Earl Grey Scones are tender scones flavored with earl grey tea and drizzled with an easy lemon glaze. They are the breakfast treat of my dreams!

I start every single morning with a cup of hot tea. Something about it is so comforting and it is part of my morning routine that I always look forward to. If I am drinking tea I usually reach for green tea, but if I am baking with tea Earl Grey is my go-to!
If you're looking for more Earl Grey baked goods check out my Earl Grey Macarons. They are easily my most popular macaron flavor and one of my favorites to make!
I feel like people think scones are hard to make. They aren’t! But they can be easy to mess up. Simple mistakes can lead to a subpar end result, so read the tips below to make sure you’re making the perfect strawberry scones!
Tips for making homemade scones
- Keep your butter cold. If your butter gets too warm it will melt out of the strawberry scones while they bake and your scones won’t be as tender as they should be.
- Do NOT knead the dough. You only want to gently mix the dough until the ingredients are barely combined. If you knead the dough you will have a tough scone.
- Don’t add all of the liquid at once. Depending on the weather that day, the flour you’re using, and other factors the dough might not need all of the liquids. If you add all at once you can end up with a wet dough. So add about a cup, mix and then decide if you need to add more.
Ingredients for Earl Grey Scones
Ingredients for Earl Grey scones:
- All-purpose flour. Measuring the flour correctly is very important. I suggest weighing your flour out (I use this scale). If you want to use a measuring cup, make sure you spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife. Don’t use the cup to scoop directly from the flour.
- Granulated sugar. This will sweeten the scone dough and make it chewier.
- Baking soda. This will help the scones to rise.
- Baking powder. This will also help the scones to rise.
- Salt. Salt is a must in baked goods. It will help to balance out the sweetness and improve the overall flavor.
- Unsalted butter. I always make sure to use unsalted butter when baking because there is no “standard” for the amount of salt they can add to butter. So if you add salt to a recipe and then use salted butter you could end up with a very salty end product.
- Earl Grey Tea. You can use loose leaf tea or tea bags. I used tea bags and cut them open to get the leaves out.
- Vanilla extract. Vanilla is a must in baked goods just like salt. Real vanilla adds a better flavor than imitation vanilla.
- Buttermilk. This will bring the dough together and make it tender.
Ingredients for lemon glaze:
- Powdered sugar. This will give our glaze its creaminess and sweetness.
- Lemon Juice. I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Heavy cream or milk. This will bring the glaze together.
How to make Earl Grey Scones:
Earl Grey Scones
STEP 1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set it aside.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and Earl Grey tea leaves to remove any clumps.
STEP 3: Add the cold, cubed butter and, using your hands, start to work it into the dry ingredients. You’ll basically be pinching it with your fingers until it is the consistency of bread crumbs.
STEP 4: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the vanilla and 1 cup of the buttermilk. Begin to stir and only add the last ¼ cup as needed. Combine the mixture until the dry mixture is just barely wet. I use my hands for this part. Make sure that you don’t knead the dough! You just want to gently combine the ingredients.
STEP 5: Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface. Pat the dough into a circle about 1 to 1 ½ inches thick. Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper cut the circle into 8-10 even triangles.
STEP 6: Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Lemon Glaze
STEP 1: In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add the heavy cream or milk one tablespoon at a time, whisking until free of lumps and runny consistency.
STEP 2: Use a fork or a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the scones.
More Recipes
- Strawberry and Cream Scones- Tender scones filled with chunks of fresh strawberries and drizzled with a cream glaze.
- Turtle Scones- These scones are filled with chocolate and pecans and drizzled with a caramel glaze.
- Orange and Cranberry Scones- Homemade scones packed full of cranberries and topped with an orange glaze.
- Pumpkin Scones- These pumpkin-flavored scones are topped with a cinnamon glaze.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no extra cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click a link and buy something.
Like this post? Visit my Recipe page to see more like it!
Earl Grey Scones
Ingredients
For Scones:
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 4 sachets Earl Grey tea
- 1 ½ sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk
- heavy cream as needed
- coarse sugar as needed
For Glaze:
- 1 cup (113 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- heavy cream as needed
Instructions
For Scones:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and Earl Grey tea.
- Using clean, dry hands, work the butter into the dry mixture. There should be pea-sized pieces of butter with a few slightly larger chunks.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the vanilla and 1 cup of the buttermilk. Begin to stir and add the last ¼ cup slowly, you may not need all of it. The mixture should not be too wet.
- Turn the mixture out onto a clean and floured surface and gather the dough together. Pat the dough into a circle about 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into equal-sized triangles and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the top of each scone with heavy cream and sprinkle with the coarse sugar. (OPTIONAL)
- Bake the scones for about 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let the scones cool slightly before glazing.
For Glaze:
- In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add the heavy cream or milk one teaspoon at a time, whisking until free of lumps and a runny consistency.
- Use a fork or a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the scones.
Alexa Weeks says
Loved this recipe! Thank you!
Ellie Haley says
So glad you enjoyed it!
LAura says
I have been looking for a good earl grey scone RECIPE and i just Loved these. EVERYONE I cooKed them for did as well! Super easy. I ADDED a bit of lavender in the douGH. DEFINITELY will be making These again!! ThanK You 😊
Ellie Haley says
Yay! So glad you liked them!