Lemon Vanilla Scones with Simple Lemon Glaze

We love making these lemon vanilla scones when we’re craving something freshly baked that is super straightforward and easy to make. The fresh lemon keeps things fresh and light, while the vanilla adds that warm, classic bakery flavor. Pair these scones with tea or coffee, or serve them at your spring brunch party with some homemade lemon curd for an extra lemony punch. 

Pull Up A Chair

Rachel: They’re exactly what I want with a cup of hot coffee or tea. And they aren’t complicated at all to make, which I love. If you’re heading to a brunch party soon, you gotta bring these.

Emily: These scones are super soft and crumbly but in a good, not-dry way. I mean, you may not wanna try whistling while you eat them (who does that anyway), but they’re absolutely worth making and eating.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Not too sweet, with a bright, warm flavor. We like our scones on the less sweet side, especially when we’re glazing them. The lemon is bright and the vanilla gives them subtle warmth. 
• Soft and slightly crumbly, but not dry. Mediocre scones can be dry, but there’s nothing mediocre or dry about these. They’re soft and very slightly crumbly, but in a good way. 
• Simple, pantry-friendly ingredients. The only fresh thing you’ll need to buy for these is a couple of lemons. If you bake occasionally, you’ll probably have the other ingredients already.
• Great for beginner bakers. This recipe is super simple and doesn’t have any complicated steps, so it’s great for anyone just starting out baking. They taste like you bought them from a posh bakery too, so that’s always a plus.
• Perfect for brunch, afternoon treats, gifting, or tea parties. This recipe makes 8 scones, which is just enough for you to enjoy them throughout the week or give some away to friends. You can also fridge or freeze the dough if you don’t plan to eat all of them soon. 

Ingredients in Lemon Vanilla Scones

• Dry ingredients – all-purpose flour (measure with weight or using “spoon and level method”), baking powder, salt, granulated sugar
• Butter – it’s important to use very cold butter to keep the scones flaky, light, and not dense. We like to cube our butter first and then freeze it.
• Heavy cream – for adding moisture and richness to the dough. Brushing the tops of the scones with cream before baking also helps them brown. 
• Lemon – you’ll need lemon zest for the scone dough and lemon juice for the glaze. Tip: always zest your lemons first before cutting/juicing them.
• Vanilla – vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste both work. 
• Butter – it’s important to use very cold butter so that these scones are flaky and not dense. We like to cube our butter first and then freeze it.
• Lemon vanilla glaze – mixture of powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and a touch of salt for balance.

How to Make Lemon Scones with Vanilla

Prep the oven for baking. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Make the dough. Using a food processor, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Add in the cold butter and pulse the food processor until the dough looks like sand with a few small pebbles in it. Add the vanilla and stream in the heavy cream while the food processor is running. The dough is ready when it has just started to clump together a little. Note: if you don’t have a food processor, mix the dry ingredients and lemon zest in a bowl, then mix in the butter with a pastry blender or your hands, then mix in the cream and vanilla.

Shape and chill the scones. Pour the dough out onto the counter or surface and press it together into a round disk about 1 inch thick, then cut it into 8 wedges. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Bake and glaze the scones. Remove the dough from the fridge and place the scones onto the baking sheet about an inch apart. Brush the tops of them with a little cream. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown in color. Remove the scones from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth. Spread about 1 to 2 teaspoons of glaze on top of each scone.

Our Tips for the Best Scones

• Keep the butter super cold. Cold butter creates flaky layers. We like to cube our butter and then freeze it. You can also grate the butter and then freeze or fridge it too. 
• Don’t overmix the dough. Stop mixing the dough when it just begins to clump together. Any more mixing than that and the scones will become tough and dense.

• Chill the dough for 20 to 30 minutes for best results. This ensures that the scones will stay flaky and light.
• Let them cool a little before glazing. Otherwise, the glaze may have a harder time sticking to the scone.

Storage and Serving Ideas

To store these scones, we recommend keeping any baked ones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 days for best results. You can also place them in the fridge to keep them fresh longer, or even freeze the baked (unglazed) scones or the unbaked scone dough for a couple of months. 

Serve these scones at room temperature or slightly warmed up. We like to serve them with:

• A cup of coffee or tea on the side
• Next to a small bowl full of berries and cream
• Alongside other springtime lemon desserts, like homemade lemon curd or lemon cake
• As an easy breakfast option before a lunch of lemon pepper pasta salad

Lemon Vanilla Scones with Simple Lemon Glaze

These Lemon Vanilla Scones are soft, buttery, and full of bright citrus flavor. Made with simple ingredients and ready in under an hour, they have a perfect balance of fresh, slightly tangy, and mildly sweet. If you’ve ever wanted to make bakery-style scones without much effort, this easy recipe is it.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:16 minutes mins

Chilling Time:20 minutes mins

Total Time:46 minutes mins

Course: Baked Goods, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dessert, Easy, Spring

Servings: 8 scones

Equipment

• Food processor can also use a bowl, spoon/spatula, and pastry blender instead

Ingredients

Scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 250g) measure by weight or spoon & level method
• 2 ½ tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ cup 1 stick butter, cubed and frozen
• ¾ cup heavy cream for dough
• 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1 to 2 tbsp heavy cream for brushing on top of scones

Glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• ¼ tsp sea salt

Instructions

Prep the oven for baking.

• Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the dough.

• Using a food processor, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and lemon zest.
  2 cups all-purpose flour (about 250g), 2 ½ tsp baking powder, 3 tbsp granulated sugar, ½ tsp salt, Zest of 1 lemon
• Add in the cubed butter and pulse the food processor until the dough mixture looks like sand with a few small pebbles in it. Note: if you don't have a food processor, mix in the cold butter with a pastry blender or your hands.
  ½ cup 1 stick butter, cubed and frozen
• Add the vanilla and stream in the heavy cream while the food processor is running. The dough is ready when it has just started to clump together a little but is still somewhat crumbly. You don’t want to overmix or the scones will be tough. Note: If you don’t have a food processor, you can stir the cream in, a little at a time.
  ¾ cup heavy cream, 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Shape and chill the scones.

• Pour the dough out onto the counter or surface and press it together into a round disk/circle about 1 inch thick and cut it into 8 wedges. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap (or reusable wrap) and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Bake the scones and make the glaze.

• Remove the dough from the fridge and place the scones onto the baking sheet about an inch apart from each other. Lightly brush the tops of them with the extra cream.
  1 to 2 tbsp heavy cream
• Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown in color. Remove the scones from the oven when done and transfer to a cooling rack.
• Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Note: If you want a thinner glaze, add more lemon juice (or even milk). Thicker? Add more powdered sugar.
  ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, ¼ tsp sea salt
• Spread about 1 to 2 teaspoons of glaze on top of each scone. Alternatively, you can drizzle the glaze instead.

Notes

• Use cold cream and butter.
• Don’t overmix the dough.
• Chill the dough for 20 to 30 minutes for best results.
• Let them cool a little before glazing.

Final Thoughts

These lemon vanilla scones are bright, cozy, and seriously so good. Whether you’re baking for brunch, a slow weekend morning, or just because, these simple baked treats are always a mood booster. If you make them, we’d love to hear how they turned out! Leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram!