Flaky, Tender Vegan Scones Recipe (2024)

This tender, flaky Vegan Scones recipe is everything you want from a scone. This recipe shows blueberries, but you can make them plain, or add any of your favorite mix-ins. But don’t forget that simple vanilla glaze on top! It’s simple pastry perfection!

Scones are a delicious, lightly sweet breakfast treat. I love serving them with a cup of hot tea on the weekends. The dough is quite soft, but they bake into light and fluffy treats.

This recipe showcases vegan blueberry scones, but you can try different add-ins based on your preference. For example, you can use chocolate chips, raspberries, blackberries, you name it.

Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

• Vegan creamer — I used plain Silk vegan creamer, but a vanilla-flavored creamer would work here, too.
• Ground flaxseed — You can substitute chia seeds in place of ground flaxseed.
• Vodka— Vodka is used here because, like most pastries, minimizing liquids helps create a flakier crust. Vodka mostly bakes out of the recipe, leaving dough that’s workable, and a flaky crust.
• Apple cider vinegar
• Vanilla extract
• Flour — I prefer using all-purpose flour to keep the scones light and tender, but you could substitute whole wheat pastry flour or high-quality gluten-free flour.
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Baking powder + baking soda
• Vegan butter— For vegan butter, I use either Earth Balance butter sticks (spreadable tub butter does not work) and I placed it in the freezer.
• Blueberries — You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries (or berries of your choice, like raspberries, blackberries, or chopped strawberries).

Ingredient Spotlight

What Vegan Butter is Best for Scones?

Not just any butter will do when it comes to making scones. That’s because many tub margarines have added water which will impact the texture of your scones. Use either Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, Miyoko’s, or homemade vegan butter, all of which are creamy and perfect for this recipe. Freezing your butter for at least 30 minutes will help make fluffy scones. Then be careful not to overmix the batter, as flecks of butter throughout the dough will make your scones nice and flaky.

How to Make Vegan Scones

There are two ways to go about making vegan scones. You can use a manual method to cut in the butter or you can use the food processor method. Either one works great, so it comes down to personal preference and whether or not you have a food processor.

1. Whisk together the vegan creamer, ground flax, vodka, vinegar, and vanilla.
2. Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Cut the frozen butter into the flour mixture(using either a food processor or manual method described below).
4. Drizzle the flour mixture with the cream mixture and gently stir until just combined.
5. Stir in any add-ins, like blueberries.
6. Shape the dough into a 7-inch disk with a flattened top. Use a knife to cut 8 slices.
7. Brush the tops of each scone with vegan creamer, then chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown.
9. When done, allow them to cool and then drizzle with frosting.

Step One: Prep the Ingredients

I highly recommend freezing your butter before proceeding. If you know you’re making scones in the morning, simply throw a stick of vegan butter in the freezer before going to bed. Otherwise, place a stick of vegan butter in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or longer before moving on.

Step Two: Prepare the Cream Mixture

In a small bowl whisk together the vegan creamer, ground flax, vodka, vinegar, and vanilla. Set aside.

Step Three: Cut in the Butter

I’m going to share with you a couple of different ways you can cut the butter into the flour. Cutting in basically means to incorporate the butter into the flour in a way that leaves bits of the butter in the flour.

Manual Method

If you prefer the manual method, then in a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Next, remove the butter from the freezer and using a box cutter, grate it over the flour mixture.

Then use the hand-held tool, a pastry blender to “cut in” the butter into the flour.

Those little bits of butter are what creates a flaky crust, exactly what we want in a scone.

If you don’t have a pastry blender, you can use two butter knives and criss-cross them like scissors. Use this process to cut in the butter into the flour.

Food Processor Method

It’s easy to use a food processor to make vegan scones. Simply add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Pulse in a few short bursts to combine.

Next, chop the frozen vegan butter into cubes and place them in the food processor. Pulse in very short bursts until the butter is distributed throughout the flour and you’re left with bits of butter pieces throughout.

Transfer the contents to a mixing bowl.

Step Four: Add the Liquid Ingredients

Drizzle the cream/flax mixture over the cut-in butter-flour mixture and gently stir until just combined. You don’t want to overmix the batter.

Add the blueberries and gently stir them into the batter.

It can help to use your hands to gently stir in the batter. I add a little flour over my hands to keep them from sticking to the dough.

Step Five: Make Triangle Scones

1. Place the batter onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
2. Gently work the dough and pat it into a dome shape.
3. Shape the dome into a 7 1/2–8-inch disk with a flattened top.
4. Use a knife and cut the disk in half. Then turn the sheet and cut the disk in half again. Then cut each of the pieces in half to create 8 slices.
   
5. Carefully separate each triangle slice on the tray and brush the tops with vegan creamer.
6. Place the pan in the fridge to chill for 10–15 minutes.
7. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F.
8. Bake for approximately 25 minutes until the edges are golden.
9. When they’re done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and drizzle with frosting.

Wondering how long to bake vegan scones? First, be sure and place the pan of unbaked scones in the center rack of the oven. Then bake them for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges of the scones turn golden brown.

Vanilla Drizzle Frosting

To make the vanilla glaze, I used my Vegan Royal Frosting recipe.

Alternatively, you can combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with a tablespoon of vanilla plant-based milk or creamer. Add more milk/creamer if you like a thinner frosting.

Dairy free scones are delicious—you’ll never know these are vegan!

More Vegan Pastries

I hope you enjoy these vegan scones as much as we do!

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Enjoy!