These Lemon Rhubarb Scones are tender and moist on the inside, with golden, crispy edges that make each bite a little irresistible. They’re packed with sweet-tart rhubarb and bright lemon zest, then finished with a drizzle of vanilla glaze.
Rhubarb season is starting to wane here in the Midwest, so I’m seizing the opportunity to celebrate it a little longer with recipes like strawberry rhubarb crisp and these flaky rhubarb scones. This recipe makes the BEST scones. They’re irresistibly moist inside and crispy-golden outside, packed full of tart rhubarb and zippy lemon zest. I drizzle my scones with a simple vanilla bean glaze and they’re the perfect treat at breakfast or teatime. Until the rhubarb runs out, we can’t stop. We won’t stop!
Why These Rhubarb Scones Are a Standout Bake
- Just the right texture. These rhubarb scones are soft and tender in the center with beautifully crisp, golden edges. Dry, crumbly scones? Not happening here.
- Bright, fresh flavor in every bite. Tart rhubarb, zingy lemon zest, and a sweet vanilla glaze come together in the most irresistible way. And that pop of real vanilla bean? It takes the whole thing over the top.
- Ready in a snap. No yeast, no rise time, no fuss. Just simple ingredients and easy steps that’ll have warm, bakery-style scones on your table in under 30 minutes.
If you love scones as much as I do, try my cranberry orange scones or these easy strawberry shortcake scones, next!
What You’ll Need
These lemon rhubarb scones are made with mostly pantry staples, plus a few key ingredients that infuse them with just the right balance of sweet and tart flavor. Here are some notes. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list.
For the Rhubarb Scones
- Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Your baking basics! Using both types of leavening allows the scones to rise just enough and create a moist, delicate texture.
- Lemon – You’ll need fresh lemon juice and zest. Zest the lemon before you juice it.
- Unsalted butter – The butter you use for scones should be cold from the fridge. Cut the butter into cubes before you start.
- Buttermilk – There’s really no substitute for buttermilk in this recipe. But if you don’t have store-bought buttermilk, you can make your own by combining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or white vinegar) with enough whole milk to make 1 cup. Rest the mixture for 5 minutes, and stir. Your homemade buttermilk is ready to use!
- Vanilla extract – This can also be substituted with equal parts vanilla paste. Whichever you choose, make sure it’s real vanilla for the best flavor possible.
- Egg – You’ll need one large, lightly beaten egg for this recipe.
- Rhubarb – The star ingredient of these scones! You’ll need to chop fresh rhubarb stalks into ¼” pieces. I’ll sometimes make these scones with a mix of chopped strawberries and rhubarb for some extra sweetness.
For the Glaze
- Powdered sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar.
- Half and half – You can also use whole milk or heavy cream, depending on the consistency you’re going for.
- Vanilla – I flavor the glaze with vanilla extract and boost the flavors with real vanilla beans. You’ll need to scrape the beans from one half of a pod.
How to Make Rhubarb Scones
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. You’ll find the full printable recipe in the recipe card below the post.
- Make the dough. First, you’ll 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.
- Shape the scones. Gently knead the dough 2 or 3 times on a lightly floured surface. Next, shape the dough into a circle and use a sharp knife to cut 8 wedges. Transfer the scones to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake the rhubarb scones at 425ºF 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.
Making The Vanilla Bean Glaze
I love this easy vanilla glaze and the vanilla beans make the flavor absolutely shine! To make it, all you do is whisk all the glaze ingredients together until they’re smooth. Drizzle the glaze over freshly baked scones. I usually give the glaze a few minutes to set before serving.
The Secret to Making Good 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.
- Shape the perfect scones. 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.
- 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 Store
- Store at room temp: Rhubarb scones are best the day they’re baked. That being said, store any leftovers in an airtight container and they’re fine to enjoy 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 them for 5 minutes.
- Can I freeze them? Yes, you can freeze scones baked or unbaked. Flash-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 in the freezer 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.
More Rhubarb Recipes
Lemon Rhubarb Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze
Yield: 8 scones
These rhubarb scones are filled with juicy tart rhubarb and fresh lemon zest, perfect for spring baking! Enjoy them drizzled with vanilla bean glaze for a sweet breakfast treat.
Print
Ingredients
for the lemon rhubarb scones:
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ⅓ c. sugar
- zest from 2 large lemons
- ½ c. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- ½ 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:
Serving: 1 Calories: 397kcal Carbohydrates: 66g Protein: 5g Fat: 13g Saturated Fat: 8g Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 56mg Sodium: 352mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 39g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!
I wasn’t sure about these when I put them in the oven but they turned out really good. I used 1/2 WW flour and doubled the amount of rhubarb. I also used lemon juice in the frosting to reinforce the lemon. They were really yummy and well received.
I LOVE to hear this! Thank you for coming back here to let me know + rate the recipe! ENJOY!!! :)
I had to make adjustments, but wow! I made them gluten free, didn’t have lemon, but did have lime juice, and used half and half with lime juice to make buttermilk. If they are so good with all these tweaks, I can’t imagine how good they will be when I adhere to your recipe. Thank you
These are the absolute best scones ever!!
I use 1 cup sifted spelt flour and 1 cup all-purpose plus 1/4 tsp cardamom. Some lemon juice in the icing.
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
I’ve made these a few times and they get rave reviews! They are equally as delicious without the glaze but less pretty. Highly recommend you try these.
These are delicious!! 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 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.