Make flaky, fluffy lemon blueberry scones topped with a sweet lemon glaze. Perfectly tart, perfectly sweet, and they come together fast!
Anytime family is visiting or if we’re hosting company for breakfast, I always make scones. They’re quick and easy and look fancy, even though they’re essentially flavored biscuits.
Chocolate Chip Scones are my favorite year-round, and Cranberry Orange Scones are my go-to recipe for using up leftover fresh cranberries from the holidays.
But when the cranberries are gone and I’m craving something with a bit more zing and a bit fresher, I reach for these lemon blueberry scones.
LEMON BLUEBERRY SCONES RECIPE
I first created this lemon blueberry scones recipe because I had extra juicy blueberries, a friend who wanted to surprise her daughter with something special, and a daughter of my own who was in the mood to bake.
That was the perfect combination for lemon blueberry scones that were so good, we immediately made a second batch for ourselves.
I love that blueberry scones:
- Can be made ahead of time and frozen (either unbaked scone dough or baked scones)
- Can be glazed or unglazed
- Turn out perfectly moist, fluffy, and flaky
- Better than your local coffee shop (and WAY cheaper!)
- The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled – for either yourself or to bless a neighbor or a friend
- Great for breakfast, brunch, snacks, or dessert
- Allergy friendly – you can make these egg-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free if you need to, and they still turn out delicious!
Plus, the dough is ready in less than 10 minutes! With a short rest in the fridge, while you clean up, a “fancy” breakfast is ready super quickly!
LEMON BLUEBERRY SCONE RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Like many baking recipes, this scone recipe needs a combination of wet and dry ingredients.
Dry Ingredients
- Flour. All-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or gluten-free 1:1 flour will all work here.
- Baking Powder. To help the scones turn out light and fluffy.
- Salt. Adding salt to baked goods helps the sweet flavors pop.
- Granulated Sugar. I use turbinado sugar for most of my baking.
- Cold Butter. Cutting the butter into the dough when it’s cold means that when you bake the scones, the butter will melt and create little pockets of air, giving you the flakiest, richest scones.
Wet Ingredients
- Egg. Keep reading for how to make these blueberry scones vegan.
- Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest. Fresh lemon juice is best and will give you the most citrus flavor. Since you also need the zest, buying a whole lemon just makes sense. If you only have bottled lemon juice on hand, you’ll have a much more subtle lemon flavor.
- Milk (or heavy cream). The higher the fat percentage in your milk, the richer your scone recipe will turn out.
- Vanilla Extract + Lemon Extract. Vanilla helps bring out the sweetness, and lemon extract boosts the tart lemon flavor.
- Blueberries. Both fresh blueberries and frozen blueberries work here. No need to thaw frozen berries first.
I’ve included an optional glaze as well if you like your scones a smidge on the sweeter side!
- Powdered Sugar. Did you know you can make your own powdered sugar? Learn how here.
- Milk (or Lemon Juice). Use milk for a vanilla glaze or lemon juice for a lemon icing.
- Vanilla Extract. You can make this too!
- Pinch of salt. Again, just a bit of salt helps bring out the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Psst! Not all salts are made the same! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!).
HOW TO MAKE BLUEBERRY LEMON SCONES
Step 1: Stir together the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, except for the butter, in a large bowl.
Step 2: Cut the unsalted butter into small pieces (each Tablespoon cut into four pieces) and add it to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, pastry blender, or two forks, work quickly to distribute the butter into the flour. When you’re done, the dough should look like coarse crumbs with pieces of butter no bigger than the size of a pea.
Step 3: In a separate small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the wet ingredients, except the blueberries. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, add the blueberries, and then mix using your hands JUST until the ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.
Step 4: Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently work with the dough to form an 8-inch disk that’s about ¾”-1” tall. If the dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour. If the dough seems too dry, add 1 teaspoon of milk.
Step 5. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the round into 8 wedges. If desired, brush the top of the scones with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Step 6: Place the blueberry scones on a plate and refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. When the scones are done refrigerating, place them on the prepared baking sheet 2-3” apart.
Step 7: Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the scones are crisp and golden brown around the edges. Remove the scones from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack before topping with the lemon glaze.
Step 8: Make the sweet lemon icing: Whisk the lemon icing ingredients together and drizzle over the scones.
HOW TO STORE AND FREEZE BLUEBERRY SCONES
Baked scones will keep well at room temperature for a couple of days when stored in an airtight container. They can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
The unbaked dough should be stored in the refrigerator and can be made up to two days ahead of time. Be sure to store the dough in an airtight container.
For longer storage, you can also freeze unbaked lemon blueberry scones for up to 3 months. Wrap the scone dough well with plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Date and label the bag. It may be wise to include baking instructions on the bag as well, in case you don’t remember where you got the recipe from!
Find all of my tips for freezing baked goods here.
BLUEBERRY SCONES RECIPE VARIATIONS
- Milk: Any milk can be used in this recipe, but you can also use buttermilk or even eggnog if you have some leftover from the holidays. I haven’t tried it, but using lemonade for some of the milk would add an extra burst of lemony flavor!
- Switch the citrus! Try orange juice and zest for orange blueberry scones.
- Glaze: If you don’t want the extra lemon flavor, use milk instead of lemon juice when making the glaze. You can also skip the glaze altogether and use just coarse sugar, or skip the sugar and dust with confectioners’ sugar when the scones are completely cool.
- Make blueberry scones vegan with a few substitutions.
- Egg: Substitute 1 Tablespoon of ground flaxseed if you wish to make vegan lemon blueberry scones. You do not need to make a flaxseed egg first – just add the flaxseed to the flour mixture.
- Butter: Substitute an equal amount of unrefined coconut oil for dairy-free blueberry scones. Make sure your coconut oil is solid and cold when you add it to the dry ingredients, and don’t skip the refrigerating step!
- Milk: Substitute your favorite dairy-free milk. I like coconut milk for blueberry scones.
RECIPE – SCONES VS. BISCUITS
I mention that scones are easy just like biscuits, because both recipes start with incorporating the butter into the flour so that the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. This is what makes both scones and biscuits light and fluffy.
Beyond that, though, scones are slightly sweeter than biscuits with sugar both in the recipe and often sprinkled on top. Scones are also often glazed, whereas biscuits are not. Whether you serve scones or biscuits at room temperature, slightly warm, or hot is entirely up to you!
If you need a good biscuit recipe, be sure to give these Homemade Biscuits a try!
MACRO-FRIENDLY BLUEBERRY AND LEMON SCONES
Can you eat blueberry scones while you’re watching your macros? Absolutely!
One of my favorite tricks for enjoying scones when I don’t want to overdo it on the carbs is actually really simple: make mini scones instead.
When you are shaping the scones, divide the dough into 2 discs and cut each into 8 wedges. You’ll end up with 16 mini scones instead of 8 larger scones, making it easier to enjoy one along with your protein and produce.
Because you know we need protein and produce at every meal and snack, right?
SCONES RECIPES BLUEBERRY FAQS
What is the secret to making good scones recipes blueberry?
I believe the secret to making yummy blueberry scones is three-fold: don’t overmix the dough, refrigerate the dough, and sprinkle the top with coarse sugar before baking.
Can you substitute milk for heavy cream in the recipe – scones?
Yes! This recipe doesn’t use heavy cream and calls for milk instead. If you want a scone recipe that uses heavy whipping cream, I recommend my Chocolate Chip Scones.
Why are my scones not fluffy?
Fluffy scones are the result of the butter being too warm and/or activating the gluten in the flour. Be sure to not overmix the dough – mix JUST until the ingredients are all moist. And refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes before baking to make sure the butter is fully solidified.
Why does the scone dough rest before baking?
Letting the scone dough rest before baking lets the gluten relax, so that you get a fluffier scone. When this rest happens in the fridge, it gives the butter a chance to get very cold, which helps give a fluffy, flaky scone!
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Lemon Blueberry Scones
Make flaky, fluffy lemon blueberry scones topped with a sweet lemon glaze. Perfectly tart, perfectly sweet, and they come together fast!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French
Instructions
- Stir together the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, except for the butter, in a large bowl.
- Cut the unsalted butter into small pieces (each tablespoon cut into four pieces) and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, pastry blender, or two forks, work quickly to distribute the butter into the flour. When you’re done, the dough should look like coarse crumbs with pieces of butter no bigger than the size of a pea.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients, except the blueberries, in a large measuring glass or another small bowl. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, add the blueberries, and then mix using your hands JUST until the ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.
- Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently work with the dough to form an 8-inch disc that’s about ¾”-1” tall. If the dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour. If the dough seems to dry, add 1 tsp of milk. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the round into 8 wedges. If desired, brush the top of the scones with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Place scones on a plate and refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. When the scones are done refrigerating, place them on the prepared baking sheet 2-3 apart.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown around the edges. Remove the scones from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack before topping with the lemon glaze.
- Make the sweet lemon icing: Whisk the lemon icing ingredients together and drizzle over the scones.
Notes
Vegan Substitutions
- Egg: Substitute 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed. No additional water is needed.
Butter: Substitute unrefined coconut oil, solid. - Milk: You need ½ cup minus 1 Tbsp of lemon juice. I recommend adding 1 Tbsp lemon juice to a glass measuring cup and then adding milk to the ½ cup line.
