Raspberry Oatmeal Scones

Summer is almost here, and raspberries are a true sign that summer is really arrived. Right now we’re basking in (slightly) warmer weather and using the oven to heat the house in the still chilly early mornings and evenings. These raspberry oatmeal scones are my current favourite bake.

I don’t remember my mom ever making scones, and I’m not sure if we had them before I started baking. They’re a British favourite, with the biscuit equivalent in North America, although scones tend to include more fat. In this case, much of the fat is added through full-fat coconut milk, and coconut oil instead of butter.

You won’t see the same outrageous rise here as you might with an all-butter, white flour scone – especially because oats are added and add weight. They will rise nicely, though, and the end result is both light and full of texture. I love them for breakfast with a little coconut yogurt on the side and don’t feel bloated or tired after having one or two.

If you grow your own raspberries or have some you want to use, try these vegan raspberry yogurt muffins (my favourite, especially with a handful of dark chocolate added in), chocolate raspberry cake, or easy chocolate raspberry muffins.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Spelt flour: if preferred, plain white flour can be used in place of spelt. Make these with light or white spelt flour for the lightest scone (I usually do half light, half whole).
• Rolled oats: substitute quick-cook oats in a pinch, but don’t use steel-cut.
• Raspberries: substitute another berry if you like, such as currants or blackberries. I don’t recommend strawberries for this recipe as they contain too much water.
• Coconut oil: use refined oil if you don’t want any slight coconut flavour. An oil that’s solid at room temperature is key here and I haven’t tested these with butter.

Step by Step

1. Make the dough: mix the dough with a light hand, then gently fold in the raspberries. It will be quite stiff if using frozen fruit.
2. Form the scones: make two small discs with the dough and cut into triangles.
3. Transfer: move the cut scones to a baking sheet and top with oats if desired.
4. Bake: bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Recipe Notes

To make these without a food processor: place the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk until combined. Add the coconut oil and use your hands to quickly rub it into the dry ingredients (don’t melt it). Add half of the milk, stir with a wooden spoon, then add more milk 2 tablespoons at a time until a soft and slightly crumbly dough forms. Follow the remaining instructions as written.

How to Store

Storage: leftover scones can be stored in a sealed container for up to three days, but are best fresh.

Freezing: for this recipe, I recommend freezing the scones before baking rather than after. Cut as usual, then freeze on a parchment-lined tray until solid. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. To bake from frozen, simply follow the directions as usual, but add a couple minutes onto the baking time.

Fresh or Frozen Berries

There are a couple reasons I choose frozen over fresh for this recipe. One, scones will achieve greater heights when cold ingredients are used, and frozen berries help with that. Two, fresh raspberries tend to get squished and you end up with pink mottled scones – if that’s your thing, then certainly use fresh.

I also don’t have excellent access to fresh raspberries yet because they’re not quite in season, and using frozen means these oat scones can be made all year round. Fresh raspberries will work nicely if you have them, however, but you’ll just get a slightly pink scone with the more delicate fruit.

Expert Tips

• Use cold ingredients: I don’t bother with extra steps like freezing the coconut oil because it doesn’t make enough of a difference for this recipe. But certainly don’t add warm milk or melted oil, you’ll get puddles.
• Don’t over mix: if you mix too long, you’ll have a tough scone. That’s the case for any quick bread but especially so when you use low gluten flours like spelt.
• Add the milk in parts: I’ve outlined this in the recipe, but too much milk is a bad thing here – you want the unbaked dough to be very slightly crumbly rather than too wet.
• Use the sharpest knife you have: you can see in the pictures above that I had a little crumbling, and it’s because I used a dull knife. If you use fresh raspberries, this isn’t as much of a concern, but still a good idea in any case.

More Scones and Biscuits

Coconut Oil Biscuits (American style)
Strawberry Elderflower Scone Cake
Vegan Cream Scones

If you make these Oatmeal Scones or any other vegetarian breakfast recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.