Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Scones
Rhubarb vanilla bean scones are buttery, tender, and filled with tart fresh rhubarb, fragrant vanilla bean, and bright orange zest. Finished with a simple vanilla glaze, they’re an easy spring breakfast or brunch recipe that’s ready in about 30 minutes.
Instead of pairing rhubarb with strawberries or raspberries, this recipe lets its unique sweet-tart flavor shine on its own. The rich, flaky scones balance the tanginess of the rhubarb perfectly, while real vanilla bean and fresh orange zest add warmth and freshness to every bite.
If you’re looking for a delicious way to use fresh rhubarb this season, these bakery-style rhubarb vanilla bean scones are one of the very best recipes to make. They say breakfast and dessert all at the same time (my favorite kind of breakfast!), and taste like spring.
Quick recipe summary
- These homemade scones are rich, tender and buttery.
- Fresh rhubarb is a fun and tasty springtime addition, and a little unexpected!
- Vanilla and orange zest add incredible flavor, and help these scones feel really special.
- Scones are one of my favorite things to bake because they’re done in 30 minutes.
- Scones are great for breakfast, brunch, or anytime!
“I have made these scones 4 times now since my rhubarb has been ready. They are amazing and I follow your recipe to a tee! My dough is very sticky and although I feel like I have done something wrong, they come out amazing and tender every time.. so I will keep going with it! Thank you for this yummmmmmy way to use up rhubarb!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” —from reader Donna
Key ingredients you’ll need
- Rhubarb: Fresh rhubarb is best (many grocery stores carry it May-July!), but frozen works okay too. Choose firm, crisp stalks.
- Vanilla bean: Vanilla bean paste works great, and you can also just use vanilla extract.
- Orange zest: Brightens the flavor and complements both rhubarb and vanilla.
- Heavy cream: Creates tender, rich scones. Whole milk is a fine substitution, if you prefer.
How to make these rhubarb vanilla scones
- Cut cold butter into dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender if you have one, and stop when most butter pieces are pea-sized.
- Add wet ingredients and combine to make a thick, shaggy dough.
- Add rhubarb just before dry and wet ingredients are fully combined, then finish mixing.
- Shape into a disk and cut into wedges. The dough will be very sticky! Keep your hands and counter well-floured.
- Bake at 400°F for 15-18 minutes until lightly golden.
- Make vanilla glaze while the scones cool slightly, then drizzle over the tops.
baking tip:Why biscuit and scone ingredients need to stay cold
For tall, soft, and flaky biscuits and scones, make sure you start with cold butter and milk/buttermilk, and work the dough quickly so the butter doesn’t have a chance to warm up. If your kitchen is really warm, consider freezing your biscuits and scones on the sheet pan for 15 minutes before baking.
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Using frozen rhubarb: Thaw the rhubarb before using, then drain and pat dry. Freezing rhubarb breaks down its structure, so it releases a lot more liquid than fresh rhubarb does. This scone dough is already very sticky, we don’t want too much extra moisture!
- Don’t overmix: Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, resulting in dense scones that won’t rise well. Mix only until the dough comes together, it’s okay if it’s a bit shaggy.
- Freeze the dough before baking: This step isn’t required, but highly recommended! Getting everything super cold before it hits the oven will boost rise even more, and freezing for 15-30 minutes can make a big difference.
- Strawberry rhubarb scones variation: Substitute half of the rhubarb for chopped strawberries, keeping the rest of the recipe the same.
Make ahead instructions
The freezer is your friend when it comes to making these rhubarb vanilla ahead of time! If you plan to bake the scone within 24-48 hours of making the dough, freeze directly on a prepared baking sheet covered with plastic wrap. If prepping farther out, store scones in an airtight ziplock bag. Either way, bake straight from frozen.
More rhubarb recipes
Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 5 tablespoons (70 grams) cold butter , cubed
- ¾ cup (170 grams) cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 vanilla bean , halved lengthwise and seeds removed
- 1 ½ cup (150 grams) rhubarb , chopped into ½ to 1-inch pieces
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (113 grams) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the butter and use a pastry blender or fork to cut it into the dry ingredients until the butter is roughly the size of small peas.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream, egg and scraped vanilla beans. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon until mixture begins to come together. Add rhubarb and continue to mix until it comes together into a thick, sticky dough.
- Transfer dough to a floured surface and use floured hands to pat and shape into a disk about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges and place on prepared sheet pan.
- Bake until bottoms are golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool while you make the glaze.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk/cream to make a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle over scones and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
- Scones are best the day they are baked, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- You can use 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract in place of a whole vanilla bean.
- Make ahead instructions: If you plan to bake the scone within 24-48 hours of making the dough, freeze directly on a prepared baking sheet covered with plastic wrap. If prepping farther out, store scones in an airtight ziplock bag. Either way, bake straight from frozen.
Excited to give this recipe a try! Do you think I could use frozen rhubarb in place of fresh? We’re past rhubarb season at this point, but I have quite a bit frozen.
Can you freeze these? Before or after baking
Yes to both! If you freeze the unbaked scones, you can bake them straight from frozen (adding a minute or more to bake time). If freezing baked scones, let them thaw in their wrappings and you can warm them gently in a 350°F oven for maybe 15-20 minutes, covered with foil.
Here it is June 2024 and your recipe is still a huge hit. I have made these scones 4 times now since my rhubarb has been ready. They are amazing and I follow your recipe to a tee! My dough is very sticky and although I feel like I have done something wrong, they come out amazing and tender every time.. so I will keep going with it! Thank you for this yummmmmmy way to use up rhubarb!
I made these scones last night for a group of ladies today and they were a huge hit! Thank you for posting this. By the way, my icing didn’t look at pretty as your pictures!
These muffins were delicious, my family and all my neighbors loved them.Will definitely be a favorite.
Made these this morning, and they are great!
Dough was very sticky, even with adding additional flour. Didn’t want to work dough too much, so I just made them drop scones.
Since I was adding frozen rhubarb, I thawed it and drained off extra juice. Making it less than 1 1/2 cups. That was amount I used, wondering if rhubarb would be soft, but it was fine. I’ll use recommended amount when it is ready to pick from the garden. Hurry please!
5 stars for flavor, and will make again!
Thank you for the recipe
I opted to use the orange zest in the glaze. It was fantastic! Best scone recipe to date
I want to make this, but am a little confused about the vanilla. I’m new to working with whole vanilla beans. Do I save the seeds when I scrape them out of the bean? What does it mean to scrape the vanilla bean? Is that a way to shred it into tiny pieces? When it says to add the vanilla beans, are they just two large bean halves?
I have some vanilla bean pieces in the bottom of a jar of vanilla extract that I made from scratch. The extract is nearly gone and I’m wondering if I can use those beans for this recipe?
Sorry for so many questions regarding the vanilla.
Vanilla beans are the tiny black specs inside of a vanilla bean pod. So to use vanilla beans in a recipe, slice the pod open lengthwise, then use a knife to scrape out the tiny bean specs and add them to the recipe. You do not use the pods, though I typically save them to make homemade vanilla extract as there’s still plenty of vanilla bean flavor left even after the beans have been scraped out. I hope this makes sense!
What kind of alcohol do you use to make the extract? I have vodka and saki. Will one of those do? It is May 1 here in British Columbia. The rhubarb is up, but it is just getting started. I am literally salivating here, I am so impatient having to wait for the rhubarb to grow so I can make these.
Vodka is perfect for homemade vanilla extract 🙂
These scones turned out so delicious fluffy and light.
Completely delicious. I will make these every spring. Substituted 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon on baking soda for the 1 tablespoon of baking powder. We get a metallic aftertaste in other scone recipients that I just use the tablespoon of baking powder.
Thank you for this fabulous recipe