Raspberry Scones are a delicious breakfast or afternoon snack with bursts of sweet tart raspberries in every bite. The fresh berries add both color and flavor, and once you drizzle on the lemon icing, everyone will instantly fall in love. Vegan friendly.
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If you love raspberry recipes, be sure to make Raspberry Smoothie, Lemon Raspberry Baked Oatmeal, Raspberry Sweet Rolls, and Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Juicy raspberries add just the right amount of pizzazz!
- Fresh and fabulous with all the scone baking tips along the way!
- Vegan friendly options means more scones for your friends!
- Ready in less than 1 hour, with make ahead preparation included.
Recipe Ingredients
Easy raspberry scones are made with a short list of simple ingredients easy to find at grocery stores. We will need:
- whole wheat white flour – I love the texture white whole wheat flour adds to these scones with raspberries. You can also use 1/2 all-purpose flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour. A 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend could work, but I haven’t tested this myself for this recipe.
- granulated sugar – you can’t have sweet scones without sugar. Feel free to use white sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar.
- baking powder – for extra lift and tender crumb.
- fine sea salt – a pinch of salt enhances those buttery, raspberry flavors.
- frozen unsalted butter – the key to great scone making is COLD butter (more on this below). I always have some frozen butter sticks in the freezer, however you can also cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place them in the freezer while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- raspberries – look for plump, sweet raspberries that are even in color, with no signs of mushy or moldy berries. Also, make sure the absorbent pad in the container is dry. If using frozen raspberries, toss them in flour first to absorb excess moisture in the frozen berries.
- vanilla extract – for an extra layer of floral sweetness. A hint of almond extract would be a nice touch.
- light coconut milk – use light coconut milk for best results as we need both fat and water to make a moist dough. Other options include buttermilk or half-and-half.
- optional add-in’s: toss in some chopped white chocolate or sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar for extra sparkle.
Find the full detailed instructions with measurements in the recipe card below, at the end of this post.
Plant Based Butter vs Traditional Butter
This recipe works with both plant based butter and traditional butter, but the way you chill the dough will vary with each.
- Vegan Butter: you’ll need to chill the dough two separate times (once after the dough comes together, and then again before slicing), so the scones hold their shape better while baking.
- Traditional Butter: you can skip the first chill time. But you’ll still want to chill the scone dough prior to baking. You can do this before cutting into triangles, or after.
How to Make
This raspberry scone recipe is ready in less than 1 hour. Here are the step-by-step instructions:
Mix Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in Butter
Grate frozen butter directly into the flour mixture with the large holes of a box grater. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two forks into the dry mixture until you get coarse crumbs (about the size of peas). If you are using cube butter as mentioned in the ingredients, pulse with a food processor.
Add Wet Ingredients
Add milk and vanilla extract, then use a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine until a rough dough forms. Shape into a ball.
If dough seems too dry (it won’t come into a ball), add a couple more tablespoons of milk. If you’ve used plant based butter, cover bowl with lid and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Shape Scone Dough
Preheat the oven to 400º F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Separate dough into two equal parts. Place parchment paper on a large cutting board and lightly dust with flour.
Shape 1 portion of the dough into a 6” diameter circle on the lightly floured surface. Gently press about ⅔ of the raspberries into the dough, then take the remaining dough and press on top, shaping again into a round shape.
Press the remaining raspberries into the top of the dough. (See pictures in post for details.)
Chill Dough
Place the cutting board with the circle of raspberry scone dough in the freezer for 15 minutes. This will make sure the scones keep their shape when baking.
Slice and Bake
Cut the dough into 8 even triangles with a large sharp knife. Place on the prepared baking sheet. (Because you’ve chilled the dough, the triangles should easily separate. If you’re having a hard time, chill the dough another 10 minutes.)
Bake scones for 15-20 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden.
Cool & Glaze
Allow scones to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze, add powdered sugar to a small bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice and mix until smooth and pourable consistency.
Drizzle the lemon glaze over the top of each scone and top with lemon zest, if desired.
TIP: Place plate or parchment paper under wire rack when glazing for easy clean-up.
Alternative Method: Food Processor
If you’re wondering how to make scones in a food processor, here’s how I do it:
Pulse together the dry ingredients, then pulse in (frozen) cubed butter, then slowly pulse in wet ingredients. OR remove S-blade after pulsing butter and stir in the milk and vanilla extract by hand (this can help prevent over-mixing the dough).
Recipe Tips & Tricks:
Here are some of my expert tips for the best raspberry scone recipe:
- Cold ingredients are key: Cold ingredients, especially the butter and milk, make for extra flaky, tender scones. As already mentioned, use frozen butter and keep the milk in the fridge until ready to use. Chilling the dough in the freezer prior to baking is also an important step, so make sure not to skip it!
- Don’t overmix the dough: Overmixing will lead to tough, dense, rubbery, and sometimes overly crumbly scones. A bench scraper helps to gather together any lingering bits of dough.
- Chill the bowl and pastry cutter: For even more insurance, I like to place the mixing bowl and circular pastry cutter in the fridge while I gather the ingredients. This keeps the dough extra cold.
- Do not over flour your work surface: All you need is a little flour. Too much flour will make dense scones.
- Space the scones at least 2″ apart: Adequate space between the scones ensures golden, crispy edges all around each triangle.
Serving Suggestions
Raspberry scones are pretty-in-pink and can be served any way you choose. Some of my favorite ways to enjoy these lemon raspberry scones include:
- Breakfast: Enjoy fresh from the oven on a lazy weekend morning or as an on-the-go breakfast treat with your favorite cup of coffee.
- Afternoon Tea Style: Serve them alongside clotted cream and jam for a trip to London right at home!
- Outdoor Fun: Cart them along to the park during a picnic or bring them to brunch with friends. These are a sure crowd pleaser!
How to Store & Make Ahead
Leftover scones will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
If you prefer your scones warm, pop one in the microwave for 15-30 seconds or rewarm in the toaster oven or oven.
Make Ahead: Scones really are one of those treats that are best enjoyed the day they are baked. Since we all have busy lives to lead, you can make the scone dough ahead of time and leave them, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge overnight. OR, you can freeze them on a baking sheet, transfer the frozen unbaked scones to a freezer bag, and bake right from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
Scone Baking FAQs
What is the secret to making good scones?
Your scones will come out delicious every time if you use frozen butter, do not overwork the dough, and freeze the dough before baking. As always, use a light hand when making the dough.
What to avoid when making scones?
When making scones, do not use warm or room temperature ingredients, use a lighter pastry flour or mix of flours, and do not overwork the dough. It is okay if there are a few lumps and clumps within the dough.
Why do you rest scones before baking?
Resting the dough before baking relaxes the dough, especially after you have kneaded, prodded, and worked it into a circle. This results in tender scones without them being tough and chewy.
How do you get scones to hold their shape?
Kneading the dough is important to build the gluten structure. However, we do not want to over knead. With scone making, it is important to find the right balance between working the dough to build up the lamination while also not over working so that you lose the light and flaky texture.
More Scone Recipes You’ll Love:
If you make this Raspberry Scones recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too. Xx Ashley
Raspberry Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter, plant based is fine, see notes
- ⅔ cup canned light coconut milk, or half & half, see notes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Cut in butter: Using the large side of a box grater, grate frozen butter into bowl of dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender (or two forks) to work the butter into the flour mixture, until you get a grainy meal. You can also cube butter and pulse with a food processor.
- Add wet ingredients: Add milk and vanilla extract; Use a large wooden spoon or spatula to combine and shape into a ball. If dough seems too dry (it won’t come into a ball), add a couple more tablespoons of milk. If you’ve used plant based butter, cover bowl with lid and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape dough: Separate dough into two equal parts. Place parchment paper on a large cutting board and lightly dust with flour. Shape 1 portion of the dough into a circle, 6” in diameter. Gently press about ⅔ of the raspberries into dough, then take the remaining dough and press on top, shaping again into a circle. Press the remaining raspberries into the top of the dough. (See pictures in post for details.)
- Chill: Place the cutting board with the circle of scone dough in the freezer for 15 minutes. This will make sure the scones keep their shape when baking.
- Slice and bake: Use a large sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 even triangles and place on parchment lined baking sheet. (Because you’ve chilled the dough, the triangles should easily separate. If you’re having a hard time, chill the dough another 10 minutes.) Bake scones for 15-20 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden.
- Cool & glaze: Allow scones to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Once scones are completely cooled, make the glaze. Add confectioners sugar to a medium bowl with lemon juice and mix until smooth. Drizzle over scones and top with lemon zest, if desired. Tip: Place plate or parchment paper under wire rack when glazing.
- Enjoy!!
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