These lemon scones are flaky, soft and tender. They are easier to make than traditional scones as a result of a secret ingredient. These scones only need 3 ingredients and they don’t need any butter. You can have homemade scones in less than 30 minutes.
These shortcut scones taste just as good as regular scones but don’t require nearly as much work. No need to grate frozen butter or rub butter with flour between your hands. Instead, the scones use lemon soda to make very fluffy scones.
This is a popular scone recipe in Australia which I’ve modified slightly to work with US ingredients.
Ingredients
- Self-rising flour
- Lemon soda
- Heavy cream
Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is all purpose flour that is already mixed with baking powder and salt. If you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, you can also make your own self-rising flour by combining all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
In Australia, this recipe is actually made with self-raising flour which isn’t quite the same as self-rising flour. Self-raising flour doesn’t contain salt and has more baking powder added to it than the American version. I tested both a homemade self-raising flour and self-rising flour, and preferred the self-rising flour because of the added salt.
Lemon soda: This recipe needs a carbonated drink to work because the scones rely partially on the carbonation. I don’t recommend sparkling water because you do want a little sugar in the scones which a lemon soda adds. I used Italian lemon soda but you can also use Sprite or 7-Up.
Heavy cream: Heavy cream replaces butter to give these scones their rich, flaky texture without needing to grate butter or rub butter with flour.
Optional lemon zest: While these scones are called lemon scones, they get their name from the use of the lemon soda and they don’t actually have much lemon flavor to them. If you want the scones to taste lemony, I recommend added some fresh lemon zest to the scone dough or adding a lemon glaze after the scones are baked.
How to Make Lemon Scones
- The lemon soda and heavy cream are first mixed together. The flour is then added in. Mix until a dough forms.
- The dough is then placed onto a generously floured surface. Use your hands to spread the dough into a rough rectangle that is 1 inch thick. Cut the dough in half.
- Take one half of the dough and shape it into an oval that is about 1 inch thick. Cut into 6 wedges.
- Repeat with the other dough half so you have a total of 12 wedges.
- Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with heavy cream. Bake for about 13-15 minutes or until done.
Texture and Taste
These scones are tender, flaky and soft. They have the same texture as traditional scones. They are not sweet on their own. They are intentionally not supposed to be sweet since scones are usually served with clotted cream and jam. You can also add a lemon glaze on top to make them sweet.
The scones do not have much lemon flavor unless you add the optional lemon zest or drizzle lemon glaze on top. They are called lemon (or lemonade) scones in Australia because they are made with lemon soda.
More Lemon Recipes
3 Ingredient Lemon Scones
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/237 ml) heavy cream plus additional 2 tbsp for brushing
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/237 ml) lemon soda
- 3 1/2 cups (443 g) - 4 cups (506 g) self-rising flour see note before starting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a large baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper. I used a 2/3 sheet pan (20 inches x 14 inches) to fit all the scones on one pan. If you don’t have that size, you can also use two regular half sheet baking pans.
- Combine 1 cup heavy cream, lemon soda and optional 2 tsp lemon zest (if using). Whisk until evenly mixed.
- Add in 3 1/2 cups self-rising flour, saving the remaining 1/2 cup. Mix with a spatula until most of the flour is incorporated and a dough forms. The dough will be very soft and sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
- Generously flour your work surface. Turn dough onto surface and knead a few times just until you get a cohesive smooth dough that you can spread out and doesn’t stick to your work surface. Be careful not to overwork the dough. If needed, you can add more self-rising flour. I used about 1/4 cup more. Use your hands to pat and spread the dough until you have a rough rectangle that is 1 inch thick.
- Use a pastry dough scraper or large sharp knife to cut the dough in half. Shape each half into a rough oval, 1 inch thick. Cut each oval into 6 wedges. So you have a total of 12 wedges. See photos in post for reference. If the dough is sticking to your pastry scraper or knife, you can coat it with oil before making the cuts. When cutting, cut down into the dough and then push/move the dough to the side to create each triangle instead of lifting your pastry scraper back up which may cause the dough to stick to it.
- Carefully transfer each triangle scone to your prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1.5-2 inches apart. Brush the tops of the scones with remaining heavy cream.
- Bake scones for about 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top.
Notes
- Self-rising flour: This recipe was tested with Gold Medal brand self-rising flour*. Please make sure to use a self-rising flour that contains 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup of flour. There are some brands out there with lower protein which will not work for this recipe without making adjustments.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Homemade self-rising flour: If you don't have self-rising flour you can also make homemade self-rising flour. Make sure your all purpose flour has 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup. Most all purpose flours contain 3 grams of protein per 1/4 cup but there are some brands that contain higher or lower protein amounts which will affect the recipe.
- Combine 4 cups all purpose flour, 2 tbsp baking powder, and 2 tsp salt. Whisk until evenly combined.
- Optional lemon zest: These lemon scones are called lemon scones because they use lemon soda. However, they don't have much lemon flavor. If you want the scones to have lemon flavor, I recommend adding 2 tsp fresh lemon zest to the dough (added in step 2).
- Optional lemon glaze: You do not need to add a lemon glaze to the scones, especially if you plan on serving them with clotted cream and jam. However, if you plan on eating the scones without any jam then we recommend drizzling a lemon glaze on the scones once they are fully cooled.
- To make the lemon glaze, combine 1 cup of powered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Start with 1 tablespoon. Whisk until fully combined. If glaze is too thick add a little more lemon juice. Drizzle over cooled scones.
- If desired, sprinkle some additional lemon zest on top.
- I used Whole Foods Italian lemon soda. You can also use 7-Up or Sprite.
- Nutrition estimate is for scones only without the optional glaze.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
I was skeptical about these… no butter? Love scones and make them about once a month for the family. Butter and heavy cream are expensive and not super healthy ?
Figured I would try this but cut the recipe in half in case it was awful. Should have made the full batch!
Made them as recipe states and they taste like a basic scone!!! Next time will add some flavors to it like chocolate chips or dried blueberries to see how they turn out. Maybe not quite as flaky, what would you expect though with three ingredients and 10 mins of your time! Thank you and now look forward to trying more of your recipes
We’re so glad you ended up loving this recipe!!
Wonder if u don’t have heavy cream ? Very expensive could you just add butter
If you want to use butter then you would have to make scones the traditional way with grated frozen butter. I wouldn’t recommend trying to make it with this recipe.
Delicious with the added lemon zest added at the end. Gives it a great lemon flavor.
Thank you! We’re so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Would this recipe still work if I wanted to add sugar or fruit to the dough? Thank you.
Adding fruit or sugar is going to make the dough more wet which can affect the outcome of the recipe. We have not tested with either so we don’t know what the results would be.
Easy and delicious! Just remember to keep the dough quite wet…
Thanks Pat! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Can I add fresh blueberries?
We have not tested this recipe with fresh blueberries so we are unsure of the final result. Let us know if you give it a try!
Can you use puff pastry
We have not tested this recipe with puff pastry so we are unsure what the final result would be!