These homemade Orange Cream Scones are one of my favorite summer recipes! These flaky and tender cream scones are packed with fresh orange flavor and topped with a sweet homemade orange glaze, making them a perfect breakfast, brunch, or dessert for the summer season.
These easy fresh orange scones come together quickly! If you don’t know how to make scones, this super simple orange cream scone recipe is a perfect place to start!
As a self-proclaimed lover of all things lemon, I have to admit that I *might* love oranges more than I love lemons.
And that might also include orange desserts (or baked goods).
I mean, you know how I feel about lemon desserts and lemon baked goods (cue these Lemon Bars and these Lemon Donuts), but guys…
Have you ever tried one of those amazing cake donuts with an orange glaze on top?
Or a tender berry cake with creamy orange frosting??
Or a flaky orange scone with an orange glaze (that is pretty much a copycat of a donut shop’s orange glaze)???
While lemon is amazing in it’s tangy flavor, it’s the bright, sweet orange flavor that is the unsung hero of citrus fruits.
(In my humblest of opinions. 😉) But also, make these Lemon Blueberry Scones stat.
Now that I’ve sufficiently told you why orange rules all, let’s talk about why these orange scones in particular rule all.
- they’re ultra tender and flaky (because this recipe uses both sour cream and heavy cream to ensure these scones have the best texture)
- they’re moist–not a dry crumb in sight (no one wants to be choking on a dusty, dry baked good)
- this recipe uses fresh orange juice and zest so you get the sweet, natural flavor of orange rather than the superficial taste of an orange extract
- best of all–you probably have most of the ingredients right in your pantry
Orange Scone Ingredients:
- all purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- baking powder and salt
- orange zest
- butter, cold and cubed (a must for flaky scones!)
- egg
- sour cream
- heavy whipping cream
- vanilla extract
Orange Glaze Ingredients:
- butter, melted
- powdered sugar
- orange zest and orange juice
- vanilla extract
Making scones from scratch used to intimidate me, but I have found that homemade scones are actually very simple to make.
While there are a few steps to follow, it is hard to completely ruin this scone recipe. If this is your first time, this easy orange scone recipe was definitely the right recipe to choose. 😉
How To Make Scones:
- Making homemade cream scones takes only a few ingredients and just a little bit of prep time.
- You can use a bowl and pastry cutter to mix the easy scone dough together, but I like to use my standing mixer (I saw Ina Garten do it once, and if it’s good enough for Ina Garten’s scone recipes, it’s good enough for me 😜).
- To me, if you want the best scone recipe ever, be sure you do not over mix the dough. Once the dough just comes together, turn it out onto a floured surface.
- Once it’s on the floured surface, all you need to do is just pat it into a circle (don’t knead the dough…it’ll make it tough!).
Easy Orange Cream Scones Tips & Tricks:
- Use fresh orange juice and zest. There’s nothing like the real deal and orange extract will significantly change the flavor of these scones.
- A lot of orange scone recipes use buttermilk, but this recipe uses a combination of heavy cream and sour cream, which gives it a perfectly tender texture. These is a seriously moist scone recipe!
- This homemade orange glaze has a bit of melted butter in the recipe, which gives the glaze an extra layer of depth. It’s a bit more like a donut glaze recipe than a traditional powdered sugar + liquid glaze (and it’s worth every single extra ingredient).
FAQ’S:
Can I freeze scones?
Yes, you can! You can freeze these scones a couple of ways:
- You can freeze the dough before baking the scones. Once the dough is made and cut into triangles (or squares or circles–whatever is easiest for you), you can freeze them. I suggest flash freezing them, which means placing the scones on a baking tray with parchment paper and freezing for 40-60 minutes. Then you can transfer them into a ziplock bag or a freezer safe container and keep them in the freezer. (Flash freezing prevents the scones from freezing to one another.)
- When you want to bake the scones, place them on a baking tray. You can allow them to come to room temperature and bake as directed in the recipe, or you can bake them frozen (adding about 5 minutes extra to the bake time).
- Before baking, make sure to brush them with heavy cream (this gives them a golden brown color).
- Or, you can freeze the scones after baking them, glazed or unglazed. After baking, allow the scones to cool to room temperature. Then, flash freeze them (look above for more specific details) for about 40-60 minutes. Move to a freezer safe container or ziplock bag and keep them in the freezer.
- When ready to eat, you can microwave, reheat in the oven or allow them to come to room temperature.
Can I use orange extract instead of fresh orange juice/zest?
No, I would not suggest replacing the fresh juice and zest with extract, because orange extract tastes very different from fresh orange flavor.
What can I do for substitutions?
- If you do not have heavy cream, you can use all sour cream in this recipe (and brush the scones with egg wash instead of heavy cream).
- Conversely, if you do not have sour cream, you can use all heavy cream in this recipe.
These gorgeous Orange Cream Scones with a Homemade Orange Glaze make the best (and easiest) scone recipe! If you’re an orange lover like me, you are going to flip over these!
These homemade Orange Cream Scones are one of my favorite summer recipes! These flaky and tender cream scones are packed with fresh orange flavor and topped with a sweet homemade orange glaze, making them a perfect breakfast, brunch, or dessert for the summer season.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tbsp orange zest, about the zest of 1 large orange
- 1/2 cup cubed butter, cold
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest (optional--it makes the glaze extra orange-flavored!)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray with cooking oil).
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter (or using a standing mixer) and mix the dough until the butter is about the size of peas, and the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk egg, sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Mix with the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and pat into a 1" thick circle. Cut into 8 triangles. Place scones on parchment lined baking tray, making sure the scones are evenly spaced apart.
- Brush the tops of each scone with a little bit of heavy cream, and bake for 15-16 minutes, or until scones are golden brown.
- While the scones are cooling, mix together melted butter, powdered sugar (starting with 1 cup), vanilla extract, orange juice, and orange zest. If the glaze seems too thin, add in the last 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
- Pour the glaze over the scones and enjoy!
Here are some of my other favorite scone recipes:
Originally posted in 2015. Updated 2020.
Kara says
These look SO amazing! They’re so light and fluffy I could die, lol!
Carla says
Yummy! These look great! Totally going to yum them now!
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says
Unlike some scones that are dry and hard, these looks soft and moist. I love the flakes of orange zest. I bet this would be perfect for brunch or even a tea party!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
I played field hockey and I remember the oranges too. They tasted like 10 times better than oranges you had any other time in life. So good. These scones are gorgeous. Love that glaze!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Oh I love these scones, Michelle! I’ve never had an orange kind before, so I’m loving this flavor combination. Sounds like the perfect breakfast or snack!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven says
Gahhhh! These scones really could not get any more stunning. I too am crushing on all things orange right now, so I’m definitely craving a few of these scone beauties! Love that glaze and gorgeous photos too, Michelle! Pinned. 🙂
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
Beautiful scones! Orange and cream is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Orange zest adds so much fresh flavor.
Olivia @ livforcake says
Wow these look delicious. I wish I had one right now! Pinning to make later for SURE.
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
I love orange and scones, but I’ve never had the two together. These look great 🙂
Katalina @ Peas and Peonies says
I got a scone baking dish from World’s Market last month and still have to put it to use. You seem to be the scone expert 🙂 I am in awe at how beautiful these turned out and they are so white, light and all that orange cream makes them so attractive!
Ashley says
I LOVE homemade scones and have been on an orange kick like no other. So these sound perfect!
Cailee says
this looks amazing!! All these scones do!! Delicious!!
Micheala says
I just made these tonight! They turned out perfect!!! They are light and fluffy and all things good. Thanks so much for sharing!
Lisa N. says
Oh My Goodness!!! I made these tonight and they are amazing, thank you so much! I used lemon juice because I didn’t have oranges and they came out great and I must say they are also so beautiful! Scones have been a favorite of mine for years and I love finding a new recipe, this ones going to the top! (:
Ana says
Hello Michelle! Here in Brazil we don’t have sourcream, what could I use as a substitute? Greek yogurt? Can’t wait to try this recipe out!! Thanks!
Michelle says
Hi Ana, yes, Greek Yogurt would be a great substitute! Hope you love them! 🙂
Eden Passanten says
Every breakfast should start with these!! They look amazing!
Jan says
Just made the orange with cranberries and out of this world!
Jackie says
I’ve been meaning to make these for a while now and I finally found myself with all the ingredients so I just made them…omg!! They literally melt in your mouth, they are SO soft and tender, before I could stop I had already eaten three, will definitely be making these again!!
Andrea says
Just made these, they are absolutely delicious, the perfect amount of orange flavor in a light and moist scone. Adding these to my favorites list .
Jimmie Shepherd says
I’ve made these a couple times and they are great.
Lori says
I make these scones regularly and they are delish! I recently cut and froze the dough and baked them off in the morning and will definitely do it again! 5 stars!
Lola says
I made this recipe today and the result was a failure. I think the recipe called for too much baking soda because it all I could taste. Are you sure that you didn’t make a typo because I tripled check to make sure that a tablespoon was correct? I had to throw them out because of this. The dough also turned out to be really wet, but I may have added a little more than a 1/4 c. of sour cream (it was difficult to measure). Another factor that may have been important is that I add to incorporate more flour into the dough because of the wetness (possibly overmixed it) and I froze the dough overnight so I could bake it in the morning. I really do hope there was some mistake on my part and not a typo.
Michelle says
Hi Lola, the recipe calls for baking powder not baking soda. Using baking soda instead of baking powder will drastically alter the end result. 😊
Jessi says
I’ve made these at least four times and these are always a huge hit!
Mel says
Just made these for a back-to-school brunch and they were all gone immediately! Thank you!
Shelly says
This is one of my favorite recipes of all time! Sometimes I add candied oranges to the tops of the scones. 😀
Karen says
So yummy
Pamela says
Beautiful and delicious!
T Rogers says
I tried this recipe and they turned out perfectly and were so delicious. I recommend it to pro or novice bakers alike. Cutting in the cold butter was the hardest part requiring a bit of hand strength. Otherwise a very easy recipe.
Carmella W says
T Rogers.
I use frozen butter then use my Salad shooter to grate the butter into the flour. Then I use my pastry cutter to cut in the butter. This takes less time as I have arthritis in my hands. It also distributes the butter very evenly throughout the flour mixture!
Paula says
I made these this morning…they are so yummy. My husband thought they were the best I’ve ever made. I am making mini versions for church tomorrow. Thank you!
Michelle says
Thank you so much for sharing, Paula! ❤️ This made my day!
Maria says
These are delicious! My favorite scone ever! They turned out absolutely perfect. Light, flaky, and sweet:). Thank you for the recipe! They look fantastic too!
Mike Fox says
Just made the orange scones. My wife said they were the best she ever had. Thanks.
Laurie C says
I made these today. They are almost as good as Panera. I will def make this again. Soooo good!
Michelle says
Thank you so much, Laurie! ❤️
Chris says
By far the best scone recipe I’ve tried. I added dried cranberries to the mix and a sprinkle of raw sugar to the tops after brushing with the cream. Delicious!!! Will definitely be using this recipe often. Thanks for sharing!
Michelle says
Hi, Chris! I am so happy you loved these! The cranberries sound like an awesome idea!
Barbara Bilodeau says
These are so good! I found that they even freeze well. A keeper that I will make again and again!
Michelle says
Thank you, Barbara! I am so glad you enjoyed them!
Micha says
Found these on Pinterest and it’s my kids’ new favorite school day breakfast. I have made every modification you can imagine and they still turn out delicious. Nice, simple, and solid recipe.
Ileana Fernandez says
Made them last weekend. Best scones I have ever had. Making them again this weekend. This recipe is a keeper.
Ladonne says
March 15, 2020
Made these last night for breakfast today.
They turned out perfect. Will make again, for sure! The orange glaze is the ultimate topping and should not be omitted. I believe these are better than Panera’s.
Daina says
I made these this morning & they are absolutely amazingly delicious! Will definitely make these again. So easy.
Robin says
These are delicious! This is the first time I’ve made scones and they came out great!
Avani H says
They are so delicious! I made them for Mother’s Day and everyone absolutely loved them! Can I substitute the orange for lemon zest and juice to make lemon cream scones?
Thank you!
Julianne says
Made these this weekend– delicious! Didn’t have buttermilk, so did all sour cream. Seemed dry / crumbly (not familiar with scone dough expectations), so added a little more + orange juice until it held together more. Used 1 cup powdered sugar and wished the glaze was thicker, so will try 1.5 next time. Flavor was awesome!
Katie says
I have made these dozens of times and each time people always ask if there are more! Incredible!