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 made with no cream, refined flour or sugar — and have nearly 5g of protein!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BLUEBERRY SCONES
Let’s talk about how to make the best healthy blueberry scones! This recipe is quick and easy to make. You only need one bowl and 30 minutes!
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 recommended gluten-free option in the Notes section as well, if you’d like to make your healthy blueberry scones gluten-free!
Unlike traditional scones that depend on a full stick (or two!) of butter and heavy cream for a tender texture, this healthy blueberry scones 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. It will quickly turn to liquid once you begin mixing it into the dough, so you’ll miss out on some of that beautifully soft and tender texture. If you can’t have butter, then see the Notes section for my recommendation on what to substitute instead!
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 healthy blueberry scones!
The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Scones
Ingredients
- 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 (see Notes!)
- 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
Instructions
- 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 (highly recommended!) 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 (but don’t separate them!). Bake at 425°F for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Lemon Blueberry Scones
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Scones
♡ Healthy Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones
♡ Healthy Peach Scones
♡ Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
♡ Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Scones
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Scones
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Scones
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy scone recipes!
Just come across your recipe and it looks fab!! Appreciate that you have also given measurements in grammes as being from the UK the whole cup measurement system completely confuses me ????????♀️. Going to make them with my two daughters (6&3), they are going to love it. Thank you for putting this recipe online.
I’m so honored that you want to make these scones with your daughters Kirsten! That really means a lot to me. ???????? And it’s my pleasure! I actually prefer using a kitchen scale to measure everything. It’s much easier — and there are usually fewer dishes to wash as a result too! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what the three of you think of these scones!
Hi amy- scones cakes out yummy and soon disappeared ????. Will be sure to make them again. Thanks again for sharing recipe.
That’s the best kind of compliment, if they disappeared so quickly and you already plan on making them again! 😉 I’m so glad you loved these scones Kirsten — thank you for taking the time to let me know!!
These were REALLY good. I made them with applesauce instead of greek yogurt and soymilk for a vegan version. They were the best!
I’m SO glad you loved these scones Casey! That truly means the world to me that you’d call them the best. You just made my entire day — thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
Hi Amy, can I substitute buttermilk for the milk?
Yes, that should be fine! Since buttermilk is much thicker than nonfat milk, you may need to add a little bit more if you’re unable to incorporate all of the dry ingredients, but I wouldn’t expect you to need more than a few extra teaspoons, if any at all. (You can see the correct consistency of the dough for reference in my video above the recipe!) 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these scones Pamela!
Thanks Amy! I did use a little more buttermilk to get the dough to come together, and they were perfect! I‘ll make them frequently for sure. I also appreciate having the measurements in grams.
Of course Pamela! I’m so glad you loved these scones — that truly means a lot that you’d call them perfect! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know!
Oh my gosh- thank you!!! It is so flipping hard to find ‘healthy’ or ‘gluten free’ recipients these days without the horrid coconut products. There are many of us with liver, bile, and other diseases who cannot have either gluten nor coconut and the fat amounts have to be minuscule (or mostly uns) (and a long list of other things) that have all learned we have to bake to eat. But then you have to delve into the science to learn substitutions and – sorry rambling- super excited to find someone conscientious enough to provide all the info I need! Thank you!!! You made my day! I hope I have time to make these today, yum!
You don’t need to apologize at all Lola — your comment made MY entire day!! I’m so incredibly honored that you’re this excited to try making these scones. That truly means a lot! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them! And… As an ex-chemist… I definitely find the science of baking and substitutions fascinating! 😉
Oh please teach me, it can be so frustrating, lol!Everything from certain fats to certain sugars, and some glutens make me so sick- and almost all synthetic materials used to lower sugar and or fats (irony…) though without I wouldn’t have learned so much, tried so many new things, and learned how much I love baking and cooking! Even with I have just passed another ‘bad weight’ milestone – but I am no longer showing any blood tests of malnourishment (I am sure you really want to know all of this).. I made them today and they are so wonderful, even though I think I over mixed them! I am about to delve into your recipes and find other things to make this weekend! I too, am an engineer- must be something about our brains! Thank you again, I am grateful for your efforts!
I am going to bother you again and hit up your chemist brain (coincidentally, this is my first foray into commenting on recipes) those that call for coconut butter- is it always a 1:1 with olive oil based butter or other non-dairy- earth balance for example, what about palm shortening, it seems sometimes things end up super greasy? I am also having trouble finding good ‘rules’ about subbing coconut flour? I have three blends I use (all rice based but different starch and gum/chia combos..) I stay away from bean but have nearly everything under the sun.
You’re not bothering me at all Lola! I just want to make sure I understand what you’re asking. 🙂 Most importantly… Are you asking about my recipes or all recipes in general? (Especially your first question about coconut butter and other alternative fats!)
Then are you trying to substitute coconut flour for other flours? Or substitute other flours for coconut flour? (For some reason, I thought you were trying to avoid all coconut products — so sorry if I misunderstood that!)
I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s just the way our brains are wired, Lola! 😉 I’m SO glad you enjoyed these scones!! That makes my heart so happy to hear! 🙂 I’m really excited to hear what you pick to make next! And I’m really proud of you for putting your health first and trying to learn and experiment with recipes to suit your personal needs. It’s so inspiring you’re doing that — not everybody does!
These look fabulous and just what I’m craving this morning! Going making them now with my daughter as she is on mid-term break and it’s lashing rain outside!!
I’m so honored that you want to try making my recipe, Leila! I can’t wait to hear what you and your daughter think of these scones! 🙂
is it ok if i make the recipe ahead of time and refrigerate overnight before baking in the morning?
I’m so honored that you’d like to try making my recipe Jen! I typically recommend baking them the night before and then reheating for the best taste and texture. (These scones do warm/reheat really well, and they freeze and thaw nicely too!) If you refrigerate the dough overnight, your scones might not rise quite as high and have quite as tender of a texture, but the flavors will remain the same. Just remember to cover the dough with plastic wrap or seal it inside of a container so it doesn’t dry out in the fridge overnight! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these scones if you do try making them!
Has anyone tried this using whipped cream cheese instead of greek yogurt? Spreadable cream cheese is what I have on hand at the moment and greek yogurt is the only ingredient I am missing.
I’m honored that you’d like to try making these scones Erica! I haven’t tried whipped cream cheese, and I’m honestly not sure how that would turn out. Do you have any type of yogurt at all — regular, almond-based, coconut-based, soy-based, etc? Any other type of yogurt will definitely be the best substitution!
Just made these and they came out amazing 🙂 so easy and quick too. love that they are a healthier version but still taste delish!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these scones Cindy! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — that truly means a lot! 🙂