These vegan scones are fluffy, crispy around the edges and melt-in-the-mouth tender. Black currants add a hint of sweetness.
If you love flaky, delicious scones, I have the perfect recipe for you. These vegan scones are so easy to make and they are part whole wheat, so you can have your scone and eat it too without an iota of guilt.
I make this vegan scones recipe often for weekend breakfasts, although they are easy enough to make on a relaxed weekday morning, needing just under 30 minutes to go from scratch to done.
I've been sharing scone recipes on the blog for a while now, and have a few variations, including these amazing vegan cranberry sourdough scones and vegan strawberry scones.
How is a scone different from a biscuit?
The primary difference is the fact that the biscuit is an American creation and is usually savory. A scone, on the other hand, is British, and usually sweet. A scone is also a bit drier than an American biscuit.
The British have biscuits too, only they're cookies.
And if all that hasn't confused you enough, the Americans pronounce "scone" to rhyme with "stone" while the British (or at least most of them) pronounce it "skon" to rhyme with "gone".
But a scone by any pronunciation tastes amazing. It is also more forgiving to a new baker than a biscuit is, because if you follow basic directions, you can't really screw it up.
How to make vegan scones
Making a scone is a bit like making pie dough. You want the wet ingredients - the vegan butter and the almond milk - very cold so little pieces of butter are suspended throughout the dough when you mix it up. When the butter hits the heat of the oven it melts, giving you those delightful pockets of air.
Step 1. Mix the ingredients--flour (I use a mix of whole wheat pastry flour and all purpose flour, although you can go with all of one kind), baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
Step 2. Cut in the vegan butter with a fork or pastry cutter until you have some pea-sized pieces of butter along with smaller bits dispersed throughout the flour.
Step 3. Add the currants and mix them in. It's fine to substitute with other dried fruit like cranberries, blueberries, strawberries etc. If you want to make a scone with fresh fruit, check out my Vegan Strawberry Scones recipe.
Step 4. Add the sourdough, if using, and mix with a fork, then add the nondairy milk, a little at a time, until the dough is moist enough to just hold together. Try to stop before the dough gets too wet--you'll get better at this with practice. If you're not using sourdough, just begin adding the cold nondairy milk. Mix quickly with a fork until your dough and, once again, stop before the dough gets too wet.
Step 5. On a floured surface shape the dough into a disc. Use a rolling pin to roll it about a third of an inch thick. You have several options on shaping your scones. I used a round cookie cutter this time that was 2 ¼ths of an inch in diameter to cut out the squares. Sometimes I use a square cookie cutter. The traditional way --- the easiest -- is to just slice the round of dough like a pizza, into eight wedges, using a knife.
Step 6. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 14 minutes in a preheated 425-degree oven or until golden on the bottom and lightly golden on top.
Serve
Scones are best served fresh from the oven. Traditionally they are served at a high tea with clotted cream and jam.
To eat the scone, slit it across with a knife, then daub on a spot of raspberry jam and vegan whipped cream. Vegan lemon curd is also amazing with scones and so is vegan butter. Or eat the vegan scones by themselves.
Recipe FAQs
These vegan scones are made partly with whole wheat, so yes, they absolutely are way healthier than your average scone. There is vegan butter in this recipe, so it does have some fat.
Vegan butter is essential for the texture, but if you absolutely must replace it, use unrefined coconut oil that's solid at room temperature. Cut it in like you would the butter.
Yes. Use gluten-free all purpose flour and add a teaspoon of xanthan gum if the flour doesn't already have it added. Also add a tablespoon of tapioca starch to the flour.
You can absolutely make sourdough scones, and I have a terrific recipe for vegan cranberry sourdough scones that are festive and delicious. For gluten-free sourdough scones I have a gluten-free sourdough starter recipe.
Scones always taste best fresh out of the oven because that is when they have the perfect texture. If you want to make them ahead, you can do so up to two days in advance and refrigerate them in an airtight container. Before serving, pop them into a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven and warm through.
You can also freeze the scones for up to three months.
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Recipe card
Vegan Scones Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour (you can also make this entirely with all purpose or entirely with whole wheat pastry flour)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- â…“ cup sugar (and more for sprinkling on the scones)
- 6 tablespoon vegan butter
- ½ cup currants (or raisins, or any dry fruit like cranberries, blueberries, strawberries. Don't use fresh fruit because they'll express moisture, changing the texture of the scone)
- ½ cup sourdough discard (optional)
- ½ cup almond milk (cold, You might not need all of it)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix the dry ingredients--the flours, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Cut in the vegan butter with a fork or pastry cutter until you have a crumbly mix with some large, pea-sized pieces of butter.
- Stir in the currants or raisins.
- Add the sourdough discard if using, and mix with a fork quickly. Add the apple cider vinegar and slowly add the nondairy milk, no more than a teaspoon at a time, until the dough just holds together. It shouldn't get too wet.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place on a floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll into a disc about a third of an inch thick.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut out the scones. Or use a knife and cut it, pizza-style, into eight wedges. I got 10 scones using a 2¼-inch cookie cutter. You will probably get nine if you don't use sourdough discard.
- Place the scones on a baking sheet and bake 14 minutes or until they are golden-brown on the bottom and lightly golden on top.
- Serve hot or warm. Scones taste best when fresh from the oven.
Nutrition Information
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Margarita says
This is, hands down, the best vegan scones recipe I have ever tried.
I didn't have any dried fruit, but I had chocolate chips. Unnecessary.
I am going to make these again sans fruit and chocolate. I highly
recommend them! Thank you!
Nellie says
Agreed, best scones ever!!
Vaishali Honawar says
Awesome!
Vaishali Honawar says
Thanks, Margarita, so happy you loved them.
Vaishali says
Great it worked out for you with the substitution. Spelt has less gluten than wheat does, so the scones will be more crumbly and dry. Try adding a bit more moisture next time.
Rosemary says
How much salt do you recommend? Thanks!
Vaishali Honawar says
One-eighth or at most one-fourth of a teaspoon.
Miriam says
DELICIOUS!! My first attempt at vegan scones. I used oat milk, added sultanas & sprinkled sugar & cinnamon on top.
Vaishali Honawar says
So lovely to hear!
Deb says
I made these over the weekend using the sourdough starter and chopped dried cherries (fresh out of currants). They were so delicious!! We also had some leftover (although I had to physically remove them from my husband, who would have eaten the whole plate in one sitting!!), and they froze and reheated really well. I love the idea of a fast, elegant option for weekend brunch. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!
Vaishali Honawar says
So happy you loved these! Dried cherries sound wonderful.
Wendy says
I made these scones this morning for lunch. They were delicious.
I did make them with all white flour (my husband I know would have preferred all whole wheat flour) but he enjoyed them anyway.
Thank you Vaishali for all the wonderful recipes.
Vaishali Honawar says
Yay, so happy you loved the scones!
JB says
Great recipe. I used the cranberries from the trail mix. And I added walnuts. And I mixed the ingredients in the pot which had vegan Gulab Jamun. Thanks!
Vaishali says
So happy you tried it, JB! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂 And love that you infused some gulab jamun flavor in them!