Buttermilk Blueberry Scones

Impress at your next brunch with these soft and tender Buttermilk Blueberry Scones. They are incredibly easy to make and taste wonderfully light with just a hint of lemon in the batter, and a delicious lemon glaze drizzled on top.

Perfect for your Easter brunch or Mother’s Day breakfast!

The first time I ate a scone, I was thoroughly underwhelmed. Dry, hard and boring – definitely not what you want from a bakery goodie! But at some point I ate a good one, and then I decided I had to learn how to make them.

I was so surprised to find out how easy scones are to make at home, and now they’re a regular for special brunches around here! This recipe has lots of juicy blueberries and a lemon glaze for the perfect spring treat (and shhh… make sure to tuck away my pumpkin scone recipe for the fall, too!).

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Baking powder/soda: Make sure your baking powder and baking soda aren’t out of date, otherwise your scones will not come out right.
• Butter: Please do not use a buttery spread as a substitute for the butter. It needs to be cold and firm to work in this recipe. If you need to use margarine for any reason, you must use stick margarine.
• Blueberries: I have made these scones with frozen blueberries before. It sort of works, but it does get messy and quite smudged/grey. I definitely recommend using fresh berries in this recipe for best results.
• Buttermilk: The recipe works best when using actual buttermilk. But if you want to make these right now and don’t keep buttermilk on hand, use regular milk with 1 teaspoon white vinegar stirred in. Leave it to sit on the counter for 10 minutes before using in the recipe.

How to make Blueberry Scones

1. Start by combining all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then cut in the cold butter until crumbs form.

2. Add the blueberries, then add the buttermilk and vanilla extract and stir just until combined. Do not overtax this dough, or your scones won’t rise!

3. Tip out the dough onto a lined baking sheet and pat into a circle. Cut into 8 wedges.

4. Pull the wedges apart a little, then brush with milk and sprinkle with both granulated and brown sugar. Bake until golden brown and baked through.

Cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes, then serve warm.

Baking tips

The two most important things to get moist and tender scones:

a) measure your flour correctly (spoon it into the measuring cup and then level with the back of a knife) so you don’t end up with a dry dough and

b) be very gentle and careful with the dough – don’t overwork it once you add the liquid ingredients. Definitely no kneading, simply push it into a disc.

I know it’s VERY hard to resist the urge to knead, but you do really need to leave this dough in peace. The less you handle and prod it, the lighter and fluffier your scones will be!

To handle the scones:

• make sure to flour the baking sheet well, or the scones will stick
• use a very sharp dough scraper or knife to cut the scones, this will give the sharpest edges and the best rise
• be very gently when pulling the scones apart – it’s a little tricky, but they need to be handled carefully or they won’t bake nicely

Optional glaze

The scones don’t really need a glaze, but it’s a nice touch if you want to go the extra mile.

I always just use ½ cup of icing sugar and stir in 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over the warm scones shortly before serving.

Storage tips

Keep scones in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.

They are, however, best eaten warm out of the oven.

Freezer instructions

You can, but they will still be better eaten warm right after baking.

To freeze, place scones in a container or bag suitable for freezing and label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months).

Defrost on a rack on the counter. It helps their texture to warm them up in the microwave or toast them before serving.

Watch the recipe video

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

Recipe first published in 2018. Updated on 03/21/2021.

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