These easy vegan blueberry scones are Scottish-style scones. A small batch of light and fluffy scones perfect for afternoon tea or a snack.

Easy Vegan Blueberry Scones - Scottish Scone Recipe

Name: Easy Vegan Blueberry Scones - Scottish Scone Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Cuisine: Scottish, vegan
Ingredients: 250g (2 cups) self-raising flour; 50g (1.76 oz) vegan butter; 2 tablespoons caster sugar; 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional); 125g (¾ cup) blueberries; 125ml (½ cup) oat milk (or your regular plant milk); 1 pinch salt

My latest recipe for easy vegan scones is this small batch recipe of vegan blueberry scones.

They are Scottish-style scones, a tweak on a traditional Scottish recipe, so you won't see a long list of ingredients and definitely no eggs, not even flax eggs.

Eggs don't belong in scones. It blows my mind when I see people adding them.

These scones are light, fluffy, buttery and a little bit crumbly (just how scones should be), with a burst of jammy fruit from the juicy blueberries.

Are scones suitable for vegans?

Traditional recipes for scones include milk and butter.

So, it is simple to make any scone vegan by simply swapping the butter for vegan butter and the milk for soy milk or any non-dairy milk.

I usually use oat milk or almond milk.

For vegan butter, you can use the block butter or margarine.

For more Scottish vegan recipes check out my Scottish recipe page.

What is the difference between Scottish Scones and American Scones?

Scottish Scones

Scottish scones are always made with just 4 main ingredients, butter milk flour, and sugar.

A pinch of salt is added to enhance the flavour and sometimes fruit or another flavour is added.

Fruit scones in Scotland tend to be made with raisins or sultanas and for savoury scones we like cheese scones.

Traditional scones in Scotland are always round.

American Scones

American scones are usually sweeter and tend to have a much longer ingredient list.

They will often include egg, which makes the scones more of a cake-like texture and vanilla extract (which you don't really need) as well as other flavourings.

Scones in the US are usually cut in triangles before they are baked.

Why we don't cut scones in triangles in Scotland

When scones were originally cooked on griddles or girdles (flat iron plates), over open fires in Scotland, they were shaped into a large circle and then cut into triangles.

As with many recipes, they evolve over the years and in Scotland, we started cutting them into circles, which when risen are much nicer to eat.

We no longer cut them into triangles to bake as this leaves you with hard, dry edges, which aren't very nice.

Scones were first made in Scotland

Scones go way back to the 1500s in Scotland, maybe even before that.

They were first mentioned by a poet in Scotland in 1513.

Originally called bannocks, a rough bread, but they were refined over the years into the circular scones we know today.

The newer name was a nod to Stone of Destiny, which lay in Scone for the crowning of Scottish kings.

The stone is still used today and was under the throne when King Charles was crowned.

It no longer rests in Scone, it is currently in Edinburgh castle and will soon be moved to the nearby city of Perth.

close up of blueberry scone spread with vegan butter.

How are scones served in Scotland?

Scones are very much a part of Scottish life.

They are made at home and served in bakeries, cafes, pubs and restaurants.

We eat them as a snack, for afternoon tea, with soup for lunch (usually plain or cheese scones), or as part of high tea.

High tea is a meal where toast is served alongside the main course and you are also served a selection of cakes, including scones and of course a pot of tea.

Scones are usually served with butter and jam in Scotland (just butter for savoury scones), but sometimes they will be served English style with cream and jam.

British scones are well known for their jam and clotted cream.

If you would like an easy homemade jam to serve with your scones, try my easy raspberry jam or mixed fruit jam which is made with frozen berries.

How do you pronounce scones?

Many people pronounce scone incorrectly.

The correct way to say scone is to rhyme it with gone.

In England, it is often pronounced scone, like cone.

Language changes and adapts over the years in different countries.

Of course, as they were invented in Scotland, so let's go with scone pronounced like gone.

What you need to make vegan blueberry scones

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make these easy blueberry scones.

Flour - self-raising flour (or all purpose flour with baking powder)
Butter - vegan butter or spread (margarine)
Sugar - caster sugar
Milk - oat milk or any plant-based milk
Salt (or sea salt) - just a pinch
Cinnamon (optional) - add lemon zest instead for delicious vegan blueberry lemon scones
Blueberries

Can you use frozen blueberries?

I use fresh blueberries in my scones, but you can use frozen.

Just use what you have or whatever is cheaper.

If you are lucky enough to find a patch to pick, you could also use wild blueberries.

What do you cut scones with?

Scones can be cut with a scone cutter which is either plain or fluted around the edge.

You can also cut scones with a large cookie cutter. pastry cutter or use a glass.

Just make sure that you flour whatever you use to cut the scones, so the scone dough doesn't stick.

Don't twist the scone cutter

Be careful not to twist the scone cutter as you remove it from the dough or the scones won't rise straight.

If the dough is twisted when removing the cutter, it will rise squint, at an angle.

Why are scones brushed with milk?

Scones are brushed with milk before they are baked to give then a golden brown finish.

Of course, you can use plant milk.

Tips for making the best scones

Here are a few tips for the best vegan scones.

Keep everything cold - cold milk, cold butter (if you have cold hands even better!).
Cut the butter and milk into the dry ingredients with a knife in a large bowl - and handle as little as possible (again, keep the dough cold).
Don't knead or overwork the dough - just do enough to bring the mixture together.
Roll it thick (or just pat it into shape) - you want the dough to be thick, at least an inch (2 1/2 cm) or even a bit thicker.
Have a lightly floured surface - so the dough doesn't stick
Don't twist the cutter - as you remove it or the scones will rise at odd angles
Lined baking sheet - line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper or parchment paper
Preheated oven - so they can be baked as soon as you make them
Brush with milk - oat milk or your favourite milk, to give a golden finish
Leave to cool - before you cut and serve

freshly baked vegan scone on parchment paper.

How long will fresh scones keep?

Scones are best made and served on the same day.

You can keep them for a couple of days in an airtight container, but they are at their best when first made.

To freshen them up, pop them back in a warm oven for a few minutes.

Can you freeze scones?

Once cool, scones can be frozen.

Defrost them at room temperature and warm in the oven for a few minutes for best results.

Why you will love this vegan scone recipe

These will become a go-to recipe for you.

They are:

Small batch
Basic ingredients
Easy to make
Light and fluffy, the perfect texture
Fruity
Can be frozen

Love scones, for easy vegan scones, next time try my lemonade scones, air fryer scones or choc chip scones.

For more vegan baking ideas, check out my bakes and cakes recipe index.

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How to make Easy Vegan Blueberry Scones

A step-by-step photo guide followed by a full printable recipe.

Step 1

Preheat the oven and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, cinnamon (if adding) and salt, then give it all a good mix.
Add the vegan butter and rub into the flour with your fingertips until just rubbed in and you are left with a crumbly mixture.
Add the blueberries and mix through the dry mixture, this will prevent the berries from dropping to the bottom of the scones.

Step 2

Add the milk a bit at a time, cutting it through the mixture with a knife. It should start to come together.
Don't add it all at once, as it may not need it all, you just need enough to bring the dough together but the mixture shouldn't be wet.
Pull the dough together and place it on a lightly floured worktop and press down with the palm of your hand (or roll with a rolling pin) until it's about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) thick, maybe a little more.
Cut four scones with a floured pastry cutter, cookie cutter, fluted scone cutter or a glass. If your cutter is smaller than mine, you may end up with 5 or 6 smaller scones (full details in the recipe card below).
Place the scones on the lined tray, leaving a bit of space between them.

Step 3

Brush the top of the scones with plant milk and bake until golden.

Cool on a baking rack, then serve with vegan butter.

Enjoy!

scones, vegan scones, Scottish scones, Scottish vegan scones, blueberry scones, vegan blueberry scones, fruit scones

snack

Scottish, vegan

Yield: 4 Scones

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum