Vegan Wild Blueberry Scones (Panera Copycat!)

Last month Tony and I had a fun trip to Maine to learn about wild blueberries. There were many fabulous takeaways, but the one thing I could not get out of my head were the Panera Wild Blueberry Scones. They are reportedly Panera’s top seller, but of course we’ve never tried them since they aren’t dairy-free. That was something I was determined to rectify!

I analyzed the Panera wild blueberry scones recipe and nutrition facts, and what do you know, they are relatively simple cream scones! All I needed to make these beauties happen was a secret dairy-free ingredient.

Rich, full fat coconut milk swaps in for the cream to make wonderfully simple, delicious wild blueberry scones. Do you see how thick it is in the picture above? This should not be confused with coconut milk beverage, which is wonderful in its own right, but is far too thin (more like 2% milk) for this recipe.

Not a fan of coconut? Don’t worry, the coconut flavor is quite muted and actually negated by the vanilla. The result is just a wonderfully sweet scone letting the fruit take center stage.

As you might notice, there are two different-looking types of wild blueberry scones shown here. One is with fresh / frozen wild blueberries, the other is with dried wild blueberries. The fresh ones are a little harder to work with and do take on more moisture, which is why they look a little more “rustic”. If you want that “perfect scone” look, dried fruit is the way to go with this recipe.

The Panera wild blueberry scones are sweet, but I did test “less sweet” scones with equal satisfaction. Nonetheless, I couldn’t resist drizzling some icing on those. What can I say, when I’m craving a baked treat, I like to go all the way.

This post is sponsored by So Delicious Dairy Free, but the wild blueberry scones, photos and opinions are all mine. The recipe is adapted from my Vanilla Cream Scones recipe in Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Everday Cookbook.

For a quick icing, simply thin powdered sugar with a little dairy-free milk beverage. In this picture, I used 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon  So Delicious unsweetened dairy-free coconut milk beverage, and 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract. My icing was quite thin. I would start with just 2 teaspoons milk beverage and drizzle in more drops as needed.

Reader Raves

Thanks to Janina for providing feedback on this recipe via Facebook: “I made these last weekend. They disappeared in less than 1 day. Yummy!”

Thank to Jeanette for providing feedback on this recipe via Instagram: “They were yummy this morning esp with added almond extract ?”

Thanks to Alissa for providing feedback on this recipe via Facebook: “This is one of my favorites! So delicious!”

Thanks to Ashley for providing feedback on this recipe via Facebook: “I’ve made this many times they’re so good!!”

Special Diet Notes: Wild Blueberry Scones

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

I have not yet tested this recipe gluten-free, but it may work with your favorite gluten-free flour blend. Let us know in the comments if you do try these wild blueberry scones gluten-free, what you used, and how it worked out!

4.7 from 16 reviews

Vegan Wild Blueberry Scones (Panera Copycat)

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

This classic recipe is adapted from a beloved recipe in my cookbook, Eat Dairy Free.

Author: Alisa Fleming

Serves: 8 wild blueberry scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour*
• ½ cup sugar*
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup frozen wild blueberries or ¼ cup dried wild blueberries
• 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk (use a good quality one, with lots of cream - NOT coconut milk beverage), or as needed**
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and lightly dust two spots with flour.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
3. Add the frozen wild blueberries to the flour, and toss lightly to coat, breaking up any berry clumps.
4. Drizzle in ¾ cup of the coconut milk and add the vanilla. Stir to bring everything together. Drizzle in more coconut milk as needed (I use 1 cup total) to get a cohesive dough that is somewhat workable but not too sticky.
5. Divide the dough in half and place both on the prepared baking sheet. Gently pat each into a circle that is roughly ¾ to 1-inch high. Place in the freezer while you preheat your oven to 425ºF.
6. Once the oven is preheated, remove the baking sheet from the freezer an cut each disk into 4 wedges. Pull the wedges apart about 1 inch to give them a little space.
7. Brush the tops of the dough with a little coconut milk, and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool 5 minutes. Can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or individually frozen for longer.

Notes

*Healthifying Note: Since this is a Panera copycat recipe I went all out with indulgence. But if you prefer a less sweet scone, reduce the sugar to ¼ to ⅓ cup or use finely ground coconut sugar, and reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon. For a more wholesome bite, you can use whole wheat pastry flour or white-wheat flour, but the wild blueberry scones will not rise as much.

**Coconut Milk Note: Do not use "lite" and do not use "milk beverage". See post above for pictures.

3.5.3229