Healthy low-fat scones that are just as delicious as regular scones?! Yes, it’s possible! This recipe for low-fat blueberry scones is your guide to making healthier scones. Keep the base recipe the same, just swap the blueberries for your preferred fruit throughout the year. 

Photograph of healthy low fat scones on a wooden board

Scones are delicious, tender, crumbly pastries often served for breakfast. They’re also not one of the healthiest breakfast options available. Most scones are loaded with saturated fat and unnecessary calories. I wanted to create a scone that contained less fat than typical recipes while still maintaining the integrity of classic scones.

Most scone recipes call for whole milk, butter and/or shortening and sour cream. My goal was to decrease butter content, swap whole milk for lower-fat milk and eliminate the sour cream all together. I needed to make sure that the changes and substitutions were well balanced in order to create a crunchy outside and tender inside.

Photograph of healthy low fat scones on a white plate with a butter knife

How to make low-fat scones:

The biggest challenge with making scones lower in fat is finding a way to create scones that still have crispy edges and tender interiors. Fat and sugar work together to create those of those qualities, so it was a challenge, but here is how to do it! 

You still need fat!

In order to maintain the integrity of a classic scone you still need to use some fat. For these scones I drastically cut down the amount of butter from and average of 16 tablespoons to just six!

Choose you wet ingredients wisely

Classic scone recipes often call for sour cream and whole milk, I swapped those out in favor of lighter ingredients like Greek yogurt and buttermilk. Together they offer the tang (and acid) of sour cream and the liquid properties of whole milk. 

Grate the butter 

Grating butter on a large-hole box grater allows you to incorporate the butter into the flour quickly without overworking the dough and creating too much gluten. This is especially important when making low-fat scones because we want to create the least amount of gluten as possible and keep them tender (without having to rely on fat). 

Mix as little as possible

Work the dough as little as possible for the same reasons we want to grate our butter. The more we work the dough the tougher it will get. And since we’re already eliminating the failsafe for tenderness (fat) we have to be cautious of creating too much gluten. 

Keep everything cold

One of the most important aspects of this recipe is keeping all of the ingredients cold. It’s essential for the shredded butter to be kept frozen because it disperses better into the dry ingredients and maintains a flaky texture in the baked product. It’s also very important to move quickly when working with the dough; the less you work with it the better of a product will be produced.

 

Make ahead instructions:

For a day ahead:

Follow the recipe just until the baking step. Place unbaked scones on prepared baking sheet and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425-degrees and bake as directed in recipe.  

For up to a month ahead:

Follow the recipe just until the baking step. Place unbaked scones on prepared baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer frozen scones to a resealable zipper-lock freezer bag. 

When ready to bake, transfer frozen scones to prepared baking sheet (do not thaw) and bake at 375-degrees and bake for about 50 minutes until tops and bottoms are brown. 

Photograph of healthy low fat scones on a wooden board

Make sure to tag me @ZESTFULKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM or comment below if you make these healthy low fat scones. 

To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can click the button on any of the photos, or the red button on the side bar or below the recipe.  Happy healthy baking!

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Reduced Fat Blueberry Scones | Zestful Kitchen

Healthy Low Fat Blueberry Scones

  • Author: Lauren Grant of Zestful Kitchen
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 8 scones 1x
  • Category: Breakfast / Brunch
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Healthy low fat scones that are tender and delicious! Studded with blueberries and flavored with just a touch of lemon zest, these are delicious!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen, divided
  • 1 ½ cups blueberries, frozen
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon table salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • Turbinado sugar

Instructions

Heat oven to 425°F with rack set in middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Grate 4 tablespoons frozen butter on a large-hole grater; transfer to a bowl and freeze. Place blueberries in freezer until needed.

Whisk together milk and Greek yogurt; refrigerate.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl.

Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.

Add milk mixture to flour mixture and, using a spatula, fold until just combined. Transfer dough to a well-floured work surface. Dust dough with flour and knead until it forms a rough ball, 8 to 10 times, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Roll dough out into a rough 12-inch square. Fold dough into thirds (like a letter). Lift ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form a 4-inch square. Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and freeze 5 minutes.

Remove dough from freezer and transfer to floured work surface. Roll out into a 12-inch square.

Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough and lightly press into dough.

Using a bench scraper, carefully release dough from surface. Roll to form a tight log, jelly roll style. Arrange dough log seam-side down and press into a 12×4-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut log crosswise into 4 equal sections. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles. Transfer scones to parchment-lined baking sheet.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and lightly brush tops of scones. Lightly sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake scones until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 20–25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.



Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 scone
  • Calories: 274
  • Sugar: 17g
  • Sodium: 235mg
  • Fat: 9g
  • Saturated Fat: 5g
  • Carbohydrates: 42g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 7g
  • Cholesterol: 24mg

Keywords: Low fat scones, healthy scones, healthy blueberry scones

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About The Author

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

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