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
Can I use frozen blueberries for this recipe?
Hi MJ, Yes, if using frozen blueberries, do not thaw. Happy baking!
Wow! Perfectly delicious! These are my first-ever scones, and this may be the only recipe I ever use for scones from now on. I can’t imagine a better recipe.
Made these for breakfast today and they were excellent. Will definitely make again.
Very good scone. Followed the recipe exactly. 22 mins is too long though.
I followed exactly and mine still spread ☹️
Hi Angie, the key to reduce spreading is VERY cold scone dough. Make sure your butter is frozen, and if you need, stick the dough back in the refrigerator throughout the process if it starts to warm up too much. 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. Thanks for giving these a try!
Forgot to give you the big thumbs up these are great 5 stars !
Excellent scones made them on first try they are delicious however i was wanting nutrition info on them,and also wondering if they would make using sucralose as some in me family have sugar problems
Hi Mike, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076 And while we’d love to help re: your question on sucralose, we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
This is a unanimous fave with everybody I’ve tried these out on – in fact I can barely keep up hahaha! Major hack – more like a full cup of whipping cream, plus a splash of honey. Thanks from this newly-retired new baker (and all his friends and relations…)!
I followed this recipe to a T and I found the batter wet and sticky. I had to add lots of flour to get it to a point of being able to handle it. It did turn out and tasted good I baked for 19 minutes cause 22 burned it.
I had the exact same issue – dough was too wet to handle and scones had droopy edges when baked.
Recipe turned out to perfection, although I didn’t freeze or grate the butter. I thought I would leave a response as I am here fourth batch.
These Scones came out so good! It has only been 2 weeks and I making my 3rd batch! My kids loved them!
Made this for the first time for guests coming to visit and I’ve never gotten so many compliments on my baking. They said this was bakery level and it reminded of a bakery they enjoy back home.
This is my first time using this recipe and it’s a keeper. Had no milk so I used sour cream. I watered down the sour cream a bit. They turned out amazing
This was my first time making scones and they turned out amazing. Thank you for the wonderful recipe ❤️
Excellent recipe! My husband said best ever! They really came out professional quality. Made as instructed
Made this recipe several times and love it! Can I substitute sour cream or Greek yogurt for heavy cream or buttermilk?
Hi Anna, so glad you enjoy them. Sour cream or yogurt will be too thick. Heavy cream or buttermilk are best for this scone recipe!
The “jump to recipe” button at the top should be helpful next time. Thank you for giving this recipe a try, hope you enjoy the scones!
I have made these scones a few times now and can confidently say they are both easy and delicious. After taking off a chunk of my knuckle while grating the butter the first time, I went back to chopping it up and using a pastry cutter to blend it in (like I do for other scones) and found the next batch even better than the first. Also I ended up freezing half a batch after glazing them (my expected company got sick) and they thawed nicely, both on the counter and with a little help from the microwave, so freezing them glazed works as well! This is a very forgiving recipe that will make novice bakers feel like stars.
Hi! Can I sub blueberries for poppyseeds? Would I need to make any changes to the recipe? Thanks! ㅤ◡̈
Hi Miranda, You can leave out the blueberries and add a small amount of poppy seeds with no other changes. Enjoy!
Haven’t made scones in 30? years,this recipe was perfect! I’m making more tomorrow for company, and the only thing I’m doing differently is to remove the butter from the freezer for an hour, then grate and put back in the freezer. (I tested, it’s much easier).That frozen butter killed my arm and took quite awhile!(Plus I’m relatively old..) Love your recipes, I recently made your 3 layer chocolate raspberry ganache cake for a family birthday, it was wonderful.
I am looking for a small batch recipe for two of us but I love everything I have made from your site. Can the recipe be cut in half or do they freeze well? If so should I freeze them before baking or after? Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes.
Hi Betty, while you can certainly halve the recipe, the do freeze wonderfully! You can freeze them before or after baking for up to 3 months.
Everyone loves these scones.
Just wondering if I could substitute the sugar with honey? If so, what measurement?
Hi Pauline, that substitute would take a bit of recipe testing to perfect. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a scone recipe that is specifically formulated for using honey. Let us know if you find one you love!
Can you use self rising flour?
Hi Rebekah, we do not recommend using self rising flour here. For best results, stick with all-purpose flour and the addition of baking powder as written in the recipe. Enjoy!
I’ve made these before and LOVE them. I want to make them for a bigger group. How do I change the time/temp if I want to make them half the size and make 16 scones?
Hi Taryn, 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!
First time making scones and they came out bakery quality, probably better. I think the secret is getting the frozen butter. I think next time I make these I am going to freeze the bowl with the flour to keep it extra cold when mixing.
I highly, highly recommend this recipe. I didn’t even get the flour into pea size, I had lots of unformed flour and these still turned out amazing. Ooh, one other change I made based on what I had was using half buttermilk and half half & half instead of heavy cream. I brushed with the half and half. I’m sure you can sub heavy cream with any fatty milk.
This recipe and others on this site have me thinking I can open my own bake shop!!!
Haven’t made scones in 30? years,this recipe was perfect! I’m making more tomorrow for company, and the only thing I’m doing differently is to remove the butter from the freezer for an hour, then grate and put back in the freezer. (I tested, it’s much easier).That frozen butter killed my arm and took quite awhile!(Plus I’m relatively old..) Love your recipes, I recently made your 3 layer chocolate raspberry ganache cake for a family birthday, it was wonderful.
These tasted amazing! I messed up and added too many blueberries and added them after mixing the wet ingredients so they were a tad harder to integrate. But, added a bit too much cream so added a tad more flour and they still came out great! My husband’s already asking for more. Thanks.
My daughter made these on a Saturday. I got to eat the last one on Tuesday and they were still moist and oh so delicious. She sent me the recipe and I will surely use it again and again.
My daughter made these onna Saturday. I got to eat the ladst one on Tuesday and they were still moust snd oh so delicious. She sent me the recipe and I will surely use it again and again.
I love your recipes, but I have to make gluten free desserts now. Can I use your recipe and just switch to GF flour?
Hi Maura, Admittedly, our team does not have much experience baking with gluten-free flour. Although some readers report using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results anytime you substitute ingredients. Here are all of our gluten-free recipes if you’re interested in browsing!
I would love to make this recipe, but I have one question. After I have made them and iced them and they are cold, can I freeze them? Or do I have to leave the icing off if I decide to freeze them? Thank you.
Hi Valerie, we prefer to freeze the scones before icing, as it can get a bit messy as it thaws. If you don’t mind that, feel free to try freezing them with the icing. Hope you enjoy them!