These Sourdough Blueberry Scones are made with sourdough discard and lots of blueberries for a crunchy exterior and a super light and fluffy interior.

They are simple to put together, drizzled in a 2-ingredient lemon glaze, and not overly sweet, so they work any time of day.

Sourdough Blueberry Scones with lemon drizzle arranged in a circle.

Scones can have a reputation for being bland and dry, but that’s not the case when you make them from scratch at home with a well-tested recipe. And they are especially good when using extra sourdough discard and fresh berries.

The extra plus when making them at home is that you can have them fresh and warm straight out of the oven.

Jump to:

🔎 Recipe Testing
⏱️ Prepping Your Sourdough Starter
🫐 Variations
🛒 Sourdough Blueberry Scone Ingredients
📝 How to Make Sourdough Blueberry Scones
✏️ Tips for Baking Sourdough Scones
🍴How to Serve, Store, and Freeze
💖 If You're Interested in More Breakfast Treats, You May Enjoy These:
Sourdough Blueberry Scones

🔎 Recipe Testing

I made over half a dozen versions of this recipe to arrive at the right balance of sourdough starter, flour, and heavy cream, along with determining the amounts of extra leavening agents like baking powder (traditionally the biggest player in scones) and baking soda.

I’ve added an extra egg yolk for richness and flavor and 2 full cups of blueberries. The blueberries add flavor and sweetness, but they also add extra moisture by bursting in the middle of the scones in the oven (little juicy pockets of deliciousness).

I’ve included several tips further below based on all my trial and error in making sourdough scones.

⏱️ Prepping Your Sourdough Starter

You can either prep sourdough starter specifically for this recipe (instructions below) or use sourdough starter discard that you already have on hand.

Prep: To prep the starter for sourdough scones, combine 33 grams sourdough starter, 33 grams water, and 33 grams all-purpose flour the night before you plan to make the muffins (or roughly 12 hours, or until it is light, bubbly, and “active”). Leave the starter out on the counter overnight. The active starter can now be used for the scones.

Discard: Use 100g (½ cup) sourdough discard from maintaining your sourdough starter.

🫐 Variations

Here are a few ideas for variations on sourdough blueberry scones.

Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Scones: Using the smallest grate of a box cheese grater or a zester, add the zest of 1 -2 lemons to the batter. The lemon zest will add tons of lemon flavor without any extra acidity or water content that would come from lemon juice.
Sourdough Strawberry Scones: Replace 2 cups fresh blueberries with 1¾ cups chopped fresh strawberries.
Sourdough Pumpkin Scones: Use canned pumpkin and spices like cinnamon or nutmeg to make pumpkin scones.
Blueberry Lavender Scones: Fresh blueberries and lavender extract for the perfect warm weather treat.

Chocolate chips, nuts, etc: If making scones with these added dry ingredients, you may need to compensate with extra liquid content (heavy cream) in the batter. This is because, unlike berries and pumpkin, chocolate chips or nuts do not contribute any water content to the scones.

🛒 Sourdough Blueberry Scone Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make Sourdough Blueberry Scones drizzled with Lemon Glaze.

Sourdough Starter: Adds a light, fluffy consistency and a great and easy way to put your sourdough to good use.
Heavy Cream: This is used in the batter itself as well as to brush on top of the scones before baking.
Eggs: Use large eggs, pasture-raised if possible. Adding an extra egg yolk adds flavor and richness.
Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla. Large bottles of vanilla extract can be purchased at Costco or other wholesale stores for much less per unit volume.
Flour: Use all purpose flour, unbleached.
Sugar: Adds a subtle sweetness, but they are not overly sweet.
Salt: Brings out flavor.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda: For leavening.
Butter: I use salted butter. Freeze the butter ahead of time if possible. Then use a box grater to grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredient mixture. Using cold butter helps to create pockets of steam in the dough as it bakes, which creates lighter, fluffier, buttery scones.
Blueberries: Use fresh blueberries that are washed and patted dry. If the blueberries are too wet, that changes the balance of wet-to-dry ingredients.
Lemon Drizzle: Lemon juice and powdered sugar are simply mixed together. But you could also use milk or maple syrup (instead of lemon juice), like in this Glaze Recipe, to make a glaze to top the scones. The glaze is optional, but it's a nice and easy touch.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

📝 How to Make Sourdough Blueberry Scones

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Sourdough Blueberry Scones.

Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.

A large mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and a separate large bowl with the dry ingredients.

Step 1. Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter, heavy cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and combine.

Step 2. Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and combine.

A bowl with the dry ingredients and grated butter incorporated and the bowl with the wet ingredients added to the dry ingredients.

Step 3. Frozen Grated Butter: Grate the frozen butter ⅓ at a time into the bowl with the dry ingredients using the largest grate of a box cheese grater and tossing it with the flour mixture in between.

Tip: Grating frozen butter also helps you to avoid using a pastry cutter, food processor, or spending time working the butter into the flour with your hands.

Step 4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until just incorporated, forming a shaggy dough. Do not overmix.

Tip: The dough will be a little wet and sticky (this helps to keep the scones moist). Using a floured work surface will help you shape the dough into slices.

A bowl with the batter and the batter turned out onto a floured surface, shaped into a circle, and cut into 8 slices with a bench scraper.

Step 5. Blueberries: Add the blueberries and gently combine.

Step 6. Shape the Scones: Turn the batter out onto a clean and floured work surface. Shape into a round that is 9 inches in diameter and just over 1 inch thick. Use flour as needed to pat the top of the round into a circle or when tapping the sides to get the right shape.

Use a bench scraper or a butter knife to divide the scones into 8 slices.

Step 7. Chill the Scones: Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place the scones on a baking sheet and place the unbaked scones in the freezer for 15 minutes while the oven preheats. Remove the scones from the freezer and brush with extra heavy cream.

Step 8. Bake: Bake at 400°F for 16-20 minutes or until the tops start to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

To make the lemon glaze, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Once the scones have cooled, drizzle over the scones.

✏️ Tips for Baking Sourdough Scones

Extra Egg Yolk: Adding an extra egg yolk adds fat, which means more flavor.
Heavy Cream vs. Buttermilk: I've made these scones with both heavy cream and buttermilk (two of the most common approaches), and I think they are quite a bit better with heavy cream. Ones made with heavy cream tend to have a crispy exterior with a soft and tender interior, whereas when made with buttermilk they are soft throughout. Heavy cream has a much higher fat content than buttermilk, so scones made with heavy cream tend to have more flavor.
Sourdough Discard: The sourdough helps to ensure a lighter interior, but because of all of the other elements (egg yolk, heavy cream, fresh juicy blueberries) the tang of the sourdough does not stand out. However, it's a great way to not let sourdough discard go to waste.
Cold Ingredients: Use frozen butter if possible, which helps to create pockets of steam and a better rise when baked (the fresh blueberries also create pockets of steam and liquid, which creates a softer, more tender interior). Aim to keep the heavy cream as cold as possible, too.
Don't Overmix: Mixing leads to gluten development, which is great when making pizza (think a chewy crust), but creates tough rather than light and tender scones.
Don't Add Too Much Flour: The less flour the less tough the scones will be, so limit adding flour when shaping the scones.
Chill the Scones: Chilling the scones in the freezer while the oven is preheating also helps to keep the butter and cream cold to reduce the spread of the scones and give them more rise.
Brushing the Scones: I have brushed the tops of the scones with both an egg white and with heavy cream. Both work well, but I prefer the ones brushed with heavy cream because they have a more imperfect look and texture. Ones brushed with an egg white have a smoother, more glossy look.

🍴How to Serve, Store, and Freeze

To Serve: Serve after the scones have had a few minutes to cool down, but they are still warm. Drizzle with the lemon glaze, turbinado sugar, or powdered sugar. They are great alongside a savory breakfast like a Ham and Cheese Frittata, or as a treat with afternoon tea or coffee.
To Store: Store on a plate covered in aluminum foil. You don't want them to be in an airtight container, or they will get soft. They last for up to 2 days. For any leftovers, consider warming them up in the oven and slathering them with butter.
To Freeze: Freeze the scones in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months (though they are best fresh).

Sourdough Blueberry Scones on a marble board drizzled with lemon glaze decorated with small purple flowers.

💖 If You're Interested in More Breakfast Treats, You May Enjoy These:

If you've tried these Sourdough Blueberry Scones or any other recipe on my site, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!

Sourdough Blueberry Scones