Made with fresh lemon juice and zest, these Lemon Scones have a bright tart and sweet flavor finished with a delicious drizzle of lemony icing. Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack, they're like a ray of sunshine on a plate!
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Why this recipe works
- Lemon scones have bright lemony flavor in spades using lemon juice and zest
- A light and flaky texture punctuated by a slightly crispy, golden exterior
- A drizzle of lemon icing boosts the flavor punch
I love lemony treats - it's like eating a slice of sunshine. Whether it's lemon bars (like lemon lime bars or cranberry lemon bars), lemon sherbet, lemon cheesecake, limoncello cake, or a lemon shortbread cookie, that tartness just wakes up something bright and sunny in me.
Now I've brought that sunshine to teatime with these sweet and tart Lemon Scones!
With their light and flaky texture and drizzle of lemony icing, these easy lemon scones bring a bold flavor punch to the party. And to double down on the lemony goodness, serve them with homemade lemon curd and clotted cream.
Lemon scones are perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack, Mother's Day brunch, bridal showers or baby showers, or anytime you want to brighten your day.
Bring a ray of lemon sunshine to your plate!
Recipe ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this lemon scones recipe:
Ingredient Notes
The basic ingredients for a lemon scone recipe don't vary a whole lot: all-purpose flour, heavy cream, butter, sugar, an egg, and salt.
Butter: How you cut up your butter isn't as important as keeping it cold. Generally I'll grate frozen butter on a box grater, mostly because I won't have defrosted the butter ahead of time. You can also cut chilled butter into ½-inch cubes. Either way, make sure the butter is well chilled before cutting it into the flour mixture.
Flavoring: These lemon scones get their bright flavor from both lemon juice and lemon zest. For the best flavor, I'd recommend using fresh lemons and skip the bottled lemon juice this time.
There's also vanilla extract in the scones to add floral notes to underpin the sweetness of the scones.
Baking powder and baking soda: Because of the acidity in the lemon juice, we use baking soda in addition to the normal baking powder to get a nice, high lift to the scones.
Toppings: Lemon scones are topped with a bit of coarse sugar sprinkled on before baking to add a little crunch. After cooling, drizzle an lemon glaze for more citrus goodness - it's just a mixture of lemon juice and powdered sugar.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Variations
You can adjust the ingredients in this lemon scones recipe to suit your dietary needs. Just know that the richness of the finished product may not be the same as the original recipe.
Gluten-free lemon scones: Substitute a good one-to-one gluten-free flour mix for the all-purpose flour.
Vegan lemon scones: Use a vegan butter substitute and an unflavored milk substitute, like oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk, in place of the butter and heavy cream (I don't recommend using coconut products because that flavor could interfere with the lemon flavors). Leave out the egg and increase the liquid by ¼ cup (56 grams).
Mix-ins: Another delicious variation is to fold in berries to the scone dough before shaping. Lemon Blueberry Scones are a classic for a reason!
How to make Lemon Scones
Step 1: Make the dough
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (photo 1).
Use a pastry blender, two forks, or your hands to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs, then fold in the lemon zest (photo 2).
In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla. Slowly add the heavy cream mixture to the flour mixture and mix until the dough just holds together.
Using a bowl scraper helps to keep your hands from warming the butter as the dough is mixed (photo 3).
Making scones in the food processor
I've noticed as I've grown older that it's getting harder for me to make scone dough by hand, especially if I'm using frozen butter.
Using the food processor is a quick and efficient way to make scone dough, as long as you follow the #1 rule: Don't overwork the dough! Use short 5 to 10 second pulses to process the dough - you still want to see the chunks of butter after the dough is mixed. Here's a step-by-step breakdown:
- Pulse the flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest until it's combined.
- Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and pulse a few times. Stop as soon as you see the flour mixture looking crumbly with pea-sized pieces of butter.
- Add the cream mixture and pulse just until the dough holds together.
Now you're ready to turn out the dough and continue with the recipe.
Step 2: Fold and chill the dough
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and push together into a rough square. To create flaky layers, fold the square in half, repeating a couple more times. This process is similar to folding in the chocolate chips when making Chocolate Chip Scones and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones.
Gather the dough, and flatten it into a 6-inch disk (if you want square scones, shape the dough into a rectangle with the short side about 4-inches long). Use a bench scraper to release the dough, if needed. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Choose your scones shape
Once the dough is chilled, you have your choice of how to shape the scones:
For wedge-shaped scones: Roll out the disk into an 8-inch circle, then use a bench scraper to cut the disk into 8 wedges.
For round scones: Roll out the disk to a height of about ¾ inches. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out rounds (gather, press, and cut the leftover dough again as needed, but hopefully not more than 2 times).
For square scones: Roll out the dough into a 12- by 4-inch rectangle, then cut into twelve 2-inch squares.
Step 3: Portion the scones
I cover the dough with plastic wrap when rolling out the scone dough to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin, and use a bench scraper to portion the dough (photo 4).
Step 4: Bake the scones
Line a half sheet baking pan with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper.
Place the scones about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking pan. Use a pastry brush to top each scone with heavy cream, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake at 400˚F for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown (photo 5).
Step 5: Make the icing
While the scones are cooling, add the lemon juice into sifted powdered sugar, stirring until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or more sifted powdered sugar as needed (photo 6).
Place the cooling rack on the baking pan to catch the drips. Drizzle the icing onto the scones and allow to set (photo 7).
Serve the scones warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
Storage and make-ahead instructions
Storage instructions: Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. Glazed or plain scones freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then warm to your liking before serving.
Make-ahead instructions: For freshly baked scones anytime, freeze the cut, unbaked scones in a ziplock bag. Take out as many as you want to bake (there's no need to defrost them first), and bake at 375 °F for 20 to 23 minutes.
Yield Notes
The yield is generally about 8 scones (that's what I get from a circle cut into wedges or with a 3-inch round cookie cutter), and up to 12 (cutting the square scones). Your yield may vary.
It's import to preheat your oven
When baking scones, you want the oven all the way to temperature when the chilled dough goes in. That way the water in the butter evaporates quickly and gives that nice tall, flaky, and tender texture we want in a scone.
Don't rely on the oven telling you it's at temperature. It's best to always preheat your oven for at least 20 minutes before baking. You can even test the oven's temperature with an oven thermometer or a digital infrared temperature gun.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
That's a big yes! It's important to have the cold butter coated with flour, but not overly mixed in. Then, as the scones are baked, the water in the butter evaporates, giving the scones a flaky, crumbly texture. Keeping the dough cold ensures that the butter won't melt too quickly, leading to dense scones.
It's all about the butter. By using a bowl scraper, you're not warming the dough with your hands. It's the same concept as when you make pie dough or shortcrust pastry.
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I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More recipes with citrus to try
Recipe
Lemon Scones
Equipment
- 3-inch round cookie cutter if desired
Ingredients
For the scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold, grated or cubed, see Recipe Notes
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from 2 lemons
- ½ cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing on top
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, see Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling
For the lemon icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line a half sheet baking pan with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.Note: The instructions below are for making the dough by hand. If you want to use the food processor to make the dough, see the instructions in the post above.
- Make the scones: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Toss ½ cup unsalted butter into the flour mixture to coat, then use a pastry blender, two forks, or your hands to work the butter into the flour mixture until coarse, pea-sized crumbs appear. Don't overdo this step as you don't want the butter to warm up and mix completely into the flour.Fold in the 1 tablespoon lemon zest.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup heavy cream, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
- Slowly add the lemon mixture to the flour mixture and mix until the dough just holds together. Using a bowl scraper will help to combine the dough in the bowl without your hands warming up the butter, plus you can see any crumbs at the bottom that still need to be mixed in. Remember, do not over mix the dough - you want to keep that butter cold and separate from the flour.The amount of liquid to add to the flour mixture depends on the humidity of the day. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers, and add more heavy cream or flour, 1 tablespoon at a time (2 tablespoons maximum), if it's too crumbly or too wet.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and push together into a rough square. Fold the square in half, repeating a couple more times (this is to create flaky layers).
- Gather the dough, and flatten it into a 6-inch disk (if you want square scones, shape the dough into a rectangle with the short side about 4-inches long). Use a bench scraper to release the dough, if needed. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Once the dough is chilled, you have your choice of how to shape the scones:For wedge-shaped scones: Roll out the disk into an 8-inch circle, then use a bench scraper to cut the disk into 8 wedges. For round scones: Roll out the disk to a height of about ¾ inches. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out rounds (gather, press, and cut the leftover dough again as needed, but hopefully not more than 2 times).For square scones: Roll out the dough into a 12- by 4-inch rectangle, then cut into twelve 2-inch squares with a bench scraper. Covering the dough with plastic wrap helps roll out the dough without sticking.
- Place the scones about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking pan. Brush the tops of each scone with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool the scones on the baking pan for 2 minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Make the icing: Sift the ½ cup powdered sugar into a small bowl, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (starting with the lesser amount - you might need to add an additional tablespoon to get the right consistency). Stir until the icing is smooth and leaves a trail when drizzled into the bowl.
- Place the cooling rack on the baking pan to catch the drips. Drizzle the icing onto the scones and allow to set.
- Serve the scones warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
- Storage Instructions: Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. Glazed or plain scones freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then warm to your liking before serving.
- Make-ahead instructions: For freshly baked scones anytime, freeze the cut, unbaked scones in a ziplock bag. Take out as many as you want to bake (there's no need to defrost them first), and bake at 375 °F for 20 to 23 minutes.
- The yield is generally about 8 scones (that's what I get from a circle cut into wedges or with a 3-inch round cookie cutter), and up to 12 (cutting the square scones). Your yield may vary.
Emil Ramirez says
I am new to baking being early in my retirement. My wife loves scones and she is a baker. So I had all of the tools needed. My first attempt, I whisked the lemon zest in with heavy cream mixture. They came out lightly lemony and flakey. In rereading the directions again on my second attempt I folded in the lemon zest into the dry ingredients. I will report back with results. Thank you for the step by step instructions on the web site, and I am eager to try more of your recipes.
Emil
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Emil, I’m glad you’re experimenting with baking - tweaking is half the fun and how we learn. Good luck, and happy baking! 🙂
Tammy Spencer says
I enjoyed creating this recipe for you, and I hope you like it as much as I do. Please leave your questions or comments with a star rating so that other readers can benefit from your experience. Thanks!