Surrounded by gray skies and dreary weather, don't we all long for a bit of brightness and sunshine? That's exactly what this refreshing Grapefruit Scones recipe provides!
Who wouldn't want fragrant citrus in a light, tender scone, coated with a bright, sweet glaze, to bring a smile to your morning? These grapefruit scones will make your winter weekends so much better.
I developed these grapefruit scones way back in 2012 (a whole 12 years ago!), inspired by my Grapefruit Yogurt Cake and a vast quantity of grapefruit. It was impossible to find a recipe for scones back then that let the grapefruit shine on its own, instead of relegating it to the background.
Naturally, when we received a gift of fresh grapefruit this Christmas, these scones immediately came to mind. They're packed with grapefruit zest and grapefruit juice in the scone itself, and topped with a light grapefruit glaze. They're delightful!
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Ingredients
Grapefruit scones take some pretty standard ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Table Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Buttermilk, yogurt, or sour milk
- Grapefruit zest
- Grapefruit juice
- Powdered sugar
Flour, sugar, baking powder, and a little table salt are all pretty usual in scones. We include baking soda to react with the extra acidity in the grapefruit juice and buttermilk.
If you don't have buttermilk, don't worry; I usually don't either. You can create your own sour milk by mixing 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters of lemon juice or vinegar with enough milk to equal ⅓ cup/80 milliliters. Combine it in advance so the milk curdles before you add it to the flour mixture.
You can also use plain yogurt, but you may need to add a tiny bit of milk if the dough seems dry.
Use unsalted butter; salted butter will make your scones salty. I'm sure you could use solid coconut oil or vegan butter. Shortening will also work, but will make your scones taste flat, since it adds no flavor.
There's no adequate substitute for powdered sugar for the glaze, as the cornstarch in the powdered sugar helps it to thicken.
Next up, the star: grapefruit! I prefer to use the red grapefruit, as they're a little sweeter. However, white grapefruit also will work.
There's no substitute for using a whole grapefruit, since you need the zest of the entire thing.
You also need the fresh grapefruit juice. While its taste mellows in the scones, it comes through in the glaze. Canned or bottled grapefruit juice will not taste the same.
Instructions
Let's make scones!
Mix together your flour, sugar, and leavenings. Add your diced butter. Smaller pieces of butter are easier to mix in.
Use a pastry cutter (affiliate link), or two knives, to cut the butter into the flour. There should be no pieces larger than peas.
Add your grapefruit zest to the flour mixture. I usually do this by grating the zest directly into the bowl. Toss it all together with a fork.
Mix together the grapefruit juice and buttermilk, then pour into the dry ingredients.
Use a fork to gently toss or mix everything together until it forms a clumpy dough.
Press the dough together into one ball or mass.
Gently knead or fold the dough over itself no more than 5 times.
Pat your dough into a 7 inch circle, then use a bench scraper (affiliate link) to cut into 8 wedges.
Separate the scones and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with milk (although I sometimes forget to).
Bake until the edges are golden brown.
While your scones bake, mix together the powdered sugar and grapefruit juice for your glaze.
Brush the glaze on the scones immediately after taking them from the oven, and the glaze will seep into the scones. If you let the scones cool a few minutes, you'll have a more opaque glaze.
Serve immediately!
Equipment
While you don't need specialized equipment to make scones, there are a few items that will make your life easier.
A pastry cutter (affiliate link), as pictured in the instructions section, works much better than two knives to work the butter into the flour. I use mine to make scones and pie crusts.
You need something to zest the grapefruit. A Microplane zester (affiliate link) like the one I use works great, but a regular grater will also work.
The bench scraper (affiliate link) cuts scone dough much more neatly than a knife will; I love mine and use it any time I make bread.
My experience has been that grapefruits are easy to juice by hand, but you can use a hand-held citrus juicer (affiliate link) to get the most out of it. I pour the juice through a sieve to ensure no seeds sneak into the scones.
Finally, a pastry brush will get the glaze into all the nooks and crannies really well, but I've also drizzled glaze on with a spoon.
Serving and Storage
Scones are best served warm. Since they're egg-free, they're best on the day that they're made.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container until the next day. Reheat a scone in the microwave for about 8-10 seconds to freshen it up. Still tasty - just not as tender.
Truly, these scones are delightful. I hope you love them as much as we do. Sit back and relax with a scone in one hand and a cup of tea or coffee in the other!
Top tip
Don't skip the glaze! The grapefruit juice mellows when the scones bake, so you definitely need the fresh grapefruit juice for that added oomph! Double the glaze if you're an icing lover.
More Citrus
Need more citrus in your life? Try these:
Interested in other recipes? I save and share recipes I like or want to try on my Pinterest page - follow me there! You can also check out my Facebook page for more recipes and helpful tips. I'm also happy to try to help troubleshoot my recipes there.
Have you tried this recipe? Or have a question about it? Rate it or leave a comment below! (PS: rating my recipes helps other people find them, too!)
📖 Recipe
Grapefruit Scones
Ingredients
Scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 245 grams
- ¼ cup sugar 50 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 8 tablespoons butter 227 grams; cut into small pieces
- zest of 1 large grapefruit
- ⅓ cup grapefruit juice 80 grams
- ⅓ cup buttermilk or yogurt 80 grams; see notes for substitutes
Glaze
- ~½ cup powdered sugar 60 grams
- ~1 tablespoon grapefruit juice 15 grams
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Use a microplane zester (affiliate link), or other grater, to zest the grapefruit right over the bowl. Toss the zest with the flour with a fork.
- Cut in butter with a pastry cutter (affiliate link) or 2 knives, until the flour mixture resembles crumbs. You don't want anything larger than a pea.
- Combine grapefruit juice and buttermilk in a measuring cup, and then pour it into the flour mixture. Use a fork to toss the crumbs together until everything is just combined. (A small amount of dry flour is okay.) Do not overmix.
- If mixture does not come together easily or if there's a lot of dry flour, add a little more milk (no more than 1 tablespoon at a time); use your fork to toss the crumbs together. For a small amount of flour, gently use your hands to work in the rest of the flour mixture. If you have to do this, do not knead.
- If dough comes together easily, knead gently, about 5 times, by folding the dough in half over itself. This can be done on a very lightly floured surface, or as I do it, in the mixing bowl by dusting the dough with just enough flour that the outside surface doesn’t stick to the sides.
- Gently pat into a 7-inch circle and cut into 8 wedges. Separate wedges on lined baking sheet and brush with milk.
- Bake at 425F for 16 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through, until tops begin to brown and toothpick inserted in center of scone comes out clean.
- While the scones bake, mix the glaze. Use a few extra drops of juice for a thinner glaze to give the scones a sheen. Keep the glaze thicker if you want an opaque glaze.
- For a light sheen, brush the glaze over the tops of the scones immediately. The glaze will melt and seep into the scones this way. For an opaque glaze, let the scones cool for a few minutes before spooning the glaze on them.
- Serve warm. Store cooled scones in an airtight container. They are best on the day they are baked, but are still pretty good the next day if microwaved for about 8-10 seconds.
Notes
Originally published January 2012. Completely rewritten, with new instructions and photos, in February 2024.
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