Vegan Watercress Scone Recipe

lucylox

May 27

Vegan Watercress Scones must be the very height of a savoury summer recipe, the ideal accompaniment to any summer lunch or picnic, and one that is an essential addition to your repertoire.

I live in Hampshire and we like to think of this area as the centre of watercress growing in the UK - so much so that we have a local watercress festival every May. It was the Alresford watercress festival last Sunday and not only is nearly everything watercress themed, from the eating competition, to the cooking demos, to the food on sale, but also the charity collections all give out bags of watercress in return for a donation. So we came home with a fair few bags of delicious fresh and local watercress.

I really enjoy making scones and i think savoury scones make such a great addition to a lunch or simply as an interesting snack, and i really wanted to add some to a scone recipe to supplement to our salads for lunch. Looking online, most watercress scone recipes have cheese in them, but surely i could make a lovely version that didn't need any dairy but still had bundles of flavour? Obviously cheese has tons of flavour and works well with watercress, but i've used the umami rich flavours of mustard powder and marmite to enhance the pepperiness of the watercress and also infuse the scones with enough flavour to pack a big savoury punch. In fact, these are so tasty that the watercress dislikers were happy to look past the green flecks and devoured the scones with a gusto!

If you don't have watercress handy i'd recommend using rocket or you could even just add some soft herbs or even leave out the green stuff and you'd still have some delicious scones. If you really hate marmite why not use miso or Worcestershire sauce/Hendersons relish instead? You just want to make sure you add a whack of savoury flavour.

This is the first time I've used Greek style yoghurt in a scones recipe (inspired by Nicola Lamb in her new book Sift where she uses creme fraiche) but it gives a great texture and a nice sour edge to the scones which works so well with the savoury flavours. We ate these so fast that i didn't get a chance to see if they freeze ok, but i really don't see why not.

I do hope you try this recipe and vegan watercress scones become a summer staple in your household too.

Vegan Watercress Scones

dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, vegan sensational savoury scones

baking sheet
non-stick baking paper

220 g plain flour
2 tsp mustard powder (or use Dijon mustard but add with the wet ingredients)
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
75 g dairy-free butter (fridge cold and cubed)
25 g watercress (washed and chopped)
1 tsp marmite
130 g dairy-free Greek style yoghurt (I use Oatly Greek Style)

To glaze

1 tbsp dairy-free milk
1/2 tsp marmite

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, mustard powder, baking powder and salt.
Rub in the cold cubed butter with your fingertips until you have a mixture that looks like rough breadcrumbs
Stir though the watercress
Make a well in the centre and pour in the yoghurt and add the marmite. using a blunt round ended knife or a metal spoon, stir the mixture together until you have a nice soft and craggy dough that isn't too wet. If your dough is a little dry add a splash of dairy-free milk, if too wet add a sprinkle of flour.
Very gently knead the dough so it looks a bit smoother and then pat out with your fingers until it's about 3cm deep. Using a 5 or 6 cm ring cookie cutter, firmly stamp out circles and then place upside down on the lined baking sheet.
Pull the leftover bits together and briefly knead again then repeat the process - these scones will be less perfect but still taste fantastic
Leave the scones, lightly covered, to rest for 20-30 minutes
Preheat the oven to 220℃ or 200℃ Fan
Mix together 1 tbsp dairy-free milk with 1/2 tsp marmite and brush the tops of the scones, being careful it doesn't dribble down the sides
Bake for 12 minutes until beautifully risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack.