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I’m a big fan of anything with delicious and tart lemon flavor. These Lemon Cream Scones are one of my favorite recipes to make for a family brunch, bring to a friend, or just enjoy with coffee on a weekend morning. Pillowy-soft in texture, these cream scones strike the perfect balance between sweet and citrus, with a tangy lemon glaze that makes them absolutely irresistible.
Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
These are so GOOD and really easy to make!
— Julie
When developing this lemon scones recipe, I wanted to make sure it requires no special equipment. All you need is a couple of bowls to mix the ingredients, it’s really as easy as that. Plus, since the dough can be made ahead and frozen, you can always have them ready to pop in the oven when guests drop by or when you’re craving something special .
Serve them with a Cookie Butter Latte or Strawberry Sweet Ice Tea for a classic bakery combination that will impress your family and friends.
Why you’ll love this Recipe
My family loves these scones for a weekend breakfast or afternoon snack during the week. While scones can seem intimidating to make, I promise my method is so simple. They’ll be mixed together and ready to bake in just 15 minutes!
❥ Flavor: Soft and bright in flavor with the flakiest layers. I use both lemon juice and zest to have double the flavor.
❥Easy for Beginner Bakers: If you are just learning how to bake, this is a great recipe to start out with. You don’t need any special equipment!
❥A Great Make Ahead Baked Treat: There are so many storage options for these scones. You can freeze them baked or unbaked. I always like to have a couple in my freezer for an easy on-the-go bite.
❥ Bakery-Style that Will Impress: My kids have told me these are professional-quality, truly the best compliment!
NikkiIngredients
- Flour: All-purpose flour works great for scones!
- Granulated Sugar: Regular, granulated sugar is all you need to add just the right amount of sweetness.
- Salt: Salt is necessary to balance the flavors.
- Baking Powder: This is essential to help the scones have more lift in the oven!
- Butter: It is important to use very cold butter here! It will create flaky layers and help the scones rise in the oven, too.
- Whipping Cream: Whipping cream adds moisture and creates a tender crumb.
- Lemon: You will need both lemon zest and juice to lend that lemony flavor!
- Glaze: To make the simple lemon glaze, combine powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice!
- Sanding Sugar: I love to top my lemon scones off with some yellow sanding sugar for added decoration and texture, but this is totally optional!
How To Make the Lemon Cream Scones
✱ Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact ingredients and full recipe instructions!
Step 1 | Combine Dry Ingredients & Butter
In a large bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, rub the cold butter into the flour mixture until it forms large flakes. Stir in the lemon zest and refrigerate the mixture.
Step 2 | Make Scone Dough
In a separate bowl, whisk together the whipping cream and fresh lemon juice.
Add this to the flour mixture, stirring gently to combine.
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to bring the dough together—it will be crumbly at first but should form a cohesive dough as the butter softens slightly. If needed, add an extra tablespoon of cream, lemon juice, or milk.
Step 3 | Chill & Divide
Pat the dough into a disc approximately 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter. Transfer the disc to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Chill the dough in the refrigerator while preheating the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Once chilled, cut the dough into 8 equal wedges.
Step 4 | Bake, Glaze & Enjoy
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the scones are light golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.
While the scones cool slightly, prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle the glaze generously over the scones. If desired, sprinkle with sanding sugar for an extra touch of sparkle.
Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes before serving.
Expert Tips
If your glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until it’s the correct consistency.
Don skip chilling the scones before baking. It’s super important to chill the scones before slicing and baking. This helps create the flaky layers and for the scones to hold their shape.
Avoid overworking the dough. Less mixing means more tender scones. The more you work and touch the dough, the more risk you have of melting the butter and creating dense scones!
Optional, but you can brush the tops with cream before baking for a deeper golden color, that looks bakery-quality.
Allow the scones to cool before glazing: If you drizzle the glaze while they are hot, it will become runny and messy, not the pretty drizzle we are looking for!
Variations and Substitutions
- Mix-ins for the Scone Dough: You can add different add-ins for a twist like fresh blueberries or dried cranberries or poppy seeds!
- Swap the Citrus: Replace lemon with orange or lime for a different citrus twist.
- If you don’t have Cream: Half-and-half is a great substitute.
- Change the Glaze: For less lemon flavor and a more sweet flavor profile, make a vanilla glaze by replacing the lemon juice and zest with about 1 teaspoon vanilla and water.
- Make the Lemon Scones Gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. Just make sure it has a 1:1 ratio to regular flour.
What to Serve with Lemon Scones
These lemon cream scones are perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea, pairing beautifully with so many different options. Here are some ideas to serve:
- Clotted cream
- Softened butter
- Lemon curd
- Your favorite jam, I love my strawberry jam
- Hot tea
- Freshly brewed coffee
- Foamy cappuccino
- Lemon cut-out cookies
FAQs
Yes, you can! Pulse the dry ingredients and butter together until crumbly, then add the wet ingredients and pulse until just combined. Be very careful not to overmix the dough!
Yes! Shape the scones, wrap well, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
You can substitute the heavy whipping cream with whole milk or half-and-half, though the flavor will be slightly less rich.
Other Delicious Baked Goods Recipes
- Savory Croissant Breakfast Casserole
- Banana Bread Recipe
- Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
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Glazed Lemon Cream Scones
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) salt
- 4 teaspoons (16 g) baking powder
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter - very cold
- ¾ cup (180 ml) whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
- zest of 1 1/2 lemons
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 g) sanding sugar - optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, rub the cold butter into the flour mixture until it forms large flakes. Stir in the lemon zest and refrigerate the mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the whipping cream and fresh lemon juice. Add this to the flour mixture, stirring gently to combine.
- Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to bring the dough together—it will be crumbly at first but should form a cohesive dough as the butter softens slightly. If needed, add an extra tablespoon of cream, lemon juice, or milk.
- Pat the dough into a disc approximately 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter. Transfer the disc to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator while preheating the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Once chilled, cut the dough into 8 equal wedges. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the scones are light golden brown.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.
- While the scones cool slightly, prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth.
- Drizzle the glaze generously over the scones. If desired, sprinkle with sanding sugar for an extra touch of sparkle.
- Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use very cold butter for the flakiest scones. You can even freeze the butter and grate it directly into the flour mixture.
- Avoid overworking the dough to keep the scones light and tender.
- Letting the dough chill before baking helps the scones hold their shape and enhances their texture.
- For an extra golden top, brush the scones lightly with cream before baking.
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These are so GOOD and really easy to make!