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!
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 don’t 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 | Print |
- 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!)
- 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, and 3 tablespoons of milk. 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. (No need to separate them!) Bake at 425°F for 24-27 minutes, or until the tops and sides are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned oats. To make your own out of old-fashioned oats, add ¾ cup (75g) of old-fashioned rolled oats to a blender or food processor, and pulse until they’re ⅛ to ¼ of their original size.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
For a gluten-free version, use the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if they’re measured like this.
It’s very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isn’t necessary for this recipe!) 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.
Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
As written, these scones aren’t overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter scones, substitute an additional 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk.
If your raisins are older, drier, or not very plump or juicy… Add them to a microwave-safe bowl, and pour water on top until they’re completely covered. Seal plastic wrap over the top (or place a plate on top!), and microwave the bowl on high for 1 minute. If you let the raisins sit while mixing together the scone dough, this little trick hydrates them so they’re really soft and juicy!
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.
For a vegan version, I recommend Earth Balance sticks in place of the butter, your preferred non-dairy yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt, and non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk.
{gluten-free, clean eating, vegan option, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ 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! 😉
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! 😉