Anyone who loves savory scones is about to become obsessed with this simple Herb Scones recipe. They have a light, tender texture with flaky layers, making them perfect for a weekend brunch or a tasty side dish with dinner. Made with simple ingredients and plenty of fresh herbs, these homemade scones are a must-make.
Be sure to try my Rosemary Parmesan Bread and 3-Ingredient Biscuit Recipe for two other flavorful recipes.
The best part about making these flaky scones is that they're not intimidating and deliver great results. They're so good with a cup of afternoon tea or coffee, but I also love serving them alongside a meal instead of bread or biscuits.
While I do prefer sweet scones sometimes, there's something about a savory version packed with fresh herbs that makes a nice change. Plus, you can switch up the herbs depending on what you have growing in the garden or sitting in the fridge.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - The base of the scone dough.
- Sugar - Balances the herbs and helps with browning.
- Salt - For flavor.
- Baking powder - Helps the scones rise and gives them a light, tender texture.
- Salted butter - Use cold butter cut into cubes. Keeping it cold helps create those flaky layers.
- Fresh herbs - Use any combination of herbs you like. I used basil, thyme, and rosemary.
- Buttermilk - Adds moisture and helps bring the dough together.
- Egg - Helps bind the dough and adds richness.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Herb Scones
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step One: Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cold cubed butter to a food processor. Pulse until there are coarse crumbs and small bits of butter.
Step Two: Add the fresh herbs and pulse just a few times to combine.
Step Three: Move the flour mixture into a large bowl. In a separate mixing bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour.
Step Four: Stir until the dough forms, but don't overmix.
Step Five: Divide the dough in half and gently shape each half into a circle. The dough will be a little sticky, so lightly flour your hands and work surface as needed.
Step Six: Cut each circle into 8 wedges and then separate them slightly on the baking sheet.
Step Seven: Bake until the scones are golden brown and set. Let cool slightly before serving.
Top Tip
Don't overwork the dough. Mix just until everything comes together, then gently shape it into circles. Overmixing can develop too much gluten and give you tougher scones instead of the light, tender texture you're looking for.
Also, make sure your butter stays cold. Those little pieces of cold butter help create the flaky layers as the scones bake.
Substitutions
- Dried herbs - If you don't have fresh herbs, dried herbs work too. Use about ⅓ the amount of dried herbs since their flavor is more concentrated.
Variations
- Cheese - You can easily turn these into cheese scones by adding white cheddar, sharp cheddar, Parmesan, or your favorite cheese. Cheddar herb scones would be especially good.
- Herbs - Rosemary, thyme, chives, parsley, dill, and sage are all good options. Use one or combine a few.
- Toppings - Brush the warm scones with melted butter before serving and sprinkle with a few fresh herbs.
- Garlic - Mix garlic powder into melted butter and brush that on when the scones come out of the oven.
See my White Chocolate Cranberry Scones and Sour Cherry Scones for sweet scone recipes everyone will love.
Equipment
To make these delicious scones, you'll need to have a food processor, a large mixing bowl, a baking sheet, parchment paper, and a wire rack for cooling.
Storage
Once the scones have cooled completely, store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days or in the refrigerator for longer storage.
You can also freeze the baked scones. Let them cool completely, place them in a freezer-safe container or bag, and thaw when you're ready to serve them.
Common Questions
There are a couple of likely reasons. The dough may have been overmixed, or the scones may have baked too long. Mix the dough only until it comes together and keep an eye on them toward the end of the baking time.
Yes. You can double all of the ingredients, but be careful not to overwork the larger amount of dough. If your food processor isn't large enough to comfortably hold a double batch, I'd make two separate batches instead.
Rosemary, thyme, chives, parsley, sage, and dill all work well. I like using a combination so you get plenty of fresh herb flavor without one herb taking over.
There are plenty of options. For breakfast or brunch, serve them with eggs, bacon, or breakfast sausage and fresh fruit. For dinner, they're great alongside soup, salad, roasted chicken, or just about any meal where you'd normally serve bread or biscuits.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Recipe
- 3-Ingredient Biscuit Recipe
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread Recipe
📖 Recipe
Herb Scones
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups flour
- 1.5 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 10 tablespoon salted butter cold and cut into cubes
- ¼ cup fresh herbs chopped
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cold cubed butter to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with small pieces of butter remaining.
- Add the chopped herbs and pulse a few times to distribute them evenly.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk.
- Transfer the flour mixture to a large bowl. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and gently stir just until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Divide the dough in half. Gently shape each half into a 6-to 7-inch circle about ¾ to 1 inch thick on the prepared baking sheet.
- Cut each circle into 8 wedges and separate the wedges slightly on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, or just until the scones are lightly golden around the edges and cooked through. Avoid overbaking.
- Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before serving or transferring to a wire rack.
Nutrition
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