Flaky, buttery, and scented with fresh orange zest and warm cardamom, these homemade scones are everything a good American-style scone should be. A sweet orange glaze on top ties it all together.

orange scones dripping with glaze. An orange is in the background

About this scone recipe

These orange cardamom scones are American-style scones, which are quite different from English ones. English scones are usually plain and served with butter, jam, and cream, but American scones are sweeter, richer, and flakier, and they’re usually eaten on their own.
This is a simple buttermilk scone dough, with the addition of fresh orange zest, a touch of cardamom, and a sweet orange glaze. The base recipe is very forgiving and easy to adapt once you get comfortable with it. You could swap the orange for lemon, skip the cardamom, or add dried fruit if you like.
What makes these scones flaky is the cold butter. Small pieces of butter get coated in flour, and when they hit the hot oven, the water in the butter evaporates and creates little pockets of lift. That’s why it’s so important to keep the butter cold throughout and handle the dough as little as possible. The result is a scone that’s soft and tender on the inside with a slightly crumbly exterior.

Some key ingredients and why

All-purpose flour. A lower-protein flour makes for a lighter, more tender scone. All-purpose works well here. You could also use cake flour for an even softer result.
Buttermilk. The acidity in buttermilk reacts with the baking powder for extra lift, and it also creates a more tender crumb than regular milk. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a quick substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to regular milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
Cold unsalted butter. This is the key to flaky scones. The butter must stay cold so it doesn’t melt into the flour before baking. Chop it into small cubes or grate it with a box grater, then cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter. You want pea-sized pieces coated in flour.
Orange zest. Rubbed into the sugar before mixing to release the orange oils. This distributes the flavor much more evenly than just tossing the zest in.
Ground cardamom. Just half a teaspoon adds a warm, slightly floral note that pairs beautifully with the orange. It’s subtle but it makes the scones feel a little special.
Egg. Helps bind the scone dough and adds structure so the scones hold their shape.

Method

Zest an orange and add to a bowl along with sugar.

A close-up of a white bowl containing a mixture of orange zest and granulated sugar, with a textured, crumbly appearance—perfect for adding to homemade scones.

Rub the orange zest into the sugar to release the oils.

A bowl of dry biscuit dough ingredients being cut together with a pastry cutter, creating a crumbly texture perfect for homemade scones.

Add in the dry ingredients and cold butter and cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter.

A white mixing bowl containing flour with a well in the center filled with a liquid mixture, likely eggs and milk, perfect for making homemade scones, sits on a light-colored countertop.

Add in the wet ingredients and gently combine. The dough will be slightly sticky and a little crumbly, and that’s exactly what you want.

A round disk of unbaked homemade scones dough, speckled with orange bits, is cut into eight triangular wedges on a lightly floured white surface.

Tip it onto a lightly floured surface, folded over once or twice to bring it together, then gently pressed into an 8-inch/20 cm disc and cut into 8 pieces.

A close-up of a triangular glazed homemade scone with light orange zest flecks, resting on parchment paper, with other scones blurred in the background.

Brush with buttermilk, sprinkle with sugar, and bake until puffed and golden.

Triangular homemade scones drizzled with white icing cool on a wire rack, with a vintage spoon coated in glaze and a sliced orange nearby on a rustic surface.

After a 10-minute cool, drizzle orange glaze on top.

Tips

Don’t overwork the dough. This is the most important thing with scones. Once the buttermilk is added, stir just until the dough holds together. A few dry spots are fine. Overworking develops the gluten and makes the scones tough instead of tender
Keep the butter cold. If your kitchen is warm, pop the cubed butter back in the fridge for a few minutes before cutting it into the flour. You can also grate frozen butter for an even easier option.
Chill before baking. Refrigerating the shaped scones for 10 to 15 minutes (while the oven preheats) firms the butter back up and helps the scones hold their shape and rise tall.
Storage. Store cooled scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They’re best eaten the day they’re made, but a quick warm-up in the oven (300°F/150°C for 5 minutes) brings day-old scones back to life.
Freezing. Scones freeze well for up to 2 months. You can freeze the shaped, unbaked scones on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 3 to 5 extra minutes to the bake time. Or freeze baked scones and thaw at room temperature before warming in the oven.
Substitutions. If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 120 g of whole milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Heavy cream can also work in place of buttermilk, though the scones will be a touch richer. Sour cream thinned with a splash of milk is another option.

Related recipes

If you love scones, here are a few more to try:

Easy cheese scones for a savory, flaky version with cheddar and chives.
Sourdough cheese scones if you have sourdough discard to use up.
Apple bread with cinnamon glaze for another easy bake with a sweet glaze.
Pumpkin coffee cake muffins for a cozy breakfast treat.