Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Scones
Strawberry Lemonade Vegan Scones! Wow, these scones are SO good! Perfectly tender and lightly sweetened. A must-make, perfect for brunches, breakfast and gifts.
Ready for the best vegan scones you’ve ever had?
Because, these are it. I mean it. Perfectly tender scones studded with fresh strawberries and topped with a lemonade drizzle. I ate two of them as soon as they came out of the oven and literally had to move them to the other room to stop myself from grabbing a third. They are that good.
Strawberry season always reminds me of Mother’s Day, and therefore, these strawberry lemonade vegan scones make an appearance on my table every May. Whether we are having a quiet celebration with just our family or whether my own momma is in town, these scones are perfect for breakfast, brunch, and gifting.
If you love scones, you’ll love this strawberry lemonade version!
Ingredient Notes for Making these Lemonade Scones
- All-purpose flour: If you want to make these more wholesome you can sub in some whole-wheat pastry flour, but I don’t recommend using whole wheat flour as it will make the scones too dense.
- Chopped strawberries: Fresh berries are best. If you want to use frozen berries, make sure they are thawed and then strained to remove as much excess moisture as possible. You can sub in other berries, like blackberries, blueberries or raspberries.
- Cane sugar: I haven’t tried these with maple sugar or coconut sugar, but assume they would work the same way.
- Coconut oil: You need a solid oil for these lemonade scones as oil will make them too wet. Butter or vegan butter will also work, but I prefer coconut oil. A triple filtered coconut oil doesn’t have any coconut taste– I grab a jar at Trader Joe’s.
- Oat milk: I prefer using oat milk in baking as it has a higher carbohydrate level than other non-dairy milks and therefore browns better.
Substitutions
The best part about this scone recipe is that once you try it in this strawberry version, you can mix and match your favorite flavor ingredients the next go around. The base of this batter makes for incredible blueberry scones, chocolate chip scones, currant scones and more.
You’ll need some type of acid to help these scones rise, so if you do make another flavor of scones then I’d recommend swapping out the fresh lemon juice for equal parts vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
The secret for making the best vegan scones comes down to two essential ingredients: coconut oil & oat milk.
What non-dairy milk is best for baking?
You notice that I call for oat milk in these scones and that’s for a very specific reason. Oat milk is naturally higher in sugars than almond or soy milk, which is better for baking. Higher sugar content means that oat milk browns similar to non-vegan recipes; especially for recipes that omit butter which also helps baked goods take on the characteristic golden brown color. (Here’s my tutorial for how to make oat milk)
When I tried this recipe using almond milk, the scones were noticeably paler and didn’t produce that same tender crumb. You can still use other non-dairy milks, but just know that your vegan scones will likely be paler in color.
If you haven’t had oat milk before, you are in for a delicious treat. We’ve been putting oat milk in our morning smoothies and love the silky, slightly-sweet finish. Especially for those who don’t think almond milk has much flavor or are put off by the aftertaste from soy milk, seek out oat milk. I’ve got a few baking recipes coming your way in the next few months where oat milk is the star.
Coconut Oil for Vegan Baking
When I bake vegan goods, I usually rotate between a vegan butter baking stick, like Earth Balance, or coconut oil. All things being equal, I prefer to use coconut oil if the recipe allows. For one, it’s easier for most of us to find coconut oil. Even in St. Louis, my local grocery stores don’t always carry the baking sticks, which can be frustrating. I really dislike having to go to another grocery store just for one item.
Secondly, while coconut oil is definitely not the health food it’s claimed to be, I don’t think healthfulness should matter in most desserts. And yes, I say that as a dietitian. I find that there is a real lack of joy in eating in so many of my clients right now; instead it’s eating to fit macros, eating to avoid various ingredients, constantly focusing on purity of ingredients. Those things may have a time and a place, but it’s also completely OK to enjoy dessert the way dessert was meant to be enjoyed. Nutrition is a long game; it’s what you eat much of the time that matters most. Healthy diets absolutely include dessert.
In these scones, the coconut oil provides just the right sense of richness in the scones, along with enough oat milk to help them rise nice and light.
Unlike traditional scone recipes, you don’t need the coconut oil to be very cold. For added flavor, lemon zest rounds out the aroma, highlighting the fresh strawberries. The acid of the lemon juice also helps the scones rise.
Tips for Making These Lemonade Scones
Toss together the chopped strawberries and 2 tablespoons flour, and set aside. This is important to prevent the strawberries from not clumping together in the scones. Tossing them first in flour helps them be evenly distributed throughout the scone batter.
Once you mix the dry ingredients together, add the coconut oil in pinches, then pulse in a food processor until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal, about 10-12 times. Alternatively, you can use a pastry cutter to mix in the coconut oil.
Add in the flour-coated strawberries. Stir in the oat milk and 1 teaspoon lemon zest until a dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and form into a ball. Slice into 8 sections (for ease, I do 1/2, then 1/2, then 1/2) and place onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
To make the tangy lemonade topping, whisk together the remaining teaspoon of lemon zest, juice and powdered sugar together until creamy, adding more sugar or lemon juice as needed, then drizzle on the scones and let harden.
If you don’t want these to be strawberry lemonade scones, then I recommend skipping the lemon zest in the frosting or skipping the frosting all together and serve them with strawberry jam instead.
I know you are going to love these scones! They are flaky and moist for the best texture and the taste is perfectly sweet, without being cloying. One of my favorite recipes for spring and summer and I can’t wait to hear how much you love them.
Additional Tips and Tricks for Perfect Vegan Scones
To prevent the strawberries from clumping together in the batter, I recommend coating them with a little flour before adding to the dry ingredients. The flour coating helps evenly distribute the strawberries throughout the scones so you get more strawberry flavor in every bite.
Don’t forget that lemon glaze. Wow, I could drink that stuff. It’s perfectly tart and complements the scones beautifully. It’s also what transforms these strawberry scones into strawberry lemonade ones.
These scones will keep for about 2-3 days. To have fresh scones whenever the moment strikes, they freeze well. These are the directions I use on how to freeze scones.
More Strawberry Recipes:
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
- Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
- Homemade Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam
- Strawberry Overnight Oats
More Vegan Sweet Treat Recipes
If you try these lemonade scones, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Scone
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
- 3 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil, room temperature
- 3/4 cup oat milk
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or lightly spray) and set aside.
- Toss together the chopped strawberries and 2 tablespoons flour, and set aside.
- Place the remaining 2 cups of flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the base of a food processor and pulse together until combined, about 2-3 times. Add the coconut oil in pinches, then pulse until mixture looks like course cornmeal, about 10-12 times.
- Place the flour mixture in the base of a large bowl and add the flour-coated strawberries. Stir in the oat milk and 1 teaspoon lemon zest until a dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and form into a ball. Slice into 8 sections (1/2, then 1/2, then 1/2) and place onto the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Whisk together the remaining teaspoon lemon zest, juice, and powdered sugar until creamy, adding more sugar/lemon juice as needed. Then drizzle over the scones and let them harden, about 5 minutes. Eat!