This is my go-to scone recipe bursting with fresh blueberries and zingy lemon zest, and topped with a sweet lemon icing. These glazed lemon blueberry scones are soft and tender in the middle, with crisp-crumbly edges, and simply perfect for brunch, tea parties, bridal showers, or really any time at all!
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and success tips. These have become such a fan favorite that I included the recipe in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
When you think of breakfast treats, do scones come to mind first? In a bakery-case lineup of cinnamon rolls, donuts, muffins, croissants and other pastries, the humble scone doesn’t always get the prime spot or the most attention… but it absolutely should. With the right recipe, scones easily compete with muffins, pastries, and—yes!—even cinnamon rolls.
This lemon blueberry scone recipe in particular has received so much love over the years from readers who have tried it, that I wanted to shine the spotlight on it once again. Here are just a few of the many glowing reviews readers have shared after making these scones:
One reader, Andrea, commented: “Literally the best scone recipe! Grating the frozen butter is a game changer. Everyone comments on how wonderful these scones are… ★★★★★”
Another reader, Susan, commented: “I’m so glad I found this recipe! Absolutely delicious scones. Exactly what I was looking for, as I wasn’t satisfied with other scone recipes I’ve tried. This will be my forever scone recipe! I loved the tip about freezing and grating the butter. What a good idea! ★★★★★”
And one more reader, Claudia, commented: “Easy to make and came out perfectly! This was my first time making scones and these came out so good! Easy-to-follow directions and can be made ahead or frozen! ★★★★★”
If you can’t get enough of my lemon blueberry muffins, you’ll definitely love these scones, as well!
These Lemon Blueberry Scones Are:
- Soft & tender in the center, with crumbly edges
- Packed with juicy blueberries and fresh lemon zest
- Topped with coarse sugar and lemon icing for a sweet finish
All of my scone recipes begin with the same base recipe for scones. A few ingredients change based on flavor, but the process remains the same. This careful formula brings us chocolate chip scones, blueberry scones, pumpkin scones, apple cinnamon scones, and more. It promises the BEST flavor and texture.
Why the Ingredients Promise the Best Results:
- Flour: 2 cups of all-purpose flour is my standard amount, but have some extra on the side for the work surface and your hands.
- Sugar: Scones aren’t meant to be super sweet, so we’re using just enough granulated sugar to lightly sweeten and balance out the tart lemon flavor. You can top them with coarse sugar and icing if you want a sweeter scone, or leave them plain on top to keep these lightly sweet.
- Baking Powder: Adds lift.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: Add flavor.
- Lemon Zest: You need a full Tablespoon of lemon zest, which is about 2 lemons. Zest the lemons for the scone dough, then juice them to make the lemon icing.
- Cold Butter: Besides flour, cold butter is the main ingredient in scones. It adds flavor, flakiness, crisp edges, and rise. More on butter below!
- Heavy Cream: For the best-tasting pastries, use a thick liquid such as heavy cream. Buttermilk works too! For a nondairy option, try using full-fat canned coconut milk. Avoid thinner liquids such as regular milk or almond milk—you’ll be headed down a one-way street to flat, dry scones.
- Egg: Binds ingredients together.
- Blueberries: For best results, use fresh blueberries. If using frozen, do not thaw.
In Photos: Making Lemon Blueberry Scones
You’ll start with the dry ingredients. Whisk those together with the lemon zest, then cut cold butter into the dry ingredient mixture. You can use a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your hands. A food processor works too, but it often overworks the scone dough. We want to avoid that.
Success Tip: Use Frozen Grated Butter
Frozen grated butter is key to scone success. As with pie crust, work cold butter into the dry ingredients to create tons of flour-coated butter crumbs. When these crumbs melt as the scones bake, they release steam, which creates all the scone flakiness we love. The exterior becomes crumbly, crunchy, and crisp.
Refrigerated butter might melt in the dough as you work with it, but frozen butter will hold out until the oven. And the finer the pieces of cold butter, the less the scones spread and the quicker the butter mixes into the dry ingredients. I recommend grating the frozen butter with a box grater. Use the side with the larger holes.
After cutting the frozen, grated butter in with a pastry cutter, you’ll have a bowl of tiny flour-coated crumbles:
Place the bowl of dry ingredients in the freezer while you get your wet ingredients together. We want to keep things as cold as possible when it comes to making scones.
Now, whisk the wet ingredients together, then pour into the dry ingredients. Add the blueberries, then gently mix together:
Form the dough into a disc, then cut into 8 wedges.
Before baking, brush the scones with heavy cream mixed with water, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. This is one of my little scone tricks. These extras add a bakery-style sparkly crunch and beautiful golden sheen. 🙂
I know I sound like a broken record, but to obtain the desired flaky center and a crumbly exterior, you really have to keep the scone dough as cold as possible. I highly recommend chilling the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes before baking. You can even refrigerate overnight and then bake in the morning, for a quick and easy breakfast treat!
After they’ve chilled, bake the scones until just turning golden brown on top.
Video Tutorial
If you’re interested, I have a 5-minute video demonstrating the scone recipe. I’m making regular blueberry scones in this video, but the process is the same.
2-Ingredient Lemon Glaze
Lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar produce a sweet & tangy lemon icing. The icing seeps into the tops of the scones making these sunshine-y treats almost more than you can handle. They’re so good!!! Vanilla icing or lemon curd would be equally fabulous topping choices, too.
How lovely would a plate of these flavorful scones look on your table of Easter Brunch recipes, or for a special afternoon tea?
More Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Blueberry Cake & Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Lemony Blueberry Galette
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Blueberry Babka
- Homemade Lemon Cupcakes
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 large scones
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my go-to scone recipe bursting with fresh blueberries and zingy lemon zest, and topped with a sweet lemon icing. These glazed lemon blueberry scones are soft and tender in the middle, with crisp-crumbly edges, and simply perfect for brunch, tea parties, bridal showers, or really any time at all! Read through the recipe before beginning; it’s imperative to keep the scone dough as cold as possible. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
- 6 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon (135g/ml) heavy cream, cold and divided
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup (140g) fresh blueberries
- 1 Tablespoon (15g/ml) water
- optional for topping: coarse sugar
Lemon Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45g/ml) fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt. Using the large holes of a box grater, shred the frozen butter. Add the butter to the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers to blend until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. Place the bowl in the freezer before you continue.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together 1/2 cup (120g/ml) of the heavy cream, the egg, and vanilla extract. Remove the flour mixture from the freezer. Drizzle the cream mixture over the flour mixture and add the blueberries. Gently mix together with a spatula or wooden spoon until everything appears moistened and the ingredients are just combined.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Pour the crumbly mixture onto the surface and, with floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can. The dough should be sticky and shaggy. If it’s too sticky, sprinkle a little more flour on top. Press the dough into an 8-inch disc, about 1 inch thick. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut the disc into 8 wedges.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1 Tablespoon cream with the water, then brush it on the scones. For extra sweetness and a little crunch, sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.) Place the scones on a plate or a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours. (If refrigerating for more than an hour, lightly cover the scones.)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the chilled scones 2–3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes or until lightly browned on top and golden around the edges. Cool the scones on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before icing.
- Make the lemon icing: In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle the icing over the scones.
- Store leftover scones covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Box Grater | Pastry Cutter | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester | Bench Scraper | Brush | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper
- Sugar: These scones are sweet, but feel free to increase to 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar for sweeter scones.
- Blueberries: For best results, use fresh blueberries. If you must use frozen, do not thaw.
- Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, they won’t stick together, and you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time. Or thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.
- Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with icing for up to 3 months. I usually freeze in a freezer-friendly bag or container. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare scones through step 4. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Continue with step 5 the next day.
- Over-spreading: Start with very cold scone dough. Expect some spread, but if the scones are over-spreading as they bake, remove from the oven and press back into its triangle shape (or whatever shape) using a rubber spatula.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I’ve had a craving for this during pregnancy, so not sure if I’m biased, but these were INCREDIBLE. Instructions were awesome, the final result had a perfect texture and balance of flavor, I will make these again and again. My husband also loved them and I’ve never had so many people ask for the recipe. If I could do 6/5 stars I would!
My family begs me to bake these scones when they know I’ll have some downtime coming up. I would like to do some prep work in advance, so the actual baking/glazing day isn’t so laboring.
How long can the grated butter, be frozen, for example?
I’ve made these scones with this recipe SO many times over the last two or three years not I think and they are always absolutely perfect!!!! Thank you so much!! I’m an ICU nurse and whenever I bring them to work the whole unit lights up and we have a great night. Everyone loves them!!!. I’ve used this recipe for lemon blueberry, lemon raspberry, and even some holiday ones with cranberries, orange, white chocolate chips and fresh grated nutmeg.
One question- if I wanted to make them ahead of time could I make the dough and freeze it on the baking pan for a few hours/a couple days and then bake them? Not sure if that would work or not. I usually put them in the freezer while the oven preheats but not sure how long I could freeze them before baking.
Again, thank you so much! You’ve been instrumental in developing my love of baking. All my friends/family adore my red velvet cake, which is your EPIC recipe. It’s also perfect every time. Thank you!!! You’ve brought me and mine a lot of delicious joy.
Hi Lucy, thank you so much for the sweet note! You can absolute freeze the scones — up to three months. Hope this helps!
This is a favorite in our house. We just found out my husband is lactose intolerant . I made the last batch with Country Crock plant based butter and cream and they were PERFECT! So happy we can still eat them!
I started with the lemon blueberry scones but have used your basic scone recipe. Apple cinnamon, strawberry, banana nut and I even made a peanut butter and jelly scone. I just love this and is a big crowd pleaser. I am asked daily what is next. I think caramel apple is next. Yum
I have made this recipe as is, and it is delicious! Flaky, buttery, moist and full of flavor! Do you think I could swap out cranberries for blueberries and orange juice/zest for the lemon for a more holiday recipe?
Hi Summer, we actually have a separate cranberry orange scone recipe that you might love!
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make! I am hooked on these and am going to have to try all the variations. My fiancé said they were better than the bakery and the neighbors asked for more!
I have made this several times and people say they are some of the best scones they have ever made. I have substituted half and half a few times when I was out of heavy cream and it was fine. I am goingto try this today with cranberry orange
Can I use Milk instead of heavy cream in this recipe?
Hi Natasha, you really need something thick and fatty like heavy cream for best results.
Hands down the best tasting, most tender, most delicious lemon blueberry scones I have ever made (or eaten at a bakery) in my life. I did toss in about 1/2 a cup more blueberries just because I love blueberries. Kudos to you ( Sally) your recipes are spot on. My company loved them too and immediately signed up to get your recipes too.
It was my first time baking scones (I’m new to baking!) but omg! This recipe came out so perfectly heavenly! Why am I eating a whole scone at 10pm!! Can’t wait to take these tomorrow to work to share with my coworkers.
I froze my dough for 2 hours before baking. And it was soooooo moist inside. Also used wild blueberry for higher density of berries. Lord, yes!!
You can see my scone here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Chi2AGOsIUn/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Such a delicious recipe! This is my go-to scone for when I have houseguests and they have never disappointed. Everyone loves them and most ask for them again the next day.
Followed this recipe exactly and am so pleased with the results- absolutely delicious!
Hi. I would like to make mini scones. Can I just cut into 16 pieces? Any thoughts on how to adjust the bake time or temp? Thank you in advance.
Hi Jenna, you can follow the shaping and baking instructions from these sprinkle scones for mini scones. Enjoy!
I need a gluten free scone recipe for a brunch. Can you substitute a one for one gluten free flour for the tradition flour in this recipe? Do you have any other suggestions to help them from being dried out?
Hi Barbara, we haven’t tested these scones with GF flour, but other readers have reported good results using a 1:1 gluten free baking flour like Bob’s Reb Mill. Let us know if you give it a try!
How can I make mini scones? And how long should I bake them for?
Hi Jinal, we make mini scones often. Prepare the dough, cut it in half to make two smaller disks, then cut each disk into 8 mini scones to have 16 mini scones total. The bake time is a couple minutes shorter. You can see these rainbow sprinkle scones for detailed instructions. Enjoy!
I made the lemon blueberry scones this morning. My husband enjoyed them so much and thought they were the best ones he’s ever had. I was out of all milk products except a can of evaporated milk, but they still came out great! Can’t wait to try the orange cranberry recipe.
Hello, I have a family member who cannot have eggs. I usually sub with a 1/4 cup apple sauce. May I do the same for these scones?
Hi Tammy, we haven’t tested the recipe with applesauce in place of eggs, but several readers have commented that they’ve had great success with using an egg substitute in these scones, either storebought or homemade. Hope this helps!
Great recipe! For this recipe what could be a substitute for buttermilk. Thank you!
Hi Melanie! This recipe doesn’t use buttermilk. Could you be thinking of another one?
Mine are currently in the oven and smell so good!! Wondering if they could go in a muffin tin and would baking take the same amount of time do you think?
Hi Eve, we recommend a baking sheet for traditional scones. If you’re looking for a lemon blueberry muffin, we recommend using this blackberry lemon poppy seed recipe and adapting it to use blueberries. Hope you love the scones that you are baking now!
This recipe was the best thing I have ever tasted in my whole entire life! I will definitely make this again since my husband already ate all the ones I made! He loved them soooooo much and so did I!
This recipe was seriously amazing! I literally ate the whole batch in one sitting! A few days later, I made them with my friend and we had a picnic. THE WHOLE PARK SMELLED LIKE WARM BLUEBERRY LEMON SCONES.IT SMELLED SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!
Have made this recipe several times and it’s the best ! Friend’s and family love it!
I’ve frozen them after cooking and cooling and with the glaze and not with the glaze.
Delicious and perfect every time.
Thank you
I tried this recipe last week . My husband said they were the best I’ve ever made. They were super light on the outside with just the right amount of crustiness. I did, however, use whole milk because I did not have heavy cream. They turned out really well. I highly recommend
This is the third time I’ve made them and family and friends live this recipe. I love the flavors as well as the light and fluffy texture. I’ve used Meyer lemons the last 2 times and it’s been a nice addition. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Amazing scones! Crispy on the outside, moist and delicate on the inside and not too sweet. Love this recipe.
Hello, I’m making this recipe for a shower along with other many other items. Any recommendations to make them “petite” scones? Thank you!
Hi Diane, you can follow the same shaping process from these rainbow scones for mini versions. Hope they’re a hit at your shower!
Could I use this recipe base for other types of scones like peach scones?
Hi Hayley, we’d recommend using our master scones recipe to play around with different flavors and add-ins!
Wonderful recipe! I made two batches today, put a little less sugar in the second batch. With the icing, the scones didn’t need to be so sweet. Lovely flavour and perfectly moist. Thank you for the recipe!
Can substitute buttermilk for the heavy cream? I assume it would be a 1:1 ratio
Hi Sarah, you could use buttermilk instead – same amount.
I regularly make Sally’s scones with the definite favourite being the lemon blueberry. I have a daughter with celiac, and I can no longer consume gluten, so I decided to try making them gluten free. They turned out great. The dough felt pretty dry so I added a bit more cream. I was worried they would fall apart but once I baked them and the butter bits melted, they held together just fine. They were a huge hit! A bit different than the original recipe but still excellent. I used the President’s choice gf flour (the only gf flour I use for baking).