Healthy Vegan Blueberry Scones
These classic blueberry scones taste like ones you’d find in a bakery! They’re soft, moist, and tender on the inside with a hint of a crisp crust. Juicy blueberries fill every bite, and almond extract gives these healthy homemade scones that classic rich “bakery-style” flavor. They’re great for weekend brunches – or even a midweek breakfast treat! Leftovers will keep for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I highly recommend reheating leftovers before eating; it makes them soft and moist again, almost as if they were freshly baked!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (180g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) stick-style vegan butter, cold and cubed (see Notes!)
- 1 (111g) single-serving container unsweetened applesauce (the equivalent of 7 tbsp + ½ tsp – see Notes!)
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp + 2 tsp (25mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk, divided
- 2 tsp almond extract
- ½ cup (70g) fresh blueberries (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, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the vegan 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 applesauce, maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of milk, and almond extract. Stir them together, then gradually stir in the surrounding flour mixture until just incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- 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 22-26 minutes, or until the tops are deep golden and the center feels firm to the touch. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s really important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your scones and make the dough crumbly.
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.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
IMPORTANT VEGAN BUTTER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: I really like Earth Balance and Country Crock’s plant butter. (I’ve used Country Crock’s olive oil plant butter to make these scones, and that worked really well!)
It’s very important that your vegan butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isn’t necessary for this recipe!) With very cold vegan 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 do not recommend substituting tub-style spreadable vegan butter. (It’s already soft and more likely to melt!) I also do not recommend substituting coconut oil. It melts at a much lower temperature, which affects the texture of your scones. (See the “vegan butter” header in my blog post above for more information!) If you do decide to substitute spreadable vegan butter or coconut oil, just keep this in mind!
If you aren’t concerned about keeping these scones dairy free, then substitute regular stick-style unsalted butter in place of the vegan butter.
UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I specifically designed this recipe to use one single-serving sized container of applesauce (which is why the tablespoon amount is kind of strange!) to make things as easy as possible.
If you can’t find unsweetened applesauce, then sweetened applesauce will also work.
If you can’t find any type of applesauce, then substitute ½ cup of non-dairy yogurt (such as soy-based, almond-based, oat-based, etc) or Greek yogurt (if you aren’t concerned about making them dairy free!) PLUS 2 tablespoons of milk (any type!) in place of the unsweetened applesauce.
PURE MAPLE SYRUP 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 unsweetened vanilla almond milk milk.
ALMOND EXTRACT NOTE: Almond extract is my favorite baking extract! It gives these homemade scones that rich “bakery-style” flavor. However, if you’re not a fan, you can substitute vanilla extract instead.
BLUEBERRIES NOTE: I prefer fresh, whenever possible! Frozen blueberries will work in a pinch. Just remember that they’ll likely stain the dough a gray-ish color, and your scones may take a little extra time to bake.
FOR SWEETER SCONES: As written, these scones aren’t overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter scones, substitute an additional 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup for the 1 tablespoon of milk in the dough. (In other words, use 4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and omit the milk in the dough. You’ll still need those final 2 teaspoons of milk for brushing the dough though!)
DAIRY FREE, EGG FREE + VEGAN OPTION: No modifications necessary!
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following: 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 (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if they’re measured like this.
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, dairy free, egg free, vegan, clean eating, low fat}
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.