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These raspberry lemon scones capture everything I love about afternoon-tea. As far as baking recipes go, these produce flavors with bright fruit, a hint of citrus, and a tender crumb.
I provided step-by-step photos with a process streamlined over many test batches in my own kitchen.
Stand-Out Ingredients
A few components take these scones beyond basic.
- Cold butter cubes – create flaky pockets that stay light instead of cakey. Same goes for flaky buttermilk biscuits and tender pie dough.
- Buttermilk plus one egg – the acidity works with the baking powder for to create the rise, while the egg adds richness.
- Smash-and-fold raspberries – frozen berries get lightly crushed and folded into the dough, giving you jewel-like bright pink streaks without turning everything pink.
- Lemon zest & sparkling sugar – zest lifts the flavor; coarse sugar bakes into a crunchy golden top.
Method at a Glance
The full recipe card has every measurement, but here’s the flow:
- Pulse dry ingredients and butter in a food processor just until the mixture looks like coarse sand with pea-size bits.
- Splash in buttermilk-egg mixture a little at a time, pulsing only until the dough clumps. Minimal mixing keeps the crumb tender.
- Turn out and fold. Pat half the dough, scatter smashed berries, fold, and shape into two discs.
- Cut, sugar, bake at 375°F until the tops are lightly golden (about 15 minutes). That sparkly sugar gives bakery-style crunch.
Tips & Tricks from Repeated Testing
Working with dough can be tricky, so learn from my trial and error.
- Keep everything cold; warm butter = tough scones. I chill the processor bowl and blade for 10 minutes.
- Work fast once liquid hits the dough. Over-handling is the enemy.
- Frozen berries hold their shape better than fresh, so the interiors bake up marbled rather than soggy.
- If you prefer neater edges, freeze the shaped discs 10 minutes before slicing—clean wedges, zero sticking.
Serving & Storage
Serve warm with whipped cream, clotted cream, or even a swipe of lemon curd.
Leftovers keep two days in an airtight tin; reheat 5 minutes at 325°F to revive the exterior crunch. For longer storage, freeze baked scones and warm directly from frozen for 8–10 minutes.
FAQ
If you’ve never made scones before, you might have some questions.
Blueberries or blackberries work, but chop large berries so the dough still folds easily.
Stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup whole milk and let stand 5 minutes; use as directed.
Folding keeps the butter layers intact and prevents over-mixing, which can turn the entire batch pink and dense.
After dozens of brunches and more scone trials than I care to admit, this technique delivers consistent, bakery-style results.
You’ll enjoy flaky edges, soft centers, and vibrant berry ribbons every single time.
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Pin ItRaspberry Lemon Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest zest from one large lemon
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter cold, cut into 1" cubes
- 1 whole egg
- 1 cup buttermilk volume varies based on size of egg, see instructions
- 2 cups raspberries I used frozen and then smashed them into tiny pieces
- large sparkly sugar crystals for the top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Prepare your baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
- Add 3 cups all purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest to a food processor with the dough attachment in place. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.
- Add 3/4 cup unsalted butter (cold cubes) and pulse until the mixture has little pea sized dough balls.
- Using a glass (or see through) measuring cup, add 1 whole egg and lightly beat. Then, add enough of the 1 cup buttermilk such that the combined volume of the egg and the buttermilk is 9 ounces. Stir to combine.
- Slowly add the buttermilk egg mixture to the dry ingredients while pulsing after each pour just to combine. Be very careful not to over mix. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Not all of my dough was combined and I worked it together once on the counter. Divide the dough into two parts and pat the dough so that it is about 1" thick. Add the 2 cups raspberries pieces to the top of half of the dough and then fold the dough over. You can incorporate the raspberries any way you choose, just be careful not to overwork the dough. Slice across or cut into biscuits (I made two rounds and then sliced each one into 8 scones).
- Sprinkle the scones with the large sparkly sugar crystals for the top and bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Serve with whipped cream, butter, or creme fraiche as well as fruit preserves.
Notes
- Keep everything cold; warm butter = tough scones. I chill the processor bowl and blade for 10 minutes.
- Work fast once liquid hits the dough. Over-handling is the enemy.
- Frozen berries hold their shape better than fresh, so the interiors bake up marbled rather than soggy.
- If you prefer neater edges, freeze the shaped discs 10 minutes before slicing—clean wedges, zero sticking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can these be frozen?
You can freeze the scones once they’ve been baked, but I probably wouldn’t make and shape the dough and then freeze them prior to baking.
Girl, what are you doing to me? lol I hop over to pin a recipe from my latest e-mail, and 10 recipes later, I realize, I’ve been pinning for an hour! Lol Then I’ll hear one of my kids call to me, “Mom, I thought you said you were gonna check you e-mails, really quick? What’s taking so long??” Luckily you save me when I appear with pumpkin spice scones, and a promise to make raspberry lemon scones. lol. Great recipes, you are awesome! (from the pumpkin spice full mouths of my children, Lol)
What an awesome comment. Thank you, Jenny! You and I sound identical when it comes to “checking your emails”. Glad you enjoy the photos! Krissy