These perfectly tender, flaky Fresh Orange Scones have such a bright citrus flavor and are topped off with a sweet + tangy orange glaze.
I have been making these scones for years and they never fail to be loved by all who try them! Even the skeptics that say they don't like orange flavored desserts. I was one of those people until I started making these fresh orange scones and now they're one of my favorite things to make! They are just bursting with fresh orange flavor and have such a tender, flaky texture. They are absolute perfection.
Want to try your hand at some more scone recipes? Try my Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Scones or Cinnamon Scones.
Jump to:
Why you'll love this recipe
- The glaze on top is what truly brings everything together. It's sweet but tangy and it finishes these guys off perfectly.
- They have the perfect scone texture - dense and slightly crumbly but soft and tender at the same time. Just like my lemon blueberry scones!
- These are neck and neck with Panera's orange scones. In my humble opinion, these are even better!
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Butter is incorporated by grating it while cold because it's much easier to distribute it evenly throughout the dough in tiny pieces.
- Orange juice: Freshly squeezed from the oranges that are being zested for this recipe.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions.
Substitutions & Variations
- Cranberry Orange Scones: Add 1 cup of dried cranberries.
- Chocolate Orange Scones: Add ½ cup of chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips. Drizzling melted chocolate on top would also be delicious!
- Blueberry Orange Scones: Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries to the dough. I have a lemon blueberry scone recipe that uses this same delicious basic scone dough as the base.
- Fresh Lemon Scones: Substitute lemon zest and juice for the orange zest and juice.
How to make Fresh Orange Scones
Step 1: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.
Step 2: Grate frozen butter into flour mixture. Using your hands, work in the butter until the texture resembles a coarse meal.
Step 3: Whisk together sour cream & egg and gently add to flour mixture.
Step 4: Gently stir until just combined being careful not to over-work the dough or squish the blueberries. Dough will be sticky and crumbly at first but will come together as you form it.
Step 5: Pat dough on a lightly floured surface into an 8" circle about ¾" thick.
Step 6: Cut into 8 triangles and place on prepared baking sheet 2-3 inches apart.
Step 7: Place scone dough triangles on a lined baking sheet 1-2" apart. Bake 15-17-minutes.
Step 8: Whisk glaze ingredients together until smooth. Dip cooled scones into glaze or drizzle it on.
Jessica's Tips
Drizzle glaze on completely cooled scones. Warm scones will absorb the glaze making them too moist and soft. While still delicious, they won't have a dense, crumbly texture scones are known for.
Storage
Store orange scones at room temperature for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container.
Freezing
To freeze: Prepare the recipe all the way up until ready to bake. Push the scone dough triangles together into a circle loosely and wrap tight with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Place into a large resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen on a parchment-lined baking sheet, separating the triangles slightly. Prepare glaze and drizzle on scones after baking.
The main difference is that scones have eggs in the dough and biscuits do not. Other than that they are relatively the same.
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @sprinkle_some_sugar on Instagram!
📋 Recipe
Fresh Orange Scones
Ingredients
Orange Scones
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- zest of one large orange or two medium oranges
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter frozen
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 egg
Orange Glaze
- 3 tbs unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and set oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, gently toss flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until completely smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir sugar and orange zest together until sugar is moistened and zest is evenly distributed. Pour in flour mixture and toss to combine.
- Grate cold butter into mixture. Using your hands, work in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gently stir in sour cream mixture until just about combined. Do not over work the dough! Very gently press the dough against the sides of the bowl a few times and form a ball. The dough will be sticky at first but will come together as you form it.
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface and lightly pat into an 8" circle about ¾" thick. Use a very sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles (like a pizza).
- Transfer triangles onto prepared baking sheet. You can arrange them in two rows, 4 in each row, or arrange them in a circle shape - leaving about 1" between each one.
- Bake scones for 15-17 minutes or until the tops begin to golden. Don't take them out too early or they will be too soft. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on hot pan before transferring onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Prepare fresh orange glaze
- Whisk together melted butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and orange juice until smooth. Once scones are completely cooled, go ahead and either dip the tops of the scones into the glaze or drizzle it on top with a spoon.
Notes
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Faviola says
I just make the scones thanks for the recipe the ate delicious
Jessica says
You're very welcome!
Bonnie Kirtley says
Can you make these scones with blood oranges?
Jessica says
Sure!
Kelly says
I'm baking these scones this morning, and the dough is SO dry. The only thing I can think of is that you and I are measuring flour differently. Would you please tell me how you usually measure it?
I've added some orange juice to the dough to get it to come together. I think they'll come out just fine this time, but I'd like to know what I did wrong, so the dough is easier to deal with next time! 🙂
Thanks!
Jessica says
When I measure flour, I normally use the spoon and sweep method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup WITHOUT packing it down, then sweep off the excess with a butter knife. This should solve your problem. 🙂
Lou McCallister says
Jessica,
Thanks for the great recipe! I have been thinking about trying to make scones for quite a while and your "orange vanilla scones" sent me over the edge. I took the plunge and made a batch last night, they are awesome! Living in coastal Alabama, I have access to heaps of Satsuma (mandarin variety) oranges , so I used them, what a treat, highly recommended..... you, I fear, have created a monster....a scone monster! Thanks!
Jessica says
Ha!! I'm so happy you enjoyed them! I bet those oranges make these scones even more delicious!
Lance says
Can you make these ahead and just throw them in the oven? Do I need to not do a step in order for it to work?
Jessica says
I have never made them ahead, but if I were to, I would prepare them right up until ready to bake and refrigerate them on the baking sheet, covered with plastic wrap. Just pop them in the oven when ready.
Kim says
I have made these scones for my family a few times. They are awesome! They always go fast.
I like to add a little bit of orange zest into the glaze. Makes it extra yummy. Thanks for a great recipe!
Rhonda says
Really yummy recipe. I added just a pinch of cloves and cinnamon to the glaze and they taste like XMAS.
Will definitely use this recipe during the holidays. Thanks!
Jessica says
Sounds like a yummy addition!
Suzanna says
Can you substitute the sour cream with buttermilk?
Jessica says
I have had readers tell me they have done this with great success but make sure to use real buttermilk, not DIY with vinegar/lemon + milk.
Denise says
This is my third time making this recipe and of all the scones recipes I've tried on Pinterest, this has been my favorite...BTW I myself am NOT a fan of "orange" dishes!
My mother in California has the best orange tree. I can eat those oranges like there's no tomorrow. So I took some home and decided to try them in this recipe. Oh my gosh what a hit! I then made them for a breakfast function at work and again they were a huge hit!
I'm visiting my mom and picked oranges off her tree yesterday so made them before everyone got up...HIT AGAIN!
Soooooo, wondering if you could hook me up with a recipe to include pine nuts, pecans, and maybe walnuts or almonds. I've tried a scone at a small independent brunch stop and it was a tri-nut scone...too die for!
Thanks for the share!
Jessica says
Yay!! These comments make me so happy! Thank you, Denise! 🙂 Those scones sound delish and you can totally make something similar with this recipe! How about adding some almond extract for a little almond flavor - omitting everything orange from this recipe - and your nut(s) of choice? You can literally do anything you'd like by using this scone recipe as your base! Let me know if you try it out or need more help!
Barb Dossey says
Wow! Made these this morning and are they ever delish. Only made scones once before. These had such a lovely texture. Think the sour cream is the key.
Scarlet says
Orange scones are amazing. Were easy to make. Family wants them all the time.
Jessica says
Thank you Scarlet!!