If you love lemon desserts, then you need to make these Vegan Lemon Earl Grey Scones! They are soft, flaky, moist, and topped with a tangy and perfectly sweet lemon icing.
Baking scones is easier than you think, and you can make SO many fun flavors.
I've made Blackberry Lime Scones, Cinnamon Roll Scones, Carrot Cake Scones, Chocolate Chip Scones, and these Earl Grey Lemon Scones are the newest Spring flavor to join the bunch!
Ingredients:
Ingredient & substitution notes:
- Earl Grey Tea: I have made these scones with Tea Pigs Earl Grey tea and Rishi Earl Grey Tea.
- Just make sure to grind the tea before mixing in!
- Vegan Butter: I used Country Crock Olive Oil Plant Butter for this recipe, but any vegan butter should work. The trick is to make sure it's REALLY cold when cutting it into the dry ingredients.
- Using cold or even frozen butter will give you the flakiest scones!
- You can also use frozen coconut oil in this recipe as a 1:1 substitution, but you need to increase the salt to 1 teaspoon if doing this.
- Coconut milk: This gives the scones a really rich flavor.
- you can substitute it with oat milk, almond milk, or any dairy-free milk!
- Sparkling sugar: I like using this or turbinado sugar as a scone topping as it is a course "square" sugar that adds a nice crunch.
- Here is the sparkling sugar I used!
How to make Earl Grey lemon scones:
Make the scone dough:
Add the sugar and freshly grated lemon zest to a bowl and rub together. This helps to release the oils & flavors of the zest and really makes the scones extra lemony!
Then, mix in the remainder of the dry ingredients, including the all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground Earl Grey tea, and salt.
Next, cut in the cold cubed vegan butter using a pastry cutter until the dough is crumbly.
Add in the oat milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Continue mixing together using the pastry cutter until you have a shaggy dough (as pictured below).
Shape the dough, freeze, and slice:
Add the dough to a parchment-lined baking tray or well-greased baking tray and form into a circular disc 2 inches in height.
Then, add to the freezer for about 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400F.
Bake the scones:
Once the oven is ready, remove the tray from the freezer and cut the scones into 8 equally-sized triangles. Separate them so they are at least 2 inches apart on the tray.
Before baking, sprinkle with some optional sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar for an extra crunchy topping!
Add the tray of lemon scones to the oven and bake them for 15-18 minutes until browned on top and cooked throughout.
Top with lemon icing & enjoy:
Let the scones cool completely, then make the lemon icing. It's made with 3 simple ingredients- powdered sugar, lemon juice, and coconut milk (or oat milk).
Drizzle the lemon icing over the scones and let it dry for about 5 minutes to set.
Sprinkle a bit more lemon zest on top, add a fresh lemon slice, and enjoy!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make these Earl Grey scones gluten-free?
While I have not personally tried making these scones gluten-free, I have heard great things about Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free mix working in my recipes calling for all-purpose flour.
Please note that using a gluten-free flour like coconut flour or almond flour will NOT work in this recipe.
How do I store vegan lemon scones?
Baked lemon scones can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to one month.
Just let them defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour to enjoy!
P.S. Do not store with a fresh lemon wedge on top- you only want to add this before serving as it can make the scones soggy!
I can't wait for you to try these soft, flaky, and flavorful Vegan Earl Grey Lemon Scones! They are the perfect breakfast treat for Spring or Summer. Enjoy!
-TSG
More vegan scones you will love:
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Lemon Earl Grey Scones
Ingredients
Earl Grey Lemon Scones
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ Tablespoon lemon zest zest of 1 lemon
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Earl Grey tea ground
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup coconut milk or oat milk/soy milk
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 Tablespoons sparkling sugar
Lemon Icing:
- ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½-1 Tablespoon coconut milk or oat milk/soy milk
- lemon zest optional, as garnish
- lemon slices optional, as garnish
Instructions
Make the scone dough:
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl and rub together to release the oils in the lemon.
- Then, add the remaining dry ingredients to the bowl including the all-purpose flour, ground Earl Grey Tea, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine.
- Cut the cold vegan butter into chunks. Then, add it to the bowl of dry ingredients and use a pastry cutter to "cut" the butter into the dough until you have a crumbly mixture. You can also use a fork to do this step, though it will take longer.
- Next, add in the coconut milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Use the pastry cutter or your hands to combine into a shaggy dough. The shaggy dough will be somewhat flaky and crumbly, yet still stick together when pressed.
Shape & bake the scones:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and turn the dough out onto the baking sheet.
- Next, form the dough into a large circle that is about 2 inches in height. It's okay if it's not a perfect circle!
- Then, place the baking tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes before slicing. While the tray is in the freezer, preheat your oven to 400F.
- Once the oven is preheated, remove the scones from the freezer and cut them into 8 evenly sized triangles. Spread them out about 2 inches apart on the tray and generously sprinkle the 2 Tablespoons of sparkling or turbinado sugar on top.
- Add the scones to the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes until cooked through. (*Please note if your scones are not as tall or thick as mine, they will cook faster, so make sure to check at the 15-minute mark*)
- Remove the scones from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the lemon icing:
- Once the scones have cooled, make the lemon icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and oat milk until you have a thick, but smooth, icing. Add more oat milk or lemon juice as needed.
- Drizzle the icing over the scones and let it set for a few minutes to harden. Garnish with extra lemon zest and a fresh lemon wedge if desired.
- Serve & enjoy!
Notes
- Please see blog post for more recipe tips & substitution ideas.
- Baked lemon scones can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to one month.
- Let them defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour to enjoy!
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