Using my perfected master scone recipe, build your own scones with a variety of add-ins like chocolate chips, berries, or cheese and herbs. These better-than-the-bakery treats are flaky, flavorful, and moist with crisp crumbly edges. There’s a lot of helpful information and step-by-step photos, but feel free to jump right to the recipe!
Scones are sweet or savory, perfect with coffee and tea, welcome at baby showers, bridal showers, brunch, snack time, bake sales, Mother’s Day, and wherever muffins or coffee are appropriate. (All the time!)
But depending on the recipe and technique, scones can be dry and sandpaper-y with flavor comparable to cardboard. They can also over-spread and taste pretty boring. However, boring isn’t in our scone vocabulary!! My basic scone recipe promises uniquely crisp and buttery scones with crumbly corners and a soft, flaky interior.
I have several scone recipes that begin with the same basic formula. Let’s review the fundamentals so you can learn how to make the best scones. Sit back because there’s a lot to cover in this post!
What are Scones?
Depending where you live, the term “scone” differs. English scones are more similar to American biscuits and they’re often topped with butter, jam, or clotted cream. American scones are different, but different isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Today’s scones are sweeter, heavier, and aren’t usually topped with butter because there’s so much butter IN them. Sweetness aside, there’s still room for vanilla icing or a dusting of confectioners’ sugar on top. By the way, here’s my favorite recipe for traditional scones.
Scones are leavened with baking powder, so making them is generally quick. Blueberry scones are my favorite variety, but that quickly switches to pumpkin scones in the fall months! (Here are all my scone recipes.)
No matter which flavor you choose, these scones are:
- Moist & soft inside
- Crumbly on the edges
- Buttery & flaky
- Not sandpapery 🙂
Video Tutorial: Scones
Let’s start with a video tutorial.
Only 7 Ingredients in this Basic Scone Recipe
You only need 7-9 ingredients for my master scone recipe.
- 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. Reduce to about 2 Tablespoons for savory flavors. Brown sugar works too. However, if using brown sugar, whisk it into the wet ingredients to get out all the lumps. For example, see my caramel apple scones.
- Baking Powder: Adds lift.
- Salt: Adds flavor.
- Butter: Besides flour, butter is the main ingredient in scones. It’s responsible for flakiness, flavor, crisp edges, and rise.
- Heavy Cream or Buttermilk: For the best tasting pastries, stick with a thick liquid such as heavy cream or buttermilk. I usually use heavy cream, but if you want a slightly tangy flavor, use buttermilk. Thinner liquids change the flavor and appearance. You’ll be headed down a one way street to dry, bland, and flat scones.
- Egg: Adds flavor, lift, and structure.
- Optional: Vanilla extract adds necessary flavor to sweet scones, but skip it if you’re making savory scones. Depending on the flavor, cinnamon is another go-to ingredient.
And don’t forget about the add-ins! Scroll down to see all my favorite scone flavors.
How to Make Scones from Scratch
So now that you understand which ingredients are best, let’s MAKE SCONES!
- Mix the dry ingredients together. Use a big mixing bowl because you want lots of room for the mixing process.
- Cut in the grated frozen butter. You can use a pastry cutter or 2 forks, like we do with pie crust, 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. Messy and crumbly is a good thing!
- Whisk the wet ingredients together.
- Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Mix together, then pour out onto the counter.
- Form into a disc and cut into wedges. Wedges are easiest, but you can make 10-12 drop scones like I do with my banana scones.
- Brush with heavy cream or buttermilk. For a golden brown, extra crisp and crumbly exterior, brush with liquid before baking. And for extra crunch, a sprinkle of coarse sugar is always ideal!
- Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Keep scone dough as cold as possible. To avoid over-spreading, I recommend chilling the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator before baking. In fact, you can even refrigerate overnight for a quick breakfast in the morning!
- Bake until golden brown. Scones bake in a relatively hot oven for only 20-25 minutes.
Cold Ingredients & Frozen Grated Butter
Keeping scone dough as cold as possible prevents over-spreading. When scones over-spread in the oven, they lose the flaky, moist, and deliciously crumbly texture. In other words, they’re ruined. But the easiest way to avoid disaster is to use cold ingredients like cold heavy cream, egg, and butter.
But frozen grated butter is the real key to success.
Like with pie crust, work the cold butter into the dry ingredients to create crumbs. The butter/flour crumbs melt as the scones bake, releasing steam and creating air pockets. These pockets create a flaky center while keeping the edges crumbly 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.
3 Tricks for Perfect Scones
If you take away anything from this post, let these be it!
- Heavy Cream or Buttermilk: Avoid thinner milks which yield a flatter, less flavorful scone. Canned coconut milk makes a wonderful nondairy option!
- Frozen Grated Butter: See above!
- Refrigerate Before Baking: Remember, cold dough is a successful dough. To avoid over-spreading, I recommend chilling the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator before baking.
How to prevent flat scones: See #2 and #3. 🙂
How to Freeze Scones
I used to be totally against freezing scone dough. You see, the baking powder is initially activated once wet and if you hold off on baking, the scones won’t rise as much in the oven. However, the decrease in rise is so slight that it doesn’t make a noticeable difference. In fact, you can even shape this scone dough into wedges and refrigerate overnight before baking.
- 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 in the recipe below. Or thaw overnight, then bake as directed.
- Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with icing or confectioners’ sugar. 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.
15+ Scone Flavors
- Blueberry Scones and Chocolate Chip Scones (both pictured)
- Cranberry Orange and Pumpkin Scones
- Banana Scones and Lavender Scones
- Lemon Blueberry Scones and Sprinkle Scones
- Caramel Apple and Cinnamon Chip Scones
- Triple Chocolate Scones – they taste like brownies!
- Strawberry Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
- Ham & Cheese Scones
- Mixed Berry (pictured): Follow recipe below and add fresh or frozen mixed berries. Raspberries and blackberries burst easily, so don’t go overboard on those.
- Cherry Chocolate Chip: Follow recipe below and add 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 3/4 cup chopped fresh or frozen cherries.
- Raspberry Almond: Follow the recipe below and add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract with the vanilla. After shaping the scones, gently press frozen raspberries into each, using about 1 cup total. (Avoid mixing them into the dough, as they can bleed.) Top the shaped scones with sliced almonds before baking (1/3 cup / 37g total almonds). After baking, drizzle with the raspberry icing from these mini vanilla pound cakes.
- Fresh Herb: Reduce sugar to 2 Tablespoons, leave out vanilla extract, and add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 cup chopped herbs such as rosemary, parsley, and basil. Additionally, feel free to add 1 cup shredded cheese to the dough and top with sea salt before or after baking!
Using the master recipe below as a starting point, toss in your favorite add-ins like white chocolate chips, toasted pecans, sweetened or unsweetened coconut, dried cranberries, peanut butter chips, etc. If it’s a particularly wet add-in like chopped peaches, blot them with a paper towel before adding to the dough. Top with lemon curd, raspberry sauce, or any of the suggested toppings below. Above all, have fun finding your favorite flavor!
Look At All Of Your Scones!
Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
PrintHow to Make Perfect Scones
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 large or 16 small scones
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Use this basic scone dough for any sweet scone variety. See blog post for a couple savory scone options. Feel free to increase the vanilla extract and/or add other flavor extracts such as lemon extract or coconut extract. 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
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 115g) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream or buttermilk (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)
- 1 large egg
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1–1.5 cups add-ins such as chocolate chips, berries, nuts, fruit, etc
- optional: coarse sugar for topping
Instructions
- Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder 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 add-ins, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
- To make triangle scones: 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. For smaller scones, press dough into two 5-inch discs and cut each into 8 wedges. To make 10-12 drop scones: Keep mixing dough in the bowl until it comes together. Drop scones, about 1/4 cup of dough each, 3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. To make mini (petite) scones, see recipe note.
- 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(s). If making mini or drop scones, use 2 baking sheets. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
- Bake for 18-26 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Larger scones take closer to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Feel free to top with any of the toppings listed in the recipe Note below.
- Leftover scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 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 in the recipe below. Or thaw overnight, then bake as directed.
- Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with icing or confectioners’ sugar. 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 | Rubber Spatula | Bench Scraper | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Pastry Brush
- Scone Flavors: See blog post above. If adding fruit, use fresh or frozen. If frozen, do not thaw. Peel fruits such as apples, peaches, or pears before chopping. If desired, add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with the flour. I usually add cinnamon when making chocolate chip scones.
- 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.
- Mini/Petite Scones: To make smaller scones, press dough into two 5-inch discs and cut each into 8 equal wedges. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Optional Toppings: Vanilla icing, salted caramel, lemon icing from this iced lemon pound cake, maple icing from these banana scones, brown butter icing from these pistachio cookies, lemon curd, orange icing from these hot cross buns, raspberry icing from these mini pound cakes, dusting of confectioners’ sugar.
Keywords: scones
Love this recipe! Added 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and mixed berries. They turned out pretty and purple and not to mention delicious!
I LOVE this recipe! I’ve made cranberry, blueberry and strawberry versions. All a success!
I’ve even substituted gluten-free flour!
Perfect every time!
★★★★★
Hi sally – can’t wait to try this recipe. A lot of scone recipes seem to have clotted cream. This is not something I’m familiar with but I’m assuming it’s a UK preference. Is the heavy cream or buttermilk similar for taste and texture?
Hi Kenny, clotted cream is much thicker and denser than heavy cream and buttermilk. I recommend sticking with liquid– heavy cream or buttermilk are ideal in this particular recipe.
Hi Sally,
I have weight out 2 cups of flour and I’m always finding it’s over 250g. I fluffed it up, spooned it in and levelled it off but every time I weigh it I have about 30-50 ml of extra flour? Which do you do in the recipe weigh the flour or measure?
Hi Natasha, We test all of our recipes multiple times using both metric weights and cups (since that’s standard where we live). While spooning and leveling our flour does get us 125 grams per cup, we always say that “A cup isn’t always a cup, but a gram or ounce is always a gram or ounce!” Basically, when in doubt go by the weight!
This was my first time making scones and they turned out great! Everyone loved them! Thank you for all the great recipes and especially for all the education and instruction you include with your recipes.
Just made these for first time! WOW! Your directions are spot on. These are excellent scones! I want to share a couple of things I did to enhance the flavors a bit. I used 1t of vanilla and 1/2t of fiori di sicilia ( bought from King Arthur ). This extract is a blend of citrus and vanilla used in Italian food. I also used 1 cup unsweetened dried cranberries and 1/2 cup of ocenspray craisins dried cranberries – 50% less sugar. Thank you for sharing your great recipes Sally! You’re my go-to recipe person online!
★★★★★
Hi Sally, Researching difference between using heavy cream vs. buttermilk, I found this information: “not completely interchangeable. Yes, you can swap them in a recipe, but it’s not as simple as switching buttermilk for heavy cream/heavy cream for buttermilk. For example, if you’re replacing buttermilk with heavy cream you’ll probably need to switch out your baking soda for baking powder.” I’ve only made your recipe with buttermilk but was thinking of trying the heavy cream next. What is your opinion on using one over the other? Does the baking powder need to be changed to baking soda with buttermilk? Also, I tried measuring the flour using a cup and then weighing it. There is a very slight difference between the two (a tiny bit more flour when measured by cup). Which method do you generally use for flour and sugar? Weight or volume? These are minor questions but I am obsessed with your recipe and I’m on a mission to make mine perfect! Your recipe is perfect!
★★★★★
Hi Terry! You seem just as interested in learning about ingredients as I am! What you read is 100% correct– buttermilk and heavy cream are not interchangeable in most recipes. Here, however, the substitution can work because baking powder can still do its job without the specific acidity in buttermilk. (Baking powder already contains an acid.) You would notice a difference if this recipe called for baking soda and you tried subbing cream for buttermilk. For measuring, I always use weight when I am testing recipes. Then I move on to volume to ensure the recipe works that way too. When I’m just baking (not for work), I’m 99% of the time weighing my ingredients.
Simple to throw together with everyday pantry staples, which is always a plus. I love how Sally breaks it down so you can customize the flavor profile. I ended up adding 2 tsp instant coffee, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 3/4 cup currants, finishing it with a vanilla bean glaze. Being all butter, they did spread a little bit, even though I chilled the dough for a little longer than the required time. Because the air has been cool and really dry, the dough too was a bit dry so I ended up adding a couple of extra tablespoons of cream. I’ll keep this recipe on-hand and look forward to making them again.
★★★★★
I never comment on these things, but this recipe is absolutely world class. I took these to work and had 3 different people beg for the recipe. Consensus favorite add-in was sliced almonds + almond extract + drizzled with honey .
I live in a very warm humid climate and have actually gotten the best results by refrigerating wrapped in parchment for about 8 hours. Highly highly recommend.
★★★★★
What kind of cheese you recommend for the Savory Herb scones?
These were amazing! I made them for my husband’s birthday and he said they were even better than the pastries at our favorite coffee shop. I used half a cup of fresh blueberries and half a cup of walnuts for the add-ins. I’m lactose intolerant, so I subbed the heavy cream with a 1:3 ratio mixture of melted vegan butter (Miyoko’s brand) and non-dairy coffee creamer (Silk brand). I omitted the vanilla extract since that was the coffee creamer flavor. They turned out PERFECT. Exactly as advertised. Thank you so much, Sally!
★★★★★
ABSOLUTELY LOVE THESE SCONES – the best flavor and my kids said they looked like I bought them – very professional :). They were a little putsy but very worth it!!! Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Love this recipe and notes. Will be trying later today but very hopeful they’ll turn out beautifully. *Thank you for the tip on coconut milk! As for an egg substitute, I think I’ll try a flax egg and if that works well then great! May also try applesauce for a different batch. Craving some orange icing on plain scones. ❤️
★★★★★
I had great success by also refrigerating the flour/sugar/salt/Baking powder mixture. Guaranteed that the butter stayed cold.
This recipe is my go-to for scones! It makes a little mess on the counter but the scones come out perfectly. My oven runs hotter so I put them in for less time and make sure to watch them, as to not overcook them.
★★★★★
This was my first time making scones and they were delicious! I made garlic herb parmesan and lemon blueberry for a party and they were a big hit. I needed to add a little more cream, I’m guessing because I live at high altitude. These will definitely be something I’ll make regularly.
I have never made scones before, and am not a baker! But I am a scone snob! Lol! You can’t find good store bought ones, so I thought I’d give this a try. Wow! The best scones I’ve ever tasted! Thank you for a great recipe and your expert tips!
★★★★★
Could you use a mixture of 2% milk and sour cream, to get the texture of using regular heavy cream, yet have a slightly buttermilk flavor, if you don’t have heavy cream or buttermilk on hand, and you want too use up your sour cream? Asking for a friend .
Hi Karen, For best results we recommend using either heavy cream or buttermilk. You could substitute some of the heavy cream/buttermilk for Greek yogurt or sour cream, but we don’t recommend substituting out ALL the liquid. Some Greek yogurt/sour cream + regular milk would be OK, too. We haven’t tested exact measurements, though. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
I made ginger-lemon scones this weekend using your recipe. Didn’t see your Greek yogurt hint but improvised that solution independently. Yogurt lightly diluted with milk. Came out great.
★★★★★
So delicious and easy to make. I’m addicted!
★★★★★
I followed the recipe to a tee but my batter was too wet & sticky even when I tried to add a little dough at a time to work with it. What could be wrong?
★★★
Dough was perfect until I added frozen berries and then it became a wet mess. I will try the recipe again but will use fresh berries and toss them in flour before adding to the dough and see if that helps. I really wanted a scone this morning
Ahh Sally! What happened to my scones-what did I do wrong? The only thing I can think of is over working the dough. They’re not “high”, and they seem really dark (like the color of a chocolate chip cookie)?
Hi Brenn, flat scones are usually a result of warm butter in the dough. Make sure to keep it very cold before baking! Thanks so much for giving these scones a try.
Great recipe, thank you.
★★★★★
I love both the blueberry and pumpkin scones so much! I want to gift some, and I don’t know their “add in” taste. Would the recipe be just as good without any add ins? Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Beth! Yes, these scones are delicious plain – gifting with small jars of jam would be a very special gift as well. Hope they’re a hit!
The jam is great idea! Thank you!
This is my plan. Having made some jam for family visits I’ve decided on scones and glad I’ve come across your post. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
I never knew scones could be so easy to make and so fabulous to eat! Most scones I’ve tried have been dry but these are wonderful! My first batch was with dried cranberries and orange zest (YUM!) … tonight, I’m preparing blueberry for the morning. And I most DEFINITELY want to try my hand at a savory concoction … I’m SO glad I stumbled across this recipe! You’re the best!
★★★★★
I tried this recipe because I’m unexpectedly hosting an afternoon tea, and I knew nothing about scones. Fast forward 2 weeks and my family is obsessed with these little beauties, enough to institute “scone Sundays” from here on out. I’m sure my tea guests will enjoy them just as much! Thank you for such detailed instructions – they were so helpful and they have come out perfectly each time. Delicious!!
★★★★★
I’m obsessed with scones, so I’ve tried a lot of recipes. This is the best by far! Delicious, buttery, soft but crisp, and so flavorful. I made mixed berry scones (and they turned out fine even though the raspberries and blackberries were a little juicy) and can’t wait to try all the other variations. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Hi! How long can you freeze this dough? It wasn’t clear to me in the instructions.
★★★★★
Hi Sashur, They can be frozen for up to 3 months (baked or unbaked). Enjoy!
I’d like to know if you prefer heavy cream or buttermilk? And I like a dense scone, a little on crumbly side. How does this one compare?
Hi Linda! Both work beautifully – I personally usually use heavy cream. These are dense and soft and slightly crumbly. Let us know if you try them!
I loved making this recipe of scones. I was really nervous to try the recipe but it turned out great so Thank you Sally
My dough came out wet but I did not care. I modified slightly. I cut frozen strawberries in quarters while frozen and added them to the dry bowl. I tried to distribute them evenly before adding the wet ingredients. They turned out light, moist, and crispy on the outside. Very happy.
★★★★
This is the *best* scone recipe! Even my English partner gushed over these…many compliments received from all who tried them
At our mile- high altitude, baking requires some adjustment so added a little more heavy cream and baked for a little longer with terrific results!
Grating frozen butter is a great tip
★★★★★
This was my first experience making scones and I LOVE his recipe! We’re having a sick day and I didn’t want to make a store trip, so I was super happy to read some of the comments about subbing in yogurt for cream (which I don’t have at the moment). I made the following substitutions: Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten-free flour, 1 tsp almond extract and 1/2 tsp orange extract instead of vanilla, and 1/2 c. whole milk plain yogurt with a splash of whole milk for cream. I went with about 2/3 cup chocolate chips for my flavor, it’s what I had in the cupboard and it didn’t disappoint! Otherwise I followed the recipe to a tee and made 8 larger triangle scones. Perfect! Like someone else said, crumb is very light with the GF flour. Yogurt worked terrifically (although I had to splash in just a bit more milk to get all the batter moist). Can’t wait to try again with blueberry (fav scone flavor) and maybe something savory after that! Thanks, Sally!
★★★★★
I’m making a large batch in advance and have very little fridge space. Would these turn out as well if I refrigerate the discs for a few days, then shape and bake?
★★★★★
Hi Debbe, We don’t recommend refrigerating the dough much more than 12 hours. However, you can freeze the dough for longer. See “How to Freeze Scones” in the post above for details.
I was recently gifted a nice stoneware scone pan, and was wondering if I could use this rather than a cookie sheet for your recipe? I’m worried they’ll spread and turn into just one weird disc scone.
I made the standard Blueberry Scones and they were wonderful! I used 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp of almond extract, along with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and the result was perfect. Crumbly, flaky, delicious goodness. Next I want to try to savory scones! Thank you for all the wonderful recipes – every single one I have tried has yielded excellent results (and I’m a picky baker!).
★★★★★