Vegan Lemon Blueberry Drop Scones
Tender, flaky, and bursting with juicy fresh blueberries and bright citrus flavor. These rustic drop scones use very cold vegan butter or solid coconut oil to achieve a perfect pastry texture without dairy, all finished with a beautifully tart lemon glaze.
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Small bowl
- Pastry cutter or two forks
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Vegan Buttermilk
- 0.5 cup Unsweetened plant milk (almond, soy, or oat) — cold
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice — freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Scone Dough
- 2 cups All-purpose flour — spooned and leveled
- 0.33 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest — zest of about 1 large lemon
- 0.5 cup Vegan butter or refined coconut oil — must be VERY cold, cut into small cubes. If using coconut oil, it must be solid.
- 1 cup Fresh blueberries — washed and dried well
Tart Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup Powdered sugar — sifted
- 2.5 tablespoons Lemon juice — freshly squeezed, adjust for thickness
- 0.5 teaspoon Lemon zest (optional)
Vegan Buttermilk
| 0.5 cup | Unsweetened plant milk (almond, soy, or oat) | cold |
| 1 tablespoon | Lemon juice | freshly squeezed |
| 1 teaspoon | Vanilla extract |
Scone Dough
| 2 cups | All-purpose flour | spooned and leveled |
| 0.33 cup | Granulated sugar | |
| 1 tablespoon | Baking powder | |
| 0.5 teaspoon | Salt | |
| 1 tablespoon | Lemon zest | zest of about 1 large lemon |
| 0.5 cup | Vegan butter or refined coconut oil | must be VERY cold, cut into small cubes. If using coconut oil, it must be solid. |
| 1 cup | Fresh blueberries | washed and dried well |
Tart Lemon Glaze
| 1 cup | Powdered sugar | sifted |
| 2.5 tablespoons | Lemon juice | freshly squeezed, adjust for thickness |
| 0.5 teaspoon | Lemon zest (opt.) |
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
~5 min -
In a small measuring jug, whisk together the cold plant milk, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Set aside for 5 minutes to curdle and form a vegan buttermilk.
~5 minSoy or almond milk curdle best for vegan buttermilk. -
In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until it becomes incredibly fragrant and slightly damp. This releases the lemon oils.
~2 min -
Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt into the lemon sugar until evenly distributed.
~1 min -
Add the cold cubed vegan butter (or solid coconut oil) to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the fat into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of fat remaining.
~3 minKeeping the fat very cold is the absolute key to flaky scones. If your kitchen is hot, chill the bowl for 10 minutes before adding the liquid. -
Gently fold the fresh blueberries into the dry mixture, coating them in flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
~1 min -
Pour the vegan buttermilk mixture into the bowl. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold the mixture until *just* combined. The dough should be shaggy and slightly sticky. Do not overmix, or the scones will become tough.
~2 min -
Using a large cookie scoop or two spoons, drop mounds of dough (about 1/3 cup each) onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
~2 minFor an extra crunch, sprinkle the tops with a pinch of coarse sugar before baking. -
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown on top and cooked through.
~18 min -
Remove the scones from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool almost completely.
~15 min -
While the scones cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar; if too thick, add a drop more lemon juice.
~3 min -
Drizzle the tart lemon glaze generously over the cooled scones. Let the glaze set for a few minutes before serving.
~5 min
Tips & Storage
- Always use extremely cold vegan butter or coconut oil. The cold pockets of fat create steam while baking, which results in a flaky texture.
- If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them first, and toss them quickly into the flour to prevent the dough from turning completely blue/purple.
- Do not overmix the dough! A shaggy, slightly uneven dough yields the most tender scones.
- Storage: Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Un-glazed scones can be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature and glaze before serving.