These vegan matcha scones with white chocolate chips have an amazing, strawberry glaze that gives them such an incredible flavor!
Table of Contents
These vegan matcha scones were inspired by the vegan shakes at Plantees in Orlando. You can add matcha, strawberry, or both to your shake, and I was so intrigued by that flavor combo!
These matcha scones are bursting with creamy, vegan white chocolate chips and topped with a sweet-tart strawberry glaze. The flavors and textures just mesh so well together!
This recipe is adapted from my vegan pumpkin spice scones, and I am honestly obsessed with how they came out! Crisp outside, tender inside with sweet berries and creamy white chocolate? What's not to love?
This recipe took a lot of trial and error to nail for various reasons I won't get into here. But I do want to give a shoutout to my friend, Liz Khimani, who helped me workshop and fielded a heroic amount of scones-related venting during the development process. 😆
If breakfast pastries are your jam, also check out my recipes for vegan blackberry scones, pistachio scones, easy matcha muffins, vegan cherry cheese danish, and einkorn banana blueberry muffins!
🍓 Ingredients and substitutions
- vegan milk - I like to use soy or oat milk in baking, but you can use any creamy vegan milk in this recipe. Just make sure it's a thick one, not thin like old school rice milk.
- apple cider vinegar - We are mixing this with the milk to make vegan buttermilk!
- vanilla extract - Brings out all of the incredible flavors in these matcha scones.
- all-purpose flour - Normally, I use all-purpose and white wheat flours interchangeably, but for this recipe, we want that vibrant, matcha green to shine through, so stick with all-purpose.
- sugar - Granulated sugar sweetens the scones.
- baking powder, baking soda, and salt - To condition the dough.
- matcha powder - Use good quality matcha, like Gotcha Matcha (affiliate link), to make these scones. My readers can get 10% off with code matchalove.
- vegetable shortening - You can use vegan butter instead, if you prefer.
- white chocolate chips - Vegan white chocolate chips are available in some stores or you can find them online (affiliate link).
- strawberries - Sliced, fresh strawberries make these scones so addictive!
- powdered sugar - For making the strawberry glaze.
- soy milk - Use your favorite thick, non-dairy milk to thin out the glaze, if needed.
🥣 How to make vegan matcha scones
In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Set this aside.
In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients, then cut the shortening into the flour mixture. Use your hands to knead it together until it reaches the consistency of beach sand.
Now, add the white chocolate chips and wet ingredients mixture to the bowl, and mix that together until you have a cohesive ball of slightly sticky dough (see note). Chill the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the ball of dough into the center of the baking sheet. Use your hands to flatten it into a 7" disc, then use a pizza cutter or a knife to slice it into 8 triangles. Separate the triangles, so they are evenly spaced on the baking sheet, and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the scones are golden on the edges.
Make the strawberry glaze while the scones bake.
Add the strawberries to your blender, and blend until smooth. Pour them into a small mixing bowl along with 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Mix well, then add the remaining powdered sugar and mix again.
If the mixture is very thick at this point, add the 1 tablespoon of soy milk and mix again. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency. You want it drizzle-able but not so thin that it slides right off.
When the scones are done baking, let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then move them to a plate to cool completely.
When the scones are completely cooled, spread or drizzle on the strawberry glaze.
💡 Helpful tips
- The dough for the scones should be sticky but not too wet. It should almost feel like it's a little bit too dry. That's how you get that good, scones texture! Add a little extra flour, if the dough feels wet.
- Chilling the dough helps prevent the scones from spreading in the oven and will yield the best texture.
- Make sure you let the scones cool completely before glazing them. The glaze will melt right off if they're still warm when you glaze them.
🫙 Storage directions
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for two to three days. Make sure the scones are completely cool before storing, because condensation in the container can cause them to spoil.
💬 Frequently asked questions
You can! Baked goods like these vegan matcha scones use only a small amount of matcha, so any grade matcha will work fine.
You don't want the batter to be too wet, and you don't want to overmix the batter. You should end up with a sticky, somewhat dry-feeling dough.
Because of the higher temperature that we are baking these scones at (425° F), they can turn a little bit brown inside, and that's fine!
You can bake at a lower temp (350° F) if you want these to be more bright green, but the texture just isn't the same. It's up to you what you want to do!
Another factor that can contribute to the matcha browning is it reacting with other ingredients. Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour can sometimes yield more green matcha scones, but at this high temperature, it's not guaranteed, so I didn't want to make you buy special flour.
Because strawberries can vary in juiciness, your glaze may need more or less powdered sugar. If it's too runny, like running off the scones when you ice them, then add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick to even drizzle, add a little more soy/oat/etc milk to thin it out.
📖 Recipe
Matcha Scones
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 10 tablespoons soy or oat milk or other creamy, non-dairy milk. (That's ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons.)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup organic sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons matcha powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
To add later
- ½ cup vegan white chocolate chips
- ½ cup vegetable shortening or vegan butter
For the strawberry glaze
- ¼ cup strawberries
- 1 cup powdered sugar or more, as needed
- 1 teaspoon soy milk or oat, almond, etc. Optional, use if needed.
Instructions
Make the matcha scones.
- In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Set this aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients, then cut the shortening into the flour mixture. Use your hands to knead it together until it reaches the consistency of beach sand.
- Now, add the white chocolate chips and wet ingredients mixture to the bowl, and mix that together until you have a cohesive ball of slightly sticky dough (see note). Chill the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the ball of dough into the center of the baking sheet. Use your hands to flatten it into a 7" disc, then use a pizza cutter or a knife to slice it into 8 triangles. Separate the triangles, so they are evenly spaced on the baking sheet, and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the scones are golden on the edges.
Make the strawberry glaze while the scones bake.
- Add the strawberries to your blender, and blend until smooth. Pour them into a small mixing bowl along with 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Mix well, then add the remaining powdered sugar and mix again.
- If the mixture is very thick at this point, add the 1 tablespoon of soy milk and mix again. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency. You want it drizzle-able but not so thin that it slides right off.
- When the scones are done baking, let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then move them to a plate to cool completely.
- When the scones are completely cooled, spread or drizzle on the strawberry glaze.
TofuAnnie
I'm trying to lower my fat intake, and I know me. I will eat 3 before I realize it. Is there a way to lower the butter or shortening a bit? Would apple sauce or something else do the trick? I love your 'I'm obsessed with...' receipes!