Rich, buttery, flaky and bursting with the flavors or brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon! These vegan scones are easy to make and the perfect sweet treats for enjoying with coffee or tea.
I've been hanging onto this one for a few months now! I first made these scones back around Mother's Day.
Alas, I didn't get the recipe quite right the first time around and the photos came out terrible. I just realized last month that I'd yet to finalize this recipe and reshoot the photos, and wouldn't you know it, the timing was kind of perfect — these scones are perfect holiday brunch material!
What You'll Need
Gather a few things so we can get to baking!
Flour. I used all-purpose wheat-base flour for these scones. I suspect whole wheat pastry flour would be a good option as well.
Brown sugar. Make sure it's organic, to keep your scones vegan.
Baking powder. This is how we'll get our scones to rise.
Cinnamon. This goes so nicely with the brown sugar and walnuts in these scones. I used a generous 2 teaspoons, but you can cut back if you're not as big a cinnamon fan as I am.
Salt. Please don't skip the salt! This is what will bring out the flavor in our scones.
Vegan butter. Look for brands like Earth Balance, Miyoko's, or Melt.
Non-dairy milk. Any variety that's unsweetened and unflavored will do just fine. I used macadamia milk.
Vanilla extract. For an extra burst of flavor.
Walnuts. For crunch.
How to Make Brown Sugar Walnut Scones
Start by stirring your milk and vanilla together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.
Now mix your dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add your butter and cut it in using a pastry cutter. Keep going until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Pour the liquid mixture to your bowl with the flour mixture. Stir everything together, as best as you can.
Dig in a bit with your hands just until the ingredients are completely mixed. You'll get a very dry and shaggy dough that should just barely hold together. Now fold in the walnuts.
Transfer your dough to a work surface and use your hands to press and shape it into a big circle. Next, cut it into 8 slices using a large knife or pizza cutter.
I like to use a pie server to separate my scones before baking. This prevents them from reconnecting as they expand in the oven. Just be careful to avoid stretching your scones out of shape while you move them. You'll want an inch or so of space separating them.
Pop them into the oven and let the magic take place.
When the scones have finished baking you can whip up some brown sugar glaze. Just heat up some brown sugar, vegan butter, non-dairy milk and vanilla in a saucepan and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Take the pan off of the heat and let it cool a bit. It'll thicken up while it does.
When your scones are cool and your glaze is as thick as you like it, drizzle it over the scones.
FAQ & Scone Baking Tips
- How do the leftover scones keep? These scones are best served on the day of baking. They'll lose that little bit of crispness and flakiness by the second day. However, the flavor will still be great.
- Store leftover scones in a sealed container or plastic bag for up to about 3 days.
- For an extra easy version of these scones, skip the glaze and sprinkle the tops with a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar before baking. I've made them this way, and while I prefer the glaze, both versions were delicious!
- Can these be made gluten-free? I haven't tested the recipe with any gluten-free flours, so I'm not sure. I think an all-purpose gluten-free blend like Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur's would be your best bet.
- Why does the sugar need to be organic? Most sugar in the United States is processed using animal bones. Organic sugar is processed differently, so use it to keep your scones vegan.
- What is vegan butter and where can I find it? Vegan butter is basically margarine that's made without animal products. Look for brands like Earth Balance, Miyoko's and Melt in your supermarket's natural food section, or in the refrigerator near the regular butter.
- A note on timing: I recommend making the glaze when your scones are almost completely cool. You'll want them to be ready when the glaze reaches the right thickness. If you let it sit too long it'll get too thick, and while it can be reheated, the consistency won't be as good as it was initially.
Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Brown Sugar Walnut Scones
Equipment
- Pastry cutter
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chilled vegan butter
- ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
For the Brown Sugar Glaze
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To Make the Scones
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the vegan butter to the bowl, then cut it in using a pastry cutter (a couple of butter knives or a fork will work as well).
- Continue cutting until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir the milk and vanilla together in a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup.
- Use a spoon to form a well in the center of the flour mixture, then stir in the milk mixture.
- Mix to form a dough. Dig in with your hands to incorporate all of the flour mixture. The dough will be shaggy, but you should be able to get it to hold together by pressing it firmly in your hands.
- Fold in the walnuts.
- Shape your dough into a ball and transfer it to your baking sheet.
- Flatten out the dough and use your hands to shape it into a 10-inch circle.
- Use a large knife or pizza cutter to cut the circle into 8 wedges.
- Use a pie cutter or spatula to very carefully separate the wedges, leaving about an inch between them on the baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the scones are set and beginning to brown on top.
- Remove the scones from the oven. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow them to cool slightly before serving.
To Make the Glaze
- When the scones are almost completely cool, place all ingredients for the glaze into a small saucepan and set it over medium heat.
- Melt the butter and sugar, stirring frequently, and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Lower the heat and allow the mixture to cook at a low simmer for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Remove the pan from heat. The glaze will thicken up as it cools. Let it sit until it's thickened up a bit but is still thin enough to drizzle.
- Drizzle the glaze over the scones. Optionally top them with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Serve.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
This is a really good recipe, I even used this exact recipe with non vegan ingredients and they were a hit. I enjoy scones with raisins and they are amazing!!
I've made these several times with no changes, no subs, no additions and they are perfection. This is by far my favorite scone. The topping makes quite a lot so you can half that if you want a light drizzle.
These are amazing!!! I was wondering what I could use as a substitute for the vegan butter tho