The summer after I finished 8th grade, my family flew to the United Kingdom for our summer vacation. We started in London, and after three days of tourist activities like the London Eye, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and Green Park, we took the train from Kings Cross Station to Edinburgh in Scotland.
Upon arriving, we rented a car to drive around the country for the rest of our vacation. We spent a few days in Edinburgh, Stirling, and Glasgow, and I always wanted to tour whatever castle sat nearby as the first activity in each city. They were so impressive!
For one night in between cities, we stayed at the Kildrummy Castle Hotel, a smaller yet impressive place located out in the countryside away from major cities. As soon as we dropped off our bags in our room, we drove to the ruins and walked around taking pictures.
The next morning, we stopped by the dining room for a complementary breakfast. On one side of the room, the hotel had set up a long buffet table with a variety of options: cold cereal, scones and toast, fresh fruit, sausages, scrambled eggs, and bacon.
My brother and I headed straight for the cereal and scones, and once we sat down at a table to eat, I immediately wished I had grabbed a second scone. Soft buttery insides, a hint of a crust on the outside, yet not overly sweet… It was one of my favorite breakfasts of our trip!
Since my mom and brother recently returned from England and showed us their vacation pictures, I started thinking of our childhood vacation and those irresistible scones… So I baked these Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Scones to satisfy my craving!
Just like those Scottish scones, these are lightly sweetened and deliciously tender on the inside — yet they contain far less butter and no heavy cream! Even better, you just need 30 minutes to make them!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY OATMEAL RAISIN SCONES
So let’s go over how to make these healthy oatmeal raisin scones!
You’ll actually start with instant oats (this kind — or these for a gluten free version!). Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats, and they’re smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. Because of that, instant oats ensure your scones turn out really moist and tender, not tough or dry!
However, it’s extremely important that you measure the oats (and flour!) correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either will dry out your scones, especially the oats. They act like little sponges and soak up as much moisture as they can!
You’ll mix your instant oats with Greek yogurt, pure maple syrup (like this!), milk, and vanilla extract. Just like in my overnight oats recipes, this simple trick of mixing the oats with these ingredients means they’ll start absorbing the moisture sooner — and therefore soften more — giving your healthy oatmeal raisin scones the perfect tender texture!
While your oats soften, you’ll whisk together whole wheat flour (or gluten free, if needed!) and lots of cinnamon. This is my favorite cinnamon. I rarely use anything else in my baking! It has a stronger, fuller, slightly sweeter flavor, and it’s perfect for pairing with oats and raisins. It really brings out their cozy flavors!
Next, you’ll work in 2 tablespoons of very cold butter. Yes, just 2 tablespoons! While traditional scone recipes require a full stick of butter along with heavy cream, you’re using just 2 tablespoons in your healthy oatmeal raisin scones… Because the Greek yogurt also helps with the tender texture!
Less butter + Greek yogurt = really low calorie oatmeal raisin scones. That’s math I love! 😉
It’s very important that your butter is cold and straight from the refrigerator. (Freezing isn’t necessary for this recipe!) Once you put your scones in the oven, the butter melts and creates tender little pockets in the dough… So you don’t want it to soften or melt ahead of time!
After mixing the oat mixture into your flour mixture, it’s time to add the raisins! It’s hard to make healthy oatmeal raisin scones without them, right?
I have a secret trick for baking with raisins… You actually hydrate them first! It’s super simple to do. Add the raisins to a microwave-safe bowl, cover them with water, place a lid or plastic wrap on top, and microwave them for 1 minute. If you let them sit for 5-10 minutes while you mix together the rest of the ingredients, that gives them time to soak up the water — and they turn so juicy and sweet!
One last thing! Just before baking your healthy oatmeal raisin scones, you’ll brush the tops and sides with milk, and then you’ll slice them into triangles. (No need to separate the scones!) The milk creates a hint of a crust on the outside, which pairs beautifully with their moist and tender insides!
Although I completely satisfied my scone craving with these… Now I’m craving another trip to the UK! 😉 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 I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy oatmeal raisin scones!
Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Scones
Ingredients
- ½ cup (50g) instant oats (gluten free if necessary and measured like this)
- 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
- 1 cup (120g) whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ⅓ cup (53g) raisins (see Notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, 3 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, 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. Add in the oat mixture. Stir until just incorporated. Gently fold in the raisins with a spatula.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle, and brush with the milk. Slice the dough into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. (Don't separate them!) Bake at 425°F for 24-27 minutes, or until the tops and sides 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 Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Scones
♡ Healthy Carrot Oatmeal Scones
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Raisin Scones
♡ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Quick Bread
♡ Healthy Carrot Raisin Bran Muffins
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Raisin Banana Bread
Perfect treat to remind you of your travels!
My thoughts exactly, Liz! 😉
Found your recipe on a chilly Sunday in Scotland about 9 miles from Kildrumny on the main route (still a minor road) to the Hotel and Castle. What’s coincidence!!
Oh my goodness — what a small world!! That’s so neat, Ro! Sounds like it was meant to be… 😉 I really hope you enjoy these scones and the Kildrummy Castle! I’d love to go back and see everything again. I still have such fond memories of that area from our trip!
What’s a non-yogurt substitute for the yogurt
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Tyla! If you’re able to find non-dairy yogurt, that will be best. However, if you’re staunchly against any type of yogurt (regular dairy or dairy-free!), then you can substitute unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana, but your scones will have a fruity flavor with either of those. I’d love to hear what you think of these scones if you try making them! 🙂
I found it!! Thank you so much, Amy. Can’t wait to make them and it will be happening soon. I am sure they are as delicious as all the other scone recipes of yours that I have made. My heritage is from the UK although I have never been there. I hope someday! You are awesome!
It’s my pleasure, Susan! I’m SO excited to hear what you think of these scones!! I really hope they’re just as delicious as your original indulgent oatmeal scones! 🙂 I hope you’re able to make it to the UK too — it’s the experience of a lifetime!
Good Morning, Amy! I got the scones put together and in the oven before my coffee this morning! Just had one and so very good. I love them. Who needs an entire stick of butter to make delicious scones? Certainly not us!! Thank you Amy. Great work. 🙂
I’m so glad you loved these scones, Susan!! I completely agree — a full stick of butter isn’t necessary at all for delicious scones! 😉
You lost a teaspoon of vanilla in the ingredients, but the instructions never say when to add it! I’ve just made these and they are quite nice. They have a nice cinnamon flavour and are grand with a cup of tea.
“List” a teaspoon at vanilla…
Thanks so much for catching that Julia — all fixed! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed these scones!
I made these with dried cranberries. They turned out wonderful! So awesome to have a vegan scone recipe without tons of fat! Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these scones Molly! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — that really means a lot! 🙂 I love your idea of using dried cranberries too — so fun!
My kids and I love these scones! I probably make them once a week 🙂 I substitute applesauce for the maple syrup and they are gobbled down in a matter of days. It is currently way too hot in Southern California to turn on my oven rn so I decided to try them in the air fryer and thought I would share for anyone else in a similar situation. I have a 4 quart instant pot and used the bake function at 400° for seven minutes and then flipped the whole thing over and did six more and they turned out perfectly. I did split the dough into two separate circles in order to make it fit so I have the most adorable mini scones 🙂
I’m so happy to hear these scones are such a family favorite, Sara! We are truly honored when one of our recipes gets a spot in your regular baking rotation! 😉 We really appreciate you taking the time to let us know and rate the recipe. It really means a lot! Thanks for letting us know about your modifications and how they worked in the air fryer. We always like to hear how recipe tweaks work out, and I’m sure your tips will come in handy for other readers too!
Love this recipe!
Used cottage cheese in place of yogurt.
Soaked the raisins and added walnuts.
Used 1 for 1 cup flour to make gluten free.
Subbed ground oatmeal for instant oats.
Used oat milk but did add the 2 T butter.
Really great!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these scones, Cindy! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe. It means so much! 🙂 I really appreciate you including your modifications too. I always love hearing what recipe tweaks turn out, and your cottage cheese substitution sounds really interesting and fun!
These are delicious! I used Oatly Basic oat milk, Namaste 1:1 gluten free flour, and chocolate chips instead of raisins ( due to fussy kid) and boy were they good. I love flavorful food and typically add extra cinnamon and vanilla to recipes, but opted not to this time and these taste perfect without any additional cinnamon or vanilla. Thank you for this recipe, I’ll definitely make these again.
It means so much that you decided to make these scones, Mia! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed them. Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know and rate this recipe, it really means a lot! We appreciate hearing about your modifications, too. And truth be told, I’m on board with the chocolate chip swap 😉
Love your recipe Question: Could I use all oat flour?
I’m so glad you love these scones, Eileen! I typically don’t recommend that substitution in my scone recipes, including this one. This is because gluten is the protein in wheat-based flours that helps baked goods rise and maintain their shape while cooling. Oat flour lacks that, so when you substitute it for wheat-based flours in my recipes that rise (like scones, muffins, cupcakes, cakes, quick breads, etc!), your baked goods will often turn out denser and may collapse while cooling. Does that make sense?
However, if you don’t mind that texture difference with oat flour (where your scones may collapse and turn out denser), the flavors will still remain the same! 🙂