Isn't lemon one of the most wonderful flavors of spring? To satisfy your cravings this spring, let us show you how to make our lemon scones recipe.
Looking for other mouthwatering biscuits and scones? Try our Vegan Pumpkin Scones and Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies.
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Ingredients
You don't need a lot of fancy ingredients to whip up these easy lemon scones. Let's talk about the key ingredients you'll need.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the standard choice for scones, as it has the right protein content.
- Butter: This ingredient gives the scones richness and helps hold them together. Use unsalted butter since it's fresher.
- Lemon Juice & Zest: The juice reacts with the baking soda to help the scones rise, while the zest adds a wonderful flavor to the scones.
How to Make
Cube up the cold butter.
Whisk the flour, lemon zest, and other dry ingredients together until blended.
Add the cold, cubed butter and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the egg, lemon juice, and buttermilk and mix until a sticky dough forms.
Gently knead the dough a couple times on a floured surface, then shape into a 1-inch thick circle and cut into 8 wedges.
Place in a buttered scone pan or on a parchment-lined baking tray.
Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.
While they're cooling, gather the glaze ingredients: icing sugar, lemon juice, and zest.
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in enough juice to make a thick but pourable glaze.
Spoon the glaze on top of the cooled scones and scatter the zest on top. Let the icing set for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Whether you're making these for an after-school snack or for a ladies' spring tea, you'll enjoy the delightful flavor and the not-too-sweet scone. If you love lemon desserts, this is one recipe you should try this spring!
Recipe FAQs
Make the dough fairly sticky, so the scones will still be moist after baking. Be gentle with the scone dough, handling it as minimally as possible to prevent toughness. If you're using a cutter, don't twist it, or it will seal the sides together.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, using a 50-50 mixture by weight of bread flour and all-purpose flour can create higher-rising scones. Also, place the scones with their sides touching on the tray; this will help them rise higher in the oven.
If you're trying to make a cream scone recipe without cream, substitute with butter and milk. For 1 cup of cream, use ½ cup of unsalted butter and ½ cup of milk. If you're dairy free or vegan, use your favorite vegan butter and plant-based milk.
Many scone recipes do contain egg because it adds extra flavor and richness. Feel free to omit it if you prefer or substitute with a flax egg, chia egg, or another vegan egg alternative.
Store
Make Ahead: It's best to bake scones the same day you'll eat them. If you want to make them in advance, mix up the dough the night before and store the dough in the fridge. Bake them fresh the next day.
Freezing: Seal them tightly in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag and freeze for 1 month. Defrost in the microwave or at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- Use a 50-50 blend of bread flour to all-purpose flour for a better rise and texture. (You can substitute all-purpose for the bread flour if you're in a pinch.)
- Make sure the butter is cold from the fridge. Room-temperature butter will make a greasy dough that won't have a nice texture.
- Handle the scone dough gently. Overworking it will make them tough.
- Freshly squeeze the lemon juice for the scones and icing; it tastes ten times better than the bottled kind.
- Be careful not to overbake them, or they will be dry and extra crumbly.
- Let the scones cool completely before pouring the icing on top. Warm ones will soak up the glaze, which isn't what we want.
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Recipe
Lemon Scones Recipe
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 1 cup bread flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup caster sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- ½ cup unsalted butter, chilled
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
For the Glaze & Decoration
- 1 ¼ cup icing sugar, sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
For Serving
- Homemade lemon curd
- Crème fraîche
Instructions
Making the Scones (30 minutes + 20 minutes baking + cooling)
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly butter a ceramic scone pan or line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Finely grate the zest of one lemon, setting aside 2 teaspoons for the decoration.
- Pour the two flours into a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest.
- Cube the cold butter and add it to the flour mixture. Rub the fat into the flour by pinching the cubes of butter and stirring it with the flour until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg, lemon juice, and a couple tablespoons of milk, then mix by hand to bring the dough together. Add more milk if needed to create a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple times until the dough is smooth. Shape into a disc about an inch thick and cut into eight wedges. Place each wedge in the scone pan or on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Brush some milk on top of each scone, then bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, until they are well risen and a light golden brown on top.
- Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then allow them to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Decorating (10 minutes + setting time)
- While the scones are cooling, mix up the glaze. Sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl and stir in enough juice to make a thick icing.
- Once they have cooled completely, dip the top of each one into the glaze and sprinkle with zest.
- Let the icing harden before serving, about 10 minutes. Serve them with homemade lemon curd and crème fraîche.
Notes
- Use a 50-50 blend of bread flour to all-purpose flour for a better rise and texture. (You can substitute all-purpose for the bread flour if you're in a pinch.)
- Make sure the butter is cold from the fridge. Room-temperature butter will make a greasy dough that won't have a nice texture.
- Handle the scone dough gently. Overworking it will make them tough.
- Freshly squeeze the lemon juice for the scones and icing; it tastes ten times better than the bottled kind.
- Be careful not to overbake them, or they will be dry and extra crumbly.
- Let the scones cool completely before pouring the icing on top. Warm ones will soak up the glaze, which isn't what we want.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on March 22, 2018.
Beth
I love ❤️ scones, and lemon 🍋 is one of my favorite flavours. The glaze is really complementary, and it looks great with the lemon zest on top.
Emma
Thank you, Beth! I love these lemon scones too!
M29
Delicious recipe and really very simple to make. I used whole wheat flour and they looked a little darker but tasted great! Will definitely make again.
Emma
Thank you! It's a blessing that you enjoyed them!
Emma
Thank you! It's a blessing that you enjoyed them!
Betty
Love your pictures. The flowers you chose are a great addition to the pictures. I can’t wait to make the scones. They look mouth watering. Thank you for sharing your beautiful web site with us. I found it very useful.
Emma
Thank you so much, Betty! The flowers are blooming beautifully in our yard--we couldn't resist putting them in the photos! 🙂 Enjoy the recipes and the scones!
BlogtasticFood
This with a cup of tea on a cold winter's day would the best thing ever!! (:
Emma
I agree, Nicolas! 😊🍋☕ Thank you for your kind words.