These better-than-the-bakery blueberry scones are bursting with juicy blueberries. They’re buttery and moist with crisp, crumbly edges and soft, flaky centers. Crunchy coarse sugar and creamy vanilla icing are the perfect finishing touches!
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and a video tutorial.
Scones. You either love them or hate them. I used to fall in the latter category, passing on them in favor of muffins or quick breads. Scones can taste pretty dry, comparable to lackluster triangles of cardboard. No, thanks.
But my opinion on scones took a total 180 a few years ago when I attended a cooking event in the Panera Bread test kitchen. Turns out that I’ve been eating all the wrong scones because when done right, these sweet treats tiptoe into a world of pastry perfection.
Since then, I mastered chocolate chip scones, apple cinnamon scones, ham & cheese scones, cinnamon scones, lavender scones, and strawberry lemon scones. I use the same master scone recipe for each flavor, a formula promising the BEST scone texture. By the way, I wrote an entire post devoted to my favorite base scones recipe. Today we’re making blueberry scones, which is definitely my favorite scone flavor.
There’s no denying these are the best blueberry scones on the planet. Strong statement, right? Trust me.
One reader, Rich, commented: “Sally, I would like to say thank you! These pastries were awesome. I was expecting a dry and pale flavor that I usually get from scones. These blueberry scones absolutely melted in our mouths. I can’t say enough about the recipe. One word for these—AWESOME! I am going to try more of your recipes, and I’m sure I won’t be disappointed. ★★★★★“
These Blueberry Scones Have:
- Crisp, crumbly edges
- Soft, moist centers
- Crunchy golden brown exterior
- Buttery rich flavor
- An overflow of blueberries
- Mega vanilla icing drizzles
Let’s make them!
Blueberry Scone Ingredients
Nothing but basic ingredients coming together to produce something extraordinary. 🙂
- Flour: 2 cups of all-purpose flour is my standard amount, but set extra aside for the work surface and your hands.
- Sugar: I stick with around 1/2 cup of sugar for this scone dough. Feel free to slightly decrease, but keep in mind that the scone flavor and texture will slightly change.
- Baking Powder: Adds lift.
- Salt, Cinnamon, & Vanilla Extract: Add flavor.
- Cold Butter: Besides flour, cold butter is the main ingredient in blueberry 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 milk or almond milk—you’ll be headed down a one-way street to dry, bland, and flat scones.
- Egg: Adds flavor, lift, and structure.
- Blueberries: For best results, use fresh blueberries. If you must use frozen, do not thaw.
Before baking, brush the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. These extras add a bakery-style crunch and beautiful golden sheen. Highly recommended!
Frozen Grated Butter
Frozen grated butter is key to blueberry scone success.
Like with pie crust, work the cold butter into the dry ingredients. The cold butter coats the flour. When the butter/flour crumbs melt as the scones bake, they release steam and pockets of air. These pockets add a flaky center, while keeping the edges 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. Remember, you don’t want to over-work scone dough.
I recommend grating the frozen butter with a box grater.
How to Make Blueberry Scones
Blueberry scones are a quick and easy breakfast pastry recipe. Since there’s no yeast, they go from the mixing bowl to the oven relatively quickly. First, mix the dry ingredients together. You need flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Second, cut cold butter into the dry ingredients. You can use a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your hands. A food processor works too, but it often overworks the scone dough. To avoid overly dense scones, work the dough as little as possible.
Next, whisk the wet ingredients together. You need heavy cream, 1 egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the blueberries, then gently mix together. Form the dough into a disc on the counter, then cut into 8 wedges.
One of my tricks: To obtain a flaky center and a crumbly exterior, scone dough must remain cold. Cold dough won’t over-spread, either. Therefore, I highly recommend you chill the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes prior to baking. You can even refrigerate overnight for a quick breakfast in the morning.
After that, bake the scones until golden brown.
The scones are fantastic warm out of the oven, but taste even better with a drizzle of vanilla icing on top. The icing is totally optional, but you should never pass up the chance to accessorize! It seeps down into the cracks and crevices, adding even more sweet flavor. A dusting of confectioners’ sugar or pat of homemade honey butter is tasty, too!
More Essential Breakfast Recipes
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My Favorite 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
These better-than-the-bakery blueberry scones are bursting with juicy blueberries. They’re buttery and moist with crisp, crumbly edges and soft, flaky centers. Read through the recipe before beginning. You can skip the chilling for 15 minutes prior to baking, but I highly recommend it to prevent the scones from over-spreading.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)
- 1 large egg
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup (140g) fresh blueberries
- for topping: coarse sugar and vanilla icing
Instructions
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. See video for a closer look at the texture. Place in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
- Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, the egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the blueberries, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
- Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1–2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges.
- Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and, for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.)
- Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet (if your fridge has space!) and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2–3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before topping with vanilla icing.
- Leftover iced or un-iced scones keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. 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. 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 the recipe the following day.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Box Grater | Pastry Cutter | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Bench Scraper | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Pastry Brush
- Blueberries: For best results, use fresh blueberries. If you must use frozen, do not thaw.
- 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 use a spatula to press back into shape, then return to the oven to finish baking.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Do you recommend freezing before or after baking? Is there a difference?
Hi Michelle, it’s totally personal preference and what you have time for. For a group of people I do like freezing these before baking so that they can be as “fresh baked” as possible when I serve them. Both methods work wonderfully though- see the recipe notes for both options!
These are the best scones I’ve ever made . I think this is my go to scone recipe from now on – just have to find fruit substitutions etc to vary the flavor. With my home made lemon curd on these – best Sunday breakfast ever.
Hi Sally! Thanks so much for all of your great recipes! I’m not usually a scone fan, but these were outrageously good. My whole family loved them! Thanks!!
Hi Sally! I want to make these scones today, but I am thinking about making them into 16 smaller scones/triangles. Would you recommend still shaping in a circle and cutting into 16, or making it into a rectangle to get shorter, stubbier triangles? Do you think they will burn in the oven if smaller?
Hi Pateel, You can press the dough into two 5-inch discs and cut each into 8 equal wedges. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. You can see how I made my Funfetti Chip Scones mini size!
I made these scones and I followed the instructions as directed. My scones turned out more cake like them crispy and crumbly …. I’m not sure what went wrong …
A family hit! If I were to describe the taste of then in one word it would be “heavenly!” Thanks so much for the recipe!
So glad I found this recipe. This is totally foolproof. Finally found a scone recipe that works for me. Next time I’ll try it with the icing. Yum.
This recipe is pretty easy, and the scones taste great! Slight problem, grating the butter took a LONG time. I was wondering if the grater attachment for my food processer would work?
Hey Sally,
My wife and I made these with no changes, except! We divided mixture into 8 portions and molded them into Lodge cast iron scone pan! Sprayed with canola Pam first and the came out perfect !
Joecancook
I made this loved the recipient I used buttermilk in it. Came out super moist and yummy best scone recipie
Hi Sally! Both batches I’ve made have turned out with more of a cakey texture instead of the dense, crumbly texture I’m used to getting at my local bakery. Any suggestions? Still very delicious though!
Easy even for a novice.
These were great!!! My only issue was I used frozen blueberries and during the rolling process the colour bled quite a bit so my scones were blue instead of a pale golden brown. Any tips to preventing this from happening?
Hi Crystal, I’m so happy to help. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together completely, then carefully work in the blueberries as little as possible to combine. Coating the frozen blueberries in 2 Tablespoons of flour should help prevent them from bleeding their color as much.
oh my gosh.. first time making scones and absolutely loved them. came out all and crispy and moist. got a lil worried when they started spreading a little in the oven, but luckily they hardened in time. all was well and by golly, these were so delicious. thanks for sharing your recipe!
Can we use evaporated milk for the scones?
I haven’t tried it, but I can’t see why not. The scones may spread a little more, but you could try adding another 1-2 Tbsp of flour to help.
These scones are so easy to make! And they turned out perfect and delicious. I had never frozen the butter before and it made everything so much easier. After brushing with the cream, I sprinkled on some sugar so they had a little crunch on top. Great recipe.
Sally: I made these scones and they are wonderfully moist as promised! I have 2 questions though. 1) I found my dough to be a little more sticky and tough to work with than what I saw in your video and it just occurred to me that it might be because I used an extra large egg which is the size I usually have on hand. Would you suggest adding 2-3 Tbl. more flour to compensate for the extra moisture? 2) I also used your vanilla icing but my question on that is timing. To get more of an icing topping, do you let the scones completely cool? I was anxious to wrap it up (so we could “test” of course) and I found the icing ended up being a very light glaze which was yummy but not what I planned.
Hi Kim, The dough is very sticky! I usually just add enough flour to coat my work surface and hands so I can shape it at the end.
You can definitely let the scones cool completely before adding the icing and you can also make the icing thicker if you wish by adding less milk/cream.
I love these scones & this recipe! I’ve made it twice to perfect the process & they were so much better the second time. The only problem I’ve had both times are the scones spreading too much when they bake & not keeping the straight edges of the pie shape. Do you have any tips for what I am doing wrong?
Hi Elizabeth, I’m glad to help. Make sure all of your ingredients are very cold. You can even place your bowl of flour in the refrigerator if needed. 15 minutes is the minimum I recommend chilling the dough but you can chill it longer – up to overnight. 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. You can also try adding 2-3 extra Tbsp of flour to the dough as well.
Love these! Slightly sweet, light, fluffy, crumbly. Very crave-able!
This recipe is amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever made anything so delicious.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a box grater. What alternative method can I use to prep the butter?
Hi Brenda, you can cut the butter very, very finely into very small cubes instead. Then freeze those for 10-15 minutes before using in the recipe.
They only sale low-fat buttermilk where I live, can I use it or does it have to be full-fat buttermilk? Also, thank you so much for this amazing recipe!!!
Low fat buttermilk works great!
Love this! May i know how long this baked scones can stay fresh in a container? Or if we keep in the fridge?
Hi Sally, I found it interesting that you had mentioned Panera Bread scones, as those are the only ones I had ever eaten! I thought they were really good but I had nothing to compare them with until today when I made your Blueberry scones and yours are delicious!!!. I can’t wait to try another one of your scone recipes! Thank you so much for graciously sharing all your recipes, and tutorials. -Vicki
Hi Sally,
My dough is too sticky after adding the dry and wet ingredients together with the blueberries. I would keep adding flour but I feel like I’m adding way too much. Any suggestions?
Hi Pam, This dough is very sticky! I usually just add enough to coat my work surface and hands so I can shape it at the end (you can watch this in the video above). Keep your hands well floured and the colder the dough the less sticky it will be so feel free to place it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you shape it. I hope you enjoy them!
I’ve made this a couple times with fresh blueberries and they were amaaaazing. However today I decided to use frozen blueberries and sadly they were a big fail. I followed the instructions closely- did not thaw and made sure it was very cold before baking but I ended up getting a lot of spread and it just became one giant flat thing. Maybe this doesn’t work for frozen blueberries after all?
Made these, they are delicious
Do you have the nutrition information?
The idea of making scones always seemed intimidating to me. But it’s blueberry season here in New England, and I had been craving blueberry scones to no end. They turned out perfectly! I even gave some to my mother-in-law who is a great cook, and she agreed that they are delicious! I’m excited to work my way through all your variations. Thank you very much for the detailed instructions and the fail proof recipe!
My family loved these! When making it into a disc, I squished a lot of my blueberries! They were definitely not as pretty as yours but tasted delish!
Soooo yummy! I made these today with the vanilla icing and they were a huge hit!
This will definitely be a family favorite!
So I have made this recipe twice now in the last 2 weeks. It turns out great each time, but I always have to add quite a bit more heavy whipping cream to make it moist enough to form into a dough. Is this a normal adjustment to make?
Love your stuff!!! 🙂
Hi Amanda, make sure you are spooning and leveling the flour. Otherwise, you aren’t doing anything wrong by adding a touch more liquid to bring the dough together. It usually just depends on how cold the butter is and how much it’s been worked in.