Easy Lemon Scones Recipe {With Lemon Glaze!}

Lemon scones are full of tart lemon and fresh lemon zest and have buttery layers of tender dough with golden brown crust. Enjoy these fluffy scones for breakfast or an afternoon snack. This easy scone recipe is ready in less than 15 minutes and is a great way to start your day.

Citrusy lemons baked into our tender scone recipe are the breakfast treat you have been looking for! I love to bake delicious scones, especially on the weekends. If you like citrus scones, try our lime scones– they are scrumptious!

If this is your first time making scones don't be nervous. Check out my Master Scone Recipe to get started. It has helpful tips for making any base scone recipe whether sweet or savory! Scones are easy to make and I will walk you through them step by step so you will have a nice, fluffy, and tender scone, one that will rival any coffee shop!

Tools for baking

Before we start to make our homemade lemon scones recipe, it is a great idea to prep our work surface and gather the ingredients and items we will be using. Here are my go-to baking tools I use for every batch of the best scones.

• Pastry blender we mention this item with every single recipe because it is THE item that will ensure a fluffy outcome for your scones. You can use 2 knives or your hands, but a pastry blender or pastry cutter is best.
• Parchment paper a baking sheet lined with parchment paper is not only great for non-stick baking, but it is also awesome for easy cleanup! No pan scrubbing is needed!
• Mixing bowl should be a large mixing bowl if you want to make this a one-bowl recipe! I mix and also knead the scone dough right in the bowl before turning it out onto a floured surface. 

Secret to Making Good Scones

First, let's go over THREE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS you MUST DO to ensure a perfect flaky scone:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees for at least 20 minutes before baking. A hot oven will help your scones rise tall instead of being flat.
2. Make sure you're using COLD butter. It does not matter if you use cold unsalted butter or salted butter, but it MUST BE COLD. As the butter melts it will allow for air to create flaky scones
3. Minimal handling of the dough. The more you knead the scone dough, the tougher it becomes and you will end up with a flat, hard scone.

Scone ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Vanilla extract
• Lemon extract
• Chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• Half-and-half, plus 1 tablespoon
• Lemon zest
• Lemon Juice
• Lemon Glaze (optional) 

How to Make Homemade Lemon Scones 

Grab your cup of coffee or tea ready and get these pretty sweet and tart wedges into the oven and soon you will be enjoying a bote of the softest scones!

As I mentioned above in the Baking tips section, it is important to preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Be sure to do this at least 20 minutes before you intend to bake.

We are going to mix our dry ingredients first. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, lemon zest, sugar, and salt. 

Now, in the flour mixture, we are going to cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles coarse crumbs. You should see lumps of butter and that is exactly what you want.

Next, we are going to add our wet ingredients to the dry mixture. With a rubber spatula, stir in 2/3 cup half-and-half until just moistened. If you only have heavy cream That is ok too. Add in your lemon extract, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, and stir.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently 5 to 10 times until dough comes together and pat it into a 1-inch thick round disc shape.

With a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 sections and transfer dough triangles onto a prepared baking sheet 2- inches apart. I can usually fit all eight on a large baking sheet.

With a pastry brush, brush the top of each scone with 1 Tablespoon half-and-half, and sprinkle each top with coarse sugar and a pinch of lemon zest for a little extra sweetness.

Place scones in the oven on the middle rack.

Bake until golden brown, which is about 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

Serve a warm scone with your cup of hot afternoon tea or coffee!

If you want to add more lemon flavor, drizzle with our delicious sweet lemon glaze! 

Glaze Recipe: 

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 1 Tablespoon half and half

Directions:

In a small bowl add all ingredients. If glaze is too thin, add a little bit of powdered sugar (1 tablespoon) at a time until the desired consistency. 

When lemon raspberry scones have cooled for at least 10-15 minutes, drizzle tops of the scones with sweet glaze and let set. 

Storing Scones

If you have any leftovers, store scones in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months, or you can keep them on the counter at room temperature loosely covered with a sheet of plastic wrap.

Making This Scone Recipe Vegan 

Ingredient substitutions to make vegan lemon scone recipe 

Flour– you can easily make these scones gluten-free by substituting the all-purpose flour with a one-for-one gluten-free flour. You can use Bob's Red Mill or my favorite King Arthur brand, which you can find in most grocery stores.

Butter– I like baking with Nature Balance vegan butter sticks. Place in the freezer to ensure it is super cold because this tends to be a little softer than regular butter. Cut into small cubes before cutting into flour mixture. 

Frozen raspberries- If you only have frozen raspberries, you can substitute them for fresh berries. Make sure to add them in frozen and not defrosted as this may make a wet and sticky dough.

Half and Half- You can use any soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk in place of cream. If you have the coffee-creamer version, that is even better. 

Other scone recipes you should try: lemon raspberry scones, lemon poppyseed scones, lemon lavender scones, blackberry scones, orange scones 

Homemade Scones Recipe

The combination of sweet and zesty lemon creates the perfect balance of scone flavor pairing. This version of American scones has a soft biscuit-like center with a crisp outside texture. These are tender scones not dry or crunchy like English scones can sometimes be. This recipe will be a great addition to a Mother's Day Brunch or tea party! 

Top FAQ

What Does Adding Egg Do To Scones?

Adding an egg to scones helps to bind ingredients together. Some seem to think that it adds richness to the flavor, however, I found I have the best results when I don't add an egg. That's why our buttery scones are full of layers and super flaky. 

What is the Best Temp For Baking Scones? 

Setting the oven to 425 degrees I have found to be the best temperature for baking our easy scones recipe. As mentioned in our baking tips sections, it is important to bake your scones in a preheated, hot oven. This helps to release steam from the butter when baking creating layers of tender scone.