Cranberry Orange Scones (Starbucks Copycat)

Name: Cranberry Orange Scones Starbucks Copycat Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 1/4 Cups all purpose flour; 1/3 Cup sugar; 1 Tablespoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3/4 Cup cold butter (Cubed); 1 Cup buttermilk; 1 1/2 Cups dried cranberries (, divided); 2 1/2 teaspoons orange zest; 2 teaspoon maple syrup; 1/2 Cup powdered sugar; 1/4 teaspoon orange zest; 1 Tablespoon Orange Juice

Published: Mar 5, 2019 · Modified: Oct 11, 2026 by Candi Elm · This post may contain affiliate links

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If you miss the Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scones, you are going to love this homemade version. These Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scones are tender and flaky, packed with dried cranberries and fresh orange zest, then finished with a sweet citrus glaze that tastes just like the original, maybe even better.

Glazed cranberry orange scones on a dark plate with orange slices and a cup of tea.

Whether you enjoy them warm with a cup of afternoon tea or as a quick, sweet breakfast treat, these scones are pure comfort. They are surprisingly simple to make, and an easy yet impressive addition to any tea lover’s table.

If you love baking scones, check out my top tips for baking scones and browse all my favorite scone recipes for flavor ideas and more recipes to try next.

Quick Look

🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
🌡️ Cook Time: 13 to 15 minutes
⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
🍽️ Servings: 12 scones
⚡ Calories: 333kcal per scone
🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery and flaky, tart cranberries, bright orange zest and a sweet citrus glaze
✋ Difficulty: Easy, no eggs and no fuss

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Quick Answer

How do you make copycat Starbucks cranberry orange scones?

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then cut in cold cubed butter until it looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk, half the dried cranberries and orange zest, knead gently, and pat into two circles. Cut each into 6 triangles, fill the centers with the rest of the cranberries tossed in maple syrup, and bake at 425°F for 13 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with a glaze of powdered sugar, orange zest and orange juice once cool.

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Quick Look
Quick Answer
Why This Recipe Works
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Key Ingredients
Variations & Substitutions
How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Cranberry Orange Scone FAQs
Other Recommended Scone Recipes
Cranberry Orange Scones Starbucks Copycat Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

Click to see the technique science

Cold butter you can still see. Little bits of butter left in the dough melt in the oven and release steam, which is what makes the layers light and flaky.
Buttermilk plus two leaveners. The acid in buttermilk reacts with the baking soda while the baking powder adds a second lift, so the scones rise beautifully with no eggs at all.
Two sweeteners. A little sugar in the dough and maple syrup on the cranberries give the sweetness more depth without making the scone sugary.
Dried cranberries, not fresh. They stay chewy, keep the dough from getting wet, and let you make these any time of year.
The cranberry center. Slicing each scone and tucking maple cranberries inside puts fruit in every bite, not just scattered through the dough.
Minimal handling. Kneading only until the dough stops sticking keeps the gluten relaxed, so the scones stay tender instead of tough.
A hot 425°F oven. High heat sets the outside quickly while the butter is still cold, giving you golden edges and a soft middle.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

A taste of a discontinued favorite. Inspired by the Starbucks scone, with chewy cranberries and a pinch of orange zest.
Not too sweet. The tart cranberries and the sweet orange glaze balance each other perfectly.
No eggs needed. If you are looking for an eggless scone recipe, this is it.
Perfect with tea. The orange and cranberry flavors are lovely with a cup of Earl Grey or a Christmas blend.
Holiday ready. Cranberry and orange make these a natural for Thanksgiving brunch and Christmas morning.
Part of a whole scone family: find every flavor in my ultimate collection of scone recipes.

Key Ingredients

Simple pantry ingredients plus a fresh orange. Quantities are in the recipe card below.

Butter. Cold unsalted butter, cubed. Starting with frozen butter helps the cubes stay cold through the whole process.
Flour. Regular all purpose flour gives these tender scones the perfect texture.
Buttermilk. Works with the baking powder and baking soda to give the scones the texture you expect.
dried cranberries. I prefer dried over fresh; they make it easy to enjoy these scones year round. Half go in the dough and half go in the center.
Baking powder and baking soda. The two leaveners help the scones rise just enough while keeping the recipe eggless.
Sugar and maple syrup. Using both adds depth to the sweetness.
Orange zest, orange juice and powdered sugar. Most of the zest goes into the scones; the rest is mixed with the powdered sugar and juice for the glaze.

See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.

Variations & Substitutions

Skip the glaze: serve them plain with a dollop of clotted cream instead.
Orange curd: spread a little on a warm scone, or use my homemade lemon curd for a brighter citrus twist.
Fresh cranberries: chop them and toss with a spoonful of sugar first; they are much tarter than dried.
No buttermilk? Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into 1 cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Bigger, bakery style scones: use a scone pan or a larger scone pan. Starbucks scones are big, but I like to make mine smaller.
More cranberry and orange: my cranberry orange shortbread cookies use the same flavor pair.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Scones

Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt whisked together in a mixing bowl.

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Cold butter cut into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until it looks like coarse crumbs.

Add the cold butter cubes and cut them in with a Pastry Blender until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with small bits of butter still visible.

Scone dough with dried cranberries mixed with a dough hook in the stand mixer bowl.

Stir in the buttermilk until just moistened, then fold in half of the dried cranberries and the orange zest. A stand mixer with a dough hook is the easiest method. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until it is no longer sticky.

Two rounds of scone dough cut into triangles on the counter.

Divide the dough in half, form each half into a thick circle, and flatten it with the palms of your hands. Cut each circle into 6 triangles with a sharp knife.

Dried cranberries mixed with maple syrup in a small bowl beside fresh orange zest and an orange.

Combine the remaining cranberries and the maple syrup in a small bowl.

Scone triangles sliced in half and filled with the maple cranberries.

Slice each scone in half, add a spoonful of the maple cranberries in the middle, and replace the top. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.

Baked cranberry orange scones drizzled with orange glaze.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden. While they cool, mix the powdered sugar, the remaining orange zest and the orange juice into a glaze, then drizzle it over the cooled scones.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

Don’t be intimidated. Scones are simple; the keys are cold butter and not handling the dough too long.
Leave visible bits of butter. Those little chunks are what make the scones light and flaky.
Zest before you juice. It is much easier to zest a whole orange; an Orange Zester makes quick work of it.
Cut straight down. Press the knife straight through the dough instead of sawing, so the edges rise evenly.
Glaze only cooled scones. On warm scones the glaze melts and soaks in instead of setting.
New to scones? My top tips for baking scones walk through every step.

A plate of glazed copycat Starbucks cranberry orange scones with fresh orange slices.

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

Serve them with your favorite jam or clotted cream, with a cup of Earl Grey tea or coffee, or on their own for breakfast. At brunch or an afternoon tea, pair them with tea party sandwiches and my cream scones with clotted cream.

For the holidays, add them to an ultimate Christmas tea party with one of my Christmas teas, or browse everything in Christmas. While you enjoy your scones, read about the origin of scones and this inspirational Teacup Story.

Baking for a crowd? Set out a scone board with these, blueberry scones, cinnamon chip scones, Earl Grey scones, pumpkin scones and white chocolate raspberry scones, with more ideas in my breakfast scones and savory scones. Whether you are baking for brunch, afternoon tea or holiday mornings, this is one you will find yourself making again and again.

A cranberry orange scone broken open to show the tender inside and dried cranberries.

Cranberry Orange Scone FAQs

Do these scones need eggs?

No. This is an eggless scone recipe. The buttermilk working with the baking powder and baking soda gives them their lift and tender texture.

Can I use fresh cranberries?

Yes, but chop them and toss them with a spoonful of sugar first, since fresh cranberries are much tarter than dried. I prefer dried because they make these scones easy to bake all year.

What can I use instead of buttermilk?

Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes before using.

Can I make the scones without the glaze?

Absolutely. They are lovely plain with a dollop of clotted cream, and orange curd pairs perfectly with them too.

Why does the butter need to be so cold?

Cold butter stays in little pieces in the dough. In the hot oven those pieces melt and create steam, which makes the scones light and flaky. Warm butter blends in and makes them dense.

How do I shape scones?

Form the dough into a thick circle, flatten it with your hands, and cut it like a pizza. A scone pan works too if you want even wedges.

Other Recommended Scone Recipes

I hope you enjoy this Cranberry Orange Scones! If you make it, please leave a ⭐ star rating in the recipe card below, and come say hello on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. I love seeing your tea time treats.

Cranberry Orange Scones Starbucks Copycat Recipe

These copycat Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scones have just a hint of orange and delicious cranberries with a light orange glaze. These scones are the perfect tea accompaniment.

4.05 from 20 votes

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Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 30

Servings: scones

Calories: 333kcal

Author: Candi Elm

Ingredients

3 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
1/3 Cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup cold butter Cubed
1 Cup buttermilk
1 1/2 Cups dried cranberries , divided
2 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoon maple syrup

Glaze

1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
1 Tablespoon Orange Juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add butter cubes and mix in with a pastry blender until dough becomes coarse crumbs.
Stir in buttermilk until just moistened. Mix and fold in 1/2 of dried cranberries and orange zest. Mix until completely incorporated. You can use a Kitchen Aid with a dough hook. This is the easiest method.
Turn dough onto a lightly-floured surface and knead gently until dough is no longer sticky.
Divide dough in half and form into a circle and flatten out with palms of hands. Cut into 6 triangles.
Take remaining cranberries and maple syrup and combine in a small bowl. Slice scones in half and add a spoonful of cranberries in the middle and then replace the top of the scone. Do this for both discs.
Add scones to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
When cooled make the glaze and drizzle on scones on some parchment or waxed paper. Enjoy

Notes

Don’t be intimidated when making scones. They are simple to make. The key is not to handle for too long and make sure the butter is cold.

When you incorporate it into the dough make sure to have chunks or little bits of butter that you can see. This will make it lighter and so delicious.

You can omit the glaze if you prefer them without.

Add a dollop of clotted cream (optional)

Serve with a cup of hot tea.

Nutrition

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About Candi Elm

Candi Elm is the recipe developer and food photographer at A Day In Candiland where she has been sharing Encouragement, Recipes, Baked seasonal Desserts and Treats since 2012. Candi currently lives in Southern California with her family and enjoying life to the fullest.

Comments

4.05 from 20 votes (12 ratings without comment)