These pretty rhubarb scones loaded with little bits of juicy rhubarb make a perfect breakfast or afternoon tea-time treat. Be sure to freeze some rhubarb when it’s in season so you can enjoy them year round.
Rhubarb scones are a simple and delicious way to enjoy seasonal rhubarb while it’s around! The beautiful subtle rhubarb-y shades of pink and green poke through the dough and lend a lovely sweet-tart flavor that brightens the buttery scones.
need more rhubarb inspiration?
Rhubarb is one of my favorite ingredients to work with and I look forward to rhubarb season every year. From soda and jelly to pies and crisps, if you can make it with rhubarb, I’ve tried it!
- rhubarb bread
- rhubarb soda
- rhubarb curd
- ginger rhubarb crisp
- rhubarb shortcakes
- homemade rhubarb ice cream
- rhubarb jelly
ingredient notes for rhubarb scones
- chopped rhubarb – any color will work, just make sure it’s rinsed, trimmed, and chopped. You can also use frozen chopped rhubarb if you have it.
- buttermilk or half and half will work for these scones.
- vanilla extract lends a nice note of flavor to these scones, but consider swapping with the same quantity of almond extract, too.
how to freeze rhubarb
A simple scone is a great thing to know how to make ~ swap out almost any fresh berry as they come into season and you have a perfect portable breakfast or special brunch treat. Since rhubarb has such a short and sweet season I highly suggest freezing any extra.
- Wash and dry the stalks.
- Thinly slice them into about 1/2 inch pieces.
- Lay the fruit out in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Put the pan in the freezer for an hour. The fruit will be hard.
- Quickly transfer the fruit to heavy duty zip lock freezer bags, label, and put back in the freezer. Push out any excess air before zipping closed.
- They’ll last 6 months to a year.
- Use the fruit straight from frozen in your recipes, unless a recipe specifically states otherwise.
Scones are almost a religion here in the Great Island kitchen. Whenever I get the baking urge, but I don’t want to trek to the store, I can always rely on a great scone recipe to satisfy the craving. My favorite recipes always highlight the best of what’s in season. Here are some of my favorites for the spring and summer months.
ideas for serving these rhubarb scones
You can definitely make a simple glaze for these rhubarb scones, like I did with my Fresh Cranberry and White Chocolate Scones, or my Maple Oat Nut Scones. You can also simply dust them with a little sugar before baking, which gives them a subtle sweet crunch.
I loved them served warm with a generous smear of my homemade Instant Pot Clotted Cream!
Rhubarb Scones
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped rhubarb, about 1-3 stalks, depending on size
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 Tbsp unsalted cold butter, cut in pieces
- 1/2 cup possibly a little bit more cold buttermilk or half and half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Drop in the pieces of cold butter and pulse about 20-25 times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Remove the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add in the buttermilk or half and half, and vanilla extract, and mix gently with a large spoon until the dough just comes together, it will be crumbly. If it is very dry, drizzle in a little more buttermilk or half and half. Gently fold in the chopped rhubarb.
- Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and knead a few times with floured hands until the dough is one piece, without a lot of dry flour left. Pat it out into a rectangular shape and use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out the scones. You can also cut the dough into squares if you prefer.
- Arrange the scones 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until just starting to turn golden. Don’t over bake.
Notes
- Wash and dry the stalks.
- Thinly slice them into about 1/2 inch pieces.
- Lay the fruit out in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Put the pan in the freezer for an hour. The fruit will be hard.
- Quickly transfer the fruit to heavy duty zip lock freezer bags, label, and put back in the freezer. Push out any excess air before zipping closed.
- They’ll last 6 months to a year.
- Use the fruit straight from frozen in your recipes, unless a recipe specifically states otherwise.
We did a few changes this time: just rubbed the butter into the dry ingredients (the trad English way my hubby loves), mixed in the rhubarb, and then added the liquids, and kneaded it in the bowl before turn out to pat into shape for cutting. When they came out of the oven, we immediately sprinkled tops with golden caster sugar. So one bowl to clean and still scrummy
Made these tonight to go with homemade soup for dinner.
It’s chilly & damp here in NH!
My garden rhubarb is still quite slender,but they were delicious.
Thank you
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Martha 🙂 I think the tender new shoots of rhubarb are the best! (We’re having a super cool spring here in Wisconsin, too.)
Why have Inot tried this before? I have 6 rhubarb plants, so I really should have. This makes BIG tasty scones. I was a bit unsure as the rhubarb is not cooked ahead, like most recipes, but the simplicity works very well indeed. We made these last night and have raspberry jam and creme chantilly on them. The only change I made was to dust the tops with golden caster sugar after they came out of the oven. These are fab!
Can you lend me one of your rhubarb plants please?? (So glad you loved these!)