In my college town, a combination pizzeria and bakery sat on the very edge of downtown, right next to the railroad tracks in a tiny faded yellow storefront no larger than an airport coffee stand. While tourists and incoming freshmen generally overlooked it due to its quaint size and location, all of the locals considered it one of the best pizza places in town.
With their main bakery production facility on the other side of the city, the owners opted to drive over a fresh batch of pastries every morning and install a few brick ovens in the back of the storefront, which took up much less space than traditional bakery ovens, to prepare just the pizzas on site. They offered all of the classic flavors, like Margherita and meat lovers’, to more interesting ones, like eggplant with feta and roasted bell peppers with goat cheese, all on a thin crispy crust with barely a hint of char from those brick ovens.
Throughout the day, they baked fresh pizzas to cut into jumbo slices (bigger than my face!) and placed those in a glass display case next to the cash register. Rotating between four classic styles—cheese, pepperoni, Hawaiian, and vegetarian—they quickly sold those individual slices because the majority of college patrons loved stopping by for an easy lunch or dinner after class.
While most of my friends stood in line for a slice or two, I occasionally opted for a fresh salad from their refrigerated display along with a leftover pastry. They discounted their breakfast treats to $1 or less after 4 pm, and I always looked forward to those tender muffins or buttery scones! While I loved the flavors of their blueberry scones the most, those treats sometimes turned a little dry and crumbly as they sat, so I swore that when I finally baked my own at home, I’d make them the exact opposite and incredibly tender.
So that’s what I did with these Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Scones! They’re perfectly tender, with just a hint of sweetness, and positively bursting with juicy berries. Unlike those bakery’s scones, these are much healthier with no refined flour or sugar and nearly 5g of protein!
To start, you’ll use white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier strain of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour (and perfect for these scones!), but it still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour.
Note: Whole wheat pastry flour would be a great substitute, and I’ve included my preferred gluten-free option in the Notes section as well.
Unlike traditional scones that depend on a full stick or two of butter and heavy cream for a tender texture, this healthier recipe requires just 2 tablespoons of butter. Yes, that’s it! It’s extremely important that the butter is cold, straight from the fridge. With very cold butter, it won’t heat up until you put the scones in the extremely hot oven, and it will create little air pockets and a very tender crumb when it melts.
Note: This is why I recommend against using coconut oil, if at all possible, because coconut oil has a much lower melting point than butter and will quickly turn to liquid once you begin mixing it into the dough.
With just 2 tablespoons of butter, the rest of these scones’ tender texture comes from my favorite ingredient in healthier baking. Do you know what it is? I’m sure you do… It’s Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt provides the same moisture as extra butter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your scones a protein boost too!
And now for the best part… Fresh blueberries! Sweet, juicy, fruity pockets of bliss folded into that buttery, tender scone dough. Seriously, does life get any better than biting into one of those purpley gems?? Especially warm and fresh from the oven… Mmmmmmmmmm.
Pure perfection! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees that I’ll see the notification from you! 😊) I’d love to see your scones!
| The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Scones | | Print |
- 1 ½ cups (180g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp + 2 tsp (55mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (80g) fresh blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Make a well in the center, and add in the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, 3 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. Stir until just incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with the remaining milk. Slice the circle into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. Bake at 425°F for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
For a gluten-free version, use the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if they’re measured like this.
Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
In a pinch, coconut oil may be substituted for the butter, but the texture of the scones will be affected. Very cold butter is required to achieve their tender texture, and since coconut oil melts at a much lower temperature, the results will not be the same.
Frozen and thawed blueberries may be substituted for the fresh. They may stain the dough a slightly gray color, but the flavor will remain the same.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
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HI Amy !
I was wondering can we use Smart Balance Or Earth Balance instead of regular butter ??
Yes! Stick-style Earth Balance is the best option to substitute for the butter. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these scones Carolynn! 🙂
I can’t wait to try these! My college coffee shop ALSO had crumbly blueberry scones! Do you think that it would mess up the texture to use whole milk organic vanilla yogurt instead of greek? Maybe leave out some maple syrup since it’s lightly sweetened? I’m dying to make these but I don’t have greek yogurt on hand!
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe, Jessica! You can definitely substitute your whole milk yogurt. No need to adjust the maple syrup — the light sweetness of your yogurt shouldn’t make that big of a difference! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these scones if you try them!
I made them! I subbed my organic vanilla yogurt, and used buttermilk and a pinch of baking soda instead of regular milk, since my yogurt was thin, and I didn’t want them to be flat/dense. They were AMAZING and my kids loved them! This is going to be a weekly staple at our house! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
I totally meant to give these 5 stars and my phone malfunctioned!
You’re so sweet to rate my recipe so highly, Jessica! That means the world to me that you and your family loved these scones — and that you’d want to make them a weekly staple! I’m truly honored!! 🙂
I made these today (my first time preparing scones!) and I was sooo happy with how they turned out! I had a hard time bracing myself because I could eaily eat all of them in one go. Thank you for sharing such amazing recipe!
I’m so glad you loved these scones Ursa! That’s the best kind of compliment if you wanted to eat them all — thank you so much for sharing that with me! 🙂
I am not a fan of maple syrup, is there a substitution?
Yes! I’ve already included the best substitutes in the Notes section directly underneath the Instructions. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these scones!
I searched for a healthy scone recipe and yours didn’t disappoint. They’re delicious and incredibly soft. I froze light soft butter and mixed it with my flour. I posted on my IG page (@loneal19). Thanks again for a fantastic and healthy recipe. I’ll definitely be checking out your other recipes. ❤️
I’m so glad you loved these scones Lynette!! Thank you for giving my recipe 5 stars — that means the world to me! 🙂 I wish I could see your Instagram photo, but I can’t because your profile is set to private… Feel free to take a screenshot and DM it to me though!! I can’t wait to hear (and maybe see!) what recipe you decide to try next!
I forgot to add my stars.
I just made these today. I’ve been dreaming about a homemade scone since I had one a couple years ago at my watercolor class. I used wild blueberries and cranberries with just a little cinnamon sugar on top. They were so yummy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these scones Leah! That means a lot to me! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to let me know! (And if you’re interested, you can find the rest of my scone recipes here!)
Thank you so much for this recipe, Amy! The scones had a lovely texture (inside and outside) and were so delicious. I will definitely be making these again. 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed these scones Angelina! That means the world to me that you’d consider baking them again. That’s the best kind of compliment — thank you! 😉