I’ve been on a Greek yogurt kick lately, and I’ve been intrigued by the idea of baking with yogurt after the smashing success of these blueberry muffins. Yogurt is fantastic in baked goods; it imparts a light, moist texture and flavor and is so much better for you than fattening alternatives like butter, sour cream or cream cheese. Generally speaking, you should be able to replace half the amount of butter in baked goods with half the amount of Greek yogurt (e.g. 8 tablespoons of butter becomes 4, plus 2 tablespoons of yogurt).
Since scones are notoriously heavy in butter, I thought they would be prime for adaptation. I attempted to replace some butter in these raspberry oatmeal scones with yogurt, while also replacing the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour. I ended up with pretty pictures of mediocre scones, so the photos joined the ranks of failed recipes in my Lightroom. That happens more often than not—I only share the absolute best on the blog.
So I searched around for a whole wheat scone recipe with Greek yogurt, and eventually landed on a gorgeous post by Caroline of chocolate & carrots. It was exactly what I was looking for, so I followed her recipe closely and a mere 35 minutes later, took a bite of the best scone I’ve ever tasted.
The scones are everything a scone should be: slightly crispy on the outside and delicately moist and fluffy on the inside. Not too sweet, yet packed with flavor. Thanks to the lighter texture of whole wheat pastry flour, they don’t taste like heavy, nutty whole wheat scones. The Greek yogurt lends moistness and a slight tang, which plays nicely with the lemon zest. Truly, I believe this is the scone recipe to end all scone recipes.
Not convinced? Let’s examine the reaction of two grown boys who had the fortune of walking into my kitchen the day I baked these scones. After one bite, the first yelped in delight and cursed its perfection. That night, the other boy practically waltzed around the kitchen, mm-mming as he relished every last bite of his scone. The latter may have had a few drinks beforehand, but I assure you that these boys don’t normally get excited about scones. They’re just that good.
Blueberry Lemon Scones
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
- Category: Breakfast
If you’ve been intimidated by baking scones, don’t be afraid to try this recipe. I was surprised at how easy it was to throw the ingredients together. Shaping and slicing the scones was easy, too. Make them for breakfast this weekend, and freeze the rest for later!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons turbinado (raw cane) sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup blueberries (I used frozen but fresh would be even better!)
- ½ cup plain low fat Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat yogurt by Fage)
- ½ cup milk of choice (I used 2%)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine flours, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk together.
- Slice butter and drop into dry ingredients. If you have a pastry cutter, use it to cut the butter into the flour. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, use a knife to cut the butter into tiny pieces and mix it into the flour.
- Add blueberries and lemon zest and gently stir. You can use frozen blueberries, no thawing necessary.
- Gently mix in milk and yogurt. Eventually you’ll need to use your hands to knead the last of the flour into the dough.
- Form dough into a circle about that’s about an inch deep all around. Cut the circle into 8 slices.
- Separate slices and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or foil.
- Sprinkle the tops of the scones with a bit of raw sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until light brown.
Notes
Recipe mildly adapted from Chocolate & Carrots.
▸ Nutrition Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Marguerite
I am a newbie baker…
I tried your recipe with whatever I had on hand
All purpose flour , granulated sugar 1/3 cup, Greek nonfat yogurt and 2% milk with grated orange peel and fresh blueberries, butter etc
I refrigerated after cutting eight pieces for 15 minutes and baked
Perfect scones !
Thank you so much all done in 40 minutes
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad they turned out well for you!
Susan Gomes
Best blueberry lemon scones ever! Followed the recipe exactly with perfect results! This is a favorite in our household. I love that this is a much healthier version of most scone recipes. Using whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt add to the lightness and deliciousness of these scones.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you think so, Susan! I appreciate your review.
Mandy
Making these now and not sure how the dough should feel as you’re kneading it into a ball – mine seemed too dry maybe and was hard to handle? Seemed like it needed more liquid – help!
But they smell fantastic baking and I can’t wait to eat one!!!!! Thank you for a healthy dessert recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
How did they turn out, Mandy?
Mandy
Fantastic!!!!! They could have been a little less dry so maybe a bit more liquid next time, do you think?
★★★★★
Kate
How did you measure the flour? If there is too much, it will be more dry.
Karen Hoveland
Kate, can this recipe be substituted with almond flour or other gluten-free flour? If so, are they any other tweaks necessary?
Kate
Hi! I would recommend a gluten free flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill. Let me know what you think!
Leslie
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. Can I use white whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat flour? Or a combination of white whole wheat flour and whole wheat flour?
Kate
Sure, let me know what you think!
Sherryn
I would love to try some of your recipes, but I have a few autoimmune diseases. One of them is an allergy to anything with wheat in it. I do not know if there is such a thing as gf pastry flour. And, can you just substitute a gf four like 1to1? It’s very difficult for me to cook for all these restrictions in my diet, especially at 81 years of age. I try because I don’t want to have to go on dialysis. It’s exhausting frankly. I actually have your recipe book and use quite a few of the recipes but sometimes the substitutes may not work. Thanks for any help you can give me in this regard.
Kate
Hi Sherry, You can try using a gluten free flour. Some of my other scone recipes have suggestions. I hope that helps!
Nita
I made these and froze the scored dough in a circle. I baked the scones when guests visited at a later date. Perfect!! Thanks Kate for another reliable and delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Andreea
Hej Cookie (Kathryne) :)
could I make the dough in the evening and store it in the fridge until the next morning? would it hold?
Thank you and thank you and thank you, cause I love your recipes!
Andreea
Kate
Hi Andreea, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
Marilyn
Kudos to you Kate!! I LOVE this recipe!! It’s full of flavor yet low in sugar and butter, doesn’t require eggs and yet comes out flaky. It is simple to pull together as I usually have the ingredients on hand. I have probably made it a few dozen times by now, giving many away. I also use the recipe as a base for other scones (replace berries and lemon rind) such as cheddar-parmesan (add 1 cup grated sharp cheddar, a pinch of cayenne and minced chives or green onions; sprinkle a pinch of Parm. on top), apple-oatmeal, cranberry orange….
NOTE: It also works well with gluten-free flour I have successfully used Bob’s Mill, 1to1 g.f. flour for a friend who is celiac. You may wish to a a bit more baking powder for “lift” in the g.f. version. The most important thing is to have a light hand when working the dough, whether g.f. or not.
Many thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Marilyn! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
JC
I made scones!!! I am so proud of myself! I altered recipe slightly: salted butter (so no added salt), coconut milk & only whole wheat flour…Easy and oh so YUMMY!
★★★★★
Cassie Shah
I have made these scones multiple times with my daughter. They are a hit. I once did them with orange and date and once with apple and cinnamon. Usually I make these with two tablespoons of sugar and a bit of vanilla instead of lemon. Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Cassie! Thank you for your review.
Jennifer
I am planning on making these scones but I have a question. Why is the flour listed twice in the recipe. I don’t see ( but may have missed it) where you add the second listed flour at a different time/step. So is it a total of 2 cups whole wheat four or just the first noted 1 1/2 cup. Thanks so much in advance. Love your recipes!
Kate
Hi! You will want to use two different types of flour for best results.
JC
I’ve never made scones before I made these. I see no reason to ever use a recipe other than this one!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad you love it it, JC.
Lisa Yde
I made these scones this morning. They are absolutely delicious! I used regular whole wheat flour and skim milk and I would not change a thing!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved them, Lisa! I appreciate your review.
M L Holland
Can I substitute gluten free Red Mill 1to1 baking flour in your honey scones recipe?
Love your cooking book “Love Real Food”
Thank you in advance for your response.
Kate
It should work! Let me know how it turns out for you.
Niraj Zaveri
Amazing! We love Cookie and Kate. The kids and I tried this for Mother’s Day, and it was a huge hit! Not terribly difficult to make pretty healthy and delicious! So it really checks all the boxes!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Niraj!
Wanda Turner
Kate,
I have never made anything with a Tablespoon of baking powder and just checking to make sure that isn’t a misprint. Also, do you think I could use honey instead of the sugar?
I love your recipes. Thank you!
Kate
Hi Wanda! This recipe is best as written. Let me know what you think if you try it.
Sandra
Hi, so I will need a total of 2 cups of whole wheat flour?
Kate
If you don’t use the blend, then yes. Let me know what you think!