Where are all my brunch fans? I have a scone recipe for you and it’s goodddd. These vegan lemon scones are the perfect breakfast pastry because they’re refreshing, flavorful, and so delicious. Not to mention they can be made with a handful of ingredients in less than an hour.
This post was originally published in April 2017. Post has been rewritten but the recipe remains the same!
Can you believe scones are naturally vegan?! Yea, me neither. Okay, well not totally vegan because they do use butter. But luckily vegan butter is just as good as the real deal.
Some recipes call for eggs, but according to the internet, that’s not the traditional way to make a scone.
Not sure how accurate the debate is, egg vs no egg, but I’m super excited it’s not hard to veganize a scone recipe. They can easily be gluten-free, too, if you swap out the flour for a GF blend.
If you are a big fan of lemon desserts and pastries like me, you are about to be ALL OVER this recipe. So gather your favorite mimosa recipe and get to brunching, stat.
Ingredients
For the dairy-free lemon scones you need:
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Sugar (I used cane sugar here)
- Salt
- Vegan butter (big Earth Balance fan). You can substitute vegan butter for coconut oil; however, make sure it is solid and cold – not liquid!
- Vanilla
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Liquid sweetener – like agave, maple syrup, or honey (but note honey is NOT vegan)
- Almond milk
Now if you want to make a vegan lemon glaze (which I highly recommend), you’ll need these simple ingredients:
- Confectioners sugar
- Lemon juice
- Vegan butter – melted
Fairly straight forward right? I bet you have most of these ingredients on hand anyways!
How do you make gluten-free scones?
Swap all-purpose flour with your fave 1:1 gluten-free alternative. Personally, I think ones that use primarily almond flour are the tastiest for subbing.
Tips for Zesting a Lemon
If you’ve never zested a lemon before, it’s basically grating the rind of a lemon. This helps to really get that lemon flavor into recipes. I like using a mircoplane to get the job done. You can also use a cheese grater and chop the pieces up very finely.
How to Make Lemon Scones
- Start by whisking together the dry ingredients.
- Next, we add the butter. I like to incorporate it by slightly mashing it with the back of a fork. Large clumps are desired here.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
- Transfer to a floured surface and knead. Make into a disc and cut into 8 equal slices.
- Place on baking sheet and bake at 400 F for 20 minutes.
The scones are done baking when light golden in color on the top and bottom.
What is the secret to making good scones?
Like most baking, perfecting a scone is all about science. Here are some key tips for making flaky, buttery, scones:
- Keep handling of dough to a minimum. You don’t want to over-knead the dough because this will result in tough, chewy scones
- When cutting butter into flour, the clumps should not be very small. This will also help your scones to be more buttery and flakey
- It’s best to keep the dough cold. If you are making this recipe in a warmer climate, I suggest placing the dough in the refrigerator before baking!
Another Great Tip: Sprinkle with some cane sugar right before baking. This will give these lemon scones a nice crunch!
How to Make a Lemon Glaze (Without Milk!)
For me, the lemon glaze really takes these scones to the next level.
To make the glaze, simply mix together confectioner’s sugar, lemon zest, and butter. Right before serving, drizzle on top of the slightly cooled scones for a subtly sweetened treat!
Serving Suggestions
These tasty sweet treats are delicious to enjoy warm, room temperature, or cold. Serve homemade vegan lemon scones with whatever jelly, preserves or jam is your jam!
Scones pair great with coffee or tea and are a great recipe for brunch or a quick breakfast during the week. I love making these lemon scones for Easter or Mother’s Day as they are always a hit!
What I love about scones is they’re lightly sweetened compared to other breakfast pastries. While I have a sweet tooth, overly sweet breakfasts I’m not a fan of. They pair perfectly with coffee and complement a savory breakfast like avocado toast or tofu scramble.
How to Store Scones
To store baked scones, tightly wrap them in foil to prevent drying out. They should keep on the counter for 1-2 days.
Can you make scones ahead of time?
Scones are best eating them fresh. If you plan on making these in advance, I suggest shaping them and placing them in the unbaked fridge until ready to make (no longer than 1 day).
Can you freeze scones?
Yes! Let cool completely and transfer to a freezer bag. They should keep for about 3 months.
If you plan on freezing the scones, I recommend NOT icing them and rather making the glaze to put on the scones right before serving!
How do you reheat frozen scones?
When ready to eat, let them thaw out for 2-3 hours (or the fridge overnight) and bake in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes.
If you tried this vegan lemon scone recipe, let me know in the comments below and share a photo using #mindfulavocado. I’d love to hear from you! Want to see more recipes? Let’s get social! CONNECT WITH ME on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest to see what I’m currently cooking up!
If you like this recipe, you’ll LOVE:
Vegan Lemon Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 4 Tablespoons honey (substitute with agave if vegan)
- 2 Tablespoons cane sugar (plus 1 Tablespoon to sprinkle on top)
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, and cane sugar.
- Cut in butter until the butter is in tiny clumps, evenly distributed in the dough.
- Add honey (or agave), lemon juice, lemon zest, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Mix ingredients; If the dough is too dry, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is stiff. You don’t want the dough to be liquidy.
- Add dough to a floured surface and knead a few times. Roll out into a round disc and divide it into 8 even slices. Using a spatula, transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle cane sugar on top of scones (optional).
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before adding the glaze.
- To make the glaze: Whisk together until the mixture turns into a thick glaze. Drizzle over the top of the scones and let cool.
Video
Notes
- Scones are best eating them fresh so if you plan on making these in advance, I suggest shaping them and placing them in the fridge until ready to make (no longer than 1 day)
Nutrition
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How far in advance can i make these?
You can make them a couple days in advance. I recommend if you add a glaze to do that right before serving!
I must have done soemthing very wrong with the glaze.
1/4 real lemon juice was waaay too much.
Needed like 1/8 of that. Did you use bottles or fresh squeezed?
I usually use fresh lemon juice as well. Sorry, it was too lemony for you! You can always fix icing by adding more sugar and water to dilute the lemon flavor.
Yum! I must give this recipe a try!
YES! Thank you, Brittany!
I need to try these scones for Easter brunch! Thanks for sharing!
Hope they turned out wonderful Helene!
These are incredibly good They’re soft on the inside and have bit of a crunch on the outside. The lemon flavor is wonderful too. I used maple syrup instead of the honey and it worked out great! I did all of the mixing in my food processor so they couldn’t have been any easier to make. Easily the best scones I’ve ever eaten.
Thanks so much, Pat! I bet the swap with maple syrup was delicious!
Very good receipe. Easy to follow and great taste after. Thank you for this!!
I’m glad you enjoyed, Shay!
I am so sad to say this recipe turned out EXTREMELY runny. I am a regular vegan baker and I followed this recipe to the T and the dough was so runny. I highly suggest adding more flour and sugar. With the little amount of sugar it just tastes like flour. After highly modifying the recipe with more flour, sugar, lemon zest & vanilla extract, it tastes delicious.
I’m sorry to hear that, Nina! I’ve never had that issue baking these but I’m glad you were able to salvage it with the addition of flour and sugar. These scones are definitely mild on the sweetness scale to balance out the glaze.
Scones turned out fantastic on the first try, and very easily too! One thing I was wondering about – if I cut the dough in more pieces (e.g. making more scones) would that alter the baking time or anything?
Great to hear! It might. I would just start checking them 5 minutes before the baking time is up to see if they are a nice golden brown color.
Loved it! My daughter and I could not stop eating these. So delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing, Erica!
Hello at the top of your recipe you say baking soda but then in the instructions you say baking powder which one is it? Thank you
It is baking powder!
Can you swap oat milk for the almond milk? Or will it change the taste?
Oat milk should work great in this recipe!
This is my favorite recipe. They are truly delicious! I have made them so many times already and I am making them again right now. Thank you Amanda:) amazing really!
Thanks so much, Valerie! This made my day!
Easy to make & delicious. The family enjoyed them. Thanks 🌱💚
Thank you so much, Veronica! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
This recipe is the best in every way possible. Easy to make and such delicious results!
So happy you enjoyed them, Tonica!