Let’s make vegan blueberry scones from scratch! They’re bursting with juicy berries and are so easy to make.
Don’t you just love it when you find a new easy baking recipe to add to your favorites! After the success of our British style Easy Vegan Scones, we set ourselves the challenge of veganizing an American classic - the blueberry scone. And they turned out so delicious!
Now, what’s the difference between an American and a British scone?
In Britain, a scone is typically round and is plain or contains dried fruit. They are best enjoyed cut in half and filled with jam and cream. British scones look more like what is known as a biscuit in the US, but you’d never have them with gravy!
American scones on the other hand are typically shorter and triangular in shape and filled with extras like berries or chocolate chips. They are also more buttery and sweet. They are a staple in coffee shops (Starbucks Blueberry Scones are a classic), but they are really easy to bake at home!
Ingredient tips
Our vegan blueberry scone recipe has just a few simple ingredients! Here’s our tips for choosing them:
Flour - Just plain or all purpose flour.
Vegan butter - We recommend a block or stick style vegan butter for baking (Our favorite is Naturli Vegan Block) For the best scone texture, use your vegan butter cold from the fridge or from frozen. If you have frozen butter you can grate it directly into the flour mixture.
Sugar - We just use regular or granulated sugar. An extra sprinkle on top gives a lovely crunch! If you are in the US, do check if your sugar is vegan, as bone char is sometimes used in the processing. Organic sugar, or sugar made from beets is typically vegan.
Soy milk - We like to use organic soy milk in our vegan baking, as it is one of the highest protein plant milks. We haven’t tested the recipe with other types of non-dairy milk, but others such as almond or coconut should work too.
Blueberries - You can use fresh or frozen blueberries in these scones. If you use frozen blueberries, use them straight from the freezer without thawing them. Wild blueberries, also known as bilberries or huckleberries, are lovely and can be even more flavorful.
Lemon - We use both zest and juice to add a refreshing lemony flavor. It just makes the scones extra tasty!
Instructions
You’ll find the full printable recipe at the end of the post, but here’s a step-by-step picture guide.
Step 1 - Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
Step 2 - Rub in the diced vegan butter.
Step 3 - Add soy milk and lemon juice and zest and mix everything into a rough dough.
Step 4 - Fold in the blueberries to evenly distribute them in the dough.
Step 5 - Tip the dough out onto a floured board and shape into a round, about 8 inches (20 cm) wide and just under an inch (2-2.5 cm) thick.
Step 6 - Brush the top with soy milk and sprinkle on extra sugar.
Step 7 - Cut into 8 wedges and transfer onto a lined baking sheet and chill if necessary.
Step 8 - Bake at 200°C / 390°F for 18 minutes, until golden brown.
Top tips
Don’t over-knead the dough. Just mix until it just comes together to get a nice, light texture.
When shaping the dough, turn it over on the floured board or lightly dust your hands. The thin layer of flour keeps the dough from sticking to your hands, which makes the shaping so much easier.
Make sure to use a sharp knife to cut the dough round into wedges. A sharp knife can slice right through any blueberries, whereas a blunt knife might make a mess!
It can help to chill the scones on the baking tray before baking. Some expansion and spreading is expected, but chilling helps the scones keep their shape. In a warm environment or if the dough got warm in the process, put them in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
Variations
Vary the flavor to your taste! Instead of lemon, you can use orange or lime. For a floral twist, you could also add a touch of lavender or rosemary into the dough.
Instead of making blueberry vegan scones, you can use this recipe as a base for whatever scone flavor you can imagine! Think chocolate chips and cherries, pecan scones with a maple glaze, or dried cranberry and orange... Have fun and enjoy the creative process!
To make a glaze or icing for your scones, whisk together 1 cup (110g) sifted powdered sugar/icing sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of water, plant milk or lemon juice.
Storage and FAQs
We like these scones best when they are fresh, but you can keep them for up to 3 days in an airtight container and store in a cool place.
Yes, we highly recommend warming scones again to refresh them.
If you are in a hurry you can put them in the microwave for 10 - 20 seconds.
But for best results, and to restore the crunch to the topping, reheat a batch of scones in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 5 - 10 minutes or briefly under the grill.
Yes, scones are suitable for freezing.
To freeze before baking, you can freeze the dough wedges on a lined baking sheet for 1 hour. When they are firm to the touch, transfer them to a freezer friendly bag or container. Bake directly from frozen and increase the baking time by a few minutes.
To freeze after baking, transfer the fully cooled scones into an airtight container. You can use parchment paper to stop them from sticking together. Thaw on the kitchen counter for a couple of hours, or overnight in the fridge. Warm the scones as above.
We hope you enjoy your vegan blueberry lemon scones! Try these other vegan blueberry recipes too:
📖 Recipe
Vegan Blueberry Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) flour all purpose / plain
- ⅜ cup (75 g) sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (55 g / ½ stick) vegan butter diced
- ½ cup (120 ml) soy milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp zest finely chopped or grated
- ¾ cup (100 g) blueberries fresh or frozen
For sprinkling on top
- 1 tsp soy milk
- 2 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
Dough
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.2 cups (250 g) flour, ⅜ cup (75 g) sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt
- Add the diced vegan butter and rub it in, using a fork, pastry cutter or hands, until no large lumps of butter remain.¼ cup (55 g / ½ stick) vegan butter
- Now add the soy milk, lemon juice and zest. Mix with the dry ingredients to form a loose, soft and sticky dough. Don't knead too much, just bring it together.½ cup (120 ml) soy milk, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp zest
- Fold the blueberries into the dough to distribute them evenly.¾ cup (100 g) blueberries
Shape and bake
- Tip the dough out onto a floured board. Shape it into a round about 8 inches (20cm) wide and just under 1 inch (2 - 2.5 cm) tall.TIP: To keep the dough from sticking to your hands, lightly dust the dough by turning it over on the floured surface, or dust your hands in flour.
- Brush the round dough with soy milk and sprinkle on the extra sugar.1 tsp soy milk, 2 tsp sugar
- Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into wedges. Transfer them to a lined baking sheet.TIP: To reduce spreading (and especially if the dough has warmed up whilst you worked) chill the unbaked scones in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 18 minutes, until the tops of the scones are golden brown. Briefly let the scones cool down, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
If you use frozen blueberries, then don't thaw them. You'll find step by step pictures, expert tips and variation ideas in the post above.
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Bianca says
This turned out so well and was super easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe.
Kanani says
This recipe is not vegan.
For one thing, much of regular sugar, (C&H is one) uses bone char, to whiten the sugar. Bone char is made from the bones of cows from Pakistan and Afghanistan, which is then sent to Brazil, then exported to the U.S. Please check these facts.
Also, is regular flour vegan?
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Kanani, Thanks so much for your comment. You will be happy to hear that the scones pictured are definitely made with vegan ingredients! We are in the UK and sugar is not processed using bone char. Not all sugar in the US is processed with bone char, for example beet sugar and organic, but it's best to check the exact brand directly. I've added a tip about this in the post, so thanks 🙂 Also, according to the sources I have read, all regular flour is vegan. We hope you can enjoy these vegan scones!