Breads & Doughs, Gemma's Best Recipes

Gemma’s Best-Ever Irish Scones

4.57 from 955 votes
With a lightly sweet crust and densely moist center, my Best-Ever Irish Scones are a tried and true classic. Take it from an Irishwoman and chef!
One Irish Scone is served on a floral dessert plate. It is golden brown with a crunchy, crackly exterior and loaded with raisins, stuffed with jam and whipped cream. The rest of the scones are on the big platter.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.

Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE: The Best-Ever Irish Scones recipe that’s as authentic as it gets — I’m Irish, so you’ve come to the authority on the subject. Moist, dense, lightly sweet, these are the best ever.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was updated and improved on 2/18/2024, to include new photography, answers to the most frequently asked questions, and more Pro Chef Tips.

This is a very special recipe, one that has been frequently requested and highly anticipated. In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, I finally perfected my Best-Ever Irish Scones recipe! These are the most authentic Irish Scones around as they are quite literally a revamped recreation of what I grew up within Ireland similar to my Traditional Irish Soda Bread & Simple White Irish Soda Bread recipes.

To me, Irish soda bread and scones are all about texture. My Best-Ever Scones have all of the signs of what a scone should be: a crunchy, crackly exterior, a moist and dense interior, and a lightly sweet flavor. Overall a bite of these should feel like a big hug!

My Best-Ever Irish Scones, along with my Best-Ever Banana Bread and my Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies, are a tried and true recipe that will quickly become your go-to. Just like a flakey biscuit, scones are made of flour, butter, sugar, egg, and milk.

Gemma's Best Ever Irish Scones are served on a floral platter. They are golden brown with a crunchy, crackly exterior and loaded with raisins.

Table Of Contents

What Are Irish Scones?

Irish Scones are heaven on Earth, and straight out of my childhood in Ireland. They’re scones that have a lightly sweet crust and a wonderfully moist center served with cream, butter, or jam. Bonus points if they’re all homemade! They’re also traditionally round, not triangular like you’d find in the States.

If you need help making them, check out my step-by-step Best-Ever Irish Scones recipe video below.

Tools For Best-Ever Irish Scones

Ingredients of Best-Ever Irish Scones

  • Self-raising flour
  • Butter
    • FROZEN butter (salted is preferred for more flavor) contains colder water (than non-frozen butter) which will evaporate during baking to help scones rise and create layers.
  • Baking powder
    • This helps scones rise high and turn out airy.
  • Sugar
  • Raisins
    • They’re sweet and soft. Feel free to go with your favorites!
  • Milk
    • I use full-fat/whole milk. Any milk of your choice will work here. (Adjust it accordingly to get the same consistency dough as the video. )
  • Eggs

How to Make Best-Ever Irish Scones?

If you’re looking for a traditional, authentic, and flat-out simple Irish scone recipe, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s how you make them (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below):

  • Prepare the oven and flour:
    • Preheat the oven to 425°F (210°C).
    • Add self-raising flour to a large bowl.
  • Grate frozen butter:
    • Grate the frozen butter into the bowl. Frozen butter is my secret ingredient here, and I explain why in the next section. 
    • Alternatively using a pastry cutter, cut/rub the butter into the flour until fully crumbed and resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
  • Add your fix-ins: Stir in raisins, baking powder, and sugar.
  • Mix wet ingredients: Whisk the eggs and milk in a separate small bowl, add to the flour mix bowl, and stir until a soft dough is formed.
  • Press and cut: On a floured surface, press the scones and then cut them out with a cookie cutter. Combine the leftover dough and repeat until you’ve used it all up.
  • Bake the Irish scones:
    • Place the scones on a parchment-lined baking tray and brush the top with egg wash.
    • Bake at 425°F (210°C) for roughly 22-26 minutes until golden brown.
  • Serve the scones: Once the scones are cooled, add butter, jam, and clotted cream.

Step-by-step instructions on how to make Irish Scones: grated cold butter into the flour mix, add in milk and egg mixture, gently bring the dry and wet ingredients in to a ball. Press the dough to about 1 inch thick and cut out 3-inch circles.

Why Use Frozen Butter?

While these Best-Ever Irish Scones taste like they are made in a real Irish Bakery, they are so easy to make. The key to them is really that they are made 100% by hand.

In one bowl, I grate frozen butter into the flour.You can also do this whenever you have time and freeze butter curls.  This is the trick to making these the biggest and boldest scones. Grating the butter makes a huge difference in the texture of the scones — it creates pockets of butter throughout and adds loads of air and texture to the finished scones.

How to Store Best-Ever Irish Scones?

Store Best-Ever Irish Scones in an airtight container at room temperature (76°F/24°C) for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze scones for up to 2 months. For best results, defrost in a warm oven (300°F/150°C) until heated through.

How to bake Irish Scones: brush the top with egg wash and bake them until golden brown.

FAQs

Can you use whole wheat flour for making scones?

  • Yes, although your results will be denser so I recommend using up to half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour to reduce the density and the bitter aftertaste.

Why do scones call for so much baking powder?

  • Baking powder is a very important raising agent for this recipe since it leavens the whole recipe mixture instead of just flour. Therefore, with all other heavy ingredients involved, it’s necessary to use a lot of baking powder to give the scones a decent rise.
  • You can reduce it but your results will be denser.

What Can I Add to My Scones?

What shape should Best-Ever Irish Scones be?

  • Once the dough has come together, I roll the dough out and cut them into lovely rounds, only American scones are triangles. I can’t even tell you how nostalgic these scones make me feel.

How to serve Best-Ever Irish Scones?

 

St. Patrick’s Day or not, these are sure to become a family favorite! Also, don’t miss my other traditional Irish recipes.

One Irish Scone is served on a floral dessert plate. It is golden brown with a crunchy, crackly exterior and loaded with raisins, stuffed with jam and whipped cream. The rest of the scones are on the big platter.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

  1. What’s the secret of soft and airy Best-Ever Irish Scones?  

While mixing the ingredients, set your strong hand ready into a “claw shape” to pull your dough gently around, in order to get a light and airy result instead of an overly-dense and toughened one. Add in more liquid as needed JUST until the dough comes together and forms a ball.

  1. What can be substituted for egg wash? 

Brush scones’ top with leftover liquid (milk and egg mixture) from making the dough! You can also use melted butter (slightly cooled ), milk or yogurt.

  1. Can I freeze individual raw scones?

Yes, once the dough is proofed and cut into individual scones, you can freeze them as needed. When it’s time to bake, take them out of the freezer to defrost at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes then bake at 425°F (210°C) for roughly 22-26 minutes or until golden brown all over on the outside. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was updated and improved on 2/18/2024, to include new photography, answers to the most frequently asked questions, and more Pro Chef Tips.

Watch The Recipe Video!

Gemma's Best-Ever Irish Scones Recipe

4.57 from 955 votes
With a lightly sweet crust and densely moist center, my Best-Ever Irish Scone recipe is a tried and true classic. Take it from an Irishwoman and chef!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 12 scones
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
With a lightly sweet crust and densely moist center, my Best-Ever Irish Scone recipe is a tried and true classic. Take it from an Irishwoman and chef!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 12 scones

Ingredients

  • 4 ⅔ cups(1lb 8oz/680 g) self-raising flour
  • ¾ cup (6 oz/170 g) butter, frozen
  • ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 level teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) raisins
  • 2 large eggs (beaten)
  • 1 ¼ cup (10 fl oz/300 ml) whole milk

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the self-raising flour.
  • Using a cheese grater, grate the frozen butter. (Alternatively using a pastry cutter, cut/rub the butter into the flour until fully crumbed and resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in sugar, baking powder, and raisins.
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into your flour mix and stir until a soft dough is formed. Add a splash more liquid if needed.
  • Transfer dough to a floured surface and press to 1- inch thick.
  • Cut scones out with a round 3-inch cookie cutter. Gather remaining dough in a ball, re-flatten then cut more scones. It will yield 9-12
  • Place scones onto a baking tray lined with parchment and brush with egg wash.
  • Bake at 425°F (210°C) for roughly 22-26 minutes. (Update: In the video, I said 12 minutes but to get them really golden brown you will want to bake for longer)
  • Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving with butter, jam, or fresh cream. Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Heat in the oven to refresh.

Recipe Notes

BAKE TIME: In the video, I said 12 minutes, but to get them really golden brown you will want to bake for longer. I ended up baking for over 20 minutes — but due to differences in ovens and elevations, your timing may vary! Just keep an eye for the perfect color.
Nutrition Facts
Gemma's Best-Ever Irish Scones Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 Scone)
Calories 376 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 65mg22%
Sodium 35mg2%
Potassium 59mg2%
Carbohydrates 58g19%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 400IU8%
Calcium 210mg21%
Iron 2.7mg15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
4.57 from 955 votes (728 ratings without comment)
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

1.4K Comments
most useful
newest oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Daniyal Khizar
4 years ago

Hi Gemma,
I Found Something Really Confusing;
In The Recipe You Added 4 2/3 Cup Self Rising Flour And You Added 3 Tsp Of Baking Powder.
Are You Supposed To Add The Baking Powder Even If The Recipe Has Self Rising Flour?

Michelle Graff
Michelle Graff
5 years ago

My friend whose husband is from Kerry has been sick and hoped someone would make her some scones. I didn’t have a clue but followed your recipe that you posted in 2015 and both she and her husband said how good they were and that they tasted just like from back home Ireland! Thank you for sharing! Is it best to use buttermilk or the heavy cream with whole milk? I plan to make them more and wonder if these would be even better or maybe I should stick w the previous recipe. The 2nd go round I do plan… Read more »

Amanda Mandigo
Amanda Mandigo
4 years ago

Since I can’t go anywhere to get some good scones, I made your Irish scones with chocolate chips ???? So, so good!!

Teresa
Teresa
4 years ago

Is ok if Í change the milk for buttermilk.

Simran HK
Simran HK
4 years ago

Can’t go out to get scones right now so I tried this recipe and it was so yums!! Absolute comfort food! And I say this with absolutely no baking skills whatsoever! Thanks for the amazing recipe and easy to follow steps and video. Can’t wait to try out more of your baking recipes.

I have a question- how long can they keep and what’s the best way to keep them? Thanks!

Meganrose
4 years ago

Made these today , can’t describe how good they are & how well they turned out on my first try , thankyou ????

S. Cav
S. Cav
3 years ago

Best scones I’ve ever had!

Khburke
Khburke
3 years ago

I confesss that I felt I was cheating on my mother’s memory as I have always made the scones I grew up on… but these are the very best I have ever made! The lovely golden crispness on the outside with the flaky inside is unbeatable. I definitely believe the frozen grated butter is the brilliant key here. Of course I had to make some chocolate chip ones for my grandchildren which also were perfect… just a handful of the mini morsels. Excellent recipe Gemma. And the staunch Mayo woman my mother was would agree!

Ellen
Ellen
4 years ago

Hi Gemma,
I know you said you could use the liquid from clotted cream in making scones, but I don’t see it here. Would you substitute that liquid for the milk?
And by the way, I just love your videos and recipes!
Thanks!

sharonsiby
sharonsiby
4 years ago

Love, love, love this recipe. I’ve made scones before, never tasted so good, these were exceptional and light. My family really enjoyed them. Cannot wait to make another batch. I also used your recipes for self-raising flour and buttermilk. Thank you for sharing these recipes.

This Recipe Made By Bold Bakers

172 Images

asha rajkumar

Jim Kledis

CDK

Elena Togliatti

Sonpreet

Roxanne Newton

About Us

Meet Gemma

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

 

Weeknight Family Favorites Chapter from the Bigger Bolder Baking Every Day Cookbook