These are the lemon scones that I make when I want bakery-style results at home. They are soft and tender on the inside, have golden, crispy edges and are topped with a bright lemon glaze. Three small techniques do most of the heavy lifting in this recipe. Cake flour creates those tender middles, frozen butter creates flaky layers and fresh lemon zest and juice fills this dough with fresh citrus flavor.
The lemon flavor in this recipe is the real deal, not just a suggestion. The glaze sets up beautifully and pairs nicely with a simple white chocolate drizzle. If you love a bright citrus scone, my Orange Scones are next on your list or you can check out all of my homemade scone recipes.
Quick Look: Lemon Scones
- Ready In: about an hour (15 min prep + 45 minutes to chill and bake)
- Makes: 8 scones
- Calories: about 400 kcal per scone
- Add to Your Shopping List: cake flour, mini white chocolate chips (optional), 2 fresh lemons and ½ cup heavy cream
- Dietary Info: contains gluten, dairy and eggs
- Baker's Note: Cold butter is the most important thing in this recipe. I freeze the stick of butter for 20-30 minutes before grating it into the flour. Cold butter is what gives a scone this flaky layers.
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Ingredients for Lemon Scones
Cake flour - Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose flour which means less gluten development and a truly tender, fluffy scone. If you don't have cake flour on hand, all-purpose flour will work too - see substitutions below.
Unsalted butter, frozen - Freeze the butter for 20-30 minutes before grating it directly into the dry ingredients. The tiny bits of frozen butter are easy to work into the dough and create those flaky layers as the scones bake.
Fresh lemons - You will use two large lemons for this recipe. Bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch for the lemon glaze but I don't recommend it for the scones as you will miss out on the flavor of the fresh lemon zest.
Heavy cream - Heavy cream adds richness and moisture to the scones and creates a tender crumb. I also like to brush the tops of the scones with a little extra before baking. This helps the scones turn golden brown in the oven.
Mini white chocolate chips - I developed this recipe using mini white chocolate chips in the recipe. This addition is completely optional. If you are looking for a pure lemon scone, omit the white chocolate.
Substitutions and Variations
Substitutions
Mini white chocolate chips - If you don't have mini white chocolate chips, you can use 4 ounces of white chocolate chips or 4 ounces of a chopped white chocolate bar. It's also totally fine to omit the white chocolate from this recipe.
Cake Flour - If you don't have cake flour, use 2 cups of all-purpose flour in its place. For extra tender scones, also add 1 teaspoon of corn starch to the dry ingredients.
Variations
Dark Chocolate Lemon Scones - Omit the white chocolate chips and mix one cup of mini dark chocolate chips into the scone dough.
Lemon Blueberry Scones - Omit the white chocolate chips (or leave them in!) and mix 1 cup of fresh blueberries into the scone dough.
Lemon Poppy Seed Scones - Omit the white chocolate chips and add 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds to the dry ingredients.
Lemon Raspberry Scones - Omit the white chocolate chips and gently fold 1 cup of fresh raspberries into the scone dough. For the full recipe with all of my best tips & tricks, check out my Raspberry Scones recipe.
Lemon Lavender Scones - Omit the white chocolate chips and add 1 teaspoon of dried lavender (for baking) to the dry ingredients. Gently crush the lavender with your finger before adding - this will release some of the flavor.
How To Make Lemon Scones
- Combine the eggs, lemon juice, heavy cream and vanilla in a measuring cup.
- Combine dry ingredients and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl.
- Grate the frozen butter directly into the dry ingredients. Use a for or pastry cutter to work the butter into the dry ingredients.
- Drizzle the combined liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until the dough just comes together. If you are adding white chocolate, gently fold in the mini white chocolate chips.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board and fold the dough over itself 3-4 times. Shape the dough in a 6 inch circle.
- Cut the circle into 8 wedges.
- Arrange the wedges of scone dough on a quarter sheet pan and move to the freezer to chill for 30-45 minutes.
- Place desired number of scones onto a half sheet pan. Brush with heavy cream and bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes.
- Once the scones have cooled, drizzle them with the lemon glaze. If you have added white chocolate, drizzle scones with melted white chocolate.
- Serve lemon scones with a warm mug of tea or coffee and enjoy!
Notes From My Test Kitchen
When I tested this recipe, I found there were three things that made the biggest difference between a dense scone and a tender, flaky one.
Keep every ingredient cold. Cold butter, cold cream, cold eggs. When cold butter hits a hot oven, the water in the butter turns to steam and pushes the dough apart, which is what creates those flaky layers that we all want in a scone. Warm butter melts into the dough before the oven can do its work, and you end up with dense scones.
Don't be afraid to work the dough - a little. Once the dough has just about come together, turn it out onto a floured board and fold it over itself 3 to 4 times. Stop when the dough looks pretty uniform but you can still see bits of butter. Any more mixing and you will start to lose tenderness.
Always chill the shaped scones before baking. Move the cut wedges to a sheet pan and chill in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before they go into the oven. This cools any butter that may have warmed up while mixing. Cold scones will hold their shape in the oven rather than spreading out flat.
Storing Lemon Scones
Room temperature - Store baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. The glaze will soften slightly but the scones will stay nice and tender.
Refrigerator - Store scones in an airtight container for 2 to 4 days. You can wrap scones individually in plastic wrap and then move to a storage bag or container.
Reheating - To bring life back to a baked scone, warm it in a 350°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Skip the microwave - it makes the scones tough.
Freezing Lemon Scones
You can freeze these scones either baked or unbaked. I prefer to freeze them unbaked so that I can make a few fresh scones in under 30 minutes anytime I am craving them.
Freezing unbaked scones
- Arrange the scone wedges on a parchment lined sheet pan and freeze until solid.
- Transfer the frozen dough to a freezer bag or container. Separate the layers with parchment paper.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from the freezer at 400°F, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time. You don't need to thaw the dough ahead of time.
Freezing baked scones
- Let the scones cool completely.
- Arrange in a single layer in a freezer bag or container, separating layers with parchment paper.
- Freeze for up to 2 to 3 months. To reheat, warm in a 350°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes straight from the freezer.
Make Ahead for Brunch
I love any recipe that can be prepped or made ahead. Scones are one of the easiest baked goods to prep ahead of a brunch, or anytime you are hosting for breakfast. Mix the dough, shape and cut into wedges, and then freeze the wedges on a parchment lined sheet pan covered with plastic wrap. In the morning, brush the frozen scones with heavy cream and bake straight from the freezer at 400°F for 22 to 25 minutes. The kitchen will smell incredible and the scones will come out fresh, warm, and ready to glaze just as your guests are arriving.
What to Serve With Lemon Scones
Lemon scones are the perfect centerpiece for an easy, beautiful brunch. Here are some of my favorite things to serve with them.
Drinks
- A warm mug of Earl Grey or English Breakfast tea - a classic drink to pair with a glazed citrus scone.
- Coffee or lattes for the coffee lovers at the table.
- A sparkling brunch cocktail like a mimosa, Bellini, or my Vodka Strawberry Lemonade for something citrusy.
Spreads and toppings
- Lemon curd - adds even more lemon flavor.
- A bright fruit jam - raspberry and strawberry are both delicious with the lemon.
Brunch recipes to serve with the scones
- A batch of scrambled eggs or a veggie filled frittata if you are cooking for a larger group.
- A savory main like my Mushroom and Gruyere Quiche - it balances the sweetness of the scones.
- A bowl of fresh, seasonal fruit.
- Yogurt parfaits made with our Lemon Pistachio Granola for a little extra crunch.
Lemon Scones FAQs
Yes! You can substitute 2 cups of all-purpose flour for the cake flour and add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the dry ingredients. The cornstarch helps keep the scones nice and tender. The texture will be a little less tender than when using cake flour but they will still be delicious.
Spreading scones is almost always a temperature problem. If the butter softens before the scones go into the oven, the dough loses its structure and the scones flatten as they bake. Make sure that your butter, cream, and eggs are cold. Then chill the shaped scone wedges in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before baking. Cold dough plus a hot oven is what gives you tall, flaky scones every time.
Scones and biscuits look similar but have a few key differences. Scones are often richer because they are made with eggs and cream, and they are slightly sweeter. Biscuits are usually made with buttermilk but don't have eggs. Scones are usually finished with a glaze or sweet topping, and biscuits are usually served with savory toppings.
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Lemon Scones with Fresh Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons (245g) cake flour
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons (10g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup unsalted butter frozen for 30 minutes
- ½ cup heavy cream cold
- 1 large egg cold
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini white chocolate chips optional but delicious
For the Glaze
- 1 ¼ cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For the White Chocolate Drizzle (optional)
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
For the Scones
- Move one stick of butter to the freezer to chill for 20-30 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together egg, heavy cream, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and vanilla. Store in the refrigerator until needed.½ cup heavy cream, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Zest one lemon directly into the dry ingredients.2 cups + 2 tablespoons (245g) cake flour, ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, 2 ½ teaspoons (10g) baking powder, ½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Remove frozen butter from the freezer and use your cheese grater to grate the frozen butter directly into the dry ingredients.
- Use a pastry cutter or fork to work the butter into the flour mixture.
- Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Add the mini white chocolate chips (if using) to the dough. Gently fold the chips into the dough. It's okay if they are not well combined.½ cup mini white chocolate chips
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and fold the dough over itself and then flatten it to incorporate the chips. Do this 4-5 times to be sure that the chips are evenly distributed throughout the dough. You want the dough to come together and look uniform with flecks of butter throughout.
- Form the dough into a 6-8 inch circle. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 triangles.
- Arrange the wedges of dough on a quarter sheet pan. Place scone dough into the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
- Arrange the chilled wedges of scone dough on a parchment lined, half sheet pan. Brush the scones with heavy cream.
- Bake scones at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the scones are baking, make the lemon glaze.
For the Lemon Glaze and White Chocolate Drizzle
- Combine 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice with the confectioner's sugar and whisk well to combine. Glaze can be used right away or frozen and used when you bake the scones.1 ¼ cups confectioner's sugar, 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For the White Chocolate Drizzle (optional)
- Place mini white chocolate chips in a small microwave bowl. Heat the chips for 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate is a good consistency for drizzling.¼ cup white chocolate chips, melted
Glazing the Scones
- Once the scones are finished baking, drizzle first with the lemon glaze and then with a drizzle of white chocolate.
Notes
Nutrition
Chelsea says
So good! I was tempted to just put coarse sugar on the top and not mess with the glaze and melted chocolate, I am so glad I didn’t. I do feel like the toppings really enhance the scones. If you love lemon you should definitely make these!
Amanda Smallwood says
Thanks so much for the feedback Chelsea! So happy that your scones came out yummy! xo Amanda
Dwight says
Nowhere, do you tell us to use the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in the scones?
Amanda Smallwood says
Hi! The two tablespoons of lemon juice should go in with the eggs and heavy cream! Thanks for the feedback. I’ll update the recipe asap. Amanda
Hoyee says
Hi there! I’m not sure if I’ve missed something reading the recipe (I did go through it a few times to check). I was wondering which step to add in the 2 tbsp of lemon for the scone part? Thanks so much!
Amanda Smallwood says
Hi Hoyee!!
Thank you so much for your message!!! You can grate the lemon zest directly into the dry ingredients. It’s the last part of step 1 in the instructions. Thanks so much!! Amanda