Our bakery-style blueberry scones are tender, flaky, and loaded with juicy berries in every bite. Made with frozen grated butter and topped with a vanilla bean glaze, this is the blueberry scone recipe you'll come back to all summer long.
If you've ever made our big fluffy scones, you'll recognize the same techniques that guarantee scone baking success. Nothing tricky or challenging here, just a reliable scone recipe that turns out perfectly every time. Keep scrolling for the full recipe, plus my notes from the test kitchen and a lemon twist that turns these into lemon blueberry scones.
Quick Look: Blueberry Scones
- Ready In: about an hour
- Makes: 8 scones
- Calories:
- Add to Your Shopping List: unsalted butter, fresh blueberries and vanilla bean paste (optional but delicious and pretty)
- Dietary Info: contains gluten, dairy and eggs - can be made gluten free
- Baker's Note: Cold ingredients make a big difference when you are making scones. Freeze your butter and blueberries before you start and chill the shaped scones for 15-20 minutes before baking. Cold butter creates flaky layers.
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Key Ingredients
All-purpose flour - I tested this recipe with all-purpose flour and the scones came out beautifully tender. If you want an even more delicate scone, you can substitute cake flour (use 2 cups + 2 tablespoons or 250g). Either one works fine.
Frozen butter - This is an easy way to get nice flaky layers in your scones and I use this technique in all of my scone recipes. Freezing the butter and grating it with a box grater creates small, even pieces of butter that stay cold until they get into the oven.
Heavy cream - Cream adds moisture to these rich, tender scones and we also brush it on top of the scones before baking to help the tops turn golden brown. Whole milk will work in a pinch, but your scones won't be quite as rich.
Vanilla bean paste - Vanilla bean paste gives the vanilla glaze those visible specks of vanilla bean and a real bakery-style finish. I use it along with vanilla extract for some serious vanilla flavor. If you don't have vanilla bean paste, an equal substitute of vanilla extract works perfectly.
Fresh blueberries - Fresh berries are my preference when making scones because they hold their shape and give clean, juicy pockets of fruit. Freezing them on a sheet pan before adding them to the dough is my trick that keeps them from bleeding and turning the dough purple. You can use frozen blueberries. Just toss them in a tablespoon of flour to absorb any excess juice and keep them frozen. They may turn the dough purple, but the scones will still be delicious.
How to Make Blueberry Scones
- Freeze the butter and blueberries until solid. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Whisk the liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl or measuring cup.
- Grate the frozen butter right into the dry ingredients. Use a fork to work the butter into the flour.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Gently fold in the frozen blueberries.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a circle.
- Cut the circle into 8 triangles. Move the dough to the freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Arrange scones on a parchment lined sheet pan. Brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the scones are baking, make the vanilla bean glaze.
- Cool and finish the scones with the vanilla bean glaze.
- Serve scones warm with a mug of coffee or tea.
Substitutions and Variations
Substitutions
Flour - All-purpose works well for this recipe. For an even more delicate scone, use cake flour (2 cups + 2 tablespoons or 250g).
Heavy cream - Whole milk, buttermilk or half-and-half will all work if that's what you have.
Vanilla bean paste - An equal substitute of vanilla extract works perfectly. You won't have those visible flecks of vanilla bean in your glaze but the flavor will still be delicious.
Variations
Blueberry lemon scones - Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon zest to the dry ingredients before mixing. The lemon and blueberry combo is a delicious one. For the glaze, swap the heavy cream, vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract for 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon of lemon zest. The lemon glaze sets up beautifully and the lemon blueberry scone flavor is incredible.
Mixed berry scones - Use 1 ¼ cup of mixed berries instead of all blueberries. A combo of blueberries, raspberries, and sliced strawberries works very well. Just be sure that all of your fruit is frozen.
Gluten free blueberry scones - It's easy to swap the all-purpose flour for your favorite gluten free baking mix. For a version that was developed and tested using gluten free flour, try our gluten free scones.
Notes From My Test Kitchen
I used my recipe for big fluffy scones as the jumping off point for testing this recipe. I decided to use all-purpose flour for testing because that's what I had on hand. When making scones, I always add a freezer rest for 15-20 minutes before baking. When I first started making scones, they would always spread too much in the oven and would flatten out. This chill is a necessary step - it keeps the butter cold all the way into the oven. You get big fluffy scones with flaky layers.
Freezing the blueberries on a sheet pan was a trick I discovered after I made a batch of scones where all of the fresh berries broke apart. The process of folding and shaping the dough can make the berries burst. Frozen berries hold their shape and are easy to tuck back into the dough. You end up with clean, juicy berries in every bite.
I love using vanilla bean paste, especially in glazes and recipes where you can see the flecks of vanilla bean in your baking. It adds a deep, well rounded vanilla flavor that really levels up a baked good. I always get my vanilla bean paste from Costco but it's also very easy to find in grocery stores or online.
Make Ahead and Storage
At Room Temperature (baked) - Store baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. The scones are best the day they are baked.
Freezer (baked) - Once the scones have cooled completely, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, that at room temperature and then warm in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes to bring back that fresh oven texture. For more details on freezing scones, check out our post How to Freeze Scones.
Freezer (unbaked) - This is my favorite way to make scones ahead. After cutting the dough into triangles, place them on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen scones to a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you're ready to bake, place the frozen scones on a parchment-lined sheet pan, brush with heavy cream, sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake at 400°F for 22-25 minutes (just a few minutes longer than if you made the fresh).
Glaze separately - If you're making the scones ahead, hold off on making the glaze until you're ready to serve. The glaze is best when it's freshly made and drizzled on warm scones.
Blueberry Scones FAQs
Spreading and flattening usually means that your butter has warmed up too much before the scones made it into the oven. The rest in the freezer is the most important step - chill the shaped scones for 15-20 minutes in the freezer before baking. This keeps the butter cold all the way into the oven, which is what creates tall, flaky layers.
Yes! Frozen blueberries work well in this recipe. Toss them in a tablespoon of flour and add them straight from the freezer - no need to thaw or pre-freeze on a sheet pan, they are already frozen. Your dough may turn slightly purple as you fold them in but the scones will still be delicious.
I prefer to use fresh fruit that I have frozen for at least 15 minutes when I am making scones. The cold fruit stays together when you are mixing it into the dough and it also helps keep the scone dough cold.
This is literally my favorite scone making trick. I like to grate frozen butter directly into the dry ingredients. This creates small, even sized pieces of butter that stay cold until they hit the oven. The steam releases and gives you those nice flaky layers.
Yes! And this is one of my favorite things to do. I love to make the scone dough, freeze the triangles and then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container. When you're ready to make fresh scones, place the frozen scones on a parchment lined sheet pan, brush with heavy cream and bake at 400°F for 22-25 minutes. For more in depth instructions, check out our post on how to freeze scones.
Brunch Recipes That Pair Well with Scones
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Blueberry Scones
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- medium mixing bowl or measuring cup
- cheese grater
- fork or pastry cutter
- cutting board
- bench scraper or large knife
- quarter sheet pan
- half sheet pan
- whisk
- spatula
Ingredients
For the scones:
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter frozen
- 1¼ cups fresh blueberries frozen
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup heavy cream plus more for brushing
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)
For the vanilla bean glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Freeze the butter and berries. Place the stick of butter and the fresh berries on a quarter sheet pan and freeze until solid. This takes about 30 minutes.½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, 1¼ cups fresh blueberries
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt.2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour , ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a glass measuring cup or mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, heavy cream, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.1 large egg, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Grate the frozen butter. Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter directly into the dry ingredients. Use a fork or pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix gently with a fork until just combined. The dough will be crumbly.
- Fold in the blueberries. Gently fold the blueberries into the dough. They will be nice and frozen so you can easily tuck any loose berries into the dough.
- Shape the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over itself 3-4 times or until the dough comes together and the berries are well distributed.
- Cut the scones. Form a 6-8 inch circle. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 triangles.
- Chill the scones. Arrange the scones on a quarter sheet pan and give them a quick chill in the freezer. While they chill, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Bake. Transfer the scones to a parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush the tops with heavy cream and a sprinkle of coarse sugar. Bake at 400°F for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.2 tablespoons coarse sugar
- Make the glaze. While the scones bake, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and the vanilla bean paste in a small bowl. Add additional heavy cream, one teaspoon at a time until the glaze is pourable but still thick.1 cup confectioner's sugar, 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Cool and glaze. Let the scones cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack. Drizzle with the vanilla bean glaze and serve.
Notes
- Freezing the butter and blueberries is the most important part of this recipe. Both should be completely frozen solid (at leave 30 minutes) before you start mixing the dough.
- The freezer rest after shaping is the most important step to ensure light, flaky scones. Chill your scone dough while your oven preheats.
- Bake from frozen: Unbaked scones can be frozen for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 400°F for 22-25 minutes.
- Storage: Baked scones keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two. Store scones without the glaze and drizzle just before serving.
Amanda Smallwood says
This batch of blueberry scones is light and flaky.The vanilla bean glaze on top is delicious and really lets the berry flavor shine.