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For fans of the combination of tart citrus and crunchy, nutty poppy seeds, these tender lemon poppy seed scones are sure to become a fast favorite!
When people think of scones, they tend to think of dry, crumbly pastries. But lemme tell ya, scones don’t have to be dry and flavorless, ok?
I love making scones at home and sharing them with friends and neighbors because they’re always surprised at how tender and flavorful they are. Even “basic” flavors like my vanilla bean scones make them re-think what they knew about these pastries!
There are so many great flavor options to make, too, like pumpkin scones in the fall and lemon raspberry scones in the spring. Right now, I’m loving all things tart and lemony, so these lemon poppy seed scones are at the top of my favorites list.
Bright and tangy lemon poppy seed scones
If you’re a fan of all things poppy seed, like my lemon poppy seed muffins, citrus poppy seed cake, poppy seed dressing, or lemon poppy seed cookies, you are going to FLIP for these scones.
This recipe is based on my glazed lemon scones, but I added 3 full tablespoons of nutty poppy seeds to the scone dough for added crunch and flavor.
If you aren’t a fan of poppy seeds or can’t eat them, you will still love the original recipe. But for poppy seed lovers, the added texture and nuttiness that the poppy seeds add to the bright, tangy lemon scones will absolutely make this recipe a favorite for you!
How to make lemon poppy seed scones
If you’ve never made scones before, you have come to the right place. These lemon poppy seed scones are tender, delicious, and surprisingly easy to make!
Ingredients you’ll need
To make the lemon poppy seed scone dough, you will need:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- zest of 3 medium lemons
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 8 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
I always recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice if possible because the flavor is so much better than the bottled stuff. Because you need to zest 3 lemons for this recipe, you will have a few lemons to work with already, so there’s no excuse not to grab a citrus squeezer and use the real stuff here.
When preparing your ingredients, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly so that your scones turn out perfect every time.
We will grate the butter into our dry ingredients for this recipe, so make sure the butter is frozen. Just pop it into your freezer about an hour before you plan to start baking.
These lemon poppy seed scones also get a lemon glaze. For that, you will need:
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Recipe Tip
If you are in the middle of baking and realize you are out of powdered sugar, don’t panic. Make a simple powdered sugar substitute to use instead!
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Making these scones
This recipe starts by mixing the sugar with the lemon zest. Mixing these two ingredients together until the sugar is moistened and fragrant helps infuse every single bite of the scones with the fragrance and flavor of the zest.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds to the sugar mixture. Stir to combine.
Now grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients, then use your fingers to work the butter into the mixture until it resembles a coarse meal.
In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, egg, and vanilla, then stir this into the flour mixture with a fork until large dough clumps form.
Switch to your hands and press the dough against the sides of the bowl. The dough will be dry, then sticky, but will come together into a ball as you press.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a circle about 7 inches in diameter and ¾-inch thick. Cut the circle into 8 wedges and place these pieces on a lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Bake the scones at 400°F for about 15-16 minutes, or until golden.
Let the lemon poppy seed scones cool for 10 minutes while you whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until smooth.
Dip the tops of the scones into the glaze. Let the glaze harden for a few minutes before enjoying.
Storage and freezing tips
Lemon poppy seed scones can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
For longer-term storage, consider freezing the scones.
To freeze the unbaked scones, place the cut triangles on a lined baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours, until the triangles are frozen through.
Transfer the frozen unbaked scones to a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, take out as many of the scones as you like and bake according to the recipe directions, adding an extra couple of minutes of baking time as needed.
To freeze the baked scones, glazed or unglazed, place them in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag.
If you are freezing the glazed scones, make sure the glaze has hardened before placing them in the bag. Freeze for up to a month.
To thaw, let the scones sit at room temperature for a couple of hours or place a lemon poppy seed scone in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to thaw and warm it through.
Frequently asked questions
If you don’t have a grater, there are a couple of options to work the butter into the flour mixture.
If you have a pastry blender, you can keep the butter cold (but not frozen) and cut it into pieces. Use the pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
You could also use a food processor to pulse the butter into the mixture. You can use frozen butter for this, but cut it into pieces before adding it to the food processor.
If you use your food processor, transfer the mixture into a bowl after pulsing in the butter so that you can follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Yes! I often use yogurt instead of sour cream in scones. I recommend using Greek yogurt – plain or lemon yogurt would work great for this lemon poppy seed scone recipe.
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest; mix with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds and mix until combined.
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Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
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In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, lemon juice, egg and vanilla until smooth.
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Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. The dough will be dry, then sticky, but as you press, the dough will come together.
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Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut into 8 triangles. Place on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 16 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and prepare the glaze.
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In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Dip the top of the scones into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden.
Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly so that your scones turn out perfect every time.
If you are in the middle of baking and realize you are out of powdered sugar, make a simple powdered sugar substitute to use instead.
Adapted from Pam Anderson via All Recipes.
Serving: 1scone, Calories: 400kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 249mg, Potassium: 97mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 601IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 106mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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