These buttery lime scones are moist and filled with bright lime flavor. A delicious lime glaze adds an extra layer of flavor and provides the perfect finishing touch!

Lime scones on a white plate with limes and a jar of lime curd — Our delicious glazed lime scones ready to eat with homemade fresh lime curd.

These delicious homemade lime scones are the perfect addition to any breakfast or brunch table. With the right recipe (this one!) and detailed step-by-step instructions, you can make bakery-quality scones at home in no time. They taste amazing with our fresh lime curd recipe.

Read on to learn how to make these flaky, light, and buttery lovelies in your own kitchen!

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

Tender and Flaky Texture. The combination of chilled butter and heavy cream results in a tender, flaky texture that’s the hallmark of a perfect scone. Every bite melts in your mouth.
Zesty and Refreshing. The lime zest and extract infuse the scones with a bright, citrusy flavor that’s both refreshing and invigorating, making these scones a delightful treat any time of day.
Simple and Elegant. Despite their sophisticated flavor, these scones are straightforward to make, requiring just a few simple steps to achieve an impressive and elegant result.

Tools You’ll Need

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Ingredients

Scones

White all-purpose flour (2 cups).
Granulated sugar (1/3 cup). I used regular granulated white sugar. Ultra fine baker’s sugar will work even better if you have it.
Salt (1/2 teaspoon). This helps to bring out the flavor in your scones.
Double acting baking powder (1 tablespoon). This gives your scones their rise. This recipe was tested with double acting baking powder. Double acting means that your batter will begin its rise when you add liquid to it and again in the oven when you bake it. This is the most common type of baking powder. You will need to use this type of baking powder in this recipe.
Lime zest (2 tablespoons). About 4 small-medium limes should give you enough zest. The flavor comes mostly from the lime zest. Citrus zest tastes amazing in baked goods, like these orange cranberry scones, cranberry orange bread, and orange craisin muffins.

Zesting a lime over wax paper — Use a handheld citrus zester to remove only the green layer from the lime. Do not remove any of the white pith that lies beneath the green layer. The white pith is bitter.

Lime zest in a measuring spoon — The zest contains the essential oils that will add natural lime flavor to your scones.

Unsalted butter (1/2 cup). One half cup is equal to one stick of butter. The butter needs to be very cold. I recommend placing a stick of butter in the freezer when you begin this recipe. When you are ready to add it, remove it from the freezer and chop it up into half-inch pieces. In addition, it will be easier to cut if it is slightly frozen.
Well chilled heavy cream (1 cup). Keep it in the refrigerator until just ready to add it to the recipe.
Lime extract (1 teaspoon). This is necessary to add flavor. I found that the zest is not enough.

Lime Glaze

Confectioners’ sugar, also known as powdered sugar (1/4 cup). Make sure you are using powdered sugar and not granulated sugar. Powdered sugar will blend completely with the lime juice and make a smooth glaze. Granulated sugar will make your glaze have a grainy feel in your mouth. This works best with fresh sugar. Check the date. If it is expired, throw it out and purchase a fresh bag.
Lime juice (1 tablespoon or as much as you are able to extract from the 4 limes you used to make the scones).

Instructions

Scones

Step 1. Preheat oven to 375° (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Sifting dry ingredients into a glass bowl — Using a mesh strainer, sift flour, salt and baking powder into a large glass bowl. Gently tap the strainer to sift the ingredients.

Sifted dry ingredients in a glass bowl — Your mixture should look like fine powder

Step 2. Add lime zest and granulated sugar.

Spooning lime zest over dry ingredients — Add lime zest and stir until well distributed

Pouring sugar into sifted ingredients — Then add granulated sugar and stir until well combined

Step 3. Add chilled and chopped butter and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers.

Chopped butter on a cutting board — Chop butter into 1/2 inch pieces. It’s easier to cut when slightly frozen.

Chopped butter in a bowl with dry ingredients — Add chopped butter to dry ingredients.

Use a pastry cutter to mix butter into dry ingredients.

Mixing butter into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter — A pastry cutter works well, but you can also use two forks or your fingers.

Dry ingredients with butter mixed in — You should end up with a mixture that resembles a course meal that holds together when squeezed in your hand.

Making a well in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon — Using a large spoon, make a well in the dry ingredients.

Step 4. Pour the cream and lime extract into the well in the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Pouring heavy cream into well in dry ingredients — Heavy cream needs to be well chilled. Stir until no pockets of dry ingredients remain. Do not overmix.

Step 5. Preheat oven to 375° (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Drop dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is combined and slightly sticky. Roll the dough into a ball and shape into an 8-inch diameter disc.

Step 6. Cut into 8 wedges, and place each wedge on prepared baking sheet.

Form dough into 8-inch diameter disc and cut into 8 wedges using a knife or bench scraper.

Unbaked lime scones being placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet — Gently place each wedge on a baking sheet
lined with parchment paper.

Step 7. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator and allow dough to chill for 15 minutes before baking.

Unbaked lime scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet — Place unbaked scones in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before baking.

Step 8. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Lime Glaze

While scones are cooling, place confectioner’s sugar in a small bowl and add lime juice. Stir until combined. If the glaze is too runny add more sugar one teaspoon at a time until it holds its shape but can still be drizzled from a spoon.

Drizzle over cooled scones.

Lime glaze being spooned over baked lime scones on a cooling rack — Make sure scones are completely cool before drizzling the glaze over the top. If the scones are warm the glaze will melt and slide off the scones. We don’t want to lose any of that delicious glaze! So make sure the scones are completely cool.

Baked and glazed lime scones with lime wedges — Fresh lime scones with a homemade lime glaze

Storage

For storing your Lime Scones:

Room Temperature. If you plan to eat the scones within 1-2 days, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. This will keep them fresh.
Refrigeration. If you want to keep the scones for up to a week, place them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. Before serving, you can reheat them in a 350 F (175 C) oven for 5-7 minutes.
Freezing. For longer storage, wrap the scones individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw them at room temperature, then warm them in a 350 F (175 C) oven for about 10 minutes.

Overhead view of baked and glazed lime scones and lime wedges on a marble counter

Related Recipes

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Prep Time:30

Cook Time:20

Total Time:50

Equipment

Ingredients

Scones

2 cups white all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder double acting
2 tablespoons lime zest from about 4 small-medium limes
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon lime extract

Lime Glaze

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tablespoon lime juice

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Scones

Using a mesh strainer, sift flour, salt and baking powder into a large glass bowl.
Stir in lime zest and sugar.
Add chilled and chopped butter and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks or your fingers until mixture resembles a course meal and holds together when squeezed. Make a well in the flour mixture.
Pour the cream and lime extract into the well in the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Drop dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is combined and slightly sticky. Roll the dough into a ball and shape into an 8-inch diameter disc.
Cut into 8 wedges, and place each wedge on prepared baking sheet.
Place baking sheet in the refrigerator and allow dough to chill for 15 minutes before baking.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Lime Glaze

While scones are cooling, place confectioner's sugar in a small bowl and add lime juice. Stir until combined.
Drizzle over cooled scones.

Nutrition

Servings: scones

Calories: 367kcal

Author: Heavenly Home Cooking

References and Further Reading

“Master Scones Recipe” from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
“Food storage – how long can you keep freshly baked scones” from Still Tasty.

4.75 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

4 Comments

Tamara Pearis says:
July 1, 2021 at 4:47 am

Made this with a lime I had leftover from Midnight Margaritas Tuesday night. My 2 year-old Granddaughter will play quietly by herself when I am in the kitchen. Does she know goodness is coming out of there?
We had them at tea time and she was all smiles with happiness.
Thanx!
1. Sandra says:
  July 3, 2021 at 4:59 pm
  I am so glad your granddaughter enjoyed the lime scones, Tamara! Thank you for your kind comment. 🙂
Roger says:
March 16, 2021 at 9:18 am
These scones are really good!
Great recipe. The steps are easy to follow so you can’t go wrong here 🙂
1. Sandra says:
  March 30, 2021 at 4:00 pm
  Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂