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Vegan Apple Cinnamon Scones! Crisp Apple Scones with No added refined Oil and No Coconut milk! Lower fat delicious Apple Pie Scones. Vegan Soy-free Oil-free Recipe. Can be nut-free. Jump to Recipe
Fall Baking needs scones! These Spiced Cinnamony Apple Scones are just perfect to use the apple bounty. They are also low-fat with no added oil and no full fat coconut milk! And yes, they are still crisp and biscuity!
I usually use full fat coconut milk for scones when making the without oil/butmter and that works out really well. It is not low fat, so I decided to experiment with other options. The 2 things tot make a good low fat scone are 1. do all possible things to keep the moisture from baking out, which can result in dry scones, 2. Chilling at several points for the biscuit like texture rather than cake or muffin texture.
In these scones, I use almond milk and apple sauce as the wet ingredients, which are frozen until some portions of the mix freezes. This mix is used to make the scone dough. The apples are tossed in maple syrup to keep a barrier between the apple moisture and the scone dough. The dough is topped with a liberal dusting of cinnamon and sugar. This helps seal in some of the moisture during baking. The shaped scones are chilled again before baking for a nice crisp crumb. Substitution options are in the notes and in the post. Lets make these!
Ingredients for Vegan Apple Cinnamon Scones
- Non dairy milk, lime juice and apple sauce for the wet ingredients for the Scones.
- Flour, I use a mix of all purpose and wheat flour. See Recipe notes for glutenfree option.
- Almond flour adds texture and some fat. If you are omitting the almond flour to make nut-free, use coconut milk for the non dairy milk to add a little fat to the scone.
- baking powder and baking soda are used for leavening.
- Sugar of choice for slight sweetness and salt to balance the flavor.
- Apple pie spice and vanilla extract add flavor, use pumpkin pie spice or use cinnamon.
- Apples are tossed in maple syrup, so that they don’t leak too much moisture into the surrounding dough making it gummy.
- coconut sugar and cinnamon are sprinkled on top to make a nice crisp crust. This is especially essential with lower fat baking to have a barrier to reduce moisture loss during and after baking.
How to make Vegan Apple Cinnamon Scones with step photos
Mix the apple sauce, lime juice, non dairy milk in a bowl and put it in the freezer for 20-25 mins. Prep the ingredients and slice the apple in the meanwhile.
Toss the apple with maple syrup in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients really well.
Take the milk apple sauce mix bowl out of the freezer. Break any frozen portions into smaller bits. Reserve 2 tbsp and add the rest into the flour and mix. Press and mix to break the frozen bits. Larger frozen bits will make the dough sticky later, so break them and mix.
Add in the apples and vanilla extract if using and mix. Add the remaining apple sauce mix if needed 1 tbsp at a time. The dough should be slightly stiff and just about combined. Transfer the dough to a lined baking sheet or dish. Use flour to shape into a circle of about 3/4 inch height.
Brush non dairy milk or remaining apple sauce mixture. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar. Slice using pizza cutter. Separate the scones a bit. Then put in the freezer for 15 mins (this is especially helpful when using lower fat non dairy milk).
Preheat the oven to 435 deg F. Bake for 17 to 19 mins. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 mins. Add a sugar icing if you wish and serve. Cover with a light towel to store.
Can I make these Apple Cinnamon scones Gluten-free?
Mix 1/2 cup oat flour/white rice flour, 1 1/4 cup almond flour, 1/3 cup potato starch. Use 1 3/4 cup of the mix instead of the regular flour.
You might want to add 2 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil for gluten-free as gf flours tend to dry out faster. Once baked, cool under a towel and store in a covered container.
Can I make the scones without almond flour?
Yes, just use more all purpose flour. Almond flour adds a bit of fat to these scones, so with the almond flour omission you want to use atleast a 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk of the 1/2 cup non dairy milk
How to Store Scones
- Store the freshly baked scones, covered with a towel on the counter for upto 1 day.
- Scones can be refrigerated in a closed container for upto 5 days.
- Scones can be frozen unbaked for upto a month. Remove from the freezer and thaw for 10 mins(while the oven is preheating), then bake. Frozen scones might need 1-2 mins more to bake.
- Baked scones can also be frozen for upto a month. Thaw on the counter for an hour, then reheat in the oven.
More Scones and Biscuits
- Vegan Pumpkin Scones with Pumpkin Caramel Glaze No Oil
- Vegan Churro Scones. No Oil
- Vegan Biscuits – no Oil
- Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits. GF
- Vegan Pumpkin Cornbread 1 Bowl
- Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Scones (No Oil, Low Fat)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup non dairy milk such as almond milk, ,soy milk, oat milk or light coconut milk
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 cup apple sauce
- 1 3/4 cup flour, (I use 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose)
- 1/4 cup almond flour, (Nut-free: use more flour for nutfree, and use full fat coconut milk for the non dairy milk)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1.5 tsp apple pie spice, or use 1.25 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp all spice, 1/8 tsp cardamom(optional), or use pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1.25 cups thinly sliced apple, or finely chopped (very thin slices)
- 1.5 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, optional
- Optional add ins: 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Topping:
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix the apple sauce, lime juice and non dairy milk in a bowl and put it in the freezer for 20-25 mins. Prep the ingredients and slice the apple in the meanwhile.
- Toss the sliced apple with maple syrup in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients really well.
- Take the milk apple sauce mix bowl out of the freezer. Break any frozen portions into smaller bits. Reserve 2 tbsp and add the rest to the flour bowl and mix. Press and mix. the larger frozen bits of the milk mixture will make the dough sticky later, so press to break those bits and mix. Add in the apples and vanilla extract if using and mix.
- Add the remaining apple sauce mix if needed 1 tbsp at a time to make a stiff-ish dough. The dough should be slightly stiff and just about combined. Transfer the dough to parchment lined baking sheet or stoneware/ceramic dish. Using flour, shape the dough into a somewhat circle of about 3/4 inch height.
- Brush non dairy milk or any remaining apple sauce mixture. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle over the dough. Slice using a pizza cutter. Separate the scones a bit. Then put in the freezer for 15 mins.(This is important for low fat milks).
- Preheat the oven to 435 deg F(225 C). Remove the sheet from the freezer and Bake for 17 to 19 mins. Check by tapping if the scones sound hollow. If not, then bake for another 3 to 5 mins. Remove from the oven and Cover with a light towel to cool for 10 mins. Add a simple sugar icing if you wish and serve.
- Store the freshly baked scones, covered with a towel on the counter for upto 1 day. Scones can be refrigerated in a closed container for upto 5 days. See storage paragraph above for freezing instructions. Apples in the scones continue to leak moisture, so they will soften with time.
Video
Notes
You might want to add atleast 2 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil for gluten-free as gf flours tend to dry out faster. Once baked, cool under a towel and store in a covered container. Nutrition is for 1 Serve
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am going to make these tomorrow, can’t wait! But I am wondering if i could add a few tbsp of nut butter to create a similar affect as the butter/oil?
yes, a couple variation option I always write in Notes:
Use Oil/vegan butter: Use 3-4 tbsp softened vegan butter or oil and mix in the dry until crumbly. Add 1/2 cup chilled non dairy milk and mix in. Fold in the apples, then add more non dairy milk as needed.
These were very good. I used 4 tbsp cornstarch, 3 tbsp oil, and 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk.
Thank you very much for this wonderful recipe. ^-^ Next time I will try to make your banana scones. They look delicious!
So glad you enjoyed these! 🙂
A delicious dessert and morning treat. We’re trying to lower our fat and sugar intake and these were perfect. I used half all-purpose and half whole wheat pastry flour, in addition to the almond flour. Full of apple-y goodness and the crisp topping and spices added a wonderful depth of flavor without being too sweet. I added all the liquid and the dough ended up a little sticky, so I made them a bit under 3/4″ high and baked for a extra 10 minutes. Loved by all in the family… vegan, carnivore and omnivore.
I was really excited that these came out with the texture I want from a scone — I’ve never made scones before! I used the extra flour/coconut milk option and it worked beautifully. I did end up baking about five extra minutes, after separating the scones more on my baking tray partway through the bake when they seemed to be trying to bake themselves together. Thank you for the recipe, Richa!
For the gluten free option, do you still add the 1/4 cup almond flour in addition the flour mix recipe you provided? Also, for the mix, do we measure 1 3/4 cup and just save the extra for another use ? Mix 1/2 cup oat flour/white rice flour, 1 1/4 cup almond flour, 1/3 cup potato starch. Use 1 3/4 cup of the mix instead of the regular flour.
Yes add it
for the gluten mix, do we measure 1 3/4 cup and just save the extra for another use ?
For vegan and no oil, these turned out great! A bit more effort than some of Richa’s other recipes but nonetheless great with very little sugar involved. Definitely need some coffee or tea on the side for dipping 🙂
Loved this recipe! I’ve been wanting to try making scones and this was a delicious and easy way to start! I’ll definitely make it again.
I always love Richa’s recipes and started following her when I went vegan 4 years ago – this recipe is also great. We had these this morning and I substituted pears for apple and added some lemon zest at the end. Cooking time was upward of 30 minutes in a cast iron scone plan. I filled the empty pan areas with water to keep everything moist. One note – this is not a quick bread type recipe. It’s more a leisurely brunch aka trash-the-kitchen morning. End-to-end this was easily an hour so keep that in mind if you are trying to do it to a time schedule. Enjoy!
This was my first time making scones ever and I was surprised by how well they turned out! So delicious and great texture. I’ll be sure to make these again and again!
yay
I used Almond flour and whole wheat pastry flour. Could it have been that?
most likely. whole grain flours usually need more moisture and more help with leavening. did you use more almond flour than listed?