These Lemon Blueberry Scones are easy to make, incredibly soft and tender, and topped with a sweet lemon glaze. Perfect for breakfast or brunch!

A blueberry scone with lemon glaze on a white plate with another scone and sliced lemon in the background.

Have you ever made scones? I used to think that scones were dry and bland, but after learning how to make them I realized that they’re actually soft, tender, and delicious. In fact, these scones literally melt in your mouth!

These Lemon Blueberry Scones were one of the first scone recipes that I posted on my blog back in 2016. While they have always been delicious, I wanted to update the recipe to make it even better and include some step photos so you can see exactly how to make these scones.

This recipe also makes a great base for other scones. You can leave out the lemon zest or swap it with something else like orange zest. You can even change out the blueberries for another fruit and switch up the glaze to really make these your own!

Ingredients for This Recipe 

This is such an easy lemon blueberry scone recipe, and the lemon glaze on top adds a delightfully zingy flavor. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe: 

  • All-Purpose Flour: When measuring your flour, make sure to use the spoon and level method. Too much flour in your scones can create a crumbly dough and make it difficult to work together.
  • Sugar: These scones are lightly sweetened with granulated sugar since they’re also topped with a lemon glaze.
  • Baking Powder & Salt: There’s one tablespoon of baking powder in this recipe and I promise it’s not a typo! The baking powder helps the scones rise nice and tall.
  • Butter: Always use unsalted butter in baked goods. For this recipe, the butter needs to be cold before being cut into the flour. This will create pockets of steam as the scones bake and will make them super flaky. 
  • Heavy Whipping Cream: I find that the extra fat in heavy whipping cream really creates a soft, tender scone. You can probably swap out the heavy whipping cream with some half and half or whole milk, just keep in mind that the dough may be a little stickier to work with if you do.
  • Egg & Vanilla: You’ll be using one large egg for a richer flavor and some pure vanilla extract.
  • Blueberries: I prefer using fresh blueberries in this recipe, but I imagine frozen berries would work too. 
  • Lemon zest & juice: Lemon zest flavors the scones, while lemon juice is mixed with a little powdered sugar to create the glaze. 

A glass bowl filled with the dry ingredients, blueberries, and lemon zest for scones and a light gray napkin on the side.

How to Make Lemon Blueberry Scones 

To make these scones with lemon glaze, you’ll start out by whisking together your dry ingredients. Once you’ve mixed together the dry ingredients, you’ll cut in some cold butter until you see small pea-sized crumbs.

Why cold butter? You want cold pieces of butter in the dough when you put it in the oven because as the butter melts it creates steam pockets which help the scones rise taller and keep them soft and tender. Trust me here! The colder the butter in your dough the better.

At this point, I also suggest gently stirring in the lemon zest and fresh blueberries before you add the wet ingredients.

A large glass bowl filled with the dough for lemon blueberry scones and a rubber spatula on the side.

Then, you’ll whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Once you’ve fully whisked together the wet ingredients, you’ll pour it into the dry ingredients and carefully work the dough together. The dough may be a little crumbly at this point, but this is okay.

You’ll turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and work it together with your hands, then pat it down into a circle that’s about 1-inch thick.

A closeup shot of lemon blueberry scones on parchment paper and a glass bowl filled with lemon glaze.

Then, just cut the dough into eight equal sized triangles and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I also like to brush the tops of each scone with a little heavy whipping cream. This step isn’t necessary but it creates a shiny, beautiful, golden brown top on the scones that I really love.

Once you’ve placed the blueberry lemon scones on the baking sheet, bake them until they’re lightly golden brown on top and cooked all the way through.

Next up is the sweet lemon glaze! You can leave the glaze off of the scones, but it adds some extra sweetness to them. I used lemon juice in the glaze to add more flavor, but feel free to swap out the lemon juice for some milk if you prefer.

A closeup of the lemon blueberry scones on parchment paper being topped with the lemon glaze.

Storage Instructions 

Scones are best served the same day they are baked. You may store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days

Baking Tips

  • When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it from the container. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
  • It’s best to use cold ingredients for these scones since you want the butter in the dough to be cold. If you feel that the dough is a little too warm after you’ve worked it together and cut it out, you can place it on your baking sheet and in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes before putting them in the oven.
  • The lemon glaze for the scones is optional, but it adds so much fresh flavor! 

More Homemade Scone Recipes to Try! 

A closeup shot of a lemon blueberry scone on a white plate with a fork on the side.

Lemon Blueberry Scones

5 from 7 ratings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
These Lemon Blueberry Scones are easy to make, incredibly soft and tender, and topped with a sweet lemon glaze. Perfect for breakfast or brunch!

Ingredients

Servings: 8 scones

Lemon Blueberry Scones:

  • 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter , cubed into small pieces
  • 1 cup (145 grams) fresh blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) cold heavy whipping cream , plus a little extra for the tops of the scones
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze:

  • 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1.5-2 tablespoons (23-30 ml) fresh lemon juice (add more as needed)

Instructions
 

To make the scones:

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Add the cubed butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or a fork until you have small pea-sized crumbs. Gently stir in the blueberries and lemon zest.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, egg, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold until just combined, making sure not to over mix the dough.
  • Scoop the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a ball, then flatten it into a circle about 1-inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 equal sized triangles. Place each triangle on the baking sheet, leaving a little room between each one. Gently brush the top of each scone with a little bit of heavy whipping cream.
  • Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.

To make the glaze:

  • Add the powdered sugar and the fresh lemon juice to a mixing bowl and mix together until well combined. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more lemon juice to thin it out. If the glaze is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up a bit.
  • Top the scones with the glaze, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

Storage instructions: Scones are best served the same day they are baked. You may store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Adapted from All Recipes and Martha Stewart.
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Danielle
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.