These Vegan Blueberry Scones are crisp on the edges, soft in the middle and bursting with juicy blueberries. Made with whole grain flour, coconut oil, and lightly sweetened with coconut sugar. Gluten free friendly, too.
*photos and recipe slightly updated for more deliciousness – July 2023*
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Warm flaky scones that are totally vegan!
- Gluten free friendly with one simple ingredient swap.
- Stores for days – and freezer friendly, too.
- What’s not to love with this bakery classic?
Extra blueberries on hand? Be sure to make Blueberry Watermelon Salad, Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins, Summer Berry Trifle and Blueberry Banana Bread.
Scone Recipe Ingredients
Since first developing my vegan scone recipe, I’ve made tiny changes over the years to perfect the recipe I’ve been going for – crisp edges and soft middles, without being too dry or crumbly.
This vegan blueberry scone recipe is essentially the same as the original, just a higher baking temperature with some slight modifications to the simple ingredients. We will need:
- whole wheat white flour – you can also use whole wheat pastry flour, or half whole wheat with half all purpose flour. A 1:1 gluten free flour should also work yielding similar results.
- coconut sugar – or a dry granulated sweetener of choice. You only need 1/4 cup here. But if you’re looking for a sweeter scone, feel free to add up to 1/2 cup sugar.
- baking powder – creates the biscuit-like rise in the scones.
- fine sea salt – balances flavor.
- coconut oil – make sure it’s frozen to get the best scone texture. You can also sub frozen vegan butter (or conventional butter if not dairy-free or vegan).
- full-fat coconut milk – I like canned coconut milk here because the higher fat content makes for a richer scone. But you can also use a non-dairy milk of your choice, such as almond milk or cashew milk (or conventional dairy milk, or half & half).
- vanilla extract – always use vanilla when baking!
- fresh blueberries – I personally prefer fresh blueberries here, but you can also use frozen blueberries. If using frozen, make sure to toss them in flour first and don’t let them sit out or the added moisture will affect the color of the batter.
- turbinado sugar – optional, but a final sprinkle of turbinado or raw cane sugar just before the scones go in the oven adds visual and textural appeal.
- lemon – for a vegan lemon blueberry scone twist, you could add the zest of one lemon to the scone batter when you add the blueberries. For a lemon glaze, combine a few tablespoons powdered sugar with fresh lemon juice and drizzle once cooled.
Find the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card below, at the end of this post.
How to Work with Frozen Coconut Oil / Vegan Butter
My original vegan scone recipes calls for coconut oil as the fat. You can also use the same amount of frozen vegan butter. Either way, frozen is very important as it helps create more of a biscuit texture, versus a muffin texture you’d get from using liquid or softened oil.
To freeze coconut oil or vegan butter, measure out 6 tablespoons of softened coconut oil and transfer to small bowl or plate lined with parchment paper. Place in freezer for at least one hour. You can also use dairy-free butter or conventional butter if not dairy-free. Whichever fat you use, it must be frozen.
- Food Processor: To make vegan scones with frozen coconut oil, I’d suggest using a food processor to pulse in the frozen coconut oil into small bits.
- Box Grater Method: If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate a large chunk of frozen coconut oil using a large box grater, but it is slightly more challenging. I’d get frozen vegan / dairy free butter if you only have a grater as it grates much easier than frozen coconut oil.
How to Make Vegan Blueberry Scones
Much like traditional scones, the key is to pay attention to the feel of the scone batter, but we talk more about this below. Here’s how I like to do it:
Preheat Oven
Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make Scone Dough
In a large bowl with a wooden spoon or bowl of food processor, mix together the dry ingredients, including flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add frozen coconut oil or vegan butter and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Remove the S-blade and fold in about half of the blueberries. Add the vanilla, then slowly begin to add the milk and gently mix. Then add the remaining blueberries and just enough milk until the dough comes together.
Note: You may not need all of the milk here. Only add until dough comes together and is not overly wet.
Shape into a Disc
With floured hands on a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into an 8″ large circle, about 1″ thick.
Use a large knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 triangles, then separate and place apart on the prepared baking sheet as pictured below.
Note: If you’ve been making my scones for a while or found other scone recipes on my site, you may notice I’ve started to completely separate my triangles before baking. I’ve found I prefer the texture of the edges and middle with this method.
Bake
Bake for 18-25 minutes. If dough still seems soft, continue baking for another few minutes until tops are lightly golden brown.
Let scones cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
Serving Suggestions
Take a few tips from the way they serve British scones and serve with plenty of jam and clotted cream. I love to make these for:
- Breakfast / Brunch: Enjoy these beauties any morning with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
- Holidays: Make these during the warmer months for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day weekend, 4th of July or Labor Day.
- Special Occasions: Think bridal shower, graduation, baby shower, wedding celebrations or just because.
How to Store
Blueberry vegan scones are best enjoyed the day they are made, but if stored properly, will still hold up their integrity. Here are my best tips for storing:
- Kitchen Counter: Leftover scones will stay fresh in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
- Freezer: For longer storage, double wrap scones in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature or rewarm in the microwave.
Recipe Tips & Notes:
Here are my top tips to ensure the best vegan scones:
- Use frozen coconut oil or frozen butter – Frozen fat is key for the best scones.
- If your dough seems too dry – add a splash of milk and use your hands to continue to combine.
- If your dough seems too wet – add about 1 tablespoon flour and use your hands to combine. You want your dough sticky enough to hold together, but not so much that the dough is all over your hands and you can’t create a circle or cut into triangles.
- Chill the disc of dough or sliced dough of triangles on baking sheet before baking to make sure the scones hold their shape.
- These vegan scones can be made in a bowl or using a food processor. As noted above, it may depend on whether or not you’re using frozen coconut oil or frozen butter.
- If using frozen blueberries, you may need to add a few minutes to the baking time.
More Vegan Scone Recipes You’ll Love:
If you make this Vegan Blueberry Scones recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too. Xx Ashley
PrintVegan Blueberry Scones
These Vegan Blueberry Scones are crisp on the edges, soft in the middle and bursting with juicy blueberries. Made with whole grain flour, coconut oil, and lightly sweetened with coconut sugar. Gluten free friendly, too.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat white flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or granulated sweetener of choice)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons frozen coconut oil (or vegan butter)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk (light or full-fat both work)
- Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (optional but adds texture)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make scone dough: In a large bowl or bowl of food processor, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add frozen coconut oil or vegan butter and pulse until there are just small pieces. See notes in post for other methods you can use. i.e. grating the butter or using a pastry blender. Remove the S-blade and fold in about half of the blueberries. Add the vanilla, then slowly begin to add the milk and gently mix. Then add the remaining blueberries and just enough milk until the dough comes together. If the dough is overly wet, you won’t be able to slice them very well. You can stir in some more flour if this happens.
- Shape dough: With floured hands, shape dough into large circle, about 8″ in diameter, on prepared baking sheet. Use a large sharp knife to make 8 triangle slices into dough. Gently separate the triangles and space out 2″ apart on baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar for a crunchy texture if desired.
- Bake for 18-25 minutes. If dough still seems soft, continue baking for another few minutes until tops are lightly golden. Let scones cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
TO FREEZE COCONUT OIL: Measure out 6 tablespoons of softened coconut oil and transfer to small bowl or plate lined with parchment paper, place in freezer for at least one hour. You can also use dairy-free butter or conventional butter if not dairy-free. Whichever fat you use, it must be frozen.
MILK: I have made these scones using non-dairy milk from a carton and there is a slight difference in texture. I definitely prefer using canned coconut milk for a richer texture, but both will ultimately work. Regardless of type of milk used, only add enough to allow the dough mixture to come together, without being too wet.
STORAGE – Scones will stay fresh in airtight container up to 3 days. You can also double wrap scones and store in freezer up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature or rewarm in the microwave.
Nutrition information approximate – calculated with lite canned coconut milk. Fat content will be lower if using carton non-dairy milk.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8
- Calories: 248
- Sugar: 8g
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: vegan blueberry scones, dairy free scone, vegan blueberry scone recipe
Luci says
These are gorgeous and perfect for brunch! I LOVE the flavor combination, and anything with coconut!
Luci’s Morsels | fashion. food. frivolity.
Ashley says
Thanks so much Luci 😀
Liz says
I love that you froze the coconut oil and then grated it (in place of butter)— seriously GENIUS!! Definitely going to be trying these soon. Such a great recipe!
Cassie Autumn Tran says
Growing up I only liked the vanilla bean scones from Starbucks, never those super large ones with blueberries or lemon because they were super dry. But these look absolutely divine–NOT healthy at all! I love how colorful they turned out!
Ashley says
Oh the petite vanilla bean scones!? They’re so cute. -These blueberry scones are definitely anything but dry! Thanks Cassie 🙂
Stephine says
As a German, your measuring system drives me nuts 🙁 I can’t work with cups. Tried the recipe and it was way too less flour, had to add some. I didn’t have blueberries, so I took dark chocolate instead xD they’re in the oven now and I’m really excited!
★★★★
Ashley says
Aw Stephanie I am sorry to hear that our measuring system is lacking 🙁 I was literally JUST thinking about that the other day too. I’m not sure I can ALWAYS measure in grams for everything, but if I start trying to do so with ingredients like flour, will that help you in the future? I will try my best to remember to for baked goods like this if it will help. Let me know! Hope you are enjoying the scones! 🙂
Stephine says
They are really delicious, Ashley! Great recipe! Ah yes, with grams it would be so much easier for the German efficient baker xD but no worries, had to change a few things and in the end it worked out anyway.
Ashley says
So glad to hear they still turned out for you Stephine! Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I will have to work on getting in the habit of measuring my flour 😉
GAMZE ERDEM says
There is an egg used on your first scone recipe but not written here, should I use one?
Ashley says
This particular recipe is vegan and you don’t need the egg, as it has other liquid adjustments 🙂
Cathy Donovan says
Just found these. Trying to make them fresh in morning is hard. Do you know if you can freeze, grate and the refreeze the coconut oil so you can grab and dump in the morning?
Ashley says
Hi Cathy,
That is actually a great idea! Once you Grate the coconut oil, maybe lay on parchment paper and carefully slip into baggie flat so it doesn’t clump back together in freezer. Would love to hear how it goes!
Angie says
These scones look wonderful!! I do love blueberry. But I think my favorite scone ever was the orange scones B&N’s Starbucks used to make. We were fulltime RV’ers back then, and I learned that only those B&N/Stbks in the north/Midwest sold them. They were the best scones, and I haven’t seen any just like them since.
Susan Murdock says
I made a double batch of these to bring into work and they were an enormous hit! So flaky, moist, and delicious!!! And easy to make. Fantastic recipe. Would have never thought to freeze the coconut oil and grate it, but it clearly is the magic to this recipe!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Susan, thank you SO MUCH for your comment and review! I am so glad they were loved 🙂
Cindy says
Hi,
In the ingredient list it says 6T of coconut oil but in the notes it says 1/2 cup, which is correct?
Thanks
Ashley says
6 TBPS is correct! I just retested these a couple of weeks ago and 6 TBSP is better. Sorry for the confusion – just fixed.
Heather says
These look great – is there nutritional information available? Sorry if I missed a link to that.
Ashley says
Just added! It’s something I have to calculate separately and don’t always get to right away 🙂
Heather says
Thank you – looking forward to trying them!