Rhubarb Scones ~ these pretty 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.
These 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.
These scones would be great served for brunch or afternoon tea, or really any spring or summer gathering.
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.
How to freeze rhubarb ~
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 recipes.
Scones are almost a religion here at tvfgi. 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.
You can definitely make a simple glaze for these 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.
Thanks for pinning!
60 Comments
Marion
June 15, 2021 at 4:59 pmI just made them and spread Apple/Cinnamon Curd on top….delicious!
Diane
May 20, 2021 at 2:33 pmThese are very good. I added a little sanding sugar and sprinkled some cinnamon on top.
Sue Moran
May 20, 2021 at 3:34 pmSounds yummy!
Nancy
May 18, 2021 at 10:00 amYummy, light scones. I added orange zest and sprinkled the top with cinnamon sugar. The rhubarb adds more moisture to the recipe than expected so mine were too moist and spread. Next time I’ll know better.
Nancy
May 2, 2021 at 8:16 amThese scones were delicious. Made them this morning with some really pink spring rhubarb – so pretty. Will make these again for sure and thought some finely chopped candied ginger would be a nice add.
Sue Moran
May 2, 2021 at 9:01 amGlad you liked them Nancy, I paired ginger and rhubarb in this ginger rhubarb crisp recipe and it was great.
Linda Walsh
September 5, 2020 at 4:19 amMy oh my we’re theses ever good. Perfect texture and amount of sweetness…
Penny
August 20, 2020 at 10:40 amThese sound great but I usually use 35% cream and an egg as well. Will doing so make a difference and if so what ?
I’d like to make them today. Thanks.
Janet
August 16, 2020 at 3:09 pmA friend brought me some rhubarb from her garden today, Lucky me! I want to try your recipe but wish to know if the scones can be frozen after baking?
Sue
August 16, 2020 at 3:24 pmYes, they’ll freeze perfectly.
Lee
August 4, 2020 at 6:32 amHi Sue have just made the scones absolutely delicious will be adding them to my regular bakes
Lee
July 30, 2020 at 9:33 amThanks Sue makes lots more sense now!!
Lee
July 30, 2020 at 6:57 amI would love to have a go go at these delicious looking scones as I have lots of rhubarb in my garden. I’m in the UK so am trying to convert the recipe to metric! I have managed most of it but I’m a little confused with the flour quantity. The recipe says 2 1/4 cups is that the same as half a cup? it doesn’t seem very much flour compared to sugar either way or am I reading it wrong!
Sue
July 30, 2020 at 7:37 amThat would be 2 cups, plus a quarter cup, Lee. That’s about 270 grams.
Ellen
July 19, 2020 at 1:18 pmI made these for dinner today. But did a slight variation. Although I know these will be amazing with rhubarb i had fresh cherries ? so I pitted them and quartered them plus I did half almond extract and half vanilla. The crisp edges, the buttery flakiness – so good. I will be keeping this one and using over and over again.
Oh and for the one who asked about half and half verses buttermilk, I used half and half and the rise was just right.
Shawnalee Klimaszewski
July 12, 2020 at 11:14 amI normally do not comment on recipes I’ve made, especially when I have changed it to allow for substitutions. But… You said you could use yogurt instead of the milk.
I used strawberry Kefir in place of the buttermilk. Omg. One of the best things I have ever put into my mouth. I’m my experience scones are kinda hard and bland, but this one was moist and soft and flavorful. So good. I’m so glad I found this recipe, as is my family! I am definitely going to keep this one for a long time. Thank you!
Sue
July 12, 2020 at 12:35 pmThanks Shawnalee, I’m so glad you commented 🙂 I bet others will be interested that the kefir works so well.
Gran
July 7, 2020 at 10:51 amI did not have any buttermilk so I substituted 2% milk with 1 /2 Tsp of vinegar in it. They came out great and taste fantastic. Thank you for a great recipe.
Kristie
June 27, 2020 at 6:17 pmThese are absolutely delicious! Perfect sweetness with the rhubarb!
Sheila Wipperman
June 25, 2020 at 10:08 amDo you know if it would work to sub greek yogurt for the butter? Love scones and rhubarb, so anxious to try this recipe! Thanks.
Sue
June 25, 2020 at 1:27 pmYou can’t substitute for the butter, but you probably can for the buttermilk, although you might need to thin the yogurt down with a little milk.
Tom Murray
June 23, 2020 at 11:42 amUsually, buttermilk and baking powder combine to add lift to the dough. In my case, I did not have buttermilk so I used half-and-half, but I was concerned that I would not get a rise. Turned out, I was right. Are you sure you want to recommend using half-and-half?
Elaine Shute
June 17, 2020 at 4:36 amExcellent biscuit-style scone recipe. After following it to the “T” the first time I made it, I altered my second batch only by adding more rhubarb and some cinnamon. Also, I also always like to use an egg wash on my scones. Just to give them a nice golden glow. My family loved these!
April Fuller
June 17, 2020 at 4:14 amI love this! What a great breakfast treat. Thank you! I always shape my scones on a pizza stone and score them. They turned out perfect.
Ruth Boughan
May 29, 2020 at 1:23 pmJust made these. Easy and delicious, especially with rhubarb jam.
Sue
June 6, 2020 at 5:38 amI bet the rhubarb jams puts them right over the top 🙂
Linda Davies
June 6, 2020 at 3:18 pmMade these and they were absolutely delicious. Will definitely make them again. Had to do them the old fashioned way as I don’t have a food processor or a big mixing machine. Thanks for the recipe.
TJ
June 6, 2020 at 8:41 pmI used gluten free flour and it worked perfectly. These were so light
And delious. Thanks for the recipe!
Sue
June 7, 2020 at 7:59 amGreat to know, thanks TJ
Barbara Rexing
June 28, 2020 at 1:28 pmWhat’s the old fashion way? I do not have a good processor and always wanted to try scones.
Sue
June 28, 2020 at 2:23 pmYou can cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or 2 forks. Some people love to freeze butter and then grate it into their flour. Use a large spoon to bring it all together after you add the liquid.
Timber
May 23, 2020 at 11:54 amWow, these scones are delicious. Nice and tender. The sweet dough balances out the tart rhubarb. They are even better topped with strawberry rhubarb jam!
Shay
May 22, 2020 at 7:30 pmHi! I checked the comments, but didn’t see anyone ask about substituting for almond flour? Do you think that would work?
Sue
May 22, 2020 at 7:33 pmYou might use some almond flour, but I don’t think you can use almond flour only, the scones would fall apart.
Kaitlyn
May 17, 2020 at 3:35 pmI don’t own a food processor can I do this with a mixer? (Don’t worry a food processor is on my list ASAP)
Sue
May 17, 2020 at 3:51 pmYou can cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, or forks. The mixer won’t really help with that. Then you can do the liquid adding etc, by hand with a spoon. Make sure you get the butter really well incorporated, and if your hands warm it up too much, you might want to refrigerate it before adding the liquid ingredients. The key to flakey scones is to get the butter and flour blended but keep the butter cold.
Maria LeBlanc
June 4, 2020 at 4:44 pmI always grate my butter into the flour, works every time
Kelly
April 15, 2020 at 2:43 pmI just made a double batch and OMG these are fantastic!! I was going to freeze the extras, but I don’t know if they’ll make it to the freezer. I can’t wait to try your other rhubarb recipes. Going to start the rhubarb butter now 🙂
Sue
April 15, 2020 at 3:09 pmI’m so happy for you Kelly ~ there are a ton of rhubarb recipes to explore ~ I have a bunch of stalks in my fridge right now and I’m trying to decide what to make next!
Laura Phillips
April 1, 2020 at 11:23 amLove this recipe! Will try with different fruits as well, but rhubarb is a definite favorite!
Sue
April 1, 2020 at 12:27 pmI’m obsessed with rhubarb, expect many more recipes to come 🙂
Karis
March 13, 2020 at 8:43 amThese are delicious! I was looking for a way to use rhubarb from my freezer and this recipe was the perfect use for it. I made exactly as directed, except I patted into a circle and cut pizza style into 8 triangular pieces. Mine were done at 18 minutes. Everyone in my family loved them so much, that I’m about to start a second batch.
Sue
March 13, 2020 at 9:18 amI’m excited because my store has started to carry fresh rhubarb! Thanks for the feedback Karis <3
Charlotte Espie
June 25, 2019 at 2:27 pmCan you freeze these once baked?
Sue
June 25, 2019 at 3:32 pmYes, sure.
Lise
June 23, 2019 at 10:32 ammy oven must run higher temp than yours. 🙁 The bottom of the scones were quite golden leaning to almost burnt. Also, the inside was quite raw.
I just flipped them over to hopefully cook the inside but keep the bottoms from cooking more. My second batch I’m going to lower the temperature to 350 and keep my fingers crossed.
The dough is tasty., LOL….
Sue
June 23, 2019 at 10:50 amOh gosh, oven temperature variations are one of the top reasons people can have problems with recipes. Scones, or anything small like that, in particular, are temperature sensitive. If you suspect your oven is off I highly suggest getting an oven thermometer, they’re inexpensive and I keep mine hanging from one of the racks, that way i can always tell at a glance what the actual temp of my oven is. I hope you were able to salvage these, but if not, hope you try again!
Sara
June 17, 2019 at 12:35 pmMade a batch vegan by using coconut oil and almond creamer. They were a huge hit at work.
Sue
June 17, 2019 at 1:25 pmThat’s great to know Sara, thanks 🙂
Leslie
June 13, 2019 at 11:40 amHello sue! Could I sub half the rhubarb for strawberries for a strawberry/rhubarb scone?
Sue
June 13, 2019 at 12:16 pmYes, that would be delicious!
JL
June 7, 2019 at 2:28 amHi Sue! I just made 3 batches of these last night for a big brunch I’m hosting on a Saturday morning. I read that scones are a flash-freezers dream, so I’m trying that! Haven’t made scones before, much less frozen them for later baking.
Do you have any tips on this method? Would you still recommend 375 degrees for 20 minutes?
Tricia | Saving Room for Dessert
May 31, 2019 at 4:14 amHow lovely! I bet that little pop of flavor is just terrific. Brew a pot of tea and I’m all in! Pinned 🙂
Tee
May 30, 2019 at 2:32 pmThese were outstanding! So easy to make! Your recipe will be a favorite and I’ll change it with seasonal fruit. How do you think it would be if I cut the sugar, added herbs and cheese for a savory option? I would leave the dough circle and cut wedges for baking. Thanks so much!! Tee
Sue
May 30, 2019 at 2:56 pmYou’re quick Tee! Thanks! I have been meaning to make savory scones for the blog, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’d love to hear how yours turn out if you try.
JudithM
May 30, 2019 at 10:03 amperfect timing, my rhubarb patch is bursting! I love your photos, they make me want to go and bake right now!
Megan S
July 5, 2019 at 2:14 pmJust made this recipe – it is absolutely delicious but I’m wondering if I should have made them thicker before popping them in the oven. They were only about half as tall as your photo. If that is the case, should I lower the temp and keep them in longer? Many thanks!!
Sue
July 5, 2019 at 4:20 pmThese scones aren’t super tall, Megan, did you make 8? The dough should be patted out nice and thick so you can get them as tall as possible. Also make sure your baking powder is fresh, and your oven is at the correct temp before baking your scones.
Linda Weirman
May 11, 2021 at 9:29 ammy name is Linda Weirman
I would love to make these scones but it would not let me print the reciope..
I will try back in a day or two. I just thought you should know.
Sue Moran
May 11, 2021 at 10:23 amA few people are having issues with printing, although it works for me. Can you let me know what browser you’re using, that might help us troubleshoot.