These Gluten-Free Scones are moist and fluffy, sweet and fruity and rich and “buttery”! They’re packed with juicy blueberries and lemon flavour, and are vegan and refined sugar free too! They’re great for dessert, breakfast, brunch or a snack.
These Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Blueberry Scones are easy to make, come together in one bowl and much healthier than the traditional version. Perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, baby showers, bridal showers and anything else in between!
What is the difference between American and British scones?
These Lemon Blueberry Scones are American scones, which are quite different from British scones. Here are the main differences between American and British scones:
- The shape: American scones are triangular, British scones are circular.
- The way they’re baked: American scones are made by making a round shape with the dough and cutting before baking, whereas British scones are made by cutting out individual circles from the dough.
- Add-ins: American scones usually include add-ins like fresh fruit, whereas British scones are usually plain or contain a small amount of dried fruit such as currants.
- The way they’re eaten: British scones are sliced in half and eaten with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
Should scones be hard or soft?
Scones should be firmer than cakes or cupcakes but not as hard as cookies. They should be fairly firm but fluffy on the outside – a similar texture to American biscuits.
Why are my gluten-free scones dry?
If you’re having trouble with your gluten-free scones being too dry or crumbly, things that you should focus on are:
- The amount of oil – too little oil can make them too dry, but too much can make them crumbly.
- The type of gluten-free flour you’re using.
- Although xanthan gum does help with gluten-free baking, I don’t think it’s necessary to use for this gluten-free scones recipe.
- The consistency of the dough/the amount of milk you use – if the dough is dry, the scones will be even drier!
What is the function of milk in scones?
You’ll probably notice that this recipe calls for a lot more milk than a traditional scone recipe. The dough for gluten-free vegan scones should be firm enough to easily mould into shape, but it will be a little softer than a traditional scone dough. This is because gluten-free flour soaks up much more moisture than normal wheat flour, so you’ll need the dough to be slightly softer otherwise the resulting scones will be dry.
Top tips for making perfect fluffy gluten-free vegan scones
- They should be slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
- They should have a rich, buttery flavour, but shouldn’t be too greasy – if you add too much oil they’ll turn out more like cookies.
- They often taste better with some fruit baked in, as this adds extra flavour and moisture.
- Make sure the dough isn’t too firm as that will make the scones too dry.
- But also make sure the dough isn’t too wet as that will make it hard to shape.
- I’d recommend adding the plant-based milk a little at a time until you get a soft dough that’s still firm enough to easily mould into a shape – stop adding milk if the dough is already too soft.
- If the dough is too dry to combine or very hard after you’ve added all the milk, add a little extra plant-based milk, as otherwise the scones won’t rise as much and won’t be fluffy.
- Make sure you use enough baking powder – using too little will make them very dense instead of fluffy.
- Be careful not to over-bake them as this will make them too dry!
How to make these Lemon Blueberry Scones
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mix together all the ingredients for the dough in a glass mixing bowl.
Tip: Use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.
- Once you’ve made the dough, all you need to do is get a rectangular baking tray lined with greased baking paper, and use your hands to create an elongated circular shape.
Tip: You can use a rolling pin, but I like to avoid floured surfaces and all the faff that comes along with that, so I prefer to just use my hands as it’s easier. You can use a floured rolling pin if you like, but there’s no need to use a floured surface as the baking paper works to stop the dough from sticking.
- Once you’ve got that circular shape, just use a knife to carve lines into the surface of the dough – it’s kind of like cutting a pizza, but don’t cut it all the way through to the bottom!
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Substitutions you can make to this recipe:
- You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
- You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal) with ground walnuts or ground sunflower seeds.
- For a nut-free version: use ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds and a nut-free plant-based milk.
- You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries.
Flavour substitutions you can make to this recipe:
- If you’re not into blueberries, you can replace them with a similar fruit such as raspberries, blackberries, strawberries or cherries.
- You can replace the fresh fruit with dried fruit instead, such as dried cranberries, raisins or sultanas, chopped dates, dried mango, dried papaya or dried pineapple.
- You can make pumpkin scones instead!
What to serve with these Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Scones:
These Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones work well as part of a brunch (especially for an occasion like Easter or Mother’s Day!) and would pair well with other treats like:
How long do these Gluten-Free Vegan Scones keep for?
Theses scones do taste best on the day they’re made, but can be stored covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Can you freeze these scones?
Yes – they keep well in the freezer for up to a few months. You can defrost them by leaving them to thaw at room temperature.
Can you make these scones ahead of time?
Yes – but, as they do taste best fresh, for optimum results I’d recommend freezing them and warming them up in the oven on the day you want to eat them.
How do you freshen up scones?
You can slice them in half and put them in the toaster (or keep them whole and put them in an oven toaster if you have them). You could spread over some coconut oil/coconut butter or vegan butter.
More gluten-free vegan blueberry desserts:
- Blueberry Cheesecake
- Blueberry Banana Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Mug Cake
- Blueberry Muffins
- Blueberry Pie
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Scones (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 100 g (1 cup) fresh blueberries
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
- Once melted, add the lemon juice to the same bowl along with the lemon zest, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, ground almonds and blueberries
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
- Mix well until a dough forms, adding the milk a little bit at a time to ensure you don’t add too much - it should be soft, but firm enough to mould easily. You can add a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
- Line a baking tray with greased baking paper
- Use your hands to shape the dough into a slightly elongated circular shape about 2 cm (1 inch) thick - you can also use a floured rolling pin for this, but I prefer to do it with my hands because it’s easier. There’s no need to use a floured surface as the baking paper works to stop the dough from sticking.
- Keeping the dough in that shape, use a knife to carve the surface of the dough into eight - cut in half first, then each half into half, and each quarter into half again until you end up with eight even triangles. It's a bit like cutting up a pizza, but make sure not to cut all the way down through the dough.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until browned and an inserted skewer comes out clean
- Leave to cool slightly before cutting
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days - delicious reheated in the toaster!
Notes
- I’d recommend adding the plant-based milk a little at a time until you get a soft dough that’s still firm enough to easily mould into a shape - stop adding milk if the dough is already too soft.
- If the dough is too dry to combine or very hard after you’ve added all the milk, add a little extra plant-based milk, as otherwise the scones won’t rise as much and won’t be fluffy.
- Make sure you use enough baking powder - using too little will make them very dense instead of fluffy.
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Kapana
Hi there. Just wondering if the dough can be kept in the fridge overnight and scones baked in the morning?
Rhian Williams
Yes that could potentially work, though I can’t guarantee results. Depending on what type of flour you use, gluten-free flour can get quite dry so I’d bear that in mind.
Yolanda
Yummy!! Thanks for a great recipe. Made them this morning…kitchen smells good:)
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!
Brigitte
I just finished baking these , they are super good , they didn’t rise a whole lot , I baked them for 20 minutes . I would have used whole wheat flour but I was out . I used regular white flour I may have used 1 table spoon of milk I washed my blueberries so maybe they weren’t all drained , 4 table spoon of maple syrup it was just the right amount for me I don’t like sweet and scones shouldn’t be too sweet anyway . But the edge was crispy they are so freaking good . I also substituted lemon extract for vanilla . Very good thanks for a great recipe without butter .
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so glad you liked them!!