These Lime and Coconut Scones came about when a very generous colleague of my husbands gave us a bag of limes. Fresh, beautiful, zingy limes. I love how limes are all at once sour but sweet and how they can be used in sweet and savoury dishes. The flavour is unmistakable and brings so much freshness to anything you put it in.

Want more scones? Try these Cranberry White Chocolate Scones or how about a savoury twist with these Cheese and Herb Scones.

A batch of scones sitting on a wire rack with wedges of lime around

These scones have a subtle coconut flavour from coconut milk and fine desiccated coconut. With the perfect scone texture of tender interior and crisp exterior, you’ll be wanting to make these for breakfast, brunch, morning tea, afternoon tea and everything in between.

If you love this combo, definitely try this lime and coconut cake too.

Scones vs Biscuits

Scones are often compared to US style biscuits and, while they have similarities, scones and biscuits are not the same.

The main difference is in the way the dough is handled. Biscuit dough is folded over itself to create lots of flaky layers. Scone dough, on the other hand, is lightly pressed together, and while they do have layers, it’s more of a crumbly texture than a flaky one. Scones also tend to be slightly drier than biscuits as they’re traditionally enjoyed with lashings of jam and cream with a cup of tea in hand. 

These coconut scones are a scone recipe with a slight twist – I’ve cut them into triangles (not the traditional round cut like my Blood Orange Scones and Chocolate Scones) and they are drizzled with a lime glaze which is also not traditional for scones.

You can also make these scones vegan by using coconut oil (solidified) in place of the butter and all coconut milk (rather than the half coconut and half dairy the recipe calls for).

Tips and Tricks

Before I jump into how to make scones, I want to give you some tips and tricks since, once you know these, making them is such a simple process.

  • Grate the butter: Doing this allows you to incorporated it into the dough quicker, without it melting in your hands. The large side of a box grater is perfect.
  • The butter should be very cold: The colder your butter, the more flaky and light the scones will turn out. Once grated, place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
  • If it’s hot, freeze the flour too: I’m not joking. In summer I’ll often place the flour in the freezer along with the butter. 
  • Minimal handling: You should not knead scone dough. Lightly work the ingredients together and lightly pull it into a slab or disk. You don’t want the butter to melt while your handling it, you want that to happen in the oven. 
  • Flour the knife or cutter: When cutting, you don’t want to press the dough together on the edges or you won’t get those cracks and layers. Use a sharp knife or biscuit cutter, dip it in flour before each cut and wipe it off after each cut.
A stack of two scones on a wire rack. Lime wedges in foreground. Whole lime in background. Grey table top

How to make lime coconut scones

Scones are quick and easy to make. Just a few simple ingredients and you’re away. Also, minimal baking time means you can have these babies fresh from the oven for breakfast in less than half an hour.

  1. Grate the butter using the large grate of a box grater and place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
  2. Mix together all the dry ingredients until well combined.
  3. Add the butter and use just your finger tips, a pastry cutter or knife to carefully cut the butter into the flour, just until you have course looking flour with the small butter pieces still visible.
  4. Now add the wet ingredients and just stir it together with a spoon.
  5. Tip the dough out onto a sheet of baking paper (it will be a little sticky but don’t be tempted to add flour). Gently press it out into a disk about 1 inch high.
  6. Cut into 8 triangles and place them onto a baking tray and brush the tops with cream or milk.
  7. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until the outside looks dry and the sides are showing cracks all the way from bottom to top

How to serve scones

Traditionally scones are broken in half (no knife required) and served with jam and clotted or whipped cream and most often at room temperature or just slightly warm.

For these ones, I drizzle over a simple but absolutely amazing lime glaze, then spread a little coconut butter over them. Lime curd and some regular or coconut whipped cream would also work really well 

Can you freeze scones?

Yes, scones freeze well. Freeze them without the icing, wrapped in plastic wrap and then in an airtight container. Let them thaw completely before giving them a light warm up in the oven or microwave. 

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Scone split in half on a white plate, smeared with coconut butter. Lime wedges in front, coconut flakes scattered around. More scones on a rack in the background

I believe in experimenting in the kitchen and some wonderful recipes are created by changing up a classic, so if you’re a scone lover, give these Lime and Coconut Scones a go. If the smell of freshly baked scones wafting around your kitchen doesn’t get you, the flavour will.

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3 scones stacked on a wire rack. Lime wedges in front. whole lime in background. Grey bench top

Lime Coconut Scones

Yield: 8 scones
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
4.6 from 25 ratings
Lime Coconut Scones are a zesty, tropical twist on a classic morning or afternoon tea recipe. These scones can even be made vegan. Making them is simple with this easy scone recipe.
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Ingredients

For the Scones

  • 360 g plain (all purp) flour (2 ¾ cups / 12.7oz)
  • ¼ cup icing (powdered) sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 57 g cold unsalted butter, grated & frozen (2 oz / ½ stick)
  • ½ cup fine desiccated coconut
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • ⅔ cup cold coconut milk (shaken well)
  • ½ cup cold milk
  • 2 teaspoons thickened (heavy) cream

For the Glaze

  • ¾ cup icing (powdered) sugar
  • 3 teaspoons lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon lime zest

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 200C / 400F / 180C fan forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
  • In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour, icing sugar, coconut, baking powder and salt.
  • Add the cold grated butter and using either your fingertips, a knife or pastry cutter, gently blend the butter into the flour until only small pieces remain.
  • Add the lime zest, juice, coconut milk and milk and stir with a spoon to sticky dough.
  • Turn the dough out onto a sheet of baking paper and gently press it out into a round disk about 1 inch high.
  • Use a sharp knife, dipped in flour, to cut the dough into 8 triangles.
  • Transfer to the prepared baking tray and brush the cream over the tops.
  • Bake for 16-18 minutes until they look dry and lightly golden on the edges.. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before drizzling the glaze over the tops.

FOR THE GLAZE (optional)

  • Mix the icing sugar, juice and zest together. Once the scones have cooled a little spoon the glaze over the top

Video

Notes

  1. For best results you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
  2. Make sure the butter and both milks are very cold.
  3. Don’t overprocess the butter into the flour – you should still see small lumps of butter.
  4. Don’t handle the dough too much, it’s important it stays cool.
For more morning tea and brunch ideas, click here.
Calories: 356kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Afternoon Tea, Breakfast, Brunch, Morning Tea, Snack
Cuisine: American, British
Have you tried this recipe?Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.