Lemonade Scones are the fastest and easiest scones you will ever make! Incredibly fluffy, moist scones made from scratch using only 3 ingredients – self raising flour, cream and lemonade. The secret ingredient is lemonade – but they don’t taste of lemon at all!
This is the faster way to make classic scones which call for butter to be rubbed or blitzed into flour. Lemonade Scones rise ever so slightly less, but the difference is barely noticeable!
Lemonade Scones
Scones are as Australian as Meat Pies and Lamingtons. Made the traditional way, butter is rubbed into flour using your fingers – or a food processor. Not particularly difficult, but it does take time, calling for fridge cold butter to be diced into cubes.
I don’t know who discovered this genius shortcut way of making scones, but I am forever indebted to them. Sometimes I do enjoy taking the time to make scones the traditional way. But I usually make these Lemonade Scones which honestly come out so similar and yet take less than half the time to make.
If you’ve never tried these before, you’re honestly going to be amazed. Seriously AMAZED!
Scones are an afternoon tea favourite in Australia, brought to our shores when the British settled here just over 200 years ago. It’s a regular at quaint tea houses, especially in the countryside, and at local bake sales!
What’s the difference between an American biscuit and a scone?
🇺🇸That’s biscuits as they’re known in America that look like our scones! A southern classic served savoury, fabulous with grits, sausage gravy and eggs.
A comparison of the classic Aussie scone recipe with this New York Times Biscuits recipe is all it takes to verify that they are indeed made the same way – just used for different purposes. 🙂 Lemonade Scones are slightly more different because they are a touch sweeter than classic scones.
What you need for Lemonade Scones
Here are the 3 ingredients you need:
- Self raising flour – this is just plain flour (all purpose flour) and baking powder that’s already been combined. It’s sold as “self raising flour” in the UK, Australia, NZ. It’s easy to make your own self raising flour simply by mixing 2 tsp baking powder for every 1 cup of flour.
- Cream – thickened or heavy cream works best I find. But it does work fine with ordinary cream too, but it needs to be full fat (I found low fat didn’t work as well, not as soft inside); and
- Lemonade -the “secret ingredient”, the namesake of this scone recipe!! I don’t know the science behind why it works. I like to think the fizz activates the baking powder to make the scones rise and make them fluffy, but I’m totally guessing here!
What type of Lemonade to use?
Schweppes and Kirks Lemonade are the two brands I use. I’ve made it with “no frills” too and it worked fine, so I am pretty sure any lemonade brand should be fine. Sprite and 7 Up also work – tried it and it comes out exactly the same!
How to make Lemonade Scones
Just dump the flour, cream and lemonade into a bowl, mix, turn out onto board, cut out scones and bake.
Yep. That’s it. Really!
Lemonade Scones – Tips!
Few tips to share to ensure your scones come out soft and fluffy every time!!
- Less dough handling = fluffier scones. So only mix the batter until the flour is almost fully incorporated (ie can still some flour), then scrape onto work surface and knead as few times as possible to bring together into a disc shape with a pretty smooth surface (I aim for 5 kneads, 8 is ok).
- Do not twist the cutter – press the cutter straight down and up, resist the urge to twist! If you twist, the sides of the scones gets “smeared” which affects how well they rise.
- Avoid touching sides of scones – use a big kitchen knife or similar to transfer scones to tray to avoid touching the sides of the scones.
- Place so they’re touching each other ever so slightly – because they help each other rise (isn’t that just so sweet? 😍)
- Don’t be tight with the jam and cream – there’s nothing sadder than running out of cream mid scone scoffing!!
Whether Lemonade Scones or traditional made scones, they are best served warm but MUST be served with copious amounts of cream and jam. There’s just really no getting around that part. It’s like having a grilled cheese sandwich without cheese. It just ain’t right. Just saying.😇
– Nagi x
Watch how to make it
More Aussie favourites
- Scones – made the classic way
- Pikelets
- Caramel Slice
- Lamingtons
- Pavlova
- Sausage Rolls
- Party Pies
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Lemonade Scones - 3 Ingredients From Scratch
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups self raising flour , plus extra for dusting (flour sub - Note 1)
- 1 cup thickened cream (heavy cream), not whipped!
- 1 cup lemonade (Note 2)
To serve
- Whipped cream
- Jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan). Line tray with baking/parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, cream and lemonade in a bowl and mix until flour is mostly combined. Do not over mix, it will make the scones dense! The dough should be soft and fairly sticky.
- Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead gently just 3 - 5 times to bring dough together, then gently pat into a disc shape 2.5cm/1" thick.
- Use a 6cm/2.5" round cutter to cut rounds - press straight up and down (don't twist), flour cutter in between. (Note 4)
- Use a knife or similar to scoop up (avoid touching sides) and place on tray, slightly touching each other (they help each other rise).
- Brush the tops lightly with milk. (Note 5)
- Bake for 15 minutes until golden on top. Place on rack to cool. Place tea towel over them to stop the tops from getting crusty.
- Serve with copious amounts of cream and jam, and of course tea!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published January 2014. Long overdue to add a recipe video and fresh new photos!
Life of Dozer
Now you see it… now you don’t! (Except for the smear of cream on his snout 🐽)
Hi Nagi
Made these and great
I wondered if I add about 80g of cheese do I need to modify the recipe quantities
Thanks
I haven’t tried Iona, love to know if it works though! N x
In 20 minutes I had fresh scones from pantry to table! A big hit. I don’t have a round cutter so I shaped the dough into a square and used a big floured Kitchen knife to cut into squares. I’ll be book marking this one!!
Hey I just tried your lemonade scones and it was too wet to even knead. Will be using traditional recipe (not the shortcut) from now on, might be time consuming but at least I know it works every time.
Interestingly, I didn’t have lemonade once and I thought about the purpose of it in the recipe – I don’t think the bubbles actually do anything because the original is butter, flour and milk – ie protein structure, fat, liquid. I couldn’t come up with any other reason for the bubbles, so I used sugar and water instead…….and it worked fine. I am suspicious that the original lemonade idea came about in the late 70s/early 80s when we were obsessed with chicken in coke and french onion soup dip.
Second time making this recipe yummo. I roll out spread with creamed butter and brown sugar sprinkle currants, diced apple, mix spice roll up like a Swiss roll cut in slices and bake same temperature. When cooled splash icing across top to give that professional bakery look. They don’t last long thank you recipe tin eats.
Sounds luscious Raylene, I’ll have to try it! N x
Hi. My mum is gluten free and wondering if it would work substituting self raising for gf flour??
Hi Allison, I find the gluten free flour results in dense scones unfortunately. N x
I made this with gluten free flour. They were yummy, just use a good quality flour (I used Orgran) and handle as little as possible. They don’t keep at all though so only cook what you can eat straight away. Loved the scones, Jam and cream, such a rare treat for a GF diet. Good luck.
These are awesome thanks for your easy recipe
Hi Nagi, is it possible to use carbonated water instead? Btw, I love your recipes. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve done now. My family and I are enjoying all the new recipes I’m trying while in lockdown.
Hi Chris, yes you can use carbonated water if you like 🙂 N x
Thanks, Nagi. The fizzy water worked well. I added sultanas as the family are crazy about sultanas. Added with butter and jam the scones were plenty sweet. And delicious!
Made this for breaky today and it was a hit! My boy said it’s yummy as it is without any jam or cream.
I’m going to try your sandwich bread without yeast next.
Thanks Nagi. Love your work! Keep it up! Xx
If you like, add 1 cup of raisins or some mixed peel. I like to divide the whole into 4 rounds and cross slash them with a knife. It’s all subjective. My family look forward to Thursday morning coffee breaks.
YUM!! This was delicious! I’ve made so many of your recipes and my family loved them all 🙂 Tonight’s soup (+your scone recipe) marked 5 nights in a row of cooking your recipes! Thank you so much Nagi for sharing your beautiful food.
I can’t believe it..they are incredible. Made my 1st batch on Monday, and repeat performance on Wednesday as they had been scoffed 😄..I put some mixed fruit in the 2nd lot and they turned out fine. Cheese scones are my all time fav, so would adding cheese work with this recipe?
Can I make the scone mixture say an hour in advance and leave to rest then bake when ready
Hi Narelle, no sorry – you need to cook straight away to get the lift here 🙂 N x
agree. Can’t let those bubbles get away, it’s the secret of fluffy. I use lemonade with pancakes too.
What about diet 7up or sugar free lemonade
Hi Tracy, yes they will work fine! N x
Can you use ginger ale in place of lemonade?
Hi Madhu, you can! Love to know how you go! N x
Hi Nagi, love all your recipes! Thanks for sharing them. If i wanted to freeze the scones would i freeze them before baking or after? Thanks x