Vegan Walnut Oat Scones (2024)

These walnut oat scones are hearty, wholesome, and the perfect addition to any breakfast spread or to enjoy alongside a cup of tea or coffee! Best of all, they require just two bowls, 10 minutes of prep, and 11 ingredients – all of which are pantry staples!

Hearty Wholesome Vegan Walnut Oat Scones

If there is ever a ‘treat’ that perfectly encompasses hearty, wholesome, and slightly sweet, then it’s delicious vegan scones. Having already shared berry lemon scones and vanilla coconut scones – these walnut oat scones are even heartier with an oat and walnut filling that creates a delicious oat cookie flavor in scone form!

We love the addition of oats in desserts; they’re incredibly cost-effective, naturally gluten-free, and packed with several vitamins, minerals, and fiber – to keep you full until your next meal. Along with these oat scones, we’ve previously shared pumpkin oat cookies, strawberry oat bars, coconut oatmeal cookies, and oatmeal raisin protein balls. And plenty more to come!

These walnut scones have a crumbly and lightly crunchy exterior thanks to a brown sugar topping and a soft, tender interior! Serve these vegan walnut oat scones as-is or top with a simple ‘cream cheese’-style or maple glaze for a sweeter treat- you won’t regret it! Even better, there are several ways you can customize these walnut scones with extra add-ins and substitutions (recommendations below!).

Whether you enjoy these vegan scones as an afternoon snack, hearty breakfast, or light dessert – these are a crowd-pleaser. Serve them up and just watch them devoured in no time at all! Looking for more ideas to use walnuts? You might like these pineapple walnut muffins, this vegan walnut pesto, or walnut-based chorizo meat.

The Ingredients and Substitutes

• Rolled oats: Rolled oats are best for this vegan scone recipe- not instant or steel-cut!
• Flour: You can use a combination of whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour or just all-purpose flour (check recipe below for amounts). I like the addition of whole wheat flour for its more robust flavor and healthful properties.
• Leavening agents: Use baking powder and baking soda to help provide texture and lift to the vegan scones.
• Plant-based milk: Use your favorite milk – oat milk, almond milk, etc.
• Vinegar: This helps to mimic buttermilk and yield super amazing vegan scones.
• Sugar: I used a combination of regular white granulated sugar (for the dough) and brown sugar (to sprinkle over the top). Though feel free to swap the brown sugar for any coarse granulated sugar or even sugar-free sweetener.
• Butter: Use unsalted dairy-free butter. Softened coconut oil should also work.
• Salt: Just a little helps to enhance the oaty flavor of these oat scones.
• Walnuts: Crushed walnuts are used within (and to top) these oat walnut scones. You could also use pecans.
• Oil: I used canola oil. You can use another neutral cooking oil, though, if preferred.

Optional Add-ins:

• Chocolate chips: Use your favorite brands of dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks.
• Vanilla: A little natural vanilla extract is a wonderful addition to these oat scones.
• Herbs/Spices: You can also easily add extra flavor to these vegan scones with spices or even fresh herbs (like rosemary). For these walnut oat scones, I recommend cinnamon and/or ginger powder.
• Dried fruit: Raisins, cranberries, cherries, and/or dried blueberries would all work (1/2-1 cup).
• Citrus: Lemon or orange zest are top additions to any scone and pair wonderfully with nuts, berries, dried fruit, etc.
• Maple glaze: Adapt this recipe to maple walnut scones with the addition of a simple maple glaze by combining maple syrup, confectioners’ sugar, and just a pinch of salt to balance the flavors.
• ‘Cheese’ frosting: Instead of the maple glaze, you could also serve these with a ‘cream cheese’ glaze combining dairy-free plain cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and optionally a little milk if needed to thin.

How to Make Vegan Walnut Oat Scones?

Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and recipe instructions!

1. Start by preheating the oven and preparing a baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicone baking mat, and/or cooking spray.
2. Combine the ‘buttermilk’ by mixing the milk and vinegar. Then combine all the dry ingredients and walnuts in a large bowl and mix.
3. Melt the vegan butter and combine it with the vegan ‘buttermilk’ and oil, then add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (don’t overmix!).
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times into a ball. Then flatten into an 8-inch circle (around 1-inch thick) and divide into eight triangular pieces.
5. Sprinkle each scone with some brown sugar (you may need to lightly brush with some milk first) and walnuts and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. When ready, remove from the oven, cool on a rack, and then enjoy!

Enjoy a scone with a little dairy-free butter, maple butter, whipped coconut cream and the jam of your choice, etc.

How to Make Ahead and Store?

These walnut scones, like any scones, are best enjoyed fresh. However, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days – but within two is best. You can also refrigerate them for 4-5 days, though they tend to become quite tough when chilled.

You can reheat the oat scones in the oven, a toaster oven, or even a microwave.

FAQs:

Can walnut oat scones be frozen?

Yes- I recommend doing so as soon as they’ve cooled and freeze for up to three months. You can then thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as written above.

Can you make the scones ahead?

To prepare the scones ahead, you can prepare and cut out the dough, place them on your baking tray, and cover to refrigerate overnight before baking.

Can you make these into vegan gluten-free scones?

I haven’t tried this vegan scone recipe with gluten-free flour, so I can’t guarantee results. However, a general all-purpose gluten-free flour may work.

Top Tips for Vegan Scones

• To avoid spreading: If you let the dough become too warm, it can spread in the oven. For that reason, if you don’t plan on baking the oat scones immediately or live in a warm place, it’s best to chill the cut scones for 30 minutes on the baking tray (in the fridge or freezer) before baking.
• Leave to cool: The oat scones are crumbly when they’re first removed from the oven, so it’s essential to allow them to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
• Toast the walnuts and oats: To add an incredible depth of flavor to the walnut scones, you can toast the ingredients first. Add the walnuts and oats (separately) to a large dry (no oil) pan and lightly toast until fragrant and lightly browned. Alternatively, toast them spread across a baking tray in the oven at 350F/180C for around 8-10 minutes, or until they smell fragrant and are browning.
• Don’t overwork the dough: It’s important not to overmix or knead the dough too much; otherwise, the scones can become dense and overly chewy.
• For more of a savory scone: You can reduce the sugar to just a pinch, omit the sugar topping, and optionally add some herbs. Savory walnut scones taste amazing when served with strong vegan cheese varieties like ‘goat cheese’-style cheese and chutneys/jams like fig, quince, or red onion marmalade.

More Vegan Snacks You’ll Love

• Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
• Lavender-Scented Apricot Crisp
• Carrot Cake Muffins
• Blueberry Banana Muffins
• Vegan Zucchini Bread
• Fresh Blueberry Shortcake
• Large Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

Photos by Alfonso Revilla