This is my go-to scone recipe packed with blueberries and topped with sweet lemon icing. These lemon blueberry scones are crumbly, yet moist and perfect for brunch, tea parties, bridal showers, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and so much more!
It’s only been a couple years since my scone love affair began. Before that, scones were nothing more than a dry crumbly triangle. I mean sure, scones are meant to be dipped into (insert hot beverage of choice here) but a pastry reminding me of cardboard never quite did it for me. Meh.
How appetizing has my writing been so far? Let me switch gears.
What I’m trying to say is: not all scones are created the same and with the right recipe, scones easily compete with muffins, quick breads, and even cinnamon rolls. These are the most delicious breakfast pastries!
All of my scone recipes begin with the same master recipe for scones. A few ingredients change based on flavor, but the process remains the same. This a careful formula brings us chocolate chip scones, blueberry scones, pumpkin scones, and so many more. It promises the BEST flavor and texture.
These Lemon Blueberry Scones Are:
- Sweet with crumbly edges
- Packed with juicy blueberries
- Filled with fresh lemon zest
- Crunchy golden brown on top
- Soft & moist in the centers
- Topped with lemon icing
If you can’t get enough of my lemon blueberry muffins, you’ll definitely love these scones also!
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Scones
These lemon blueberry scones are actually pretty easy. First, mix the dry ingredients together. You need flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and fresh lemon zest. 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. We want to avoid that.
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. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries—if using frozen, do not thaw. Form the dough into a disc on the counter, then cut into 8 wedges. Before baking, brush the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. This is one of my little scone tricks. These extras add a bakery-style crunch and beautiful golden sheen. 🙂
To obtain a flaky center and a crumbly exterior, keep scone dough as cold as possible. I highly recommend chilling 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.
Video Tutorial
If you’re interested, I have a 5 minute video demonstrating the scone recipe. I’m making blueberry scones in this video, but the base recipe and process is the same.
Frozen Grated Butter
Frozen grated butter is key to scone success. As with pie crust, work cold butter into the dry ingredients. The cold butter coats the flour, creating 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.
The lemon icing is even easier than the scones. Sifted confectioners’ sugar + lemon ju… I’m sorry, have I lost your attention? Is that pile of grated butter up there too beautiful to handle? 😉
Lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar produce a sinfully sweet & tangy lemon icing. The icing seeps into the tops of the scones making these summer-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 with your Mother’s Day spread?
More Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Creamy Lemon Pie
- Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Strawberry Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
- Lemon Bars
- 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
These lemon blueberry scones are bursting with juicy blueberries and delicious lemon zing! 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
- 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 (120ml) heavy cream (plus 2 Tablespoons for brushing)
- 1 large egg
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup (140g) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
- for topping: coarse sugar
Lemon Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Whisk flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, 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, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. See video above 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 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(s).
- 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 lemon icing.
- Make the icing: Whisk the icing ingredients together. Drizzle over warm scones.
- Leftover iced or un-iced scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
Keywords: lemon blueberry scones
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).
★★★★★