These Pistachio Lime Scones include chopped pistachios and a vanilla lime glaze. If you’re looking for an easy breakfast or afternoon treat, look no further.
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When I am in the mood for an easy bake, scones are the way to go. They are endlessly customizable and only use one bowl! I have been working my way through trying “interesting” flavor combos and this one did not disappoint.
The first scones I ever made were my Mango Cardamom Scones. Then I adapted that recipe into my Raspberry Cream Scones, and finally I adapted those into these! I love how easy it is to adapt this recipe. If you come up with new variations, be sure to leave me a comment! If you're looking for another pistachio dessert, try my pistachio tiramisu.
Ingredients
If you have pistachios and limes, you will most likely already have the rest of these ingredients on-hand in your fridge and pantry.
- granulated sugar
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- all-purpose flour
- unsalted butter
- pistachios
- egg
- vanilla extract
- pistachio extract (optional)
- heavy cream
- raw sugar
- powdered sugar
- limes
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here’s how to prepare scones:
Form the dough into a 1-inch thick disk. Slice into 8 segments.
Brush the tops with heavy cream.
Sprinkle raw sugar on top. Bake.
Spoon glaze over the tops of the cooled scones. Garnish with lime zest.
Good to know: I pre-cut my butter into a bit larger than pea sized to make cutting the butter in even easier and quicker.
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Substitutions
Here are some easy ingredient swaps if you want to make these scones a bit healthier:
- Glaze — leave off the glaze
- Half and half — use half and half instead of full-fat heavy cream
Variations
Here’s how to customize these scones to your liking:
- Pistachio glaze — Replace some of the lime juice in the glaze with finely ground pistachios or pistachio extract.
- No limes — Swap for lemons or omit completely.
- More pistachios — use up to ½ cup of chopped pistachios in the scone dough
- No pistachios — use another nut or omit completely
Do you have any other variation suggestions? Let me know in the comments!
Equipment
Do yourself a favor and get a pastry blender, it is so much faster and easier than cutting butter in with two knives. You’ll use it for more than scones, I use my pastry blender for making streusel topping too.
I use a bench scraper to cut the scones, but you can also just use a sharp knife.
Storage
Store baked scones at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Top tip
These are best served fresh. If you serve them past fresh, I recommend reheating them in a toaster oven for 5-7 minutes at 350ºF.
Lastly, if you make these Pistachio Lime Scones be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Pistachio Lime Scones
Ingredients
Pistachio lime scones
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (65g)
- 1 ½ tablespoon lime zest plus more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g) plus more for rolling
- ½ cup chilled unsalted butter cut into pieces (113g, 1 stick)
- ⅓ cup pistachios finely chopped (50g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1¼ cups heavy cream plus more for brushing
- ½ teaspoon pistachio extract optional
- raw sugar for sprinkling
Vanilla lime glaze
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (143g)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the scones
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lime zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers to release the citrus oils. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour to the zest sugar mixture. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
- Add butter pieces and cut in with two knives or a pastry cutter until most butter pieces are pea-sized. Mix in the chopped pistachios.
- Make a well in the center and add the egg, vanilla, heavy cream and pistachio extract, if using. Mix just until combined.
- Dump dough onto a floured surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick disc. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut into 8 segments.
- Place on parchment lined baking trays. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar, if desired.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Make the glaze
- Combine the heavy cream and butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10-second bursts until melted together.
- Add the powdered sugar, lime juice, and vanilla bean paste. Whisk until combined.
- Spoon the glaze over the cooled scones and top with more lime zest, if desired.
