The most tender and flaky blueberry scones with lemon zest giving it a lovely aromatic flavor. They are the best treat to enjoy with coffee.
Blueberry Lemon Scones are one of my favorite treats to make all year long. They are also what I get asked the most to bake for my family and friends. In America, scones are flaky, tender and have a biscuit-like texture. They are so soft in the center and golden on the outside. I also like that this dessert isn't too sweet.
The fresh blueberries give the scone a sweet and juicy burst of flavor. The lemon zest gives them such a nice citrus aroma that pairs together so well with the berries. Whenever we go to visit my family in New York in the summers, we go pick blueberries all together and then we make Blueberry Scones and Blueberry Vareniki. It's become a tradition by now:). Fresh blueberries are the absolute best, but I also make scones with frozen blueberries whenever they aren't in season.
I got this recipe from America's Test Kitchen, they are my absolute favorite source for recipes. They had baked over 800 scones to come up with the perfect combination. That's right, 800 SCONES. I am here to tell you that after almost a decade of making this recipe for my family, this is the best one. If you like scones, try my Orange Glazed Scones as well.
Video of How To Make Blueberry Lemon Scones
Ingredients
- butter, frozen plus 2 more Tablespoons melted
- milk, I like using whole milk for this recipe
- sour cream, also using whole milk
- all purpose flour (I use unbleached all purpose flour in all my recipes)
- granulated sugar
- baking powder and baking soda
- salt (I use sea salt)
- lemon zest - this will give your scones a delightful citrus aroma and flavor
- blueberries - fresh blueberries are best, but frozen blueberries will work too
How To Make Blueberry Lemon Scones
It's very important that all the ingredients are very cold. Place the butter into the freezer ahead of time and keep the milk and sour cream in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Zest the lemon and mix it in to the dry ingredients.
- Combine the milk and sour cream together, mixing until smooth. Place in the refrigerator.
- Grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients using the large holes of a box grater, mixing the grated butter in the flour as you grate it. Work fast so that the butter doesn't start to melt. You should have separate curls of butter coated in flour.
- Pour in the cold milk + sour cream mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing just until the dough comes together, but be careful not to overmix.
- On a floured surface, quickly mix the dough just until the flour is incorporated. Be careful not to over knead the dough. Not only will it tend to melt the butter, but it will make more gluten in the dough, and this will also make the scones dense.
- Roll out the dough into a 12 inch square. Fold it like a business letter, into thirds, using a bench scraper to help you pick up the dough. Place it on a floured plate and chill in the freezer for 5 -10 minutes.
8. On the same well floured surface, roll it out into a 12 inch square again.
Why are we doing all this rolling, fancy folding, chilling and rolling? We are borrowing a method from puff pastry to create those wonderful layers, that make these scones SO wonderful. Trust me, it's well worth it, and very easy too.
9. Sprinkle the blueberries over the surface of the dough, pressing them in gently so they don't roll off when you roll up the dough.
10. Roll up the dough into a log, using a bench scraper to help you, roll up the dough into a log. Press it into a 12 x 4 inch log.
11. Create scones. Cut the log in half and then each half diagonally into 4 triangles, to make 8 scones total, using a bench scraper or a sharp knife. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.
12. Brush melted butter on top of the scones and sprinkle with sugar.
If this process is taking too long and the scone dough has warmed up, chill them in the refrigerator or freezer before baking. If the butter isn't as cold as possible, it will melt too quickly and will leak out as the scones are baking. The scones will not be as tender and will be flatter too.
13. Bake for 18-25 minutes, until the scones are golden brown on the top and bottom.
Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
The butter needs to be FROZEN and keep the sour cream and milk in the refrigerator. Don't overhandle the dough, since your warm hands will melt the butter and your scones will not be tender but dense.
The reason we are using frozen butter and chilling the rest of the ingredients is to make sure the butter will remain in small cold chunks, dispersed among the dough. As the scones bake at a high temperature, the butter will melt and create pockets and layers in the scones.
If you don't chill the ingredients, the butter will melt into the dough and the scones will turn out dense.
It's ok if there is still some flour that's not mixed in when you're mixing the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Finish mixing it on a really well floured countertop.
I even place the shaped scones in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes before baking them so they can be as cold as possible before putting them in the oven.
Fresh blueberries are best. They hold their shape really well even when baking and won't discolor the dough. However, frozen blueberries will work too, but they are more likely to burst and leak.
Store at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator if you want to store them longer.
Yes! Scones can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or a freezer ziplock bag. I usually freeze baked scones that have been cooled completely.
To serve, simply defrost the baked scones at room temperature. (Wrap them in a kitchen or paper towel to absorb condensation and to keep them from drying out.) You can also reheat them in the oven at 350-400 degrees for about 5-10 minutes.
Blueberry Lemon Scones
The most tender and flaky blueberry scones with lemon zest giving it a lovely aromatic flavor. They are the best treat to enjoy with coffee.
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
- Category: Sweets
Ingredients
- 1 stick, 8 Tablespoons butter, frozen, plus 1 ½ more Tablespoons melted
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for work surface
- ½ cup sugar, plus 1-2 Tablespoons for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries (about 7 ½ ounces)
Instructions
- It's very important that all the ingredients are very cold. Place the butter into the freezer ahead of time and keep the milk and sour cream in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Mix the milk and sour cream together separately and set it aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater into the bowl of dry ingredients, mixing the grated butter in the flour as you grate it. Work fast so that the butter doesn't start to melt. You should have separate curls of butter coated in flour.
- Grate the lemon zest into the flour and butter mixture. Mix.
- Add the milk and sour cream. Mix with a rubber spatula quickly to combine, until the dough comes together.
- On a well floured surface, knead the dough just enough so that it comes together, being careful not to overmix.
- Gently roll it out into a 12 inch square. Fold it like a business letter, into thirds, using a bench scraper to help you pick up the dough.
- Place it on a floured plate and chill in the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes.
- On the same well floured surface, roll it out into a 12 inch square again.
- Sprinkle the blueberries over the surface of the dough, pressing them in gently so they don't roll off when you roll up the dough.
- Using a bench scraper to help you, roll up the dough into a log. Press it into a 12 x 4 inch log.
- Using the bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut the log in half and then each half diagonally into 4 triangles, to make 8 scones total.
- Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet, brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle with more sugar.
- Bake for 18-25 minutes, until the scones are golden brown on the top and bottom.
- Store at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days and refrigerate if you want to store them longer. Scones can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer ziplock bag.
More Delicious Desserts
This is an updated version of the Blueberry Lemon Scones recipe that was published originally on April 15, 2013. I have updated the pictures and clarified the instructions, but the recipe is still the same. Enjoy!
I made these with a mix of freshly picked blueberries and smorodina. And oh my goodness these taste divine. I can totally see why you double the recipe, they are that good. Did you ever try making these with raspberries or cherries?
No, I've never tried it, but I think it would work well, Natasha. These scones are one of my favorite things to make when I have a craving for something sweet.
Hey Olga, is it 1 stick butter plus 8tbsp frozen and 2 melted?
No, it's 1 stick of butter, which equals 8 Tablespoons of butter. So you would use 8 Tablespoons of frozen butter and 2 Tablespoons of melted butter to brush on top of the scones.
I wrote it that way because some people don't know how much 1 stick of butter is.
If it was an additional 8 Tablespoons of butter, I would have written PLUS.
oh ok thank you so much. i just wasnt sure about the frozen and melted butter.
Olga I've made these scones 7 times in 2 weeks. So so good! Thanks for sharing step by step pictures that helped me get the recipe down the first try. It's a keeper for sure!
I can totally relate:). This recipe is definitely a keeper. I absolutely love simple desserts like this, that aren't too fancy or cloyingly sweet. I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoy them too.
Hi Olga!! Love all of your recipies!!! Quick question if I were to freeze the scones, can I reheat in the microwave?? Thank you. P.S. I'm absolutely addicted to your blog 🙂 Awesome recipies, amazing pictures and instructions, every recipie turned out perfect so far. God bless you!!!
Yep, Yana! That's exactly how you would do it. You can also reheat the scones in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400-450 degrees F and keep the scones in the oven just until they're heated through. You can spritz them with some water first. You don't want to bake them at this point, just warm them through.
Olga! Is it possible to use baking powder instead of the baking soda and if so, how much should I use?
Bella,
You will need to use 2-3 times more baking powder than baking soda, and it may slightly effect the taste of the scones.
Didn't have any blueberries, so Iam making them with strawberries!! They look so delicious!!! (About to put them into the oven).
Yes, these are absolutely delicious! My three-year old daughter and I enjoyed them with a glass of cold milk.
That's a real compliment, when a 3 year old approves:).
Thank you so much for this recipe, can't wait to try it but the thing is that where I live it is very difficult to find blueberries, and if found they are v expensive..Is it possible to replace them with blackberries or any other fruit suggestion?!
Bella,
You can definitely use other berries, like blackberries, or even strawberries.
Thx 🙂
Wow! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this recipe! Made them today with blackberries and they were Umm-azing!! will be making these often. They were a huge hit!!
God bless you!
Yay! So glad you liked them, Marina.
Olga, you are a genius! Thank you for sharing all these recipes with us common folk. 🙂 these scones are absolutely amazing! So delicious and soft and just a pleasure to eat slowly of course to savor all the deliciousness. Thank you so so much for all your time and effort to share these wonderful recipes.
Thanks linchara,
I am just as common folk as they come:). I need to take baking lessons from you, my dear.
Glad you like the scones. I love the fresh blueberries in here and the best part is how tender they are but not cloyingly sweet.
You're making me blush with your nice compliments:).
I have made this recipe many times before but lost the recipe from America's Test Kitchen. Thank you for sharing. I can't wait for blueberries to be in season so I can make these again.
I'm glad you'll be able to enjoy them again, Lilia.
This looks super delicious...i'm drooling 🙂 Scones are one of my favorites, will defiantly master the skill of making them after reading your detailed beautiful post. Thank you!! 🙂
I love scones!!! If I were to make double would I just Devide the dough in half and roll it out then? Also although I love blueberries if I don't have any on hand other fresh fruit will work also? Thank you for sharing such awesome tasty recipes with us:)
Mariya, I usually make them in separate bowls, it is much easier to mix the dough. I'm sure you can use fresh strawberries, blackberries, etc.
Hi Olga, I'm so happy that you posted this recipe, I've always wanted to make scones but never got to it. I'm making them tonight! I'm hoping that they will turn out
Wow these are just amazing! They turned out perfect! They literally melt in your mouth, I also love a little hint of lemon taste. Thanks again for this recipe
You're quick, Inna! Glad you liked them.
Blueberry Scones are my favorite!!! I can't wait to make these! Have you tried making a powered sugar glaze? If so, how do you make it? I once made the powered sugar glaze (for cookies) and it tasted 'pasty'. Thank you so much for sharing another yummy recipe! I will be making these as soon as the blueberries are a little less pricey and I will let you know how tasty they are.
Hi Tanya,
I'm glad you like blueberry scones. I prefer to make them without the glaze, since I don't like them too sweet. There are lots of recipe for scones with a glaze. Search online; I'm sure you'll find many variations.
Hi Olya,
I too don't like baked goods too sweet, so whenever I am baking, it's my rule of thumb, I cut down on sugar by at least 2-3 TBsp. If it's an American cookies or cake, I cut down by almost 1/2 cup and get perfect results.
The reason I asked about glaze is that, I once tried blueberry scones with a hint of lemon glaze, ohhh... let me tell you, it was so delishes that glaze and scone complemented each other so well, and glaze provided that slight moisture and flavor that everything just melted in the mouth. So, from that point on, my scones have to have a glaze or I feel they are incomplete. I hope you understand what I am talking about. Anyway, since you are a pro at baking, I just thought I'd ask. Thanks for your response.
I completely understand, Tanya. You can try the glaze that I use for the Orange Bundt cakes. I use orange zest there, but you can use lemon zest and juice and zest. I'm sure it will work great.
Perfect, Olya, exactly what I was looking for. I will now give these a try. Thank you!
Sounds and looks very delicious :)) I like scones, and especially blueberry :)) I hope to make it soon :))) thank you Olge..
Hi Natasha! Glad this recipe caught your eye. Enjoy the scones!