Easy Lemon Scones Recipe
A great way to start your morning is with freshly baked Lemon Scones. These scones are easy to make and have a rustic look but are flaky and buttery from the inside. Using fresh lemon juice and lemon zest adds a refreshing, delicious flavor. Serve it with your favorite warm drink.
When I learned how to make scones, I wanted to make them almost every day. There are many variations which I will talk about later in this post, and there are many flavors that you can add. Making scones is not tricky and in no way difficult, but there are a few things that you need to do to get flaky, perfect scones.
We won’t use egg or vanilla extract in this recipe! If you love scones or want to try other variations, please try my Pumpkin Scones, and English Scones.
❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
Easy to make. You need less than 10 minutes to prepare the dough and shape it.
Budget-friendly ingredients. You need simple ingredients available in almost every kitchen.
Balanced flavor. The lemon flavor is not overwhelming.
Stores well. You can make a batch and store it for up to 3 months to enjoy scones whenever you want.
No mess. You need one bowl to make the dough and not many dishes to clean up later.
🌿 INGREDIENTS
All-purpose flour – I have used regular flour, but if you can use self-rising flour, either omit the baking powder or add half the amount mentioned in the recipe.
Lemon – We are using fresh lemon juice and will need to use the zest of a lemon.
Baking powder – You can omit it if using self-rising flour.
Milk – I always use whole milk but you can use low-fat or almond milk. Some use cream instead of milk for a richer flavor and texture.
Butter – It is best to use unsalted butter that’s good in quality. Ensure that it is chilled and not soft or melting.
Sugar – The old scone recipes do not call for sugar but nowadays, people are adding a little sugar which helps the dough stays tender from the inside.
🔪 INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2
In a large bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the sugar with lemon zest using your fingertips to allow the oil from the zest to come out.
Step 3
Sift the flour with salt and baking powder. Add it and the butter to the sugar and mix using a fork or a spatula until you get a coarse crumbs texture.
Step 4
Pour the milk into the flour mixture and mix until combined, do not overmix, or the scones will come out dry.
Step 5
Place the dough in the center of the previously prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour over the dough, shape it into a one-inch high disk, and cut it into eight triangle scones.
Step 6
Bake the scones for 20 to 25 minutes or until the surface is light brown.
👩🏽🍳 PRO TIPS
- Use chilled milk and cold butter to add flakiness to the scones.
- Preheat the oven for 30 minutes before using it, making the scones bake and rise evenly.
- Never overmix the dough.
- If your kitchen is warm or the butter melts in the dough. Place the dough in the fridge for a few minutes before cutting and baking it.
📋 VARIATIONS
Add nuts. You can add toasted nuts to the dough, shape it, and bake.
Raisins. Soak raisins in lemon juice or warm water and then pat them dry. Add it to the dough.
Substitute the milk. Instead of whole milk, go for almond milk or even heavy cream.
Lemon glaze. You can make a lemon glaze using powdered sugar and drizzle it over the scones before serving.
Use orange. These scones can easily turn into orange scones by replacing lemon with orange. Use the zest of half an orange.
🍽️ HOW TO SERVE LEMON SCONES
The scones can be served with a warm drink like coffee or tea, but they taste great when dunked in milk. You can also serve them with clotted cream and jam.
🌡️ STORING AND REHEATING
Like most of the pastries, scones taste good when freshly made. However, you can keep them at room temperature for a day.
For a longer storage time, it’s best to freeze the scones. Frozen scones will keep for up to 3 months.
You can reheat them in the microwave or at room temperature.
⭐PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW
If you have tried this recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!
Easy Lemon Scones Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup chilled unsalted butter shredded or cubed
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ cup chilled milk
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Zest of a lemon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F/190C. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it with butter.
- Mix the milk with lemon juice and set aside for 7 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the sugar with lemon zest using your fingertips to allow the oil from the zest to come out.
- Sift the flour with salt and baking powder. Add it and the butter to the sugar and mix using a fork or a spatula until you get a coarse crumbs texture.
- Pour the milk mixture into the previous dry ingredients. Mix until combined, do not overmix, or the scones will come out dry.
- Place the dough in the center of the previously prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour over the dough, shape it into a one-inch high disk, and cut it into eight triangle scones. You can also use a pastry cutter and create different shapes.
- Bake the scones for 20 to 25 minutes or until the surface is light brown.
Notes
- Do not overmix the dough.
- You can use almond milk instead of whole milk. In case you do, do not mix it with lemon juice, as mentioned in the recipe. First, add it to the dough, then add the lemon juice.
- Always preheat the oven for 30 minutes before using it.
- If your kitchen is warm or you notice that the butter in the dough is melting, refrigerate it for a few minutes before shaping and cutting it.
They remind me of buttermilk scones. Your scones look super.
Thanks Angie, these scones have a beautiful texture and the lemon make them taste delicious 😉
Wonderful scones! Great texture.
Cheers,
Rosa
these would be perfect now with tea!
SO good and easy to make! I keep fresh squeezed lemon juice in my freezer, but I didn’t have fresh lemons to zest. I ended up using lime zest and lemon glaze, which turned out amazing. My neighbors are getting scones since they only last for a 2-3 days before getting stale. I’ve made them 3 times already.
Thank you so much Karen for trying my recipe, I’m sure my readers will benefit from your comment too 😊