Vegan Lemon Strawberry & Pistachio Scones with Lemon Glaze
Loaded with strawberries and pistachios and bursting with lemon-y notes, these scones are a delightful treat to kick off summer and strawberry season!
Strawberry season is upon us, which means it’s time to fully indulge in those sweet, super juicy local strawberries that seem to only #bless us with their presence for a few fleeting weeks. But even though (or rather, especially because) strawberry season is short, I always intend to make the most out of it (as my bank account can attest). So much so that I sometimes (actually, always) get carried away buying too many. Luckily for me, there are endless ways to use them, so there really isn’t such a thing as *too many* strawberries… right?
I really, really love the combo of strawberries, lemons, and pistachios. So much so that I dedicated an entire cake recipe to it and always recommend serving my lemon pistachio granola alongside oat milk and fresh strawberries (trust me!). And now, I’ve incorporated this flavor combo into one of my favorite baked treats: scones. Scones are fairly easy to make, so you get some of those delicious flavors without, say, having to bake and assemble an entire cake (which itself is a vibe, but it’s not necessarily always a quick go-to vibe), making them a relatively low effort/high payout treat. 😉
Why You’ll Love these Lemon Strawberry & Pistachio Scones
Perfect texture. These scones have a sliiiightly crispy exterior with a soft and tender crumb that’s bursting with bits of juicy strawberries and little bits of crunchy pistachios, and topped with a lemon glaze for some extra sweetness and tartness, plus some bonus bits of pistachios to finish them off.
Delightfully summer-y flavors. These aren’t your average plain lemon or strawberry scones. These scones are loaded with strawberries and pistachios - on its own a 🔥 flavor combo - but it gets taken to the next level when paired with lemon and warming vanilla. Together, these incorporate bright citrus, juicy strawberry, and nutty pistachios to create the ultimate summer scone.
Use standard baking ingredients. I’m all about whole grain baking using whole grain flours, but I know that those recipes can be intimidating if you’ve never baked with these before. (Like if you’re someone wondering “Is it even possible for a whole grain carrot cake muffin to taste good, let alone like amazing carrot cake?”, I assure you that yes - yes, it absolutely is). I get it - the barrier to entry is much higher when using new ingredients. And if that’s you, I’m happy to report that these scones use standard baking ingredients that you probably already (mostly) have in your pantry, such as all-purpose flour, cane sugar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and baking powder/soda. That means you should be able to whip up a batch ASAP. 😉
Ingredient Overview
All-purpose flour. To allow the delightful flavors of lemon, strawberry and pistachio to fully shine, these scones use plain all-purpose flour.
Cane sugar. To sweeten the scones!
Baking soda, baking powder, and salt. The leaveners, plus salt for flavor balance and texture.
Coconut oil (frozen). The fat source! Frozen coconut oil works wonderfully in scones because it creates little air pockets that help the scones rise up (instead of spreading out!) during baking.
Non-dairy milk and lemon juice. Mixing lemon juice with your favorite non-dairy milk creates a vegan “buttermilk” mixture that helps the scones rise (by reacting with the baking soda, a base) and gives them their fluffy interior texture!
Lemon zest. To infuse the scones with notes of lemon.
Vanilla extract. To balance the flavors with some added warmth.
Applesauce. To introduce extra moisture while also making the scones extra tender and fluffy! It’s my secret weapon for getting the absolutely perfect-textured scones, every single time.
Fresh strawberries and pistachios. The namesake flavors! Be sure to use super juicy, fresh strawberries (the extra juiciness is key in forming the dough) and chop the pistachios into small chunks. And for a bit of extra texture on top of the scones (and because it makes them extra pretty 😍), don’t forget to use some extra pistachios and chop them into very tiny bits.
Lemon glaze (powdered sugar + lemon juice). To balance the scones with some extra sweetness, we top them with a simple glaze, which is just a mix of powdered sugar and lemon juice.
Tips for Baking these Scones
Accurately measure the flour. When it comes to baking, measuring flour in grams using a food scale will give you the most consistent results! But if you don’t have one (you should 100% invest in one - they’re inexpensive and invaluable for cooking and baking), measure the flour using the “spoon and level” method to avoid using too much flour (too much flour = dry/dense scones and no one wants that!). To do this, “fluff” the flour with a spoon to aerate it. Then, spoon the flour into a measuring cup until it overflows slightly, and use the back of a knife to “level” the excess flour off the top.
Use frozen coconut oil. For the best rise, use frozen pea-sized bits of coconut oil! To create these frozen pea-sized pieces of oil, measure out some room temp coconut oil (which is usually semi soft or maybe liquid if it’s quite hot in your home), pop it into the freezer for a few minutes to freeze, then remove it and chop it! The frozen oil pieces will create little air pockets that will make the scones rise up instead of spreading out during baking. Science! 🤓
Resist adding more liquid into the dough. Scone dough is on the dry side, which means you really only want to add just enough liquid to form a dough, and no more beyond that. You want to avoid soggy scone dough! When you first incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry, it might not seem like there’s enough liquid to form a batter, but once you add in the chopped strawberries, they will release more moisture as you mix them in, and a dough will eventually form. If, and only if, for whatever reason your dough has dry bits of flour after you’ve added the strawberries, mix in a bit more non-dairy milk (1 teaspoon at a time) until a dough fully forms.
Freeze the dough. A very cold dough is key in achieving the perfect scone shape (i.e. nicely domed tops) and texture. By freezing the dough before baking, it ensures the coconut oil will be solid as the scones go into the oven, helping the scones puff up (and not spread out) during baking!
Cool before glazing. Let the scones cool for at least 20 minutes before spreading on the glaze to avoid it melting off.
Best when fresh. Scones are always best when fresh, i.e. within a few hours of baking, so I highly recommend baking these on the same day you’ll eat them! Leftovers will keep for a day or so at room temp but the scones will soften and lose their slightly crispy exterior. They’ll still taste delicious, but their texture won’t be nearly as satisfying.
More Scone Recipes
If you love scones, or you’re just looking for some more scone recipes to try, here are some ideas:
Vegan Whole Grain Chocolate Espresso Scones with Espresso Glaze
Vegan Apple Walnut Scones with Cinnamon Cider Glaze (Whole Grain Spelt!)
Time to bake!
Lemon Strawberry & Pistachio Scones
Vegan
Makes 8
Ingredients
Scones:
¼ cup non-dairy milk (oat, cashew, etc. - I used oat)
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice (zest your lemon(s) before juicing them!)
240 grams/2 cups (spooned & leveled) all-purpose flour
56 grams/¼ cup granulated cane sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine salt
¼ cup coconut oil measured in liquid/semi-solid state, then frozen until solid* (see notes)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped strawberries (measured after chopping)
⅓ cup raw pistachios, chopped
Lemon glaze:
120 grams/1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Topping:
2 tablespoons pistachios, very finely chopped
Directions
In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and lemon juice to form a “buttermilk” mixture. Transfer to the fridge to set for a few minutes as you prep the rest of the ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Remove the frozen coconut oil from the freezer and use a knife to chop it into pea-sized pieces. Add the frozen coconut oil pieces to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
Remove the buttermilk from the fridge. Add in the lemon zest, applesauce, and vanilla extract and mix together to combine.
Add the buttermilk/applesauce mix to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to combine. At first, it will look like there isn’t enough liquid to form a dough, but keep mixing, using your hands at the very end to incorporate everything and form a dough, but being careful not to overmix once a dough forms.
Note: It’s okay (and expected!) to have a few floured bits left - you’ll introduce more moisture in the next step when you add in the strawberries. If you’re still having a really hard time incorporating the ingredients after the next step, you can add a bit of milk (1 teaspoon at a time) and mix until a dough completely forms.
Add the chopped strawberries and pistachios and use the spatula (and your hands, as needed) to mix until a dough forms. The dough will be quite loaded!
Transfer the dough to a flat surface and shape it into a flat disk that’s about 1-inch tall. Using a large knife, cut straight through the disk to form eight even wedges.
Separate the wedges and transfer them onto a silicone mat or parchment paper, then move them to the freezer to chill for 20 minutes. At this point, pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
When the oven is ready, transfer the silicone mat/parchment paper with the scones onto a metal baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake until the scones are lightly browned and crisped on the outside, about 15-18 minutes (mine were perfect after 17).
Remove the baked scones from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them onto a baking rack to cool for 20-25 more minutes.
While the scones are baking, prepare your glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until a drizzly glaze forms, adding a bit more lemon juice (½ teaspoon at a time) to get the drizzly consistency, if needed.
Once the scones have cooled, drizzle the glaze onto each scone and immediately top with the finely chopped pistachios.
Let set for a few minutes and enjoy! Best when fresh, although leftovers will keep at room temperature for a day or two but they’ll soften over time and lose their perfect texture.
Notes:
*To freeze the coconut oil, measure it out while it’s in liquid or semi-soft state and place it in a small shallow bowl or onto a plate with edges (or any flat-ish dish that will make it easy to scoop the frozen oil out of) and transfer it to your freezer to set until completely solid. Pinch bowls work best if you have them!
Loving these summer-y scones? 🍓 Please take a moment to leave a review in the comments below and tag me on Instagram (@teostinykitchen) when you share them - I always appreciate your support!