Best Scone Recipe
Learn how to make the BEST scones of your life! The beauty of this master scone recipe lies in its adaptability. With a tender crumb, crisp edges, and a rich buttery flavor, these scones are perfect on their own or as a base for endless variations.

Why you’ll love this recipe:
Some people might think of scones as dry, hard, and bland bricks of pastries, but I guarantee you this recipe is not like that at all. With this recipe, you get a very buttery and moist scone with a soft and tender inner crumb. The exterior is crunchy and baked to golden perfection.
- Versatile – This scone recipe is a perfect base for endless flavor variations. Whether you prefer sweet scones with fruit and chocolate or savory options with cheese and herbs, this recipe can be easily adapted to your cravings.
- Perfect Texture – The combination of cold butter and a light touch in mixing ensures that these scones have a tender, flaky texture, and a crispy exterior. The result is a scone that is moist and not too dense.
- Easy to make – This recipe is easy enough for beginners, yet satisfying even for seasoned bakers. With only 15 minutes of prep and 20 minutes in the oven, you can have freshly baked scones to your liking in under an hour.
If you love scones, you must also try my Best Blueberry Scones, Cranberry Orange Scones, and Glazed Pumpkin Scones. For a mix of sweet and savory, try these Feta Cheese & Blueberry Scones.
Ingredients you’ll need and why:
- All-purpose flour – Provides the structure and base for the scones, creating the dough’s bulk and texture.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness and helps create a tender crumb by interacting with the other ingredients.
- Baking powder – Acts as a leavening agent, causing the scones to rise and become light and fluffy.
- Salt – Enhances the flavor of the scones and balances the sweetness, also helping to strengthen the dough.
- Unsalted butter – Contributes richness and flavor, while its cold, solid form helps create flaky layers in the scones.
- Buttermilk – Adds moisture and tenderness, and helps to activate the baking powder for a better rise. Also used onto brush the scones for a more golden outer crust.
- Egg – Binds the ingredients together, adds richness, and helps with the scones’ structure and rise.
- Vanilla extract (for sweet scones) – Enhances the sweetness and adds a warm, aromatic flavor.
- Optional add-ins and toppings – 1-2 cups of sweet or savory mix-ins and toppings like coarse sugar or glaze.
How to make the best scones:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- Start by tossing together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Then add in the cold butter.
- Work in the butter using a pastry cutter, fork, or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some larger pieces remaining.
- Toss in your add-ins.
- Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla (if making sweet scones).
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix just until all is moistened.
- Scrape the dough onto a floured surface.
- With floured hands, gently knead the dough into a ball. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth – rough and shaggy is actually better.
- Flatten into a 6″ circle and cut into 8 wedges.
- Transfer onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Brush the surface with buttermilk and bake in a 400F oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Expert tips:
- Use cold ingredients. Using cold butter, milk, and egg is essential for this recipe because you want the butter to remain solid while you work the dough. The small pieces of butter in the dough are what give the scones their desirable texture. Cold butter creates steam as it melts in a hot oven. The steam from the melting butter expands between the layers of dough, yielding a soft and fluffy interior, while the fat on the surface of the dough coats it and creates a crispy outer shell.
- Be gentle and work quickly. When mixing your wet and dry ingredients together, gently mix until JUST combined and all appears to be moistened – that way you don’t create too much gluten. When kneading the dough into a ball, work quickly, so you don’t melt too much of the butter with your hands.
- Chill the dough. The key to this recipe is to let the scones chill in the fridge for 20 minutes while your oven preheats. This allows for the gluten in the flour to relax, which makes the scones more tender and enables them to rise higher. It also chills the fat, which makes the scones flakier.
Storing and freezing instructions:
Storing – Place the scones in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
To freeze unbaked scones – Place the wedges in the freezer until frozen solid, put them in a ziplock back, return to the freezer and store for up to a month. When ready to bake, let thaw overnight in the fridge, and bake as instructed.
To freeze baked scones – Let cool completely, place in a ziplock bag, and freeze for up to a month. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge, and warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking sheet, lightly tented with foil, in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes.
Recipe FAQs:
The answer is no. However, scones that contain eggs are fluffier and rise higher than scones that don’t because eggs serve as a leavening agent in baked goods. Eggs also add flavor, moisture, and richness to the scones, so I highly prefer scone recipes that contain eggs.
Scones are supposed to be crunchy on the outside yet soft and moist on the inside. They should not be dry or crumbly.
To reheat, place them on a baking sheet lightly tented with foil, and warm in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes.
This recipe will serve as your basic go-to scone recipe with instructions on how to adapt it for sweet or savory, and mix-in options. What you see in the photos are sweet scones with white chocolate chips, blueberries, and raspberries as mix-ins. I used this same recipe to make my Chocolate Chip Scones. Watch the video below to see how easy it is to make.
If you’ve tried this Master Scone Recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a ๐ star rating and let me know how it went in the ๐ comments below. Thanks for visiting!

How To Make The BEST Scones
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (315g) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface and kneading
- 2 tbsp for savory or 4 tbsp (for sweet) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp for savory or 1/2 tsp (for sweet) salt
- ยฝ cup (114g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- โ cup (160ml) cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing top of scones
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla, for sweet only
Optional
- 1-2 cups add-ins, I used 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 1/2 blueberries and 1/2 cup raspberries for this sweet scone version
- glaze or coarse sugar for topping
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Work in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork until it resembles coarse meal with a few larger pieces remaining. Mix in any add-ins at this step if using.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla (if making sweet scones).
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry mixture. Gently stir with a rubber spatula until JUST combined and all appears to be moistened.
- Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. With floured hands, gently and quickly knead the dough into a ball (sprinkle more flour if needed as you're kneading). It doesn't have to be smooth. Rough and shaggy is good.
- Pat out into a 5" circle if making plain scones, or 6" circle if you have incorporated any add-ins.
- Cut into 8 wedges and place 2" apart onto a parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Chill uncovered in the fridge for 20 minutes while you preheat your oven to 400F.
- Brush the tops of the scones with more buttermilk and top with coarse sugar if using.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack.ย
Notes
Sweet scone variations:
White Chocolate, Cherry, and Pecan Scones: Add 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup pecans.
Chocolate Chunk Scones: Add 1 - 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chunks (milk, semi-sweet, dark or mix).
Double Chocolate Chunk Scones: Substitute 1/4 cup cocoa powder for 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour; add 1 cup chocolate chunks and 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder.
Toasted Coconut Lime Scones: Add 3/4 cup toasted unsweetened shredded coconut and 1 tablespoon lime zest. For extra coconut flavor, use coconut milk in place of the dairy called for in the recipe.
Roasted Strawberry and Pistachio Scones: Toss 2 cups sliced or quartered strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar. Spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 425ยฐF for about 20 minutes, or until jammy-looking. Let the berries cool before stirring them into the dry ingredients with 1/2 cup chopped pistachios.
Lemon Blueberry Scones: Add 2 cups blueberries and 1 tablespoon lemon zest.
Triple Cinnamon Scones: Add 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (to the dry ingredients) and 1 cup cinnamon chips. Savory scone variations:
Cheddar, Basil, and Sun-Dried Tomato Scones: Add 1 cup grated cheddar, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or 2 tablespoons dried basil), and 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil).
Cheddar, Bacon, and Chives: Add 1 cup grated cheddar, 1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon, 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives (or 2 tsp dried).
Second time I made theseโฆ. So so good! ย I used some Greek yogurt with milk for the liquid as I had no buttermilk. Made blueberryโฆ. They are crunchy and soft inside, really delicious! ย Thank you!
You’re very welcome and thank you for your kind words!
I baked a couple of minutes longer to brown scones, but the bottoms burned. I was thinking it might be because of the buttermilk. The tops are very tasty!๐ย
I made the sweet version. After tasting one I think a sprinkle of sugar on top before baked would be nice.ย
Can you use yogurt thinned with half and half instead of buttermIlk ?
Yes, but I would thin it with milk so it more closely resembles buttermilk.
Delicious scones! This recipe is a keeper!
Hi! ย Iโm at a high altitude (7,000 ft). Do I use less flour and baking powder! ย If so, what would the adjusted amount be? ย Thank you!
Hi Lisa, I don’t have any experience with high-altitude baking, but here is a great resource from King Arthur Flour that can help with all your HA baking: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Would I be able to use honey instead of sugar in this scones recipe?
You can. The texture will be slightly different (more dense) and I would only add 2 tablespoons of honey at most.
Hiย
I wanted to add figs and pecans to the scones.ย
Should I directly cut n add the figs or roast them with some sugar first ?ย
I would just add them directly, unless you want them sweet then you can roast with sugar, but I don’t think it’s necessary.
Wonderful recipe! Easy to follow and they turned out amazing! For my sweet scones I used blackberry, lemon zest, and English Breakfast Tea! They were a hit!
Thank you for your rave review and love your flavor combo, especially the addition of the tea – yum!
I love this recipe and use it for many variations! Thank you!
I made your berry scones and they were so good!!! ย I was so impressed with myself. ย I could have left them in the oven just a few minutes more, just to get them super crunchy on the outside, but they were so moist. ย
My go-to scone recipe! Thank you!!! It works beautifully for both sweet and savory. For sweet I use dried apricots and candied ginger and for savory, sausage, scallions and cubed Gruyรจre. Moist and delicious. Love that it uses buttermilk because I usually have it on hand. Thank you again for sharing!ย
You’re very welcome and I love your savory combo – yum!
I made sweet scones with two cups of frozen cranberries and the zest from one lemon, and they turned out FABULOUS!! ย The recipe is so easy!! ย This is my second batch of scones ever, and Iโm so happy I found your recipe. ย Unfortunately, I used a different recipe (which Iโve since deleted) the first time I made scones and the difference was night and day. ย I canโt wait to try other variations (cherry almond is next), as well as some savory ones. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!ย
You’re very welcome and thank you for your kind words, Whitney! Enjoy:)
How much salt should I use? Itโs in the instructions but there isnโt an amount given. I added two pinches. But what do you recommend?ย
1 tsp for savory or 1/2 tsp for sweet. It’s listed just below the baking powder but I can see how that can be missed.
Hello!
I made your scone recipe today and found it super easy and quick. ย I made buttermilk with sour cream and had to also make the milk portion with half n half /water mix. I made 1 cup and accidentally poured it all in. ย The scones worked perfectly with only 5 mins extra bake time. ย
Thanks for posting your recipes. ย
You’re very welcome and thank you for your kind words!
These scones are just wonderful. Easy to make and just perfect!
Are the fruit – dried or fresh?ย
They are fresh but you can use dried.
I wish you said to add in the โadd insโ in the recipe. ย Iโve made these twice and both times flattened it out in the circle then remembered the add ins. ย Otherwise they are good
Hi Karla,
In step 2 it does say “Mix in any add-ins at this step if using.” but I can see how that can be missed. Glad it still turned out good though!
This is truly THE BEST scone recipe ever! I bake them on two sheets stacked to keep the bottoms from burning and they come out perfect every time.
I’d like to use pumpkin next but I’m not sure how to incorporate such a wet ingredient – any suggestions?
Hi Megan, thank you for your kind words. I have a similar recipe for pumpkin scones https://www.littlesweetbaker.com/pumpkin-scones/ I hope you like it just as much!
Hi Lily,
Thank you so much for your reply!! As a newbie baker I was curious why you opted for half & half in the pumpkin recipe rather than buttermilk?
Warmly,
Megan
Great question! Since pumpkin already has so much water in it, half and half works better because I can use less and still have about the same amount of richness. I hope that clarifies and let me know if you have any further questions:)
Great, easy to follow recipe! I used it to make chocolate chip scones yesterday, and they came out so good I just had to make more scones today. This time I added raspberries, blueberries and white chocolate like yours – they are fantastic. Golden brown and crispy on the outside, fluffy and moist on the inside. This is the perfect scone recipe and I’m going to use it many more times in the future!