This Pistachio Cranberry Scone recipe takes a classic dessert and gives it an Eastern Mediterranean twist with flavors of pistachio, citrus and honey. The scones come together with minimal effort. They are one of my favorite bakes for brunch, the holidays or a slow weekend morning with coffee.
For more Middle Eastern-inspired desserts, try my Tahini Brownies or my Orange Blossom Sugar Cookies.
Pistachio Cranberry Scones: Recipe at a Glance
Prep & Chill Time
50 mins
Cook Time
18 mins
Total Time
1hr 10mins
Servings
9 Scones
Calories*
272 kcal
Difficulty
Moderate
Main Ingredients
Pistachios, fresh cranberries, all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, lemons, unsalted butter, milk, honey and egg.
Technique
Processing nuts, mixing dry and wet ingredients, shaping scones, baking and glazing.
*Calories are estimated
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Why This Recipe Works
- Simple technique, big payoff: Grated frozen butter and a quick mix keep the dough tender and flaky without any complicated steps.
- Perfect for fall and winter baking: Fresh or frozen cranberries make this ideal during cranberry season and around the holidays.
- Tested and Works: Groceries are expensive! All my Dessert Recipes are tested by me, my team or recipe testers before posting.
Ingredients
These cranberry pistachio scones come together with a few standard pantry and fridge staples. Here is what you will need:
- Raw Pistachio Nuts: I recommend using raw shelled pistachios in this recipe. You will need them for both the base dough and for garnish. If you can only find toasted pistachios, you can use them instead, but make sure they are unsalted. For more pistachio recipes, try my Pistachio Lemon Bars.
- All-purpose Flour: The base of the scone; you can substitute with a 1:1 gluten-free blend if needed.
- Unsalted Butter: I really think you should use unsalted butter here, but if you only have access to salted butter, skip the added salt in the recipe. The trick to getting flaky scones is to grate the butter while it’s really cold/frozen. If you have trouble grating frozen butter, you can grate it straight out of the fridge and then freeze it in a single layer if you can. This way, it won’t just soften when you’re mixing the dough.
- Lemon Zest: The flavor profile in these scones is all about balance and lemon works well with the tart cranberries and pistachio. But feel free to use orange zest too. Try my Orange Blossom Sugar Cookies too.
- Half & Half or Milk: Adds moisture; heavy cream works for an even richer result. But most of the time, I will use Milk because that’s what I have on hand.
- Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen; if using frozen, no need to thaw them. If you only have dried cranberries, you can use those too. The scones may be a touch on the dry side but they should still bake up beautifully.
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make This Pistachio Cranberry Scones Recipe
Step 1. Process the Pistachios. Combine the pistachios and sugar in a food processor. Pulse until finely ground with a few small crumbs remaining (Images 1-2).
Step 2. Mix the Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and pistachio-sugar mixture (Image 3).
Step 3. Add Butter. Add the grated frozen butter and toss to coat it evenly in the flour mixture (Images 4-5).
Step 4. Mix Wet Ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, half & half, honey, almond extract, and vanilla extract (Image 6).
Step 5. Add Wet to Dry. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (Image 7). Fold gently with a spatula for about 5 strokes. The mixture will look shaggy and not fully combined.
Step 6. Add Cranberries. Add the cranberries and continue folding (or use your hands) just until the dough comes together. It should hold its shape but not feel sticky (Images 8-9).
Step 7. Shape and Cut Scones. Transfer dough to a clean work surface (no flour needed if you work on a piece of parchment paper). Pat into a circle about 8 inches wide and 1½ inches thick. Cut into wedges using a sharp knife or bench scraper (Image 10).
Step 8. Transfer and Cool. Place scones on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes (Image 11). This helps them hold their shape and bake up tall.
Step 9. Pre-Heat Oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C.
Step 10. Brush and Bake. Brush tops of scones with a little half & half or milk. Bake for 16–18 minutes, until the tops are set and lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes (Image 12).
Step 11. Glaze. Whisk together the icing ingredients (Image 13). Spoon over the warm scones and sprinkle with chopped pistachios (Image 14). Let the icing dry completely before storing.
Expert Tips
- Keep everything cold. Cold butter is essential for flakiness. Freezing and grating it distributes it evenly and keeps the dough from warming up too quickly.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Overworking develops gluten and leads to tough scones. Mix just until it comes together. A slightly shaggy dough is perfect.
- Freeze before baking. Chilling the shaped scones helps prevent spreading and creates taller, bakery-style scones.
- Use fresh lemon zest. It makes a huge difference in flavor, especially paired with cranberries. Adding citrus zest just amps up the flavor of desserts, like in my Peach Blueberry Galette and Macerated Strawberries recipes.
- Check doneness by touch. The tops should feel set but not hard. Overbaking will dry them out.
- If your cranberries are very large, give them a rough chop. This prevents overly wet pockets in the dough and makes slicing cleaner.
- Switch up the citrus: If you don’t have lemons, you can use orange juice in this recipe. Make an orange glaze instead. Even a lime glaze would be nice.
Pistachio Cranberry Scones Recipe FAQs
Yes! Shape the scones and freeze them unbaked. Once solid, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the baking time.
Store fully cooled leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Yes. Freeze unglazed scones in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and warm slightly before glazing and serving.
Frozen cranberries work perfectly. No need to thaw them first. You can also use dry cranberries, but the finished scones may be on the dry side.
You can, but it really elevates the flavor. If skipping, consider sprinkling turbinado sugar on top before baking.
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Pistachio Cranberry Scones (with Lemon Icing)
Ingredients
For the Scones
- ⅓ cup Raw pistachios – 45 grams
- ¼ cup White sugar – 50 grams
- 2 cups All purpose flour – 250 grams
- 4 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- 6 tablespoon Unsalted butter (frozen & grated) – 85 grams
- ⅓ cup Half & half or Milk – 75 grams
- 3 tablespoon Honey – 63 grams
- 1 Large egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon Almond extract
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Cranberries (fresh or frozen) – 100 grams
For the Icing and Garnish
- 1 cup Powdered sugar – 120 grams
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon Water or milk – See note
- ¼ teaspoon Lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon Chopped pistachios – 17 grams
Instructions
- Process the Pistachios. Combine ⅓ cup Raw pistachios and ¼ cup White sugar in a food processor. Pulse until finely ground with a few small crumbs remaining.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups All purpose flour, 4 teaspoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon Lemon zest, and pistachio-sugar mixture.
- Add Butter. Add 6 tablespoon Unsalted butter (frozen & grated) and toss to coat it evenly in the flour mixture.
- Mix Wet Ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup Half & half or Milk, 3 tablespoon Honey, 1 Large egg, 1 Egg yolk, ½ teaspoon Almond extract, and ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract.
- Add Wet to Dry. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula for about 5 strokes. The mixture will look shaggy and not fully combined.
- Add Cranberries. Add 1 cup Cranberries (fresh or frozen) and continue folding (or use your hands) just until the dough comes together. It should hold its shape but not feel sticky.
- Shape and Cut Scones. Transfer dough to a clean work surface (no flour needed if you work on a piece of parchment paper). Pat into a circle about 8 inches wide and 1½ inches thick. Cut into wedges using a sharp knife or bench scraper.
- Transfer and Cool. Place scones on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. This helps them hold their shape and bake up tall.
- Pre-Heat Oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C.
- Brush and Bake. Brush tops of scones with a little half & half or milk. Bake for 16–18 minutes, until the tops are set and lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
- Glaze. Whisk together the icing ingredients (1 cup Powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon Lemon juice, 2 teaspoon Water or milk and ¼ teaspoon Lemon zest. Spoon over the warm scones and sprinkle with 2 tablespoon Chopped pistachios. Let the icing dry completely before storing.
Notes
- Raw Pistachio Nuts: I recommend using raw shelled pistachios in this recipe. You will need them for both the base dough and for garnish. If you can only find toasted pistachios, you can use them instead, but make sure they are unsalted.
- Unsalted Butter: I really think you should use unsalted butter here, but if you only have access to salted butter, skip the added salt in the recipe. The trick to getting flaky scones is to grate the butter while it’s really cold/frozen. If you have trouble grating frozen butter, you can grate it straight out of the fridge and then freeze it in a single layer if you can. This way, it won’t just soften when you’re mixing the dough.
- Half & Half or Milk: Adds moisture; heavy cream works for an even richer result. But most of the time, I will use Milk because that’s what I have on hand.
- Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen; if using frozen, no need to thaw them. If you only have dried cranberries, you can use those too. The scones may be a touch on the dry side but they should still bake up beautifully.
- Keep everything cold. Cold butter is essential for flakiness. Freezing and grating it distributes it evenly and keeps the dough from warming up too quickly.
- If you plan to enjoy the scones right away, then you can use water or milk in the icing. If you think you will need to eat them over a couple of days, use water in the icing so that it can be shelf-stable. Store fully cooled leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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