This super easy Lemonade Scones Recipe is made with only 3 ingredients! I am even including options to make these healthier into whole grain and dairy free scones.
To be honest, scones don't happen too often at our house. Although I have these delicious lemon cranberry scones and even strawberry lime scones on the blog, I haven't made any of these recently.
Maybe it is because neither of us have any English/ Scottish/Irish background, so we didn't grow up with this British pastry.
I actually remember my first time trying a scone was when my Politics teacher in Germany took us to the Wednesday market where the only local baker that made scones had a stand. He bought some for the whole class just to introduce us to English scones.
The next time I had scones must have been when my family moved to Canada. Here the sweetened kind of berry or pumpkin scones could often be found in coffee shops.
My in-laws have a long standing tradition of eating scones on the weekend when they go out for coffee. And every time we visit we gladly join in - but that's usually only once or twice a year.
However, now that I have come across this super easy scone recipe that requires only 3 ingredients (!) I'll probably end up whipping these up a lot more frequently. And the fact that both my husband and daughter absolutely LOVE these homemade scones is another motivation.
How to make scones with lemonade
The three ingredients you see above are all it takes to make this scone recipe with lemonade: flour, lemonade, and cream. Let me explain a little more about each ingredient.
Flour:
Traditionally, this is white self-raising flour. Well, if you know me and this blog a little, you'll know that I try to use unrefined ingredients as much as possible.
Apparently, self-raising wholemeal flour can be found in the UK, but I have never come across it. So instead I make my own.
All it takes is 1-¼ teaspoon baking powder and ⅓ teaspoon salt added for every cup of flour. And to give these simple scones a finer crumb I actually used white whole wheat flour in this recipe, but I have also tested it with regular whole wheat flour with good results.
And although I haven't tried it yet, I am sure your favorite gluten free flour blend could be substituted, too for gluten free scones.
Lemonade:
The lemonade called for in this homemade scones recipe is not the American kind of lemonade. Instead it is carbonated lemon soda.
Since this a healthier, mostly clean eating site I don't recommend just any lemon flavored soda. Unfortunately, too many consist of high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and flavors.
Have a look at the ingredient labels on the soda shelf in your grocery store. I was happy to find San Pellegrino Limonata which is mainly made from carbonated water, lemon juice, and real sugar.
- Alternative:
If you really don't want to use commercial lemonade, in my experiments simple carbonated water (soda water) worked as well. It just doesn't impart any flavor or sweetness.
Cream:
Typically this would be heavy cream or also called whipping cream. But I wanted to see if I could turn these into vegan and dairy free lemonade scones without cream, too.
Well, technically I am still using cream but not dairy cream. Instead I have found canned coconut cream to be a suitable substitute.
Method:
The method for making scones with lemonade is as simple as stirring those three ingredients together into a thick, slightly wet dough. Divide the dough into two and pat it into disks on a floured surface.
Transfer to a baking sheet, cut into triangles and bake - that's it!
While researching different versions of this recipe I noticed that most use more liquid - a flour, lemonade, and cream ratio of 3:1:1. I could absolutely not make this work. The dough was way too sticky to handle.
More often I have also seen these lemonade and cream scones cut into circles (like American biscuits) instead of triangles. I found it much easier and less frustrating to cut this somewhat sticky dough into triangles, since requires way less handling of the dough.
What do lemonade scones taste like
Now you may wonder if these taste like lemon scones. Or maybe like coconut scones due to the coconut cream.
I find neither the lemon nor the coconut flavor too pronounced in this simple scone recipe. They are actually more like plain scones but super soft and tender.
And this recipe definitely lends itself to modifications:
- Stir in a little cane or coconut sugar, if you prefer sweeter scones
- Add-ins like blueberries, cranberries, currants, dates, chocolate chips, etc.
- Flavorings from extracts to spices
How to eat scones
If I am making flavored, sweetened scones with berries and/or chocolate chips I am usually just eating them as is with a hot mug coffee on the side.
However, in typical British way plain scones are served with clotted cream and jam and usually for tea. I do my own version of this with whipped coconut cream and chia jam but mostly for breakfast with coffee.
My husband loves a generous schmear of butter on these basic scones.
Recipe
Lemonade Scones - whole grain, dairy free option
Ingredients
- 3 cups self-raising flour *see notes
- ¾ cup lemonade I used San Pellegrino Limonata
- ½-3/4 cup coconut cream
- optional: ¼ cup cane or coconut sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400° F.
- Sift the flour into a large bowl. Whisk in baking powder and salt if not using self-raising flour. If you want sweeter scones, you can also whisk in the sugar at this point.
- Stir in the coconut cream and ½ cup lemonade to form the dough. Add the remaining coconut cream only if needed to moisten the dough.
- Flour a surface and turn the dough out on it. Sprinkle with more flour and carefully knead over just a couple of times. Divide the dough into 2 and place on a baking sheet (I use parchment on mine). Pat each half into a disk of ¾ to 1 inch thickness.
- Using a floured knife or bench scraper cut each disk into 6 triangles. Pull them apart only slightly and bake for about 15 minutes until scones have risen. When using coconut cream they won't brown much on top.
- Enjoy these Lemonade scones warm with jam and whipped (coconut) cream or place on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin Lemonade Scones recipe for later?
Random Questions
If your scones didn't rise, it could be due to various factors such as outdated baking powder, overmixing the dough, or an oven temperature that's too low. Ensure your baking powder is fresh and handle the dough gently.
The secret to moist scones lies in using the right balance of wet and dry ingredients. Avoid overworking the dough, as this can result in tough and dry scones. Additionally, using a high-fat dairy product or a suitable dairy-free alternative can help maintain moisture.
To ensure your scones turn out well, avoid overmixing the dough, as this can lead to tough and dense scones. Additionally, refrain from using outdated baking powder, as it may result in flat, unrisen scones.
If you're looking for a dairy-free or vegan alternative to cream in scones, you can use canned coconut cream as a substitute. It provides a similar richness and moisture that contributes to the texture of the scones.
Sally Braun-Jackson
You can substitute gluten free flours or rice flour, but the result is not as light and fluffy as scones usually are. Rice flour makes the outsides a bit crispy, but I usually blend a small amount with a larger portion of all purpose flour.
Faizah Noor
hi...what can i use instead of the lemonade?
Regina
Simple carbonated/soda water has worked as well in my experience
Chrisy
Love that these scones have subtle flavor 😀 Perfect for the mornings with any jam we happen to have on hand.
Regina
Oh yes, these will work great with any kind of jam