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This healthy carrot oatmeal scones recipe is an easy healthy breakfast! Really soft and moist with lots of warm spices, these healthy scones with oats are clean eating, low calorie, and made with greek yogurt. They taste similar to carrot cake! This carrot scones recipe is a great morning breakfast idea. Perfect for a brunch party menu or as a tasty snack too! This healthy baking recipe for scones with oatmeal also includes a gluten free option!

Healthy Carrot Oatmeal Scones

© Amy's Healthy Baking
Yields: 8 scones
These breakfast scones are simple to make and taste very similar to carrot cake! They’re moist inside with a hint of a crust on the outside, and plenty of soft oats, tender carrots, and cozy spices fill every bite. These scones taste lovely plain, warm, and fresh from the oven, or you can top them with a bit of butter, jam, or even a cream cheese drizzle for an added treat. Leftover scones will keep for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
5 from 22 votes
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Ingredients 

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, 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. Pour in the oat mixture and 3 tablespoons of milk. Stir them together, then gradually stir in the surrounding flour mixture until just incorporated. Gently fold in the carrots.
  • Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle on the prepared baking sheet, and 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 28-32 minutes, or until the tops are deep golden and the center feels firm to the touch. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will dry out your scones and can sometimes give them a crumbly texture – especially the oats! They act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the dough.
 
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not separate the 8 dough wedges before baking in Step 3. Instead, leave them touching on the baking sheet! This helps make the insides really moist, soft, and fluffy.
 
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: As written, these scones aren’t overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter scones, substitute additional pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk in the dough. (For example, use 4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and decrease the milk in the dough to 2 tablespoons.)
 
OATS NOTES: Quick cooking oats are smaller and thinner than traditional old fashioned rolled oats. (You’ll also use quick cooking oats in all of these snack cake recipes, these oatmeal muffin recipes, and these oatmeal cookie recipes of mine, too!)
 
In a pinch, to make your own, add the same amount of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times, or until the oats are about ¼ of their original size.
 
If you can’t find the organic kind, then the regular version (Bob’s Red Mill Quick Cooking Rolled Oats) works equally well! Alternatively, you can also use Bob’s Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (the regular version!) to make your own “DIY” quick cooking oats.
 
FLOUR NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
 
If you can’t find the organic kind, then the regular versions of all three flours (Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour, Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, and Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Flour) work equally well.
 
SPICES NOTES: I highly recommend Saigon cinnamon! It’s stronger, richer, and sweeter than the regular kind commonly found at grocery stores. (It’s basically the only kind I use in my baking recipes now!) The nutmeg adds a subtle richness and depth. It’s a small amount, but it makes a big difference in the flavor!
 
IMPORTANT BUTTER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: 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 soften or melt 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.
 
For this reason, I don’t recommend substituting tub-style spreadable butter. (It’s already soft and more likely to melt!) I also don’t recommend substituting coconut oil. It melts at a much lower temperature, which affects the texture of your scones. (See the “Butter” and “Cold Ingredients” headers in my blog post above for more information!) If you do decide to substitute spreadable butter or coconut oil, just keep this in mind!
 
Salted butter may be substituted for the unsalted butter. See the “Dairy-Free + Vegan Option” below for the best non-dairy alternatives.
 
MAPLE SYRUP NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
 
I do not recommend substituting sugar-free maple syrup. Those products are often water-based, which affects the scones’ texture. The scones usually turn out denser and collapse some while cooling.
 
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
 
CARROTS NOTES: For the best results, use carrots that you’ve grated yourself using the largest holes of a box grater. (I peel my carrots first!)
 
Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots (also called “matchstick carrots”). They’re thicker and drier, and they don’t soften properly while baking. They’ll also negatively impact your scones’ texture.
 
EGG-FREE VERSION: No modifications necessary!
 
DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: Use stick-style vegan butter (such as this kind or this kind). Substitute your favorite non-dairy milk and non-dairy yogurt (ie soy-based, almond-based, etc).
 
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: For the oats, use Bob’s Red Mill Organic Gluten Free Quick Cooking Rolled Oats or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Quick Cooking Rolled Oats (non-organic).
 
If you’re unable to find either of those, then add the same amount of Bob’s Red Mill Organic Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (non-organic) to a food processor or blender, and pulse 10-12 times, or until the oats are about ¼ of their original size.
 
For the gluten free flour, use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Alternatively, use the following homemade blend: ½ cup (60g) Bob’s Red Mill Millet Flour, ¼ cup (30g) Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Flour, ¼ cup (30g) Bob’s Red Mill Brown Rice Flour, and ½ teaspoon Bob’s Red Mill Xanthan Gum.
 
HOW TO STORE: Store your scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for at least four or five days, if not longer.
 
I highly recommend reheating leftover scones in the microwave before eating. It really improves their texture and makes them soft and fluffy again! I heat them on 30% power until they’re warmed all the way through.
 
These scones also freeze really well!
 
{gluten-free option, dairy-free option, vegan option, egg-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.