These Lemon Blueberry Scones are delightful any time of day, but I love warm scones right out of the oven. Fresh juicy berries combined with dried blueberries and lemon zest add a bright, concentrated flavor to these easy homemade scones. Served plain or topped with sweet lemon glaze they will be the first thing to go at any occasion they are invited to! 
This is such an easy recipe! I love a cream scone because it keeps the scone super moist, comes together really quickly, and is nearly fail-proof. The fresh and dried blueberries combined are the best because you get the juiciness of a blueberry and the concentrated flavor of dried blueberry.
Lemon Blueberry Scone Ingredients
Heavy cream: Cream scones are my favorite scones! Using heavy cream in this recipe adds moisture and fat. This makes tender scones, less crumbly, more cakey, and moist. Some scone recipes use cold butter, which has less moisture and more fat, resulting in a drying flakier scone. Since I decided to use some dried fruit in these scones, the extra moisture from the cream helps plump the dried fruit slightly, resulting in them releasing a more concentrated flavor.
Blueberries: Dried Blueberries have so much flavor! All of the water is removed and they are left with all of that amazing blueberry flavor and sweetness, which works really well in a baked good. Using dried with fresh blueberries combines the concentrated flavor with the juicy blueberries tartness, and as they bake they release that gorgeous deep blueberry color. So in this scone recipe, you are getting all of the best parts of a juicy berry. I chose to use frozen blueberries so that they keep their shape as I mix the scone dough. You can buy fresh berries and pop them in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm them up before adding them to the dough.
Lemon: The lemon zest in this scone dough is subtle but so important to enhance the flavor of the berries. It adds an extra depth of lemon flavor that makes a good scone great. The glaze on top of the scones is a burst of tangy fresh lemon juice, balancing the sweet scone perfectly. Make sure your lemons are room temperature or even slightly warmed in the microwave for a second, as they will release more juice and oils.
Making the Lemon Blueberry Scone
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and zest in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Make sure the zest is dispersed and not clumped up.
- Add the dried blueberries and the frozen blueberries and gently toss to combine. Pro-tip: Frozen blueberries keep their shape while mixing the scone dough together, and dried blueberries have a more concentrated flavor.
- Add the heavy cream to the dry ingredients and begin mixing gently, take note to not crush the blueberries. You can use a wooden spoon or spatula, but it may be easier using your hands as this is a thick strong dough.
- Mix until the dough just begins to stick together. There may still be some drier pockets. If the dough is not sticking together at all you can add a few extra tablespoons of cream until it begins to form a dough ball.
- Dump the dough out onto a prepared baking sheet and form the dough into an 8" round disk. You can use a cake ring or cake pan to press it into if you have one.
- Place the sheet pan in the freezer for 20-30 minutes so the dough firms up and the flour has a few minutes to hydrate. Baking cold scones will help them keep their shape as they bake.
- Once the dough round has chilled, cut it into 8 equal wedges.
- Brush the tops of the scones with some heavy cream and add a few blueberries on top.
- Space the wedges out so they don't bake back together when they expand in the oven.
- Place them into a preheated oven, and bake the scones for 15-18 minutes. The scones should be slightly golden brown on the edges and feel firm when pressed with a finger.
Making the Lemon Glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl with a whisk or an electric mixer.
- Add the warmed/soft butter to the glaze and whip for a few seconds until combined, smooth, and slightly fluffy. If the glaze looks lightly separated, warm it for just a few seconds in the microwave and whip it again. The butter should blend into the glaze. If you are not using the glaze right away, be sure to cover it so that it does not form a crust.
- Using a pouring cup or a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the tops of the cooled scones, as much or as little as you prefer.
- Let the glaze finish dripping and dry before stacking or storing the scones.
- To store the scones, transfer them to an airtight container or wrap them with plastic wrap and store them at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you choose to freeze the scones to be eaten at a later date, freeze them before glazing and glaze them when you are ready to serve for the best results. Un-glazed scones can be refreshed in the oven, bake for 8 minutes at 300°F, then let cool and glaze.
FAQ
Most plant-based milk doesn't contain enough fat to make this recipe successful. However, you could substitute it with a can of full-fat coconut milk. The final result may vary based on the fat content.
The best part of this lemon blueberry scones recipe is its versatility. You can swap out the blueberries and lemon zest for any other fruit or flavor. Chocolate chips, orange zest and currants, poppy seeds, or even savory, some bacon and chives, ham and cheese, so many delicious options!
Yes, this recipe multiplies very easily and you can shape it into any shape you want. You can form it in a square and cut small squares, or even use a round biscuit cutter and make round scones.
To get light, and fluffy scones, the trick is to not overmix your dough. Cream scones are harder to overmix than butter scones because the cream combines with the dry ingredients more easily. I also like using a food scale to weigh my ingredients and mix the dry ingredients together to make sure they are all accurate and combined well.
Recipe
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Scone Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup dried blueberries
- ½ cup frozen blueberries or fresh
- 1 cup heavy cream plus a few extra Tablespoons in case the dough is dry
Lemon Glaze Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice or more depending on consistency)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter very soft or slightly melted
Instructions
Making the Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and zest in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Make sure the zest is dispersed and not clumped up.
- Add the dried blueberries and the frozen blueberries and gently toss to combine. Pro-tip: Frozen blueberries keep their shape while mixing the scone dough together, and dried blueberries have a more concentrated flavor.
- Add the heavy cream to the dry ingredients and begin mixing gently, take note to not crush the blueberries. You can use a wooden spoon or spatula, but it may be easier using your hands as this is a thick strong dough.
- Mix until the dough just begins to stick together. There may still be some drier pockets. If the dough is not sticking together at all you can add a few extra tablespoons of cream until it begins to form a dough ball.
- Dump the dough out onto a prepared baking sheet and form the dough into an 8" round disk. You can use a cake ring or cake pan to press it into if you have one.
- Place the sheet pan in the freezer for 20-30 minutes so the dough firms up and the flour has a few minutes to hydrate. Baking cold scones will help them keep their shape as they bake.
- Once the dough round has chilled, cut it into 8 equal wedges.
- Brush the tops of the scones with some heavy cream and add a few blueberries on top.
- Space the wedges out so they don't bake back together when they expand in the oven.
- Place them into a preheated oven, and bake the scones for 15-18 minutes. The scones should be slightly golden brown on the edges and feel firm when pressed with a finger.
Making the Lemon Glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl with a whisk or an electric mixer.
- Add the warmed/soft butter to the glaze and whip for a few seconds until combined, smooth, and slightly fluffy. If the glaze looks lightly separated, warm it for just a few seconds in the microwave and whip it again. The butter should blend into the glaze. If you are not using the glaze right away, be sure to cover it so that it does not form a crust.
- Using a pouring cup or a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the tops of the cooled scones, as much or as little as you prefer.
- Let the glaze finish dripping and dry before stacking or storing the scones.
- To store the scones, transfer them to an airtight container or wrap them with plastic wrap and store them at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
- If you choose to freeze the scones to be eaten at a later date, freeze them before glazing and glaze them when you are ready to serve for the best results. Un-glazed scones can be refreshed in the oven, bake for 8 minutes at 300°F, then let cool and glaze.
- Preheat your oven 30 minutes ahead of time to give the biscuits the best lift.
- Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe.
- Practice Mise en Place (everything in its place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
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