Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Scones made with 5 basic ingredients! This easy scone recipe requires hardly any time to prepare and no baking experience!
This scone recipe…
It’s the lowest maintenance homemade scone recipe you’ll ever make!
Gluten-free vegan scones are quite possibly my proudest invention in the history of this blog.
It all began with my Vegan Raspberry Scones six years ago.
One afternoon, I took it upon myself to create a butter-free scone using full-fat coconut milk and gluten-free flour. I wasn’t sure whether or not it would work, but alas, an amazing scone recipe was born!
I’ve posted numerous renditions and have even made grain-free Paleo scones as well! Just take a gander at my Paleo Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Scones, Vegan Strawberry Scones, or Paleo Pecan Chocolate Chip Scones.
What I love about this approach to homemade scones is how stinking simple the scone dough is to prepare.
With regular scones, you must use chilled butter, and cut said pieces of cold butter into the flour with a pastry cutter. The dough also needs to be refrigerated for hour or so before baking.
This recipe? Dump all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, stir, make scone shapes, bake!
The best part is the texture of these gluten-free butter-less scones is remarkably similar to regular scones. They don’t have that iconic butter flavor but they have that amazing crisp on the outside and soft flaky inside.
The most complicated part about this recipe is forming the dough into a disc to cut the triangular scone shapes. If you don’t feel scones must be triangular, you can easily go free-form and make drop scones, you rebel, you.
This is a great recipe if this is your first time baking scones because we don’t need any fancy equipment like a stand mixer or pastry blender.
You don’t need any baking experience to have great success with these tender scones.
Ingredients for Vegan Blueberry Scones:
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: I use a gluten-free flour blend (specifically, Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour) to make these scones. Do note that different brands of gluten-free flour have different absorbencies.
The good news is, this recipe is incredibly versatile. If your dough is too dry you can simply add a small amount of additional coconut milk until the consistency is right.
If your dough is sticky or too wet (doesn’t come together in a ball easily), you can simply add more flour until a workable dough forms. It is normal for the dough to stick to your hands a bit bit it shouldn’t be overly sticky.
Full Fat Canned Coconut Milk: Canned coconut milk takes the place of butter in these scones. It’s fat content ensures the scones are moist and fluffy and bold together perfectly. Be sure you use full-fat canned coconut milk (not light or coconut milk from a carton), or else the fat content will not be high enough.
If you don’t follow a dairy-free diet, you can replace the canned coconut milk with heavy cream.
Baking Powder: This ingredient is crucial in giving the scones that iconic crispy outside and keeps them held together. Don’t skip it, even if your flour blend contains xanthan gum and/or baking powder.
Raw Cane Sugar or Coconut Sugar: The sweetener portion of the recipe. You can use raw cane sugar, regular cane sugar, brown sugar, maple sugar, coconut sugar or a sugar-free sweetener.
One of the amazing parts about these easy blueberry scones is you can play with the sweetness according to your palate.
For only lightly sweet scones, use 3 tablespoons of your sweetener of choice. For sweet scones, go up to ½ cup.
I’ve made scones using anything from 3 tablespoons to ½ cup and find they all turn out amazing! I like mine less sweet so that I can warm them up with butter and a bit of pure maple syrup or jam.
Sea salt: That magical flavor enhancer! Be sure you don’t skip it!
Fresh Blueberries: The star of the show is juicy blueberries! Use either fresh or frozen blueberries for these scones. I buy fresh blueberries then freeze them before adding them to the dough.
I find this makes incorporating them into the dough easier, because there is less breakage of the berries.
Optional Additions:
- Vanilla Extract: While it is not necessary, adding 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract brings warmth and complex flavor to the scones.
- Ground Cinnamon: If you love warmly-spiced treats, consider adding 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- Lemon Zest: Looking for a lemon blueberry adventure? Add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to add lemon flavor to the scones.
- Chocolate Chips: The combination of chocolate chips and blueberries is always a win! Consider adding ½ to ⅔ cup of chocolate chips.
Now that we’re familiar with the basic ingredients, let’s make the best blueberry scones!
How to Make Vegan Blueberry Scones:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the gluten-free all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and sea salt to a large bowl and stir well to combine.
Pour in the coconut milk and stir well until a thick dough forms. If the dough is overly sticky and doesn’t come together in a ball easily, add more flour (3 tablespoons at a time), until a thick dough forms. On the other hand, if the dough is too dry, add more coconut milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough absorbs all of the flour and forms a ball easily.
Add in the blueberries and use your hands to gently incorporate them into the dough. It’s normal for them to break open and make the dough more moist…just go with the flow 😉
Form a round disc out of the dough and place it on a floured cutting board or a lightly floured surface. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 equal-sized triangles. If any blueberries pop out of the dough, you can gently poke them back in.
Place the triangles on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and the blueberries are bubbly.
Remove scones from the oven and allow them to cool before serving.
If desired, make a glaze using powdered sugar and water. Make a lemon glaze using lemon juice instead of water and a little lemon zest. Make a sugar-free glaze by melting ⅓ cup of coconut butter in the microwave for 20 to 60 seconds.
And that’s it! A marvelous blueberry scones recipe reminiscent of your favorite coffee shop.
Bake them the next time you’re craving a tasty baked treat or are serving guests for a special occasion.
How to Store Scones:
Store scones at room temperature in an airtight container or zip lock bag for up to 2 days. Beyond a couple of days, transfer the blueberry scones to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Scone freeze very well! Simply freeze them in a large ziplock bag or a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
To reheat the scones, microwave for 10 to 30 seconds or until warm. You can also use a toaster oven to reheat scones.
How to Make an Egg Wash:
If you like the glossy finish that comes with an egg wash, feel free to use one here. Simply whisk one egg with 1 tablespoon of water to create an egg wash. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash.
If desired, sprinkle coarse sugar over the top of the scones too. As an alternative, you can brush the scones with melted butter (or vegan butter like Earth Balance butter) a few minutes before they are finished baking.
This step is entirely optional and I never do it with scones. It adds a crispy nuance to the outsides of the scones and makes them golden brown.
I find these scones taste best when they are fresh out of the oven. This is one those easy recipes that instantly becomes a household staple for weekend breakfast, brunch, or special occasions.
You can use this as your master scone recipe for all your gluten-free scones. Simply change it up with various add ins like fresh produce, nuts, chocolate, or extracts and different glazes to make a variety of flavors.
Looking for more dairy-free, egg-free vegan baked treats? Try out these reader favorites.
More Vegan Recipes:
- Vegan Apple Scones
- 6-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chickpea Cookies
- Double Chocolate Vegan Black Bean Cookies
- Paleo Pecan Pie Bars
- Vegan Strawberry Cobbler
Homemade blueberry scones for all occasions!
Vegan Blueberry Scones (Gluten-Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- 1/2 cup (100g) raw cane sugar or coconut sugar**
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 ¼ cups (296ml, 10oz) full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 cup (150g) fresh or frozen blueberries***
Optional Add Ins:
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the gluten-free all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and sea salt to a mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
- Pour in the coconut milk and stir well until a thick dough forms. Note: If the dough is overly sticky and doesn’t come together in a ball easily, add more flour (3 tablespoons at a time), until a thick dough forms. On the other hand, if the dough is too dry, add more coconut milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough absorbs all of the flour and forms a ball easily.
- Add in the blueberries and use your hands to gently incorporate them into the dough. It’s normal for them to break open and make the dough more moist…just go with the flow 😉
- Form a round disc out of the dough and place it on a cutting board. Use a knife to cut the dough into 8 equal-sized triangles. If any blueberries pop out of the dough, you can gently poke them back in.
- Place the triangles on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and the blueberries are bubbly.
- Remove scones from the oven and allow them to cool before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I absolutely hate anything coconut. Are there substitutions I can make for the coconut milk and sugar? And yes, I can totally taste the coconut in anything. I’ve tried coconut milk in other dishes and cannot stomach it. Otherwise, the scones sound amazing! Except I would use raspberries for the same reason.
Hi Leigh Anne! I would recommend using a different recipe to be sure they turn out well, as this recipe is truly geared for a granulated sweetener and full-fat canned coconut milk. You could try making your own combination of oil (avocado oil or olive oil would work) and a non-dairy milk, but I haven’t tested the recipe this way so I’m not sure how much of each you would use. The goal is to get enough fat and enough liquid to make them turn out deliciously. Hope this helps! xoxo
Overall, turned out well considering. The coloring on mine was darker than the recipe shows but think it was due to my type of gluten free flour. They rose well but pretty crumbly.
Additions:
-I did add vanilla to the mix
-Preferred lemon juice over water for the glaze (1 cup powdered sugar w/ 2 tbsp lemon juice or water)
-Needed more flour for the mix to not be too sticky
-Added a handful more of blueberries and could have added even more
Next time I’ll add lemon zest to the dough and see if it kicks it up another notch, change the flour, and add even more blueberries.
Thanks so much for reporting back with your changes, Juliette! Adding more blueberries will definitely necessitate more flour, (as a heads up for next time) as they leach a decent amount of liquid during the baking process. Love the idea of adding lemon zest to the scones! xoxo
Just made for a bridal shower!!! Turned out amazing!!! I had to add about 5 tblsp extra flour but they are delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoy them, Lisa! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe change you made – it’s always so helpful to other readers to get other people’s experiences. There is so much variation between different brands of gluten-free flour, so it’s good for others to know they may need to play with the ingredient amounts a bit from recipe to recipe depending on the flour they use. Many thanks again for circling back! xoxoxox 🙂
Can these be made ahead of time,(say.. 2 days?) … if so, how best to store for those 2 days? Looks amazing
Hi Lisa! Yes, you can make the scones two days in advance. I would store them in an airtight container on the counter (unless you live in a very hot or humid area, in which case I would keep them in the frdige). When you go to serve them, you can heat them individually in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds 🙂 Hope you enjoy! xoxoxo
@Julia, great! About to make them for a bridal shower /tea party!!! I’ll let you know how they turn out
Do you think I could use coconut cream n lieu of coconut milk??
Hi Angela! I haven’t tried it myself, but I think coconut cream would work great! Sounds delicious! Let me know how the scones turn out! xoxo
This recipe was so simply and easy. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure! I’m happy you enjoyed it, Miriam! I appreciate the sweet note! xoxo 😀
Hello! These scones are in the oven right now and we can’t wait to try them! Do you have a recipe somewhere for the icing you used? Thanks!
Hi Kristen!
I do a simple combination of powdered sugar and water – 1 cup of powdered sugar + 2 tablespoons of water. You can also add a small amount of vanilla extract (1/4 tsp) or use lemon juice instead of water to make it a lemon glaze. Hope you enjoy! xo
@Julia, Is there any substitute for the powdered sugar for the glaze It has such a high sugar content
Hi Kathleen! There are several brands that make sugar-free powdered sugar so if you’re okay with a sugar-free sweetener that would be the best route. I would suggest Lakanto Monk Fruit sweetener (https://amzn.to/3SptlEk) or powdered allulose (https://amzn.to/3HUa60E). Let me know if you have any other questions!
Made these over the weekend. So good! And then made them as chocolate chip scones this morning with almond extract. Also yum! Thank you for the perfect base recipe for many fun flavors. I could see make carrot cake scones out of this. 🤔🥰
My pleasure! I’m so thrilled you and you enjoy it! Glad you’re planning on making some of my other scone recipes as well…I’m truly addicted! xo
Just baked these. Followed the recipe and used same brand of flour and full fat coconut milk. They didn’t rise. They look more like a flat cookie than a scone. And they taste like raw batter with a dry crust.
Didn’t work for me at all.
Hi Lily!
I’m sorry the scones didn’t work out for you! Did you use one full tablespoon of baking powder and check to be sure the baking powder wasn’t expired? It makes a difference for sure. Let me know!
I just made these! I substituted maple sugar for the coconut sugar since I didn’t have any on hand, and they baked up beautifully and taste even better! I have a sensitivity to eggs, dairy and gluten, so THANK YOU for coming up with this amazing recipe. I am trying it with lemon next. And I have great plans for a blackberry and lime version this summer! The possibilities are endless!
OOOH, I love the idea of blackberry and lime scones! So happy the recipe has worked out for you so well, and thanks so much for the sweet note! xoxox
What can I use instead of coconut milk? Thanks
I was so excited to make these because I’m not much of a baker and these seemed simple. Mine definitely did not come out right. They are flat and not golden brown. They are still pale in color and you can see the bits of raw cane sugar in them so they look speckled. I haven’t tasted them yet though. Any baking advice at what I could have done wrong? Maybe the dough wasn’t right. Should I work it more?
Hi Jillian,
The dough doesn’t need to be worked much at all since it’s gluten-free. Once the dough comes together you should be good to go. Did you make any substitutions to the recipe? What brand of gluten-free flour and coconut milk did you use?
I used date syrup. Didn’t rise. I added some lemon juice from a lemon, cut it thicker, baked it on 385 and scones came out beautiful.
Ooh, I love the idea of using date syrup! Brilliant! So happy the scones turned out well 😀
I can’t wait to make these! How many days are they good for?
Hi CJ!
They last up to 10 days in the refrigerator or you can leave them on the counter for 3 days. We simply reheat them in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds before eating them. You can also freeze them!
@Julia, I made them today and they were absolutely delicious!! Thank you so much for a simple and delicious recipe!
I’m so happy you like them, CJ! We’re obsessed! xoxo
Do i use unsweetened Coconut milk?
This is amazing! I have been on a diet where I am not allowed sugar, gluten, red meat or dairy. And when I found this recipe I got so excited and bought the ingredients straight away 😊
That’s great!! I hope you love them, Kaydi! xo