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!
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 sit tiptoe into a world of pastry perfection.
Since then, I mastered chocolate chip 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.
These Blueberry Scones Have:
- Sweet 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, stick with 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: Use fresh or frozen blueberries. If using 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.
Video Tutorial: Blueberry Scones
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 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 (spoon & 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 (1 stick; 115g) 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 (180g) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
- 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, 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 vanilla icing.
- Leftover iced or un-iced scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Special Tools: Glass Mixing Bowls, Box Grater, Pastry Cutter, Baking Sheet, Silpat Baking Mat, Pastry Brush
- 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: scones, blueberry scones
Oh my goodness! I added a tad too much cream so it was too sticky to form into dough. I didn’t bother chilling and just scooped a heaping amount into 8 greased muffin tins. Baked for 25 minutes. They were a beautiful mix of scone and muffin with a sugar crunch on top and absolutely melted in your mouth. I will be making this happy accident again!
★★★★★
Going to try as all comments positive!
Once a recipe Recommended use of cake flour! Your opinion on this idea?
Hi Beverly, cake flour is too light for this scone recipe. All-purpose is the ideal choice here. Hope you love them!
This recipe is AMAZING!! Better than coffee shop scones in my opinion.
★★★★★
I made these all the time, they are my favorite thing to have in the morning, with coffee. They turn out perfect every time. I mix the dough in my food processor, then add the berries & mix in by hand. I got my sister making these too, & everyone loves them. Waiting for mine to come out of the oven soon. Thank you for this great recipe.
★★★★★
Possibly my first time making scones and they are perfect!! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Just made them yesterday, my in laws loved them
★★★★★
I’ve made these more than once and each time they were absolutely delicious. I get positive feedback each and every time. I follow the instructions exactly as written and it never fails. I do skip the icing and additional sugar on top. They simply don’t need it, IMHO
Sally I would like to say thank you! These pastries were awesome. I was expecting a dry and pale flavor as I usually get from a scone.
These blueberry scones absolutely melted in our mouths. I can’t say enough about the recipe.
ONE WORD FOR THESE AWSOME!
I am going to try more of your recipes I’m sure we won’t be disappointed.
★★★★★
I’m excited to try this recipe, especially with comments on here! I live in a remote village alaska and don’t have access to a lot of ingredients, with heavy cream being one of them, what would you use in place of it for this recipe?
Hi Cynthia! Buttermilk or full fat (canned) coconut milk can work in the place of heavy cream. Let us know if you give them a try!
This was fantastic! My first time making scones and it was a breeze! We had picked fresh blueberries the night before and I had more than the recipe needed (about 1/4 cup more) and they still held together and were amazing! Thank you for such an easy, yummy recipe!!
★★★★★
If using salted butter (it’s all we have right now), would you remove the salt or will salted butter not work out?
Thanks!
Hi Diana, reduce salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
This recipe satisfies every time! I have made it over and over for many occasions. I have found they turn out best when you follow the directions as written. I get many compliments and the LOVE the icing. It is light packed with a nice lemon punch.
This was my first attempt at scones. I followed the recipe, using the buttermilk option, and dusted with raw cane turbinado sugar before baking. Did not add additional frosting.. They were delicious! Thank you for such an easy recipe to follow (like all your recipes!).
★★★★★
This is my first time making it. I used coconut milk instead of heavy cream as I didn’t have heavy cream. I have found out that when I mixed the wet ingredients into the dry one, it was very wet so I just scooped the dough into the baking sheet. It turned out excellent. They didn’t spread that much. They were delicious!! I usually don’t eat scones as they used to be very dry but this one is totally different!. Thank You Sally for your wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
These are awesome without the icing. I added a tsp of lemon zest to perk up my blueberries. Just perfect!
★★★★★
Just made this vegan and gluten free. Wow so good! I don’t know if I’ve even ever had a scone before but I really enjoyed it. I used king Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour, 1/4 cup applesauce for the egg and coconut milk for the heavy cream. Only baked 1 piece as it’s after midnight and I just wanted to try it. Can’t wait to bake it for my family in the morning.
It’s the very start of blueberry picking near us, so the biggest and sweetest berries have been added to this phenomenal recipe! I made a lemon glaze and the sour to sweet combo was fabulous. Thank you for all the helpful tips to keep these scones flaky and buttery.
★★★★★
I only have half and half on hand, could that be substituted for heavy cream?
Half-and-half works in a pinch, yes!
Can I make these scones and bake in my air fryer?
We haven’t tested that but let us know if you do!
I get great compliments from people who try my scones using your receipt. What is the secret to drizzling the glaze? Been using a rubber brush to coat the scones but just cannot get the knack of drizzling glaze.
Hi Steve! We usually just use a spoon and drizzle it over the scones. If your glaze is too thick or thin, you can add more milk/cream or powdered sugar as needed.
I have made these scones and everyone loves them. Has anyone made them, then froze and rewarmed? Was wondering if they are as good?
Hi Sue, we often use this method and the scones still come out great. So glad these are a favorite for you!
I consider myself a pretty good baker but I have never made anything as delicious as these scones. The recipe is spot on perfect.
★★★★★
Great recipe. I made it as directed. Only variation was that I omitted the cinnamon and added a little almond extract. I’ve made many similar scone recipes, yet this dough was notably easy to handle, press out, and cut. They came out as advertised, slightly crispy on the edges and soft and fluffy inside.
★★★★★
We’re excited to try these scones. To make them the night before, do we brush with cream when we refrigerate or brush with cream the next morning? It seems like the cream/sugar would just soak into the dough overnight?
We would brush with heavy cream just before baking!
This is about the 10th time I have made your blueberry scones! They are great every time❤️
★★★★★
These were delicious. I’m used to dry scones and these were not. Thanks for a great recipe!
Is there such a thing as savory scones? If so, do you have any recipes? With your comment about the sugar, it seems like I’d need to adjust some other aspects of the recipe if I wanted to get the same rise and moisture. I’d love to make a ham and cheese scone with some rosemary…
Hi Patricia, yes! You can see some ideas and modifications for savory scones in our master scone recipe. Let us know what you try!
I’ve tried your cinnamon chip and chocolate chip scone recipes and they were great. I don’t like blueberries, but LOVE strawberries and raspberries. Can I substitute? I would cut up the strawberries.
Thanks!
★★★★★
Yes, absolutely! Here’s our master scones recipe that you can use as a base for any scone flavor you prefer. Enjoy!
Sally! Sally! Sally! Wow, super easy & incredibly delicious!! ALL your recipes are so fantastic!! Thank you so much for all the time & effort you put into to perfecting recipes!! Another hit at my house!
★★★★★
Too much cinnamon
Well, no surprise these are just delicious and so easy to come together! Didn’t change a single thing.
I love this texture in a scone, so light and buttery and tasty, naked or with glaze. My husband likes things a little less sweet than I prefer and this scone recipe hits the mark! We love them with bacon on the side,
One of these days I’m going to count how many Sally’s recipes I’ve used…soooo many! And always delicious!
★★★★★
First time making scones and with three granddaughters ages 9, 9. And 11. Super receipe, easy to follow and deliciousness melting in our mouths!
★★★★★
This is my 1st time making scones and they turned out great!. My daughter and I did these together and she really enjoyed helping me in the kitchen. I kept ours in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and cooked for 20.. I didn’t make the icing but my family loved them. I will definitely make these again.
★★★★★