December 6, 2021-May contain affiliate links

Orange Cranberry Scones

Making the perfect scones with flaky insides and a slight crunch on the outside is easier than you might think! Cranberry Orange Scones are the perfect way to warm your kitchen and delight everyone who tries them.

There aren’t many bright, fruity, and zesty flavors associated with the holiday season, but the ones that are cannot be beat! Orange Cranberry Scones combine two seasonal fruits into a flaky, perfect pastry. You’ll eat one and immediately start craving another! Trust us, you want these scones on your holiday menus.

Ingredients to make scone measured and labeled

The Best Cranberry Orange Scone Recipe

There are so many reasons to love this scone recipe! It’s the perfect sweet-tart balance without being overly sugary. It’s a bright and zesty orange scone thanks to both orange juice and zest. Dried cranberries can be slightly tart on their own, but this cranberry scone recipe adds in maple for a sweetness that balances everything out perfectly.

Egg-Free Scone Recipe

This special pastry recipe doesn’t require any eggs. Here’s some fun science: the acid in the orange juice combined with the baking soda acts as leavening, so no eggs needed here! It's vegan because we used coconut oil instead of butter for recipe.

Tips for Perfect Scones

Some home cooks may be intimidated by scones because they’re a little more finicky than other pastries, but we have a few tips and tricks to make yours come out perfectly every time.

Use cold ingredients! Measure your coconut oil first, the refrigerate it for at least 10 minutes before adding it to your dry ingredients.
Make sure you use canned coconut milk and not any plant based milk beverage.
Work quickly! You don’t want the dough softening too much while you work. Use a food processor, a pastry cutter, or your hands to form the dough. Just don’t over mix! It’s even fine if there are some lumps in the dough!
Chill the scones before popping them into the oven. Put them in the refrigerator while your oven preheats. This final chill will render a tender, flaky scone.

A mini scone on a white plate and a pile of scones on the background

What Shape Are Scones?

You may be used to seeing scones in a triangular shape. That works great for this recipe, and we also decided to experiment with scone shapes and create round ones and they came out great as well, so have fun with it!

For triangular scones, pat the dough into a circle and slice it like a pie, into triangles.
For smaller triangular scones shape the dough into a square, cut it in quarters and make 4 triangle out of each quarter. You will get 16 mini scones.
For round scones, section off about ¼ cup of dough and form them into balls flattened a bit on top (they don't have to be shaped perfectly). Again, make sure you move quickly so the dough doesn’t soften and warm from the heat of your hands!