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!
I originally published this recipe in 2015.
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, apple cinnamon 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 & Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Lemony Blueberry Galette
- Strawberry Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
- Lemon Bars
- Homemade Lemon Cupcakes
- Lemon Meringue Pie & Creamy Lemon 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.
I’m happy to say I won second place at our local fall fair with this recipe for a scone with fruit. Many thanks for a great recipe!
Any reccomendations for making these mini scones? How much would you reduxe the baking time? Can’t wait to try them!!
Hi Sadie, you can follow the baking times from these mini sprinkle scones as a guide. Enjoy!
These were the BEST scones.
I think I’ll try cranberries next and substitute an orange instead of lemon. Love how moist they were. Thank you
These turned out great! My husband said these tasted just like the ones we love from our local coffee shop! Yum! Yum!
This is the perfect scone! It’s flaky and delicate.
I love this recipe. It’s very easy to do and absolutely delicious. I always prepare mine the night before and put them in the refrigerator. The next morning I brush them with cream and bake them. I always do half of the glaze and it’s plenty for 8 scones. Also I use fresh blueberries and cut them in half to have more small pieces of blueberries.
Love this recipe so much! I have a question: how do I keep the blueberries from not staining the dough? Thanks !
Hi Katiela, a little bleeding of color from the blueberries is completely normal. Just try to use a gentle hand when mixing them in the dough to prevent popping. So glad you enjoyed them!
Love these scones! I have uses this recipe many times and they are delicious! The only thing is I can never get down a consistent bake. I tend to have ro separate the triangles because it is otherwise very wet on the insides. I then end up baking it longer and making all sorts of adjustments during the baking process. When I separate it ends up spreading a little. What might I be doing wrong?
Hi Lfarmer, we’re so glad these scones are a favorite for you! Is the dough super cold when going into the oven? Having very cold dough throughout the process will help ensure the scones keep their shape and not over spread. If you do find they’re still spreading, you can take the pan out of the oven and gently reshape them with a silicone spatula and then return to the oven to finish baking. Hope this helps for your next batch!
This is a great recipe ! I’ve made it several times! I get rave reviews every time! I do substitute the heavy cream with plain Greek sugar free yogurt and a few tablespoons of milk . Reduces the calories a bit .
This is my go-to sweet scone recipe! They’re fantastic!
What a lovely scone recipe…lemon and blueberry. I entered this recipe in my local county fair and WON FIRST PLACE for the Best scone recipe! Another Blue Ribbon Winner by Sally!
Great recipe could I add some white chocolate chips or grated chocolate nex time
I substituted flax egg and sour cream and it turned out great!
Oh my, this receipe made the best scones Ive ever baked. Loved the lemon zest. I brushed with heavy cream and sprinkled with lemon zest and sugar. Delicious!!!
Any change for high altitude on the lemon blueberry scones?
Hi Kerrie, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Was a skeptic and first but this recipe is the real deal! Thank you so much!
Loved these! I added some lemon zest to the scone, used a bit more blueberries, and made ahead and froze so I could pull out one or two at a time and bake from frozen. Delightful!
I loved this recipe! My family asked me to make these 2 times in a row!
Best scone recipe I have made. My family loved them. Thank you.
I love this recipe and make it all the time but I am wondering about the metric measurement for flour. 1 cup of flour is 120 grams, so I’m wondering if the extra 10 grams is supposed to be for flouring hands/the work surface or what? Thanks!
Hi Paige, we consistently measure 1 cup of flour as 125g, so 2 cups as 250 g. That does not include extra flour for the surface. Glad these are a favorite for you!
This recipe was easy to follow and the end result was delicious.
These came out delicious, though mine had more of a muffin-like consistency with a crunchy exterior than a scone-like texture which I consider to be more dry/crumbly. When I brought the dough together it was VERY dry so I added a tbsp of heavy cream as suggested, but then it was so wet that I had to add more flour. Could that have caused it? Should I have let it be more dry, or maybe add a tsp of cream at a time next time? Love your recipes and I can’t wait to perfect this one!
Hi Katie, the dough should be just slightly sticky when you bring it together, so for next time, you can add a bit more heavy cream as you mentioned, but in smaller amounts until the dough is just slightly sticky. Thank you for giving these a try!