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Breakfast Scones/Biscuits
4.6 from 47 votes

Lemon Buttermilk Scones with Lemon Glaze

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By: Joanna Cismaru 36 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

These Lemon Buttermilk Scones are light and fluffy are bursting with lemon flavor, then drizzled with the most incredible tangy lemon glaze.

scones coated in glaze and lemon zest cooling on a rack

These scones are heavenly, buttery fluffy scones. However, there’s not a lot of butter in them, but the buttermilk makes them so perfectly crumbly and light. When you make scones you want to make sure you don’t over knead the dough, all you need to do is knead it 4 or 5 times, a gentle touch is all they need.

Don’t be scared of scones, making them or eating them. This easy recipe includes lots of fresh bright lemon and a bit of buttermilk to ensure they’re perfectly cooked and delectably tender. They’re such a filling little breakfast that won’t leave you feeling sugar buzzed or carb sluggish for the rest of the day. This hand held treat is so loaded with flavor and wonderful texture that I’m sure you’ll be craving this recipe for years to come.

a plate with 2 scones coated in glaze and topped with lemon slices and zest

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for a list of FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!

Scones

  • Flour – Regular all purpose works just fine for this recipe.
  • Sugar – We want just plain white granulated to achieve our crisp, clean sweet flavor.
  • Salt – It’s super important to ensure all of our baking is properly seasoned.
  • Lemon – We want the zest from approximately 2 lemons.
  • Egg – 1 yolk is all that we need.
  • Buttermilk – This will ensure our scones are super tender and have great volume.
  • Vanilla – Vanilla extract will really set this whole recipe off, it’s like a secret weapon flavor enhancer.
  • Butter – Unsalted as we want to control the sodium content of our dish.

Lemon glaze

  • Icing sugar – This finely ground sugar dissolves easily and is perfect for icing and glazes. Don’t be tempted by the granulated used earlier, it will give your glaze a gritty texture.
  • Lemon juice – Just a bit more of the fresh stuff for us lemon fiends.
  • Salt – We’ll want to season our glaze ever so slightly.
  • Milk – Used sparingly to thin out the glaze if need be.
  • Corn syrup – This ingredient will add some syrupy sweetness and great consistency.

How To Make Lemon Buttermilk Scones

  1. Preheat the oven: To 400 F degrees.
  2. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, separately: In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Whisk to combine everything. In a small bowl whisk the egg yolk, buttermilk and vanilla extract together.
  3. Form the dough: Add the butter to the flour bowl, and using a pastry blender, cut in the butter to make small pea sized pieces. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until the dough pulls together. Lightly flour a work surface and dust your hands with flour.
  4. Prepare scones for the oven: Transfer the dough to the work surface and knead it gently about 5 time. Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk that’s about 3/4 of an inch thick and about 8 inches in diameter. Cut the disk into 8 wedges of equal size. Place the wedges onto a baking sheet.
  5. Bake the scones: Bake them for about 20 minutes or until golden. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack.
  6. Make the lemon glaze: To make the lemon glaze, add the confectioners’ sugar to a bowl. Add the corn syrup, milk, lemon juice, pinch of salt and start whisking until smooth. Add more milk until the glaze is runny but still thick.
  7. Finish the scones: While the scones are cooling drizzle them generously with the glaze then garnish with more lemon zest.

Want To Make Sugared Lemon Slices?

It’s easy and I highly recommend them! Take your scone, rip a piece off, drizzle some more glaze over them, put a sugared lemon slice over the scone piece then pop it in your mouth. I’m just saying, it’s heavenly!!

  1. Cut 2 lemons into thin slices. Mix 1 cup of sugar with 1 3/4 cups water in a large skillet over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Place the lemon slices in the skillet in a single layer, and simmer very gently, not letting the mixture come to a boil. Turn the lemon slices occasionally and cook for about 30-45 minutes.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat, and lay the lemon slices on a sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow them to cool for 1-2 hours.
a scone split in half on a plate with a cup of coffee and lemon slices

Some Tips

  1. The key to flaky scones is cold butter. Try placing the butter into the freezer for 5 minutes before cubing. And be sure not to over mix with your hands otherwise it will melt too much.
  2. To ensure you’re using a good lightened amount of flour without sifting, scoop up a cup full of flour and gently shake it back out into your bag. Then gently re-scoop the air sifted flour and level gently with your finger. You’ll find it makes quite a difference!
  3. If regular milk is all you have on hand keep in mind that you can make your own quasi buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice per cup of milk.

Storing Leftover Scones

Since these scones contain dairy, store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. These can also be easily frozen! Freeze for up to 3 months. Wrap them in plastic wrap individually then place them in a ziploc bag. The spread will not freeze well but it will last in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.

Storing Lemon Glaze

The glaze can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

More Delicious Breakfast Treats To Try:

  • Banana Buzz Scones
  • Lemon Blueberry Scones
  • Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Apple Cinnamon Scones
  • Classic Pancakes
  • Easy Waffles
  • Banana Fritters
  • Pancake Muffins

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

overhead shot of lemon buttermilk scones on a cooling rack
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4.58 from 47 votes

Lemon Buttermilk Scones

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 35 minutes
Rate Recipe
These Lemon Buttermilk Scones are light and fluffy are bursting with lemon flavor, then drizzled with the most incredible tangy lemon glaze.
8

Ingredients

For Scones

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar (granulated)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoon butter (unsalted)

For Lemon Glaze

  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar (same as icing sugar or powdered sugar)
  • 1 tablespoon corn syrup (light)
  • 1 tablespoon milk (plus more as needed)
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed )
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees.
  • In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Whisk to combine everything.
  • In a small bowl whisk the egg yolk, buttermilk and vanilla extract together.
  • Add the butter to the flour bowl, and using a pastry blender, cut in the butter to make small pea sized pieces.
  • Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until the dough pulls together. Lightly flour a work surface and dust your hands with flour.
  • Transfer the dough to the work surface and knead it gently about 5 time. Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk that’s about 3/4 of an inch thick and about 8 inches in diameter.
  • Cut the disk into 8 wedges of equal size. Place the wedges onto a baking sheet.
  • Bake them for about 20 minutes or until golden. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack.
  • To make the lemon glaze, add the confectioners’ sugar to a bowl. Add the corn syrup, milk, lemon juice, pinch of salt and start whisking until smooth. Add more milk until the glaze is runny but still thick.
  • While the scones are cooling drizzle them generously with the glaze then garnish with more lemon zest.

Notes

  1. To make the sugared lemon slices that you see in the photos:
  2. Cut 2 lemons into thin slices. Mix 1 cup of sugar with 1 3/4 cups water in a large skillet over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Place the lemon slices in the skillet in a single layer, and simmer very gently, not letting the mixture come to a boil. Turn the lemon slices occasionally and cook for about 30-45 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and lay the lemon slices on a sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow them to cool for 1-2 hours.
  3. Since these scones contain dairy, store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. These can also be easily frozen! Freeze for up to 3 months. Wrap them in plastic wrap individually then place them in a ziploc bag. The spread will not freeze well but it will last in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
  4. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 311kcal (16%)Carbohydrates: 60g (20%)Protein: 5g (10%)Fat: 6g (9%)Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)Cholesterol: 39mg (13%)Sodium: 220mg (10%)Potassium: 225mg (6%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 34g (38%)Vitamin A: 215IU (4%)Vitamin C: 4mg (5%)Calcium: 113mg (11%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

overhead shot of lemon buttermilk scones on a cooling rack

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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36 Comments
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Lori Putnam
Lori Putnam
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
These are so yummy!!! Just made them for Thanksgiving morning. Beautiful too.

0
Reply
Kate
Kate
Posted: 2 years ago

I’ve just made this recipe and it’s in the oven. For some reason I followed the instructions to the letter but my dough was so wet I couldn’t knead it without adding another cup of flour. Could it be that it should be 3 cups of flour to one cup buttermilk? My other scone recipe that I usually use calls for three cups flour and one cup milk. Thanks!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Kate
Posted: 2 years ago

It could be your environment, if you’re in a humid environment, you might need a bit more flour added.

0
Reply
Aline
Aline
Reply to  Kate
Posted: 2 years ago

I agree with Kate. The amount of buttermilk is too much. I followed her advice and only used 2/3 cup of buttermilk. It was not humid when I made these scones.

0
Reply
Maria Masucci
Maria Masucci
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I made these this morning and OMG what an amazing recipe!! In my household we all love lemon and these were a huge hit!!!

0
Reply
Kris
Kris
Posted: 2 years ago

These look amazing. I’m just curious about why you went with baking powder instead of baking soda with a recipe that’s so acidic?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Kris
Posted: 2 years ago

Baking powder does actually react with acid! It contains baking soda and a 2nd dry acid such as cream of tartar. Using just baking soda in this recipe where it calls for a lot of leavener, 1 tbsp, you can end up with an unpleasant aftertaste.

0
Reply
GillyMomo
GillyMomo
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
This recipe is fantastic! Even though I am self isolating at home, I had all the ingredients.

0
Reply
Nicole
Nicole
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
These scones turned out perfectly and were possibly the best I’ve ever had! The glaze is a must, don’t skip…. it adds a perfect blanket of perfection. Warning: you can’t eat just one. Very difficult to share!

0
Reply
Patti
Patti
Posted: 4 years ago

5 stars
Best scone recipe I have ever made! Delicious, quick and easy.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Patti
Posted: 4 years ago

Yes!

0
Reply
susan
susan
Posted: 4 years ago

5 stars
I made them, didn’t eat 6 cause my kids ate most of them before I had a chance. Next time I’m going to add white chocolate chunks, dried cranberries and this sliced almonds. The consistency was nice, resisted the urge to over kneed.

0
Reply
Grace
Grace
Posted: 4 years ago

5 stars
I just made this recipe and it is easy and delicious. I did add extra flour to my work surface.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Grace
Posted: 4 years ago

Glad you liked them!

0
Reply
Phyllis James
Phyllis James
Posted: 4 years ago

I made your recipe today … did not have Meyer lemons to use and probably makes all the difference. They are good but a little bitey. Glaze did not seem sweet enough so I sprinkled some course natural sugar on top of the glaze,.. I am always trying to make a scone as good a Madison, WI bakery makes them..Lazy Jane’s are to die for. Thanks for the recipe.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Phyllis James
Posted: 4 years ago

My pleasure!

0
Reply
Susan
Susan
Posted: 5 years ago

4 stars
I tried this recipe to use up the liquid left after straining homemade yogurt. My dough was pretty wet also, but I added only a little extra flour while kneading, since you said not to work the dough too much. (I found that coating the knife with flour helped me to cut and move the pieces more easily.) We thought they were wonderful! The texture was just right, and the lemon glaze was delicious! I will definitely make them again.

0
Reply
Lisa Law
Lisa Law
Posted: 5 years ago

These look and sound delicious. Going to make these tomorrow as a treat for my company’s move into a new space, along with some lemon curd. I would like to try the lemon slices but I don’t see a link for them. Do you have the recipe posted somewhere? Thanks!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Lisa Law
Posted: 5 years ago

No recipe for them we basically took Meyer lemon slices dredged them through some sugar and then we froze them for about hour.

0
Reply
Sue
Sue
Posted: 5 years ago

I also found the batter very wet even though I followed the directions carefully. They’re baking now and smell wonderful, however.

0
Reply
Fenne Kieken
Fenne Kieken
Reply to  Sue
Posted: 5 years ago

We love these scones, well we love anything lemon actually but these scones are a favorite and hope they are one of yours now that you made them….

0
Reply
Carrie
Carrie
Reply to  Fenne Kieken
Posted: 5 years ago

5 stars
Mine was a little wet, but the flour on the counter helped to hold it together. Very good….light and crumbly. Perfect!

0
Reply
Rebecca
Rebecca
Posted: 5 years ago

4 stars
If i wanted to make an orange cranberry scone so that you can taste noth flavors. Would i use dryed of chopped fresh cranberries. Thank you

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Rebecca
Posted: 5 years ago

Oh, I would go with fresh cranberries, they’re juicier. 🙂

0
Reply
T Marie
T Marie
Posted: 5 years ago

4 stars
Hey there! They sure smell good.. but my dough was awfully wet, too. I probably could have added an extra cup of flour (like reviewer above), but I tried to add as little as possible.. likely ended up with 3/4 c extra though. I followed the recipe exactly, and am an experienced home baker. In the future, I would add the buttermilk mixture slowly *just* until the dough pulls together, and no more! Use discretion with the rest, as the dough may not need the full amount of liquid. I think I was able to salvage these, and I’m sure they will taste just as they smell (divine!) but I am confident the texture of mine is compromised. Oh well, I shall just have to try another batch! 😉 (twist my arm hehe)

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  T Marie
Posted: 5 years ago

Interesting, not sure how this is happening, as you can see in the video the dough is not too wet at all. I agree with you with adding the buttermilk mixture slowly, give that a try. 🙂

0
Reply

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Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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