You will love these crisp on the outside, tender on the inside blueberry scones. They have a lovely, sweet-tart flavor from juicy blueberries perfectly complemented by bright lemon zest. These easy scones are delicious plain, sprinkled with coarse sugar, or drizzled with a sweet glaze. In this updated post, I share lots of ideas for simple ways to change them up and how to troubleshoot common mistakes. I’ve been making this recipe for years and know you’ll love these delicious scones that aren’t dry or bland!
A reader, Susan, says: “Followed recipe and instructions exactly, and the scones turned out perfect. A wonderful rise and expand. I appreciate the tips too, and learned a couple of things. Thank you!” ★★★★★
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love My Recipe
When I developed this recipe, I wanted it to be simple to make and super tasty. So often, scones turn out dense or dry—not my recipe! Here’s why I know you’ll love it:
- One bowl and mixed by hand. You don’t need any special equipment to make the scone dough. All you really need is a silicone spatula, a knife or bench scraper, and your hands. Mix all of the ingredients in one bowl, cut the butter in by hand, and then shape and cut the scones.
- Flaky, tender, and buttery. No dry, dense scones here! Plenty of butter and heavy cream make the scone dough rich and tender. Pops of fresh blueberries and lemon zest add flavor and juiciness, keeping the scones from being bland or dry.
Key Ingredients For The Best Blueberry Scones
These are the main ingredients you need to make these easy blueberry scones. You can find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.
Blueberries — fresh or frozen blueberries work very well for this recipe (see instructions for how to use frozen blueberries just below). You will love the pockets of plump, juicy blueberries in every bite.
Butter — cold butter is a must for good scones. If you are baking in warm weather or your kitchen is generally quite warm, pop the butter back into the fridge after cubing it. You don’t want the butter to melt into the dough before the scones go into the oven. As the butter melts in the oven, it creates steam that puffs up the dough, creating wonderfully flaky scones.
Heavy cream — cream makes tender, soft, moist blueberry scones. Swap it for whole or low-fat buttermilk if desired. I don’t recommend switching it for milk or a lighter dairy. It can make the dough too sticky and yield dense scones. You need the fat from heavy cream in this recipe to keep the scones tender. Cream is also thicker and won’t over-hydrate the flour.
Egg — I often call for room temperature eggs to easily incorporate smoothly with softened butter in baking recipes. But for scones, cold eggs and cream help keep the butter cold, which is super important in this recipe for flakiness.
Lemon zest — lemon zest adds a lovely, bright citrus flavor that complements the sweet-tart blueberries very well. Feel free to use other citrus if you’d like! Meyer lemon, lime, or orange zest would be delicious.
Baking powder — baking powder helps the scones rise. Check the label beforehand to make sure it hasn’t expired.
Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?
Yes, you can. Don’t thaw them before adding to the scone dough. The bake time may increase by a few minutes since you’re starting out with much colder fruit, but the cold fruit will help the scones freeze better in Step 4, so it’s a win!
Variations & Substitutions
My blueberry scone recipe is super easy to adapt! Here are some ideas to try:
- Gluten-free blueberry scones: Swap the AP flour for a gluten-free baking flour. I suggest increasing the cream to 1 cup and the baking powder to 1 tablespoon. GF flours generally absorb more moisture and are a bit denser, so the extra cream and leavener give them a better texture.
- Other add-ins: When adding the blueberries, you can replace some with a handful of other chunky mix-ins like white chocolate chips, pistachios or almonds, or candied ginger.
- Other toppings: Sprinkle the top with a coarse sugar like sparkling sugar or turbinado for a crunchier top. Or, drizzle the baked scones with a lemon glaze. Let the scones cool to room temperature before topping with the glaze.
- Blueberry glaze: Mash a few fresh or thawed frozen blueberries in a small mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and whisk in a small drizzle of milk—just enough to make a glaze that is thin enough to drizzle. Spoon it over the cooled scones.
- Add vanilla: Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the heavy cream and egg mixture before mixing the scones.
Pro Tips For Making Flaky Scones
Make sure to measure the flour correctly. If you add too much flour, the dough becomes dry, and the blueberry scones will become crumbly after baking. The ideal way to measure flour is with a scale. If you don’t have one, fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. This prevents you from accidentally over-packing the cup.
The butter must be cold. As mentioned previously, cold butter is really important for the best blueberry scones. You don’t want it to melt into the dough or get so worked in that it turns pasty. If the butter is cold, the dough will have little chunks of butter throughout it. When the scones go into the oven, those chunks of butter will steam and melt, leaving you with flaky layers.
Avoid overworking the dough. You don’t want gluten to form! The more you knead, the more gluten will form, and you’ll be left with chewy scones. Mix it just until the dough holds together and there aren’t any big pockets of flour.
Chill the scones before baking. Chilling the dough before baking not only keeps the butter cold, but it also hydrates the flour and relaxes the gluten for more tender scones.
How To Make Blueberry Scones
Below, I’ve highlighted portions of the recipe in step-by-step process images along with instructions for making scones with blueberries. You can find the full set of instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add the cold cubed butter.
3. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the dry ingredients until pea-sized pieces form.
4. Add the lemon zest to the large mixing bowl.
5. Toss in the blueberries and stir.
6. Whisk together the cream and egg in a small bowl, then pour it over the flour mixture. Mix just until mostly moistened.
7. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it gently to shape it into a ball before pressing it into an 8-inch circle.
8. Cut the dough into 8 wedges with a bench scraper or sharp knife. Place them in a single layer on a lined tray and freeze for 20 minutes.
9. Transfer the chilled scone dough to a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Leave 2 inches of space around each one. Brush them with more cream.
10. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake the blueberry scones at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops of the scones are lightly golden brown. Let the scones cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying.
Blueberry Scones Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling (66g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter cubed (113g)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (6 ounces/170g)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¾ cup cold heavy cream (180mL)
- 1 cold large egg
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or by pressing the pieces between your fingers until they are about the size of peas. Stir in the blueberries and lemon zest.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and egg. Pour over the flour mixture. Mix together with your hands or a silicone spatula just until the mixture is mostly moistened (it should still be a little crumbly).
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it gently a few times to shape it into a ball. Press the dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges.
- Place wedges on a small parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Transfer the frozen scones to the prepared baking sheet, placing them about 2 inches apart. Brush lightly with a little more cream and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and the bottom edges are golden. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Flour the knife or bench scraper to help the dough from sticking when cutting. You can flour your hands as well, if needed.
- Press straight down when cutting. Don’t drag your blade through the dough. This can compress and seal the edges, preventing the scones from rising properly.
Nutrition
How To Store & Freeze Blueberry Scones
Storing baked scones: Blueberry scones are best enjoyed warm or within a few hours of baking. You can store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
How to freeze unbaked scones: Make the scones through Step 4, freezing them for 1 to 2 hours instead of 20 minutes to allow the scones to fully freeze on the sheet tray. Then transfer the frozen scones and store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake the blueberry scones straight from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time so they bake through.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few reasons for this. One of the most common is that the baking powder was not fresh. Always check the expiration date before using baking powder. Using too much flour is also a culprit, which can make the dough too dense for the baking powder to lift it enough. Another common pitfall is overworking the dough, which overdevelops the gluten network, yielding dense blueberry scones.
You can use dairy-free butter and milk to make these scones. Be sure to use dairy-free milk with a decent fat content to keep the scones rich and tender. Soy milk and oat milk are good options.
Yes! Place 2 to 4 scones in the air fryer basket at a time, leaving 2 inches between them. Air fry at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes. If your air fryer has a Bake setting, use it for more even browning of the scones. The scones in the image below were baked in the air fryer and turned out just like the oven-baked ones!
More Breakfast Recipes To Try
If you’re looking for more delicious breakfast recipes (that could double as dessert!), try one of these next!
Soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls are swirled with cinnamon sugar and glazed with cream cheese frosting. I love serving them on Christmas morning!
If these blueberry scones have you hooked, my lemon scones are a must-try. They’re moist and tender with a lovely, balanced, bright, sweet-tart flavor.
Tall, bakery-style blueberry muffins are so easy to make at home! You can use frozen or fresh blueberries.
Sticky buns are incredibly decadent, thanks to the rich brown sugar and pecan caramel sauce. They’re so cozy and comforting.
Fluffy raspberry muffins are chock-full of fresh raspberries and topped with a sweet, crunchy streusel topping.
If you’ve tried this blueberry scone recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Umaina says
This recipe was so easy to follow and the scones came out perfect. They taste store bought or like a bakery. Super flaky and fluffy and not over baked. I used frozen raspberries instead. And it worked just fine
Susan says
Followed recipe and instructions exactly, and the scones turned out perfect. A wonderful rise and expand. I appreciate the tips too, and learned a couple of things. Thank you!
Lisa Holverson says
Absolutely delicious… so tender and flavorful! I used fresh blueberries and baked just until the edges were golden browned. I like a little sweetness so I topped with a powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice glaze. I cannot stop eating them!
V O'Connor says
These are next level (where-can-I-buy-these? level) scones!! Feels like such a treat when I make these at home!
Katrin says
Wonderful! I love how the lemon works its magic on the blueberries
Yingran Siao says
This is the best scone recipe ever!
Janet Smith says
Resounding success on the first try. Have to say they look even better than John’s! Froze for about 30 minutes.
Amy says
Love this simple recipe, it’s always a hit!!!
Dawn Pellechi says
John…I made four batches for a bridal shower and the family from the UK said they were the best scones ever. You made me very popular. Thank you for the clear instructions and tips. You’re very skilled.