Vegan scones are ultra simple and easy to make, with just a bit of mixing, a touch of rolling, and a quick bake. This version is made with vegan butter for a flakier scone, but they are more like cream scones than biscuits in terms of texture. A bit softer inside and slightly cakey, with a crunchy sweet crust thanks to a sprinkling of sugar on top.
For some more everyday vegan sweets, try our vegan banana bread, easy vegan vanilla cake, and one-bowl vegan chocolate cake.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Flour: plain white flour is ideal. If you want very light and soft scones, use cake flour instead. Replace up to 50% of the flour with whole wheat flour if preferred.
- Sugar: cane sugar can be used both in the scones and for topping, but plain white sugar is ideal in the scones.
- Vegan butter: choose a stick or block type of butter and make sure it's very cold. We like Miyoko's.
- Milk: soy and oat milk are our favourites for these scones, but any type can be used. Try to choose something a little creamier for a nice rich scone.
How to Make Vegan Scones
Step 1: mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the butter. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, or working quickly with your fingertips, until you have something that resembles crumbs in texture.
Step 2: add the milk and stir with a wooden spoon until just mixed. This is slightly wetter than biscuit dough as it's more of a cream scone, so it should form one big ball.
Step 3: place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it out into a rough circle about 6cm (2 in.) thick.
Step 4: cut it into four pieces, stack the pieces onto one another, then roll the dough out into a circle that's about 4cm (1.5 in.) thick.
Step 5: cut the dough into eight approximately equal triangles and place them onto the baking sheet. Brush the tops with some milk, then sprinkle coarse sugar over the scones.
Step 6: bake the scones for about ten minutes, or until golden. The tops will be slightly cracked.
Top Tips
- Do the extra layering: cutting the dough into four pieces and stacking it before rolling it out makes a slightly flakier scone with more layers. It's not mandatory, but highly recommended!
- Use good butter: choose a type that has just a small number of ingredients - it'll taste better and be more like butter than one that has an ingredient list stretching miles. You can taste it in these scones so go for one you like.
- Don't over-mix: work with light, quick hands and mix until just combined. Dough that's been mixed too long will result in tough scones.
How to Store
Storage: store scones for a couple of days in a sealed container at room temperature, but they're best the day of baking.
Freezing: transfer fully cooled scones to an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. It's best to freeze them the same day of baking. Thaw at room temperature and serve as usual.
FAQ
What is a vegan scone made of?
Vegan scones are made with the same ingredients as other scones, but plant-based – plain flour, vegan butter, non-dairy milk, sugar, and baking powder.
Why do you put milk on scones?
Brushing scones with milk before baking will result in a nice golden crust. Cream, or a higher-fat milk, will make for an even more golden scone.
What is the secret to a good scone?
Make sure the butter is very cold, don't over-mix, and work quickly so that the dough doesn't warm up before baking.
If you make this Vegan Scone recipe or any other biscuit and scone recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Vegan Scones
Equipment
- baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Pastry blender
- Wooden spoon
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar plus more for sprinkling
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoons cold vegan butter
- ¾ cup cold vegan milk plus more for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
- Using a pastry blender or your finger tips, lightly rub in the cold butter until the dough resembles crumbs.
- Pour the milk into the dry mixture and quickly mix, using a wooden spoon, until the dough just comes together.
- On a lightly floured surface pat the dough into a 6 cm (2 inch) thick round. Cut the dough into four pieces and stack them on top of one another to form a tower.
- Roll the dough out into a 4 cm (1 ½ inch) thick round, then cut it into 8 approximately equal triangles.
- Place the scones onto the baking sheet and brush the tops with milk. Sprinkle each scone with some sugar.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden in colour. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving, and keep leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for a couple of days.