These protein and fiber packed raspberry almond olive oil scones are moist and easy to whip together for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

As you may or may or not know, I’m a bit of an olive oil expert. When I wrote my cookbook about cooking with olive oil, I really fell in love with baking with olive oil and now I almost always swap butter for olive oil whenever I bake.
When you make scones with butter, the butter must be very cold and the easiest way to make the crumbly batter is to mix it in the food processor. Well, I’m a lazy baker and the thought of bringing out the food processor and cleaning it just to make scones always seemed like too much work!
Scones are a rustic cake, that are meant to be crumbly. They are a no fuss treat with your tea or coffee, so it seems silly that it would require a food processor to make them. So, I chose to make scones with olive oil.
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Recipe highlights
- Simple: Olive oil scones are easier to mix than butter based. You only need a fork and a bowl and you can mix them up anywhere – hello, I include an olive oil scone recipe in my camping cookbook, too!
- Texture: Even with olive oil, you still get a scone that is crumbly on the outside and moist on the inside.
- Extra Protein: These scones are also include almond meal and almond slices for extra protein that keeps my kids’ tummies full so the brain can concentrate on some serious learning.
- Olive Oil Benefits: Olive oil includes the brain healthy polyphenols and antioxidants that come from extra virgin olive oil. Heart healthy and delicious? Have I convinced you yet?
Ingredients you need
- Extra virgin olive oil: The key to a delicious olive oil scone is to choose the right olive oil. Choose an extra virgin olive oil that tastes good. Extra virgin olive oils come in a variety of flavor profiles, from pungent and peppery to mild and butter. I prefer a mild, butter olive oil when I bake. You can also choose an infused oil, one infused with lemons or oranges, if you want to that additional flavor in your olive oil scone.
- Almond meal: For an extra kick of protein and more almond flavor I add almond meal.
- Egg: Use a large egg in this scone recipe.
- Buttermilk: You can also use 2 tablespoon plain yogurt mixed with 2 tablespoon milk instead of buttermilk.
- Almond extract: This adds more almond flavor to your scones. You can substitute with vanilla extract.
- Raspberries: I prefer fresh fruit in my scones. So use fresh raspberries or try blueberries, blackberries or any other favorite fruit.
- Almond slices: I top the scones with crunchy almond slices. You can omit them or use almond slivers or another chopped nut.
- Pantry staples: all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt.
Step-by-step directions
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- Mix dry ingredients. Combine flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix olive oil until it resembles coarse crumbs. It is very important that the first liquid you add is olive oil.
- Add wet ingredients. In separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk and almond extract. Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and mix with spoon or fork until rough dough is formed.
- Shape dough. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and shape into circle or rectangle, about ½-inch thick. Do not knead dough.
- Add berries. Press half the berries into half of the dough. Fold the empty half of the dough over the berries, pressing the two layers together. Press remaining raspberries into top layer of dough.
- Fiinish dough. Cut dough into 8 even pieces and top with sugar. Gently press almond slices onto the top of scones.
- Bake. Transfer scones onto baking sheet and bake until golden.
Recipe tips and FAQs
Remember that you can cut your scones into any shape, round, rectangular or triangles. Just cut them to similar size for even baking.
Scones also bake quickly, usually only requiring 15 minutes or less. Because of this, you can add any fruit to scones. The fruit will soften during the baking process, but still it will still hold its shape.
Want to try more unusual scone recipes? I bake my blackberry scones with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My whole wheat scones are studded with pomegranate. I even made savory scones that baked with cherry tomatoes.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store cooled scones lightly covered in foil on the counter for up to 3 days if the room is cool. If you live in a humid environment, I suggest refrigeration. Scones will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze scones. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
Yes! Taste the oil straight up and see if you like the flavor. I prefer a mild, butter olive oil when I bake. You can also choose an infused oil, like citrus or herb tones, to add additional flavor in your olive oil scone.
Absolutely! Despite what butter fanatics think, you can totally substitute butter for extra virgin olive oil to make scones. A great place to start is to use ¾ cup of olive oil for every 1 cup of butter.
There are several things to consider to making flakey and delicious scones. First, do not over mix the dough. Second, bake at high heat for shorter period of time versus low heat and longer time. And finally, choose high quality ingredients.
Raspberry Almond Olive Oil Scones
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond meal
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 6 oz fresh raspberries
- 2 tablespoon almond slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together with a fork flour, almond meal, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Mix olive oil into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. It is very important that the first liquid you add is olive oil.
- In separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk and almond extract.
- Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and mix with spoon or fork until rough dough is formed. Do not over work the dough.
- Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and shape into circle or rectangle, about ½-inch thick. Do not knead dough.
- Press half of the raspberries into half of the dough.
- Fold the empty half of the dough over the berries, pressing the two layers together.
- Press remaining raspberries into top layer of dough.
- Cut dough into 8 even pieces and sprinkle over top of scones with 1 teaspoon sugar.
- Gently press almond slices onto the top of scones.
- Place scones onto prepared baking sheet and bake until golden, about 12-15 minutes.
- Transfer scones to cooling rack. Allow scones to rest at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
These are delicious! I used half the almond extract (because of a misfire with it a few months ago). But next time, I’ll try the recommended amount. Crumbly and light – I’ll be making these again!
Hi Sharon-
So glad you liked the scones. These are one of my favorites! You could also use vanilla extract if you are low or not a fan of almond extract. Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you.
Laura
Hi Laura, thank you for sharing your wonderful scone recipe. I love how you use olive oil instead of butter and also how easy the steps are. I used raisins instead and they came out looking beautiful. I couldn’t wait for them to cool and took a first bite…and it’s crunchy on top and soft inside!
Isn’t it so much easier to bake with olive oil than butter?! Your scones look beautiful! So glad you added your own touch and enjoyed them!
Laura