour, and then roll each ball of dough into circles about 18cm / 7 inches wide.
- Cut each circle into quarters.
- Heat a lightly greased griddle or heavy based pan, and then cook the scones for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Best served warm, store leftovers in the fridge and reheat in a pan or toaster, or freeze.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Jimbob says
Delicious, so good to have freshly made tattie scones! Just to note I only used potatoes, flour and salt, no added fats and cooked the scones in a non-stick frying pan, they turned out perfectly, my wife and kids demolished them.
Sophie and Paul says
Thanks Jimbob. Freshly made tattie scones are just so good aren't they!
Amber says
Have you got any other tips or tricks for these? I made them this morning & it was a messy, sticky nightmare. The dough was so sticky I had to flour my rolling pin after every roll & heavily flour my chopping board to stop them sticking. I made half a batch anyway but only ended up with 1 1/2 scones, I ended up throwing half of it away cause it was getting frustrating. Don't get me wrong the bit that was successful was lovely & I would like to make these again, but can't face how sticky the dough is so any tips or tricks would be really appreciated!
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Amber, We'd love to help you - these are so delicious and worth the effort. Potato dough can be tricky to work with and having too much moisture is going to lead to a sticky dough. First, I'd take a look at the type of potatoes you are using. What you need is starchy potatoes, such as Russets - these naturally have less moisture. It's also important to not overcook the potatoes, you want to cook them for just enough time that they are tender enough to slide a fork through. If there are overcooked they can become soggy. You want to drain the potatoes really well, and can even pat them dry and set aside for a few minutes for them to steam off extra moisture before mashing. Another tip is not to overmash, as potatoes can become gluey from too much mashing. Also make sure to use a vegan butter with a high-fat content (around 80%) and not a spreadable/low-fat version which typically has a high water content. If your dough is still too sticky to work with you can add extra flour a tablespoon at a time until it becomes a workable dough. You will still want to flour the board and pin. Really hope that helps and that you can enjoy some yummy potato scones soon. Sophie
Kate says
Love this recipe, so easy and perfect for a big breakfast.
Sophie and Paul says
Thanks so much Kate! You've reminded me I really need to make a big batch for the freezer soon 🙂