Moist, buttery, and perfectly sized, Lemon Scones with lemon glaze will be your new go-to pastry for breakfast, brunch, snacks, and special occasions. These scones have a light golden brown crust and a tender and satisfying crumb. The lemon and vanilla flavors in the scone are made even sweeter with a freshly made lemon glaze that’s drizzled on top just before serving!
Lemon scones are beginner-friendly pastries that are easily mixed by hand, made with common pantry staples, and come together quickly. All you’ll need for this easy scone recipe is a pastry cutter or two forks to work in the butter (or just use your hands!), and you’ll be on your way to beautiful homemade scones. It’s easy to shape the dough before cutting it into triangles and brushing them with buttermilk to create a crisp exterior. For more scone recipes, try my blueberry scones, pumpkin scones, or chocolate scones.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Lemon – this recipe packs in a citrusy flavor using both fresh lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. It’s easiest to zest the lemon before cutting it, so start by zesting followed by juicing.
Butter – cold butter is key to flaky scones. Cube the unsalted butter and keep it chilled in the refrigerator until just before working it into the flour mixture.
Buttermilk – slightly tart buttermilk makes the best lemon scones and balances well with the citrus. If you don’t have this ingredient, learn how to make buttermilk by stirring together milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
Leavening – a combination of baking soda and baking powder gives the lemon scones just the right lift for a pastry that’s tender and never flat. For perfectly risen pastries, always check the expiration date of the baking soda and powder before baking.
How to Make Lemon Scones
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Zest the lemon with a citrus zester or microplane into a large bowl. Add the sugar to the lemon zest and massage the mixture with your fingers to release the oils from the zest. The sugar will become light yellow in color.
2. Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda to the lemon sugar and stir to combine.
3. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are pea-sized or smaller. You will know it’s ready when the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: ½ cup of the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract.
5. Pour the buttermilk mixture in with the dry ingredients and stir to form a shaggy dough.
6. On a lightly floured surface, turn the dough out of the bowl, and knead it once or twice to combine. Press the dough together using the palms of your hands to form a disc that is about ¾ inch thick and about 7 to 8 inches in diameter.
7. Cut the dough into 8 equal triangles using a bench scraper or floured sharp knife.
8. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each scone. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining tablespoon of buttermilk. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan once, until puffed and light golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
9. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and salt, to form a smooth glaze.
10. Drizzle each scone with glaze and serve warm.
Pro Tips For Making The Best Lemon Scones
- Glaze scones using a pastry bag, zip-top bag, or fork. For a thin line of glaze, use a pastry bag, zip-top bag with a corner cut off, or fork to drizzle the glaze over each scone for a bakery-fresh look.
- Keep the butter cold. Cold butter is best for scones because it helps create flaky yet tender layers. After cubing the butter, return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to cut it into the flour mixture.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Scone dough does not require much kneading to come together, and it is best to handle the dough as little as possible and gently press it together. Overworking the dough causes additional gluten to form and may also warm the butter too much, both of which will lead to a dense texture.
- Refrigerate the dough if you aren’t immediately baking it. If your oven is still preheating or you are timing multiple components of your meal to be ready simultaneously, pop the tray of unbaked scones in the refrigerator instead of letting them sit at room temperature. Warm dough will overspread and not rise well.
- To make ahead, freeze the dough. Place the cut scones on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper just far apart enough so they aren’t touching. Freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight freezer container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. They can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Yes, this recipe for lemon scones is great for prepping ahead of time! To do so, make and cut the scone dough but freeze it instead of baking. Place the triangles on a lined baking sheet so they aren’t touching and freeze for one hour or until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, just defrost the dough in the refrigerator overnight before baking or bake from frozen, increase the bake time by 3 to 5 minutes if frozen. Brush the tops of the scones with buttermilk just before baking.
Serve these easy lemon scones with strawberry jam, fruit preserves, or a side of fresh fruit. The scones can be served with almost any breakfast food and are a sweet compliment to a brunch spread with more savory dishes like breakfast casserole or quiche Lorraine. Leftover scones are also perfect for dipping in hot coffee or tea.
Scones require the fat and moisture that cream or buttermilk provides. Many scone recipes are made with heavy cream as the necessary liquid for the dough to come together and sufficient fat to create a tender crumb. Buttermilk offers similar benefits to the dough and has a slightly tart taste, working to complement and balance other tart flavors such as citrus. Both make tender scones, but I use buttermilk in this recipe as the acid in it reacts with the leveaner to create a more tender scone.
Dense or flat dough can be caused by a few different factors and is most commonly caused by using inadequate or ineffective leavening, using too much flour, or letting the dough become warm before baking. For fluffy scones, use cold butter, don’t overwork the dough, and make sure your dry ingredients are carefully measured and not expired.
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Lemon Scones
Ingredients
For the Scones:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (67g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter cubed (113g)
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk (120 mL)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar (60g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Scones:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Massage the mixture with your fingers to infuse the sugar with the lemon oils until the sugar color is light yellow. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the cold butter until the pieces are no larger than the size of peas.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of buttermilk, the egg, and vanilla. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, and stir together using a fork or spatula until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice to bring the dough together. Press the dough into a 7½-inch round (about ¾-inch thick) disc.
- Using a floured knife, cut the disc into 8 equal triangles and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Brush the top of each scone with the remaining 1 tablespoon of buttermilk.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed, and the tops are lightly golden, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Cool the scones on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
For the Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and salt until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm scones before serving.
Notes
- Glaze scones using a pastry bag, zip-top bag, or fork. For a thin line of glaze, use a pastry bag, zip-top bag with a corner cut off, or fork to drizzle the glaze over each scone for a bakery-fresh look.
- Keep the butter cold. Cold butter is best for scones because it helps create flaky yet tender layers. After cubing the butter, return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to cut it into the flour mixture.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Scone dough does not require much kneading to come together, and it is best to handle the dough as little as possible and gently press it together. Overworking the dough causes additional gluten to form and may also warm the butter too much, both of which will lead to a dense texture.
- Refrigerate the dough if you aren’t immediately baking it. If your oven is still preheating or you are timing multiple components of your meal to be ready simultaneously, pop the tray of unbaked scones in the refrigerator instead of letting them sit at room temperature. Warm dough will overspread and not rise well.
- To make ahead, freeze the dough. Place the cut scones on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper just far apart enough so they aren’t touching. Freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight freezer container.
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