Blueberry Lemon Scones with Lemon Glaze

These flaky, tender Blueberry Lemon Scones with Lemon Glaze are bursting with the bright flavors of fresh blueberries and citrus. Make them with either buttermilk or cream, and top with lemon glaze to finish.

(This recipe was originally published in July 2009, but was updated with new photos and content in 2020).

Oftentimes I find scones in America to be huge, cloyingly sweet, and dry (literally sticking to the roof of my mouth at times), three big no-no's for a scone. Scones are meant to be dainty, not too sweet, flaky and moist! Think of them as the slightly sweeter cousin of an American biscuit.

In my lifetime I've made thousands of scones. It's one of the baked goods I make most often because it's fast, easy, and super versatile for nearly any flavor profile you want to achieve (sweet or savory).

Whereas many people whip up a batch of cookies or brownies for a last minute gathering, I usually default to scones. This recipe for blueberry lemon scones is one of my favorites from over the years, and if you try it yourself you'll understand why!

Ingredient notes

These blueberry lemon scones are comprised of pretty basic, straightforward ingredients. You'll need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt for your dry ingredients.

For your wet ingredients you'll need 1 egg, and either heavy cream or buttermilk. In a pinch, you can use regular milk too, but the flavor is typically better with either cream or buttermilk. It's up to you which one you want to use, and for me I usually go with whichever one is hanging out in my fridge at the moment.

The heavy cream will make your scones a little richer and more decadent, while using buttermilk will give them a slight tang. Either way they are delicious so just pick your poison and have a ball.

I always use fresh blueberries for these scones, and have not tested the recipe with frozen blueberries. However, it should work with frozen as long as you add them in frozen without thawing them. The scones may take a few minutes longer to bake in this case.

How to make them

Being by combining the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add cold cubed unsalted butter (PHOTO 1). Use your fingers to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. I like to squish the butter between my fingertips first, and rub the mixture in between my palms to break it up a bit more (PHOTO 2).

Add blueberries and lemon zest (PHOTO 3). Stir and then make a well in the center. Whisk together your buttermilk or cream and egg, and then pour it into the well (PHOTO 4).

Use a fork to gently stir outward from the center until most of the liquid is absorbed into the dry mixture (PHOTO 5). Use your hands to finish mixing, gently pressing the dough together to help it absorb the liquid and become one mass of dough (PHOTO 6).

Now it's time to shape and bake your blueberry lemon scones!

Transfer the ball of dough to a work surface and cut it into 2 equal sized pieces (PHOTO 1). Pat each piece of dough into a flat circle, and then cut it into triangles like a pizza (PHOTO 2). You can cut each circle into either 6 or 8 pieces depending on the size you want to achieve.

Transfer the triangles to a parchment-lined baking sheet. I like to flip them over so the flattest side is on the top. This yields a prettier scone overall (PHOTO 3). Brush the tops with cream or buttermilk, and then bake until golden (PHOTO 4).

Cool completely before glazing them. To make the glaze combine confectioners' (powdered) sugar with lemon juice. Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the scones. Let the glaze dry before serving.

These blueberry lemon scones are best the day they are baked. Fresh fruit scones will soften a bit the longer you wait to eat them because of the moisture in the fruit. The scones will still be yummy, but the texture will change slightly the following day.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Other recipes you may like

• Fresh Cherry Almond Scones
• Tipsy Cherry Scones (Scones with Dried Cherries and Kirschwasser)
• Cranberry Apple Scones with Cinnamon Glaze
• Cinnamon Honey Scones
• Almond Joy Scones
• Chocolate Chip Scones with Espresso Glaze
• The Ritz of London's Afternoon Tea Scones
• Rock Cakes

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!