These better-than-the-bakery blueberry scones are bursting with juicy blueberries. They’re buttery and moist with crisp, crumbly edges and soft, flaky centers. Crunchy coarse sugar and creamy vanilla icing are the perfect finishing touches!
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and a video tutorial.
Scones. You either love them or hate them. I used to fall in the latter category, passing on them in favor of muffins or quick breads. Scones can taste pretty dry, comparable to lackluster triangles of cardboard. No, thanks.
But my opinion on scones took a total 180 a few years ago when I attended a cooking event in the Panera Bread test kitchen. Turns out that I’ve been eating all the wrong scones because when done right, these sweet treats tiptoe into a world of pastry perfection.
Since then, I mastered chocolate chip scones, apple cinnamon scones, ham & cheese scones, cinnamon scones, lavender scones, and strawberry lemon scones. I use the same master scone recipe for each flavor, a formula promising the BEST scone texture. By the way, I wrote an entire post devoted to my favorite base scones recipe. Today we’re making blueberry scones, which is definitely my favorite scone flavor.
There’s no denying these are the best blueberry scones on the planet. Strong statement, right? Trust me.
One reader, Rich, commented: “Sally, I would like to say thank you! These pastries were awesome. I was expecting a dry and pale flavor that I usually get from scones. These blueberry scones absolutely melted in our mouths. I can’t say enough about the recipe. One word for these—AWESOME! I am going to try more of your recipes, and I’m sure I won’t be disappointed. ★★★★★“
These Blueberry Scones Have:
- Crisp, crumbly edges
- Soft, moist centers
- Crunchy golden brown exterior
- Buttery rich flavor
- An overflow of blueberries
- Mega vanilla icing drizzles
Let’s make them!
Blueberry Scone Ingredients
Nothing but basic ingredients coming together to produce something extraordinary. 🙂
- Flour: 2 cups of all-purpose flour is my standard amount, but set extra aside for the work surface and your hands.
- Sugar: I stick with around 1/2 cup of sugar for this scone dough. Feel free to slightly decrease, but keep in mind that the scone flavor and texture will slightly change.
- Baking Powder: Adds lift.
- Salt, Cinnamon, & Vanilla Extract: Add flavor.
- Cold Butter: Besides flour, cold butter is the main ingredient in blueberry scones. It adds flavor, flakiness, crisp edges, and rise. More on butter below!
- Heavy Cream: For the best-tasting pastries, use a thick liquid such as heavy cream. Buttermilk works too! For a nondairy option, try using full-fat canned coconut milk. Avoid thinner liquids such as milk or almond milk—you’ll be headed down a one-way street to dry, bland, and flat scones.
- Egg: Adds flavor, lift, and structure.
- Blueberries: Use fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen, do not thaw.
Before baking, brush the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. These extras add a bakery-style crunch and beautiful golden sheen. Highly recommended!
Frozen Grated Butter
Frozen grated butter is key to blueberry scone success.
Like with pie crust, work the cold butter into the dry ingredients. The cold butter coats the flour. When the butter/flour crumbs melt as the scones bake, they release steam and pockets of air. These pockets add a flaky center, while keeping the edges crumbly, crunchy, and crisp. Refrigerated butter might melt in the dough as you work with it, but frozen butter will hold out until the oven. And the finer the pieces of cold butter, the less the scones spread and the quicker the butter mixes into the dry ingredients. Remember, you don’t want to over-work scone dough.
I recommend grating the frozen butter with a box grater.
How to Make Blueberry Scones
Blueberry scones are a quick and easy breakfast pastry recipe. Since there’s no yeast, they go from the mixing bowl to the oven relatively quickly. First, mix the dry ingredients together. You need flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Second, cut cold butter into the dry ingredients. You can use a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your hands. A food processor works too, but it often overworks the scone dough. To avoid overly dense scones, work the dough as little as possible.
Next, whisk the wet ingredients together. You need heavy cream, 1 egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the blueberries, then gently mix together. Form the dough into a disc on the counter, then cut into 8 wedges.
One of my tricks: To obtain a flaky center and a crumbly exterior, scone dough must remain cold. Cold dough won’t over-spread, either. Therefore, I highly recommend you chill the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes prior to baking. You can even refrigerate overnight for a quick breakfast in the morning.
After that, bake the scones until golden brown.
The scones are fantastic warm out of the oven, but taste even better with a drizzle of vanilla icing on top. The icing is totally optional, but you should never pass up the chance to accessorize! It seeps down into the cracks and crevices, adding even more sweet flavor. A dusting of confectioners’ sugar or pat of homemade honey butter is tasty, too!
More Essential Breakfast Recipes
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My Favorite Blueberry Scones
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 large scones
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These better-than-the-bakery blueberry scones are bursting with juicy blueberries. They’re buttery and moist with crisp, crumbly edges and soft, flaky centers. Read through the recipe before beginning. You can skip the chilling for 15 minutes prior to baking, but I highly recommend it to prevent the scones from over-spreading.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)
- 1 large egg
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup (140g) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
- for topping: coarse sugar and vanilla icing
Instructions
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. See video for a closer look at the texture. Place in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
- Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, the egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the blueberries, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
- Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1–2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges.
- Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and, for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.)
- Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet (if your fridge has space!) and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2–3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before topping with vanilla icing.
- Leftover iced or un-iced scones keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time. Or thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.
- Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with icing. I usually freeze in a freezer-friendly bag or container. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare scones through step 4. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Continue with the recipe the following day.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Box Grater | Pastry Cutter | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Bench Scraper | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Pastry Brush
- Over-spreading: Start with very cold scone dough. Expect some spread, but if the scones are over-spreading as they bake, remove from the oven and use a spatula to press back into shape, then return to the oven to finish baking.
I made these for my husband and he said they were delicious. However, the blueberries broke, which added a lot of moisture and I had to keep adding more flour. I used fresh blueberries. Is there anything I can do to the blueberries to prevent this from happening again?
Hi Mary Ann, some popping of the blueberries is inevitable. Using a very gentle hand when mixing will help!
First time making this blueberry scones, so simple and delicious.
What Can I use instead of heavy cream and please don’t say yogurt I’m looking for a old fashion regular scone I’m not looking for a updated recipe just an old fashioned one. I’m definitely not running to the store to buy heavy cream so I can through out the rest of it. Thanks for any help.
Hi Mike the best substitute we have found is buttermilk.
Can I substitute granulated sugar with brown sugar? Will it affect the way the scone turns out?
Hi Alina, you can certainly swap the granulated sugar with brown sugar here. The flavor will be a little bit deeper, thanks to the molasses in the brown sugar. Hope you enjoy the scones!
Hi Sally, I was wondering if you had alternatives to eggs in your recipes? Inhaveca friends who is very allergic to them and would love to be able to share some of your recipes with her. Thanks
Hi Marjo, we aren’t trained in baking with egg substitutes, so it’s best to follow one of our egg-free recipes that are specifically written without the inclusion of eggs. We hope you find some there to try!
Amazing! I had been craving scones for a couple of weeks. After picking a gallon of huckleberries near Glacier National Park in Montana I knew I had to bake them.
I’m lactose intolerant, so I substituted 1/2 canned coconut milk and 1/2 whole lactose-free milk for the heavy whipping cream (I can tolerate butter). Otherwise, followed the recipe to a tee, and these turned out PERFECTLY!
These are amazing. I was wondering if I could add lemon to the actual batter? Zest? Or fresh squeezed how much
Hi Beth, here is our lemon blueberry scone recipe instead. Enjoy!
My sister and I joke that Starbucks’ blueberry scones could be used to keep a hostage quiet; they’re so dry and dusty they draw all the moisture out of your mouth. THESE ARE NOT LIKE THOSE!
Delicious, bursting with berries, tender crumb; a perfect scone.
Here’s where I tell all that I did differently than the recipe. ‘Just one thing: we don’t keep heavy cream in our house, but your explanation of why this recipe needed a thick dairy beverage led me to greek yogurt. I thinned it down a little with milk, added a dash of sugar to dim the tang, and VOILA! a scone is born.
Thanks.
how long to bake?
See step 8: “Bake for 22–25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top.”
The scones held shape, the frozen butter really made a difference. I cooked the scones for 20 mins at 400 and they were a little burnt on the bottom. I used my gold touch William Sonoma baking sheet. I am wondering if it is a temperature issue or I should use a different baking sheet?
Hi Dominique, we haven’t tested these scones on that particular brand of baking sheet, however we have used that line of muffin pans and haven’t noticed any excessive burning. Do you have an oven thermometer by chance? It could simply be that your oven runs a bit hotter than it reads. For next time, you can try reducing the temperature a bit and also moving the pan a rack further from the heating element. Thank you for giving these a try!
One of the best scone recipes I have ever used!! I also love the cheese and ham scone recipe on Sally’s website
I just tried this recipe this afternoon. I can’t stop eating them! They are soooo delicious! I agree, they are better the ones I buy at the coffee shops! So good . Best of all they are not so sweet – just enough. Thank you for sharing
Just the right hint of cinnamon – the best Blueberry Scone ever! Thank You!
We love this recipe and I have made it twice already. Both times I made this, however, my scones did spread out a little to much even though I added a little less cream and let them sit in the refrigerator for 30 min. before baking. (Just so you know, my flour was weighed as opposed to measured.) I hesitate cutting back further on the liquid and I don’t want them to end up dry. I would like to try baking them in my Lodge cast iron scone pan but I am unsure which would of the following methods would be best and I would appreciate your input on this. A – Place cut scones in pan and refrigerate? B – Refrigerate cut scones and then put in a room temperature pan? C – Refrigerate cut scones and put in the scone pan which has been preheated in the oven?
Thanks for your help and happy baking!
Hi BDGT, yes, you can definitely use a cast iron skillet. Bake time will be about the same. No need to preheat the pan first, so either option A or B will work just fine. Enjoy!
This was my first try with this recipe and I have to say that mine spread out quite a bit. Don’t get me wrong, these are amazing but I think next time I’ll use a much smaller portion per scone. Cutting an 8″ round into 8….made 8 huge scones!
Could Oat Flour be a substitute
Hi Eileen, we don’t recommend oat flour as a substitute here. It has very different baking properties than all-purpose flour and isn’t necessarily a 1:1 swap. You may have better luck with a scone recipe specifically formulated to use oat flour. Let us know if you do give these a try!
Made the scones for breakfast this morning. They were great. I did not have heavy cream so I substituted with Greek yogurt mixed with milk.
Hi, Is the heavy cream necessary or can you sub that for a different ingredient ?
Hi Yaya, the best substitute I have found is buttermilk.
I love the substitute you mentioned
I hardly ever rate recipes, but these were absolutely delicious! I used freshly picked blueberries from my garden, and they came out wonderful. I also used the icing recipe, but the scones didn’t even need it, it just elevated the recipe. Will definitely make again, I’m thinking with some sort of lemon icing.
Mine are in the fridge right now before baking and they are wet and really sticky and mainly unshapeable is that normal or did I do something wrong,
Hi Keegan, It sounds like your butter may have been too warm and started to melt into the dough. Make sure to keep the ingredients very cold. If the dough starts getting sticky while you’re working with it, let it chill in the fridge for 10 minutes or so before continuing.
I love this recipe so much! I use it often with multiple flavors. Would you recommend doubling the recipe or just making separate batches?
Hi Megan! It is best to make multiple batches. So glad you love it!
Vanilla icing?? Recipe or do you use canned?? Mine are on the oven now
Our vanilla icing recipe is linked in the recipe – enjoy!
This recipe is so easy, I’ve already made it twice with blueberries from our bushes!! I used light brown sugar as personal preference and they are just amazing!! Thank you so much!
Loved these scones. Followed the recipe to a t, and they were perfectly moist on the inside and lightly drown and ,crunchy on the outside. I didn’t use the glaze, they were sweet without it.❤️
These scones are delicious! I am not much of a baker. I make drop biscuits and corn bread. But you made this recipe foolproof! I can now make delicious blueberry scones, and I even served them to others. I will make these again and again. My wife suggests I add a little almond extract next time. We’ll see. Right now, I don’t want to change anything. Thank you!
I have never made scones before, or biscuits, or attempted pie crust, or any recipe that in involved cutting butter into flour to create a flaky pastry thing. My first try using the Lemon Zest version and I was blown away with the results. So was one of my neighbors who I shared them with. I’m a newbie at baking…and this gave me more confidence to try try more. My only issue is the lack of a “WARNING!!! WARNING!!! Do not bake this recipe unless you have others to share with”. I gave my neighbor two…then ate six of them before diner…I felt like a pig. A pig who ate six of the most delicious scones he’s ever encountered!!
Thank you Sally
Amazing!! I used this recipe the first time I ever made scones, and I’ve made them 3 more times already! Definitely my go to scone recipe. I never realized how easy it could be. Most of the “difficulty” is just grating and frozen butter, once that is done it’s easy.
The baking instructions on this are completely wrong. 400 degrees for 22 minutes is way too long at way too high of a temperature… almost burnt all of my scones because of these incorrect instructions. When you go to bake make sure you have it at 350 for less than 20 minutes… unless you want to waste your time.
Hi Michaela, I wonder if you had the scones on a higher oven rack? For the scones to cook evenly in the centers, especially when cold from the fridge, and to brown appropriately on the edges, 400°F (204°C) is the best temperature. Thanks for your feedback!
These scones are delicious and I’ve made them several times, but I also had to cut down the cooking time. They were really brown on top and bottom after about 18 minutes. I lower the temp to 375 and really watch them after 15 minutes.
First time baking these delicious blueberry scones. Mine turned out (un-iced) just like the pictures here!! Thank you for saving me from endless searching for the ‘very hard to find’ scones, of any kind in my area. I will try another flavor the next time I bake, and I also want to try your Raspberry Swirl Sweet Rolls – hubby’s fave :).
If I freeze the baked scones, how do I defrost or reheat!
Hi Wendy, see the recipe notes for thawing and reheating instructions! You can thaw them on the counter or in the refrigerator and you can reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
It takes a good amount of effort and some ahead-of-time prep to make this recipe, but the result is 100% worth the work! These scones are amazing.