Lemon Poppyseed Scones Recipe

Updated March 28, 2025

20120822-218830-british-bites-lemon-poppy-seed-scones-primary.jpg — Sydney Oland

Scones are a simple quick bread commonly served with tea, jam, and butter or a thickened or clotted cream. Served often at breakfast or in the afternoon with a light meal or snack, scones come in both sweet and savory varieties. Although throughout Britain sweet scones are more common, you can definitely find a potato scone alongside the occasional fry up.

This recipe takes the simple scone and adds a few poppyseeds and some lemon juice to give it some added dimension. The classic combination would be more suited as something sweet to serve alongside a pot of strong tea in the afternoon, rather than a bread to accompany breakfast.

Although ideal straight out of the oven, you can get away with making these scones a day ahead and storing them in a airtight container. They are delicious at room temperature with soft butter, but for those who can't resist warm bread, a few minutes in a warm oven can perk them up nicely.

Recipe Details

Lemon Poppyseed Scones Recipe

Prep 10 mins

Cook 20 mins

Active 15 mins

Total 30 mins

Makes 12 scones

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Ingredients

3 cups (15 ounces) all purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 to 2 whole lemons
1/3 cup milk

Directions

Adjust oven rack to medium position and preheat to 375°F. Prepare a baking dish by lining it with foil, or using baking spray. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine. Using two butter knives or a pastry cutter, cut butter into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
In a separate bowl, combine egg, lemon juice and milk, and whisk to combine. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix until a dough forms, but take care to not over-mix.
On a lightly floured surface, pat dough into a 10- by 6 1/2-inch rectangle, then cut that rectangle into 6 equal squares; then divide each square diagonally through the center to create 12 triangular scones.
Place scones on prepared baking dish and bake for 18 minutes, or until scones have browned.

Special equipment

baking sheet

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
3590	Calories
136g	Fat
540g	Carbs
59g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories	3590
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 136g	174%
Saturated Fat 76g	379%
Cholesterol 496mg	165%
Sodium 3720mg	162%
Total Carbohydrate 540g	197%
Dietary Fiber 17g	59%
Total Sugars 205g
Protein 59g
Vitamin C 12mg	61%
Calcium 1409mg	108%
Iron 25mg	138%
Potassium 895mg	19%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.