Indulge in a quick afternoon treat with buttery homemade vegan chocolate chip scones. This recipe makes 4 Scottish style plant-based scones

Prepare yourself for a treat when you make a small batch of these golden scones.
They are soft, and buttery inside with little pockets of chocolate.
This recipe makes 4 large vegan chocolate chip scones or 6 smaller scones.
Just divine and no one would guess they are dairy-free scones.
Jump to:
- 🍪 What are Scottish scones?
- 🧾 What's different about Scottish scones?
- 🧾 How do Scottish scones differ from American scones?
- 🔪 Why is cutting scones into a triangle such a bad idea?
- 🍪 What you need to make choc chip scones
- 🍪 Traditional Scottish scone flavours
- 🍫 Alternatives to chocolate chips
- 🥣 Serving Scones
- 💭 Top tips for perfect scones
- 🍽 Equipment for baking scones
- ♨️ Bake scones in the oven or air fryer?
- 👩🏻🍳 Related recipes
- 👩🏻🍳 Vegan chocolate recipes
- ⭐ Want new recipes delivered to your inbox?
- ⭐ Save your favourite recipes for free!
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make chocolate chip vegan scone recipe
- 📖 Recipe
- Comments
🍪 What are Scottish scones?
Scones, which are also called bannock, are a teatime treat created in Scotland, to represent the Stone of Destiny.
The Stone of Destiny could originally be found in the grounds of Scone Palace (just outside of Perth) where the Kings of Scotland were crowned.
You may know that it was recently used for the Coronation of King Charles III (it sits underneath the coronation chair), but has now been returned to it's new home in Perth museum.
You can read more about it on Perth Museum's Stone of Destiny page.
🧾 What's different about Scottish scones?
Scottish scones are made from just 4 main ingredients, flour; sugar; butter; and milk.
They don't include eggs and nor should they. If you find a recipe with eggs included it's not a traditional recipe and more of a cake than a scone.
🧾 How do Scottish scones differ from American scones?
Over the years scones have become increasingly popular across the world and especially in America, with a plethora of recipes on American blogs and websites.
Scottish scones are much lighter and far less sweet than this new style of scones.
But there is another big difference, which I have a big issue with.
So many American-style scones are cut into triangles.
🔪 Why is cutting scones into a triangle such a bad idea?
Cutting scones into triangles before baking is a dreadful idea.
If you cut scone dough into triangles, and then bake them, the result is hard or tough sections of scone at the tip and in each of the corners.
Unfortunately, it's become a bit of a trend.
I would love all these bakers and creators to try making Scottish scones with a round cutter, to see how much nicer they are.
Crisp on the outside, but light, fluffy, crumbly, and buttery on the inside with no hard or tough areas.
It's a game-changer!
🍪 What you need to make choc chip scones
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make these vegan scones.
- Flour - self-raising flour
- Butter - vegan butter or margarine
- Sugar - caster sugar
- Salt - just a pinch
- Milk - I use oat milk. but you can use your regular type
- Chocolate chips - I use dark chocolate chips
See the full printable recipe card for quantities. method, notes and calories below the step-by-step photos or use the jump button above.
🍪 Small batch of scones
This recipe makes a small batch of scones.
It makes 4 large scones or 6 smaller scones.
If you'd like to make a bigger batch there is a button in the recipe card to change the quantity to double or triple.
Just make the bigger batch the same way.
🍪 Traditional Scottish scone flavours
In Scotland, scones are served as plain or fruit scones as part of afternoon tea or a high tea.
The fruit is usually raisins or sultanas.
However, savoury scones are very popular too.
These are usually cheese scones and served with soup or just with a slather of butter.
🍫 Alternatives to chocolate chips
Chocolate chip scones are not a traditional filling for British scones or Scottish scones.
However, they are delicious in a freshly baked scone.
If you don't have chocolate chips or don't want to add them, here are a few more ideas.
- Plain - with no fruit
- Raisins
- Sultanas
- Cherries - fresh or glace cherries
- Blueberries
For something a bit different, try my lemonade blueberry scones.
🥣 Serving Scones
Here are a few ways to serve scones, everyone has their own favourite style.
When it comes to chocolate chip scones, I love them spread with butter.
My son loves them with butter and strawberry jam or vegan maple butter, which is super easy to make.
Graham, my husband, is just happy to have homemade scones and will eat then either way.
- Butter - just a slather of vegan butter
- Butter and jam - always popular
- Jam and cream - whipped or squirty vegan cream and jam
- Chocolate peanut butter - an easy one to make at home
💭 Top tips for perfect scones
Here are the tips you need to make the best scones
- Keep it cold - For light and fluffy scones, you want cold butter lightly rubbed into flour with fingertips only.
- If you have hot hands it's better to use a food processor to cut the butter into the flour.
- Don't add too much milk - You only need enough to bring the dough together, it should not be a wet dough.
- Don't overwork it- When making scone dough, don't overwork it, just bring the mixture together, never knead it.
- Keep it thick- There's no need to roll the dough, just pat flat with the palm of your hand.
- Keep it thick (about 1 inch/2 ½ cm thick, or a bit more).
- Don't twist it - Try not to twist the cutter or glass as you lift it from the dough or it will rise all lopsided.
- Brush the top - brush the top of the scones with milk before baking for a golden finish.
- Serve them on the day they are made - For best results, serve them fresh.
🍽 Equipment for baking scones
To make a delicious batch of choc chip scones, all you need is a set of scales (or cup and measuring spoons) a bowl, a knife, and a glass or cookie cutter to cut the dough.
Once they are cut, you need a lined baking tray to bake them on.
♨️ Bake scones in the oven or air fryer?
These easy vegan scones can be baked in the oven or in an air fryer.
If you are using an air fryer, they will bake quicker, so do keep an eye on them..
Check out these vegan air fryer fruit scones.
👩🏻🍳 Related recipes
Looking for other easy vegan bakes? Try these:
👩🏻🍳 Vegan chocolate recipes
Love the look of these chocolate scones, here are a few more chocolate recipes for you to try:
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👩🏻🍳 How to make chocolate chip vegan scone recipe
These step-by-step photos will show you how to make this vegan scone recipe. Keep scrolling for the full printable recipe (with full ingredient list, calories and nutritional info).
Step 1
- Preheat the oven and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
- In a mixing bowl add the flour, sugar and salt, then give a good mix.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix through the flour, this will prevent them from dropping to the bottom of the scones.
- Add the vegan butter.
Step 2
- Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until just rubbed in and you are left with a crumbly mixture.
- Add the milk a bit at a time, cutting through and bringing the mixture together with a knife. You may not need to add it all, you just need the dough to come together but it shouldn't be wet.
- Pull the dough together, then place on a lightly floured worktop and press down with the palm of your hand until it's about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) thick, maybe a little more.
- Cut four scones with a cookie cutter, fluted scone cutter or a glass. If your cutter is smaller than mine, you may end up with 5 or 6 smaller scones (full details in the recipe card below).
- Place the scones gently on the lined tray.
Step 3
- Once the scones are on the baking tray, brush the tops with milk. This will give them a golden finish as they bake.
- Bake until golden, then move to a baking rack to cool.
- Serve and enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Chip Scones - Small Batch
Ingredients
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 50 g chocolate chips
- 50 g vegan butter (or margarine)
- 125 ml oat milk (or your regular milk)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220c/200c fan/425f/gas mark 7.
- Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
- In a mixing bowl add the flour, sugar and salt and mix well.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix well to coat in flour, which will stop them sinking to the bottom of the scones when baked.
- Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until it it is well mixed in and the miture is crumbly with little flakes of flour coated butter.
- Add the milk a bit at a time, and use a knife to cut through the mixture until it starts sticking together.
- Only add a little extra milk if there is dry mixture in the bottom of the bowl which is not absorbed. You may not need to use all the milk.
- You are looking for a dough you can bring together with your hands but not a wet dough.
- Don't knead the dough, just bring it together and place on a lightly floured worktop.
- Press it down gently with the palm of your hand until it's about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) thick, maybe a little more.
- Cut four scones with a cookie cutter, fluted scone cutter or a glass. my cutter is a smooth one which was 3 inches (7.5 cm) diameter (across the middle). If you have a smaller cutter, you will end up with more than 4 scone and they may bake a bit quicker.
- Pull any scraps together to make another scone.
- Place the scones gently on the lined tray and brush the tops with a little milk.
- Bake in the preheated oven (or air fryer) for 12 to 15 minutes until golden. The air fryer bakes a little quicker, so keep an eye on them.
- Move to a baking rack and allow them to cool before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Keep it cold - For light & fluffy scones, use cold butter & lightly rub it into the flour with fingertips only. If you have hot hands it'd be better to use a food processor to cut the butter into the flour.
- Don't add too much milk - You only need enough to bring the dough together, it should not be a wet dough.
- Don't overwork it- when making scone dough, don't overwork it, all you want to do is bring the mixture together, never knead it.
- Keep it thick- there's no need to roll the dough, just pat it flat with the palm of your hand, but keep it thick (about 1 inch/2 ½ cm thick, or a bit more).
- Don't twist it - try not to twist the cutter or glass as you lift it from the dough or it will rise all lopsided.
- Serve them on the day they are made - For best results, serve them fresh.
Jill says
Oh my goodness these look heavenly Jaqs.I cannot wait to try them. Jill x
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh thanks Jill and yes they are rather good. In fact, it is just as well it only makes 4 scones or I would be too tempted.
Sam says
You are making me drool. I never thought of adding choc chips but now I have to have them
Jacqueline Meldrum says
They are so, so good especially when they are still a little warm and the chocolate is all melty.
Crissy says
Easy recipe - my 11yo made these for us, she used wholemeal self-raising flour and they are delicious. She followed the recipe for 8 but managed to make 16 out of it, and I didn’t think they were small!