Scones are my bakery treat of choice to have with coffee. Why? Because they’re not too sweet, they’re not too rich, and they’re not too heavy. Especially when they’re dotted with juicy blueberries and topped with a bright and zesty lemon glaze. Homemade scones are especially great because they’re incredibly easy, super inexpensive, and they freeze really well, so you can keep them in the freezer to reheat one at a time when that craving hits. And of alllll the flavors of scones, these Lemon Blueberry Scones are by far my favorite!
What is a Scone, Anyway?
It’s important to note that the word “scone” can mean different things depending on where you are in the world. Classic British scones are simple, with not a lot of fat or sugar, they’re often round, and are served with clotted cream and jam. In the U.S., scones are decidedly more dessert-like with a crust of sugar on top or a drizzle of glaze, they’re served with coffee or breakfast and are often triangular in shape. But the bones are the same. It’s a deliciously tender and flakey baked good leavened with baking soda or baking powder, rather than yeast. They’re quite similar to what we call a biscuit in the U.S., although scones are usually a little more dense and less rich.
This Lemon Blueberry Scone Recipe is for a U.S.-style scone. It’s sweet, although not as sweet as a muffin or cupcake, triangular in shape, and deliciously crumbly. It’s the perfect side for a hot cup of coffee!
If you’d like to learn more about British-style scones, try this recipe for Authentic British Scones from Curious Cuisinière. She does a great job breaking down the difference between the two types of scones.
Fresh Lemon is a Must
While I use bottled lemon juice for a lot of recipes, this is one where you definitely want to use fresh lemon. The lemon zest is where most of the lemon flavor comes from in the scones, while the juice just provides tartness to the icing.
How to Freeze Lemon Blueberry Scones
As I mentioned in the intro, I love to keep a batch of these Lemon Blueberry Scones in the freezer. To freeze the scones, first make sure they are fully cooled to room temperature (which they should be before adding the glaze, anyway). You can either freeze them without the glaze, or glaze them and wait about 30 minutes for the glaze to dry slightly. Then just place them in a gallon-sized freezer bag and toss in the freezer. The glaze will absorb a little moisture while in the freezer, but they’re still quite tasty!
To thaw the frozen lemon blueberry scones, either let them sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or microwave for about 30 seconds straight from the freezer.
Lemon Blueberry Scones
Servings 8Ingredients
- 1 lemon ($0.60)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.19)
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar ($0.02)
- 2 tsp baking powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 6 Tbsp cold butter* ($0.66)
- 1/2 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh ($0.89)
- ¼ cup milk ($0.10)
- 2 large eggs ($0.47)
- 1 cup powdered sugar ($0.07)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Zest and juice the lemon. You'll need about 1 tsp lemon zest for the dough and 2 Tbsp lemon juice for the glaze.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Stir until they are very well combined.
- Grate the butter into the flour mixture and stir until the butter is well incorporated and no large lumps remain.*
- Add the blueberries to the flour mixture and stir to combine (no need to thaw first, if frozen).
- Whisk together the milk and eggs, then pour it into the bowl with the flour and bluberries. Stir everything together until it forms a cohesive ball of dough, with no dry flour remaining on the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too dry to come together into a single ball of dough, add a splash more milk (1 Tbsp or so) until it comes together.
- Press the dough out into a flat 8-inch diameter circle. Cut the circle into eight wedges. Place the cut scones on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake the scones in the preheated 425ºF oven for 15-17 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Transfer the baked scones to a wire rack to cool.
- Allow the scones to cool completely, then combine 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 Tbsp lemon juice until it forms a thick glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones, then enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
Video
Love lemon and blueberry together? Me too! Try these other great lemon blueberry desserts: Blueberry Lemon Curd Shortcakes, Lemon Blueberry Cornbread Skillet, or Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Galette.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Scones From Scratch – Step By Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Zest and juice the lemon. You’ll need 1 tsp zest, and about 2 Tbsp juice. The zest will be used in the scone dough, the juice will be used later for the glaze. Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tsp lemon zest in a bowl. Stir until very well combined.
Grate 6 Tbsp cold butter into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir everything together until the butter is very well mixed into the flour and no large clumps remain.
Stir ½ cup frozen blueberries into the flour mixture. Do not thaw the blueberries first.
Whisk together ¼ cup milk and 2 large eggs
Then pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour and blueberries.
Stir everything together until it forms a stiff dough. There should be no more dry flour left on the bottom of the bowl. If it’s too dry and won’t stick together in a cohesive ball or there is a lot of flour left on the bottom of the bowl, add a small amount of milk (maybe 1 Tbsp) to bring the dough together.
Press the blueberry scone dough out into an 8″ diameter circle, then cut it into eight wedges.
Place the cut scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake the scones in the fully preheated 425ºF oven for 15-17 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Transfer the scones to a wire cooling rack to cool.
Allow the scones to fully cool before making the glaze. Once ready, stir together 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp lemon juice until it forms a thick glaze.
Drizzle the lemon glaze over the blueberry scones. If the scones are still hot or warm when you try to glaze them, the glaze will simply melt off, so make sure the scones are cool first!
Serve your delicious, homemade lemon blueberry scones with a hot cup of coffee and enjoy the day!
I made these yesterday–it was perfect timing that you posted this, as I had some leftover blueberries, an extra lemon that the grocery store had added to my order randomly, and some buttermilk I wanted to use. I subbed it in for the milk and it made the scones extra tender. Delicious!
Love the taste of lemon with blueberries! My blueberry bushes are about ready to pick, so I’ll keep this recipe handy. Try adding a pinch of nutmeg for another nuance!
These sound delicious. I always consider scones MORE rich than biscuits but that’s because I tend to go with the older way of making biscuits – 60’s and 70’s era – when there was NO sugar in the biscuits and only 2 Tbs. of fat to 2 cups of flour. Even scones only had a couple of TSPs of sugar rather than tablespoons unlike today’s versions. We’ve all developed a sweet tooth and I enjoy my scones just as your recipe ingredient amounts are now. So scones are my sweet style and biscuits are still the old way for me. It definitely keeps the scones treat worthy.
Sugar is listed in the ingredients, but not in the instructions. So I missed adding it, but they turned out well anyway, baking 15 minutes in my oven.
Thanks for catching that, I got it fixed! It goes in with the flour. :)
I’m pretty peeved right now – I made a sticky mess because the instructions don’t say when to add the granulated sugar. I caught this at the end and added it but then this meant smashing my berries in the process. I feel like this was a big waste of time and ingredients. I’m trying to salvage what I can.
Made these a couple times! Planning on it again!
An easy and super delicious recipe!
So many scone recipes call for cream; what does it add that is not required, as these are very good.
Love this recipe! It is so easy to make!
Is nutrition information available for this recipe?
We only recently brought on a Registered Dietician to our team. She’s working hard behind the scenes to update the entire recipe database, over 1500+ recipes, with nutritional information. She’s working her way from the newest recipes back and it takes some time to update them all. Stay tuned!
Approximately how much lemon zest? Zesting the entire lemon peel seems like a lot? Thank you!
Oh yes not a whole lemon. It’s about 1 Tbsp.
I’ve made these before, with good results. I didn’t have any citrus, so substituted 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut. The recipe turned out wonderfully! I like the dried wild blueberries from Trader Joe’s because they’re tiny, which spreads out the blueberry flavor.
I made these with mixed frozen berries (mulberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries) and they turned out perfect!
These turned out absolutely delicious! Made them for a lactose intolerant friend, so we used almond milk and they still turned out great! I’ve made them with both frozen blueberries and fresh halved raspberries on different occasions based on what we had on hand, and both versions were a hit.
Rachel, what did you use in place of the butter for your lactose intolerant friend?
I’m sure you’ve come up with an answer by now, but I would recommend vegan butter since it’s totally dairy free. Margarine might be fine for lactose intolerance, too, come to think of it. But I don’t know.
You could try shortening
Love, love, love these! We always have lemons and frozen berries on hand, so it’s a great recipe for me to whip up when we suddenly need afternoon tea or lunchbox snacks. Made them at least 6 times now- so easy, and they always turn out perfect
Love your recipe steps that are so clearly outlined. First time making scones and the picky husband approved! So good I packed one for work tomorrow :)