Lemon Rhubarb Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze
Perfectly moist with a delicate, crispy outside, these Lemon Rhubarb Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze are a springtime pastry perfection!
If you love making homemade scone recipes you should also try my Cranberry Orange Scones with Orange Nutmeg Glaze and my Strawberry Shortcake Scones!

Easy & Addictive Rhubarb Scones
This lemon rhubarb scones concept has been on my mind for a few months and I’m excited to share these award-worthy rhubarb scones with you!
Rhubarb season is starting to wane here in the Midwest and I’m grabbing every opportunity I can find to celebrate it, in all its tart glory. This past weekend, when my sister’s family stayed with us, I mixed up rhubarb mojitos for us to sip alongside the fire in the back yard. Those ice cold bevvies were a hit with us adults, for sure. And watching the kids’ water gun war, full of sneaky tactic and laughter, was the finest summer entertainment.
We’re also loving the baking that goes along with the rhubarb of springtime. I still have on my agenda, when I can get my hands on some fresh local strawberries, to bake a strawberry rhubarb crisp. When served warm, with scoops of cold vanilla ice cream, it’s extremely hard to resist. Just like these beautiful Lemon Rhubarb Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze. Until the rhubarb runs out, we can’t stop. We won’t stop!
These rhubarb scones are moist on the inside, with a delicate, crispy exterior. No dry, hockey puck scones are allowed out of our kitchen!
Though the rhubarb gives these a tart flavor, they are sweetened with the loveliest vanilla glaze. If there’s ever a way to punch up the flavor and beauty of vanilla’s subtlety, scraping some fresh vanilla beans into the recipe is a sure bet. The combination of bright lemon, tart rhubarb and sweet vanilla makes these rhubarb scones utterly addictive!
What You’ll Need
These lemon rhubarb scones are made with pantry staples and a few ingredients key to infusing these scones with just the right balance of sweet and tart flavor.
For the Rhubarb Scones
- All-purpose flour – The base of the scones.
- Baking powder & baking soda – The combination of both allow the scones to rise just enough and create the moist, delicate texture.
- Salt – A pinch for taste.
- Sugar – Adds just enough sweetness.
- Lemon zest – Adds the lemon flavor.
- Unsalted butter – Must be cold, not room temperature or softened.
- Buttermilk – It is important that you do not try to substitute the buttermilk in the recipe.
- Lemon juice – This should be freshly squeezed, not from a bottle.
- Pure vanilla extract – Adds a light flavor.
- Egg – Helps to hold it all together.
- Chopped rhubarb – The star ingredient of these scones!
For the Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Powdered sugar – Creates the sweet and creamy texture.
- Half and half – For more sweet flavor and to create the consistency of the glaze.
- Pure vanilla extract – A splash of warm flavor.
- Vanilla bean – Half of the vanilla gets scraped out to provide the flavor for the glaze.
How to Make Lemon Rhubarb Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze
Both the lemon rhubarb scones and vanilla bean glaze come together in just a few steps. Be sure to follow the directions closely and be gentle with the dough.
- Preheat the oven. Set the oven to 425F and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the scone mixture. Stir together the dry ingredients and lemon zest, then cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add buttermilk, lemon juice, vanilla and egg to a well in the center. Stir to combine, then gently fold in rhubarb.
- Form the scones. Gently knead the dough 2 or 3 times on a lightly floured surface. Pat into a circle and cut 8 wedges. Transfer to baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake the rhubarb scones until they are puffed and golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let the scones sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack.
- Prepare the glaze. Whisk all glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over warm scones with a spoon. Allow to set before serving.
Tips for Success
While easy to make, there are several things you should be aware of when makes scones for the first time – particularly if you want moist, delicate scones.
- Don’t substitute buttermilk. Trust me, it is worth buying buttermilk just to make these rhubarb scones! You won’t regret it.
- Avoid over-mixing. The number one mistake when making scones is to over-mix the batter. Doing so will result in a tough, dense dough that won’t give you the light and moist texture you’re ideally looking for.
- Thin the glaze. If the glaze is a bit stiff, add another teaspoon of vanilla extract or half and half.
- Allow the scones to cool before glazing. While the scones don’t need to be completely room temperature, they should be given time to cool before adding the vanilla bean glaze. Otherwise, the glaze will melt a little too much.
- Eat them quickly. For the best scone-eating experience, enjoy these as soon as they cool! They’ll be the most moist and decadent when still warm from the oven.
How To Make A Perfectly Shaped Scone
There are many ways to shape a scone. But the method I return to most often is the pie-shaped one. I simply pat out the finished dough into a smallish-sized circle, cut it into wedges, and transfer the triangular shapes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these rhubarb scones warm, with a cup of coffee in the morning. They’re one of my excuses for having dessert for breakfast – after all, these do have a vegetable in them! If you offer these at brunch, be prepared for them to disappear quickly.
Of course, if you’re not a sweets for breakfast person, you can also enjoy these in the evening as dessert!
How to Store
Rhubarb scones are best enjoyed the day they’re baked but that doesn’t mean you should throw leftovers away! Just store them in an airtight container for another day or two.
To revive leftover scones’ flaky texture the following day, preheat a cooking stone to 300° in the oven. Place any number of scones on the stone and warm for 5 minutes.
Can I Freeze These?
Yes, you can freeze these scones – baked or unbaked. Just freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet then transferred to a freezer bag. To prevent freezer burn, you may want to individually wrap them with plastic wrap.
Baked scones will last for up to 3 months and should be defrosted on the counter before popping them into the microwave. Unbaked scones will stay fresh for 3 weeks and can go straight into the oven.
Lemon Rhubarb Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze
These Lemon Rhubarb Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze are a springtime pastry perfection! This easy scones recipe is perfect for using up fresh lemons and rhubarb.
Ingredients
for the lemon rhubarb scones:
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/3 c. sugar
- zest from 2 large lemons
- 1/2 c. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 c. buttermilk (do not substitute)
(do not substitute)
- 1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 scant c. small chopped rhubarb (about 1/4" size)
for the vanilla bean glaze:
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 3 T. half and half
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- vanilla beans scraped from half of a vanilla bean
Instructions
for the lemon rhubarb scones:
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and lemon zest, breaking up any clumps of lemon zest. With a rigid pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the center, and then add buttermilk, lemon juice, vanilla, and egg. Stir just until combined, taking care to not over mix. Gently fold in rhubarb, just until barely combined.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 2 or 3 times to bring it all together. Pat dough into a 7'' diameter circle and cut into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until scones are puffed and golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let scones sit on baking sheet for a couple minutes before removing to a wire rack.
for the vanilla bean glaze:
- While scones are still slightly warm, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together all glaze ingredients until smooth. If the glaze is a bit stiff, add another teaspoon of vanilla extract or half and half. Drizzle the vanilla bean glaze over the scones using a spoon. Allow icing to set completely, then serve.
- Scones are best eaten on the day they are baked. To revive leftover scones' flaky texture the following day, preheat a cooking stone to 300° in the oven. Place any number of scones on the stone and warm for 5 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 397Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 352mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 2gSugar: 39gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Really delicious, these are getting me back into scones. I macerate the rhubarb in a bit of sugar and half a lemon juice, while I fake buttermilk with whole milk and the other half of the lemon juice. Same amount, better used. Can’t think of anything better to do with the homegrown rhubarb
These are delicious!! Â I will definitely make this recipe again
These are delicious … I’ve made 3 batches in the last 3 days. I used Julie’s brilliant suggestion to bake them from frozen and it worked very well. However, I found the dough to be VERY sticky and hard to work with. For my second and third batches, I put the flattened circle of dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes, and then cut it. Worked quite well. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe.
I love to hear this Lisa – thank you for coming back to let me know!
I made this with some changes. They are light and fluffy. I used sprouted wheat flour and Sugar in the Raw sprinkle on top. They are fantastic!! I also used a food processor. The dough was so light and had wonderful feel that to me means they will be good. This one of the few recipes that uses less sugar. Has anyone used maple syrup?
Wonderful!! So glad you liked these scones!
This recipe is amazing! The scones came out so light and tender….great flavor! Thanks for sharing your recipe :-)
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! i made 3 batches of these this weekend with regular flour, and 1 batch with gluten free flour. They were amazing!!! Rave reviews from everyone. Everyone asked for the recipe. We love rhubarb and finding great recipes is always rewarding. I added white chocolate chips to the recipe, however. Since there is not a lot of sugar in the recipe, the chips added a touch of sweetness with the rhubarb. it was approximately 1/2 cup per recipe. Thank you again!!
I made these last night and they were great!!! I so loved having a new recipe to use with rhubarb. Thanks!
So happy to know you liked these, Jessica. Thank you!
Here in Minnesota the rhubarb is still available in some gardens, including my friend’s. I won’t need much for a double batch of your lovely scones. I bake every Monday for a meeting I attend….been doing it for 8 or 9 years now. I’m always looking for something different from the usual pies, cakes and bars. Never thought of scones. Thanks for the recipe and the beautiful photos.
Thank you so much. I hope you liked these!
I made these Saturday for Father’s Day breakfast, but since it’s just the two of us anymore, I made them and immediately stuck them in the freezer before baking them (this was Saturday). On Sunday, I pulled two of them out, plopped them on parchment paper on a baking sheet and baked them. Perfect. My daughter, who blogs at Stephie Cooks, and I have done this before, and it works great. Thanks for the recipe. We loved it! (And we get to have a few more breakfasts with the leftover scones. I’m pretty sure we win!).
Excellent! So glad you liked these!
Yum! Love these!!!
These scones look and sound delicious! I love Rhubarb! I love it so much I eat it right off the plant. Growing up I can still remember mom yelling out the window “don’t eat the leaves, they’ll kill you”, so I did the same to my kids. I never thought of making scones with the rhubarb, Going to have to make these now.
Congratulations on winning the contest and for them being feature at Ree’s Building in the coffee shop! I would give my right arm to be able to there at the building to sip on coffee and eat one of your scones! lol!
Great story, Donna! :) Thanks for sharing and for the congrats. I hope you make yourself some rhubarb scones soon!
These scones look just perfect! I love the rhubarb – I think I need more rhubarb in my life!
Oh Brenda, these look amazing! Pinning to my breakfast board… I love a good scone.