Blueberry Scones (Vegan + Gluten Free)
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Hump Day calls for classic blueberry scones! These beauties are gluten free, vegan and refined sugar free! Now that’s what I call a healthy scone!
Scones are such a traditional and classic baked good aren’t they? This is my first time making gluten free scones that also contain zero dairy and any added refined sugar. They aren’t completely sugar free because of course the blueberries and raspberry jam contain natural sugars but I wouldn’t be too concerned about that, they’re a must in scones!!
I have been playing around with this scone recipe for a few weeks now and I have finally perfected them *jumps up and down*! If you follow me on Instagram and have been keeping up with my stories the past week then you have seen me making a batch of these scones but that was the batch before this one. I decided not to publish that particular batch because they looked too much like biscuits and they just weren’t fluffy enough like scones should be.
I changed a few minor ingredients and quantities in the recipe and they worked out wonderfully! They raised great in the oven, fluffy on the inside, slightly crisp shell on the outside and lovely and golden. The favour of the scones are pretty plain, especially because we don’t add any sugar as sweetener. I think traditional scones aren’t meant to be sweet anyway because that’s what the coconut cream and raspberry jam is for when you eat them. Who agrees with me? These scones are guilt free and a perfect baked good that you and your family can enjoy straight from the oven so they’re nice and warm. Scones are wonderful to enjoy as brunch or as afternoon tea.
I topped my scones with chilled and thickened coconut cream, if you want to use regular cream though, you can do that also. Fresh berry jam is a must and I used a homemade raspberry jam that my Dad bought home from one of his clients. Jam is such a lovely gift isn’t it!
I hope you enjoy these healthy scones, gather your family and friends and enjoy a little taste of high tea deliciousness!
PrintBlueberry Scones (Vegan + Gluten Free)
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 10 scones 1x
Ingredients
- Scones
- 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour*
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1 cup coconut cream, only scoop out the thick part of the cream** Refer to notes below
- 3/4 cup almond milk or any non-dairy thin light milk of choice
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean extract
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 Tbsp almond milk, for glaze before baking
- Toppings
- Chilled coconut cream
- Fresh raspberry jam or any jam of choice
Instructions
- Scones
- Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a 9” x 12” baking pan that has sides with parchment paper and set aside. Prepare a lightly floured surface such as a large wooden board or your kitchen bench. I used the all purpose flour for this.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt, mix well.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, combine coconut cream, almond milk and vanilla, mix until well combined.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mix, pour wet mixture into the well and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
- Mix through blueberries with the wooden spoon. Using your hands, bring dough together, it will be a sticky dough.
- Turn dough out onto prepared floured surface. Begin to lightly knead the dough with the flour on the surface until it comes together and forms a soft dough.
- Pat dough out slightly into a round, approx. 1” – 1 1/2” in thickness and approx. 8” in diameter.
- Take a 2 1/2″ round cookie cutter and cut out scones from the dough. Repeat with remaining dough. Bring any trims and off-cuts back into a dough and cut out more scones.
- Place into prepared baking pan, placing the scones next to each other so they are all touching.
- Brush the tops of the scones with the almond milk, this will help them brown a little.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden in colour and the middle of the scones springs back when touched.
- Cool in pan for 5 minutes.
- Remove and either serve immediately with cream and jam or cool them down completely for later use. You can warm them back up in the oven before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Store in an airtight container, in the pantry or refrigerated, for 2 days. Scones are best consumed straight away whilst they are fresh.
*I love Bobs Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour in my baked goods. It works perfectly as an exact swap for regular flour as a 1:1 ratio. You may also use any other gluten free all purpose flour or any regular wheat all purpose flour.
**You can use either refrigerated coconut cream or non-chilled coconut cream. Do not shake the can before use. You only want to use the thick part of the coconut cream which usually floats to the top of the can.
It’s important to place the scones next to each other in the baking pan, this will help the scones from getting too flat.
You can make these scones in advance and simply warm them in a hot oven before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Scones, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Dairy Free, Vegan
would it be possible to make a round disk and cut them into 8 triangles and bake that way?
Yes! You can definitely use that method for these scones. Good luck and enjoy! 🙂
So I am just discovering this recipe and really wanting to try it tonight but I haven’t been able to find any Himalayan pink salt at any nearby stores. Can I use regular salt or sea salt? Or will that alter the taste?
Love this recipe btw. Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Hannah, thank you! Apologies for my late response, hope I caught you in time before you made these scones. You can certainly use any salt you have on hand, doesn’t have to be the pink salt. Hope that helps! x
Can you use self- rising flour?
Hi Ashley, I haven’t used self-rising flour with this particular scone recipe but I suggest that you can, yes. Simply omit the 2 cups flour and 1 Tbsp baking powder. Then replace it with 2 cups self-rising flour and then perhaps add another 1 teaspoon of the baking powder to match with the original 1 Tbsp baking powder. Hope that helps! 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I love that they are gluten free too! Do you use this dough for any other pastries?
Hi Vanessa! So happy you like these scones 🙂 I haven’t used this specific dough for any other pastries, only these scones. I do have a great gluten free pastry recipe, it’s more of a short pastry though, I used it in my Christmas fruit mince pies and linzer shortbread cookies, here’s the link:
http://wholesomepatisserie.com/desserts/fruit-mince-pies/#wprm-recipe-container-8266
Sooo apparently there’s a difference between coconut milk and coconut cream… my scones have now been turned into delicious blueberry pancakes. These pancakes are the epitome of those expectation vs. reality Pinterest memes haha!
Hi Kirstie, oh no! I’m sorry to hear the recipe didn’t go to plan. I’m glad you still got to enjoy something out of it though, the pancakes do sounds delicious.
Yep! Also, different brands of coconut cream can differ quite a bit too. Definitely cream is thicker though. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Hi Sam!
I’ve made these scones twice now — and I love the taste! I’m dumbfounded though, because I can’t seem to get them to work. I’m a big GF baker and thought that this was going to be easy peasy for me, but alas 🙂 The first time I mistakenly used a can of full fat, refrigerated/seperated coconut milk and figured that was the issue. Although now, this time I used the canned coconut cream and have found the same end result. I did the recipe exact down to the brand of the flour and my scones end up quite flat and very crisp on the outside but dense and gel-like on the inside. Could it be because I used more than a half-cup of fresh blueberries? I ended up keeping them in the oven for almost 40 additional minutes each time. I’m not sure if you might have any insight or advice as to get them to look as crumb-y, tall and delicious looking as yours? I still eat them because I love the not-too-sweet taste and can’t deny any scone, regardless of it’s appearance. Much appreciated!
– Erin
You baking powder might be expired I would get a new one. I like the bobs red mill b.powder it comes in a bag. Letting dough rest can help with gluten free baking as well.
Anything else to use besides coconut cream?
Hi Jane, I haven’t made these scones with anything else than the coconut cream so I can only suggest a few other options. You can use regular pouring cream if you’re not concerned about the dairy. Buttermilk I worry is just a little too thin in consistency. Or, you can try using buttermilk in place of the coconut cream and the almond milk, making that 1 3/4 cups of buttermilk in total. Since almond milk is thin, I think using buttermilk as the primary source of liquid, could be successful! Hope this help and good luck! x
I see that no sweetener is used. Is this a more savory scone? If I wanted it a little sweeter, could I use maple syrup?
Hi Cindy, apologies for my delayed response. They aren’t meant to be a savoury scone but they are on the bland side, because the actual scone is sugar free (a great recipe for those wanting to reduce or avoid refined sugars). I also didn’t add any sweetener because once you pair it will the jam, that’s where the sweetness comes in. You’re welcome to add a little maple syrup into the batter, just not too much as it will alter the texture of the final product, perhaps 1-2 tablespoons. Hope this helps! x
These were so good…. they deserve a really good cup of tea along side them! Fantastic recipe, thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much Helen! This is wonderful to hear, so happy you enjoyed these scones. You’re absolutey correct, a heartwarming cup of tea is a must with these! xx
Hey I was looking at this, and I was wondering if one could substitute almond or coconut flour if one cannot have any grains in general.
Hi Sammie, apologies for my delayed response to your question. I haven’t made these scones using either coconut flour or almond meal. Coconut flour is very absorbent, which will drastically alter the texture and outcome of the scones. I wouldn’t recommend using coconut flour for that purpose. Almond meal will also change the recipe, they wouldn’t be as soft and they would be more dense and “grainy” in texture. I can only recommend sticking to this original recipe to get the best final result for the scones. I can’t suggest any other alternative grain free scones as I simply haven’t tried any. Sorry if this doesn’t help you Sammie. I wish you luck in hunting down a suitable scone recipe for yourself! x
Do you mean to use a full fat can of coconut milk for the coconut cream (by scooping the solid coconut oil after it’s chilled)?
Hi Sarah, yes! Coconut cream, chill your can and then only scoop out the thick cream and discard (or use later) the liquid at the bottom of the can. Hope that makes sense! x
Is there a substitute for the coconut cream- or buttermilk or something for people with coconut allergies?
Hi Colleen, I haven’t made these scones with anything else than the coconut cream so I can only suggest a few other options. You can use regular pouring cream if you’re not concerned about the dairy. Buttermilk I worry is just a little too thin in consistency. Or, you can try using buttermilk in place of the coconut cream and the almond milk, making that 1 3/4 cups of buttermilk in total. Since almond milk is thin, I think using buttermilk as the primary source of liquid, could be successful! Hope this help and good luck! x
Can these scones be frozen?
Hi! I’ve never frozen them myself but I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze them. I think it would be best to freeze them after you make them or a day after you make them (max), as scones tend to not stay fresh for very long. To defrost, I would leave them out on my kitchen bench until they’re room temperature or slowly in the microwave or oven. Hope this helps! x
Looks yummy! Do you know if rice milk or coconut milk work instead of almond milk? Along with dairy and gluten, we have a nut allergy
Thanks
Katie
Hi Katie! You absolutely can! As long as it’s similar consistency to almond milk it should work. The final flavour way just be altered slightly but nothing to worry about. Hope this helps, enjoy! x
I followed the directions but the dough was VERY thin. I had to add lots of extra flour to get it to come together like a dough. It is definitely no longer g-free. Any thoughts on what could have gone wrong? I double checked and I followed the recipe.
Hi Tara! I’m so sorry the dough didn’t work out for you. It is a very sticky and wet dough until you knead it on a floured surface with extra added flour. It could have been the liquid components thinning out the dough. Also, coconut cream brands vary in consistency, the thicker the cream the better, none of the liquid that comes within the can should be used the recipe, only the thick cream that sits on top. If you would like to make it again, I would suggest reducing the quantity of the almond milk to a 1/2 a cup and the coconut cream to 3/4 cup. You will still have to add extra flour when kneading the dough but hopefully not as much. I get the best results with a great quality brand of gluten free flour, I use the one from Bob’s Red Mill (refer to recipe notes for the link). When adding the liquids, gradually pour them in and begin to bring the dry and wet mixtures together until a soft dough forms, this way you can have more control and you may not need to add as much liquid. I hope this helps Tara and you have better luck next time! Kindest, Sam x