Lemonade Scones (3 ingredients) (2024)

Lemonade Scones are the fastest and easiest scones you will ever make! Incredibly fluffy, moist scones madefrom 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 andLamingtons. 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 makethese Lemonade Scones which honestly come out so similar and yet takeless 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 you need for Lemonade Scones

Here are the 3 ingredients you need:

1. Self raising flour – this is just plain flour (all purpose flour) and baking powder that’s already been combined. It’ssold as “self raising flour” in the UK, Australia, NZ. It’s easy tomake your ownself raising flour simply by mixing 2 tsp baking powder for every 1 cup of flour.

2. 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

3. 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 ofLemonade 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 isalmost 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

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 hissnout 🐽)