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
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!