Vegan Hot Cross Scones

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A quick and easy alternative to hot cross buns for Easter, these vegan hot cross scones have all the flavours of a traditional hot cross bun but in scone form.

They are flavoured with spices, orange zest and dried fruit and decorated with the classic cross. Enjoy them for breakfast, a snack or afternoon tea.

Vegan hot cross scones on a wire cooling rack with a bowl of syrup and a pastry brush.

Hot cross buns are great, but they do take a while to make, so if you are in the mood for something with all the flavour of a classic hot cross bun, but considerably quicker and easier to make, then these vegan hot cross scones are for you!

A labelled photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan hot cross scones.

Ingredient Details:

Vegan block butter: For the best results you need to use a cold BLOCK butter/margarine, NOT the spreadable kind in a tub which has too high a water content for baking. I use Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant butter.

Milk: Any kind of unsweetened non-dairy milk will work (except tinned coconut milk) but I like soy milk best.

Self-raising flour: Self raising (self-rising) flour is best here but if you can't get hold of it you could try using plain flour plus 4 ½ teaspoons of baking powder. You will also need plain flour to make the crosses.

Baking powder: Scones need quite a lot of raising agent, so the self-raising flour is boosted with a bit of extra baking powder.

Brown sugar: I prefer light brown soft sugar here, but caster or granulated will also work.

Orange: Zest for flavour and some juice to add a bit of acid which helps make the scones light and tender.

Mixed dried fruit: I used a shop bought mix of raisins, sultanas, currants and candied peel but just sultanas works great too.

Spices: For those of you not in the UK, mixed spice is a blend of sweet spices which is used in abundance in festive baking. It is similar to pumpkin spice but uses a different blend and is less heavy on the cinnamon. You can use any sweet spice blend such as pumpkin or apple pie spice instead.

Golden syrup: I brush the baked scones with golden syrup to give them a nice, shiny glaze. You can use maple syrup or warmed apricot jam or marmalade instead.

A scone sliced in half and filled with butter and marmalade on a metal plate with a box full of scones in the background.

How To Make Vegan Hot Cross Scones:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1, the dry ingredients with the butter rubbed in.

Step 1: Mix the flour, baking powder and spices together in a bowl. Add the butter and orange zest and rub it in using your fingertips until no lumps of butter remain.

Step 2, the dry ingredients with the fruit and sugar mixed in.

Step 2: Stir in the sugar and mixed dried fruit.

Step 3: Mix together the milk, orange juice and vanilla extract in a jug.

Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to form a soft, sticky dough.

Step 5, the dough after patting out and folding it.

Step 5: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, sprinkle with more flour and pat out into a rectangle. Fold it in half then pat out and fold twice more.

Syep 6, cutting rounds out of the patted out dough.

Step 6: Pat the dough out to about 4cm thick, use a floured 6cm cookie cutter to cut out as many scones as you can.

Step 7: Place the scones spaced apart on a lined baking sheet.

Step 8: Mix together the plain flour, oil and enough water to make a thick batter.

Step 9, the scones with the crosses piped on top.

Step 9: Pipe crosses of the batter on top of each scone.

Step 10, the baked scones before glazing.

Step 10: Bake for 12-15 minutes then brush with syrup to glaze.

Hot cross scones in a metal box with a jar of marmalade and a bowl of butter.

Top Tips:

USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

For the teaspoon and Tablespoon measurements, please use proper measuring spoons, not just regular spoons. A teaspoon is 5ml and a Tablespoon is 15ml.

The dough should be on the soft, sticky side for the lightest, moistest results and you don't want to over-work it.

Pat, rather than roll the dough out and keep it quite thick, about 4cm / 1 ½ inches is ideal.

Don't twist the cutter when cutting out the scones, press it straight down through the dough.

You can also pat the dough out into a round and slice it into 8 wedges instead of using cookie cutters. They make take a little longer to bake (about 18-20 minutes).

Scones are best eaten as soon as possible, ideally just cooled, and definitely on the same day as they are baked. If you do happen to have any leftovers the next day then they are best eaten split, toasted and buttered.

You can reduce the sugar to 40g if you prefer a less sweet scone.

FAQ's:

Can I freeze vegan hot cross scones?

Yes they freeze really well. Ideally they should be frozen on the day they are baked to preserve freshness. Allow them to cool completely then freeze in a ziplock bag or freezer-proof container for up to three months.
Allow to defrost at room temperature (or give them a quick blast in the microwave if you are in a hurry) then refresh them in a low oven for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Can I leave off the crosses?

Yes of course, the crosses are purely decorative. You could also make a simple glaze by mixing icing sugar and enough water to make a thick but spoonable consistency and pipe it in crosses on top of the scones after they are baked and cooled.

Vegan hot cross scones on a wire cooling rack.

More Vegan Scone Recipes:

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