These zesty and light Copycat Panera Orange Scones are a replica of the Panera Orange Scones! Perfectly zesty, orangey, not too crumbly, and filling! I love that these are a softer scone, not crunchy. Enjoy with coffee first thing in the morning.
How to make orange scones like Panera
In my opinion what makes the Panera orange scones so irresistible comes down to two things: flavor and texture. Let’s talk about the texture first.
These orange scones are not hard and crunchy, they’ve got a softer interior with only a slight crunch in the top and bottom. Since these are a scone made with sour cream, the added moisture is helping to keep these nice and soft and not dry and crumbly.
Now the flavor. The orange zest combined with the sugar makes these bright, light, and refreshing. You’ll love all that orange in the scone and in the glaze. The glaze for these isn’t just a sweet topping, it’s packed with orange juice and orange zest so it really enhances the citrus flavors.
To make the orange scones, it’s really going to help to have a pastry cutter. You’ll need it to cut in the cold butter into the dry ingredients. Trust me on this. Get a pastry cutter it’s going to save you time and energy. In a pastry recipe when a mixture is referred to as a “course meal” you’re looking to get a texture like the photo on the top right here. It’s grainy, and will fee slightly wet from the butter.
The recipe notes that the ball of dough should measure 7″ across. Keep a tape measure handy in the kitchen for times like these when you need to measure. Once you’ve got your 7″ dough ball, slice it into 8 triangles and you’re ready to bake!
I love a scone for breakfast. They’re not as cakey as a muffin, and they can be made as sweet or savory. These orange scones fall into the sweet category, but they definitely aren’t sweet like a cupcake. The dough is hearty and dense, but remains soft and most from the sour cream. The orange juice and orange zest lighten the flavors and keep these from tasting too heavy. Now you can enjoy the taste of a Panera orange scone right from your own oven!
What I love about this scone recipe is it can also be very versatile. Omit the orange zest from the dough and what you have is the foundation of a basic scone recipe! Have fun with it by adding other ingredients like chocolate chips, blueberries, or lemon!
Tips for making these scones
- Get yourself a pastry cutter. You really need this to create the course meal texture correctly.
- You can freeze these are keep them in the fridge!
- The glaze will harden on top of the scones. After it hardens you can add more glaze to each scone.
You might also like these other recipes:
Edible Cookie Dough Bars
Amaretto Blueberry Puff Pastries
Copycat Panera Orange Scones
Copycat Panera Orange Scones are an easy recipe to replicate the bright and soft orange scones from Panera. Tons of orange flavor and a softer not crunchy scone, these are the perfect companion to morning coffee.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 17 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 8 scones
- Category: Scone
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Makes 8 scones
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 2 navel oranges
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons butter, diced into cubes
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
Glaze
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed OJ
2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400. Combine the sugar and orange zest. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in butter, using a pastry cutter combine until mixture has formed a coarse meal. (See the step by step photos in the post)
2. In another bowl, combine the sour cream and the egg. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into the flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Using your hand, form dough into a ball and make sure all the dough crumbs are combined into the dough.
3. Place on a lightly floured surface and form into a circle about 7″ wide. Cut into 8 triangles. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake 16-17 minutes.
4. To make the glaze, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. When scones have cooled, spoon glaze evenly over each scone. Let set, then repeat to double-glaze if you have any left.
Notes
Adapted from: My Baking Addiction
You say add the salt, but it isn't in your ingredient list. How much?
oh my gosh, how did I forget that?! 1/2 teaspoon!! 🙂
I have been baking scones for quite some time and I do have to say I enjoy the Panera Orange Scone as a lot of scones in other bakeries taste more like muffins than scones. I didn’t have any sour cream so I substituted Greek yougart and these are delicious !! Thank you for posting this recipe !
so glad you liked them! Thanks for making them!
I made this today after first trying Panera orange scones for the first time a week ago. It was very good, but a tiny bit dry. I cooked for 17 minutes. I did accidently leave out the baking soda, but texture/rise seemed okay. I was a little confused by the butter. You have the scone and glaze ingredients listed seperately, but for the butter in the the scone section, you say 8 tablespoons divided, then you show 3 tablespoons in the glaze. Do you only put 5 tablespoons in the scones? If so, I would just change that number to 5 and have the glaze entirely as it's own separate list of ingredients. I only used half an orange for the juice for the glaze. I may put the other half in the scone mix next time.-Roger Baker
Roger, the butter is added in step one. Happy baking!
So do you add all 8 tablespoons of butter in the scones in step 1?
yes! All 8 tablespoons go into the scone batter.
Hi Roger,No, it is not 5 tablespoons in the scones.For the scones, put in 8 tablespoons of butter that have been cut into tablespoon-sized portions. For the glaze, take an additional 3 tablespoons of butter.Hope that helps!
Can light sour cream be used instead of regular sour cream.
I haven’t tried with light sour cream before…there should be some consistency changes as you’d have lower fat content. Flavor wise I think it would be OK!
These were really good! My grandkids requested coarse sugar instead of glaze, but the flavor and texture were perfect!
I’m so glad you and your grandkids liked these!!
These are incredibly good and very easy—my four year old is my baking assistant and he stayed engaged through the whole thing (quick and easy). These scones are moist and flavorful. Watch towards the end of the bake period. Mine needed to come out at 15 minutes.
So glad you like them!!
Just made these, they were so perfect! To add extra fluff to the texture, after making a 7″ circle, I folded the circle once onto itself and made a 7″ circle again for an extra fold of the buttery dough. They turned out great! Thanks so much 🙂
Made these this morning, though I didn’t have navel oranges, so used 1/3 cup mandarin orange zest and let it sit overnight mixed with the dry ingredients and butter. Also, substituted homemade Greek style yogurt for the sour cream. I baked for 15 minutes as someone else suggested. I also used mandarin juice and the zest of one mandarin orange for the topping. These were better than Panera. Now to try with lemon!
Greek yogurt sounds so good in these!
Made these just as written, but cut down on the icing a little. They were heavenly!! Just as good as Panera, if not better. I will be using this recipe as a base for all different kinds of scones. Thanks a million for sharing this recipe!
I’m so happy you liked it!! Thanks for the kind words.
Can I substitute sour cream for heavy cream?
I don’t that would work. Sour cream is more of a solid and the heavy cream will dilute the batter probably making it too watery. Greek yogurt might be an option, but I’ve never made that swap so I can’t say if it will come out the same.
I made these today and they came out great! Soft, fresh, and delicious! Wow, this is a ‘keeper’ and I will make this frequently for my family! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so glad to hear this!! Enjoy! 🙂
I make these at least once every two weeks. They are my husband’s favorite! I have also done lemon blueberry with this same recipe only I do the exact measurement with the lemons as you would with the oranges and add a cup of fresh blueberries! They were superb
so glad you enjoy! And those lemon blueberry ones sound delicious!
I really love little things, and I’m planning on doing a pretty big Christmas brunch spread. If I were to divide into 16 minis instead of 8, how do you think you’d adjust the bake time? Thanks for the recipe! I was so bummed when I lost my tried and true recipe, but these look really promising🤞🏻💜
Maybe give them a check at 14 minutes to see how browned they are getting!
Thank you for sharing this recipe ~ orange scones are a favorite with our family!! I’ve been asked to provide for a surprise birthday brunch (25 guests). I’m going to use your recipe! How far can I make ahead and freeze and still retain their great flavor?
Hi! I’ve never frozen/thawed these before so not too sure if there will be any texture change…but generally you could freeze these for a few weeks before thawing them out for the party! I recommend though only freezing the baked scones and waiting until the day of the party to glaze them if you can.
I made these they were awesome i almost ate them all myself! Next I am going to try lemon raspberry. Thanks for a great recipe!
so glad you loved these!!
Best scone recipe! So delicious 🙂 thank you!
yeay!! So glad you like them!
Easy and Delicious!!
these were very easy and quick to mix together. Used my food processor which helped with the prep time. Ready after 14-15 minutes. Definitely a keeper!
Thank you !
glad they you liked them! Hope they make your mornings cheery 🙂
Thank you for shearing recipe
hope you enjoyed!
My husband and I just sampled these fresh and warm from the oven and these are fantastic ~ We didn’t even wait to frost them with icing before sampling! I’ve decided not to make so far ahead and freeze. This recipe is such a goodie, and so simple, that I’ll make the day before the surprise birthday party and serve fresh the next day! 😋 Thanks so much for sharing!
yeay so glad you liked these!! I hope they are a hit at the brunch!
I’ve made these Several times. I LOVE Panera Orange Scones, and these are just as good. I have also tried them and added Cranberries and made them with lemon and blueberries. All are VERY Good. Thank you for an amazing Scone recipe. Can’t beat a scone and a good cup of coffee in the morning.
Dan.
thanks for the kind words, so glad that you liked these! I agree…coffee and scone is where it’s at!
This may be a dumb question and i think already know the answer but do you use all purpose flower or self rising?
Stupid autocorrect…flour
🙂 all purpose flour!
These scones are absolutely perfect! I intended to only eat one, but that did not work out so well. Thanks.
Haha glad you liked these! Enjoy!
Made them Right by your instructions
Buttery moist delish💕
perfect! Glad you liked!
These are amazing! I folded the dough over once as suggested by another reviewer and they rose up beautifully in layers. I also used coarse sugar to top half of them and glazed the other half just to give a bit of variety. Next time I’ll try cranberry orange and maybe lemon another time!
I’m so glad you liked this! Thanks for the kind words.
These were so easy to make and they taste exactly like the orange scones at Panera! I made a double batch last week to share with friends and they all loved them so much that I am making them again today!
yeay!! So glad you all liked them! Thanks for the kind words 🙂
Why does it have to be a naval orange?
It’s the type I used in the recipe, so I want to be precise in my recipe writing so you can use the exact type I did. I didn’t try this using different orange types, so can’t say for sure if the flavor profile would be the same.
Absolutely delicious!! I used Plugra European butter and I could not stop eating these! My new go-to breakfast accompaniment Andy I don’t have to run out to Panera to get them!
yeay glad these were a hit for you!!
I made these scones for my family and everyone love them!! They tasted exactly like Panera’s and they were super quick to make. Great recipe!
thanks for making them! Glad you and your family loved them!
This recipe is perfect! Thank you so much!
yeay glad you liked them!!
Better than Panera Orange Scones. I used Kerry Gold butter and chilled the 7” dough round for 30 min before cutting and baking on parchment lined baking pan. Used a digital probe thermometer to make sure the oven was maintaining at 400 before baking to assure best results. Very easy to make and they came out perfect. Thank you for for the great recipe.
thank you for making these!! So glad you liked them 🙂
This recipe is perfect! They are very much like Panera orange scones – ONLY BETTER!!! 12 minutes in the convection setting on the oven and they were light and moist — on the scale of cake to biscuit, they were appropriately somewhere in between. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe. My family loves these scones and asks me to make them every Sunday.
thank you so much for the kind words! I’m so happy these are a hit for you and your family.
I’ve been frustrated in paying the exorbitant price for these scones and when I saw your Copycat recipe I decided to give it a try. They were so moist and delish. My family loved them. These scones are so much better than the original. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Can’t wait to try your other scone recipes. Thanks so much!
I’m SO happy you loved these! Thank you for letting me know and sharing your kind words!
The scones are perfect and have taste and texture just like Panera. Thank you!
glad you liked them!
WOW! My first time making scones. Made by hand. Cut myself zesting orange so mostly used my non dominant hand. I thank God and you for them working out cause I did pray being a bit concerned with my dough working out and it to not be crumbly. It is sooooo much like panera it is NOT dry or crumbly and the glaze is awesome too and it didnt take as long as i thought it might either. Even tho i did blow up my kitchen mess wise but it was worth it. I will keep and share this recipe. TY for sharing. It rocks!
I’m so glad these worked for you and you liked them!! Thank you for the kind words 🙂
Made this per directions and after 5min in the over found the butter was dripping out of the scone and into the oven. Smoke everywhere. Did this happen to anyone else?
Oh my goodness I have not heard of this happening! Did you have these on a baking sheet? Maybe your butter wasn’t cut into the flour well enough and there were large chunks?
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
My preference is to use salted butter, I used that in this recipe!
Hello, Could I alter this recipe to add sourdough discard? Have you ever tried it? Thanks for sharing!
Oh gosh, sorry I can’t be much help on this…I’ve never baked with sourdough discard before 🙁
I love Panera Orange Scones, and your copycat recipe captures that super-orangy, tangy sweet taste. They are light and fluffy, but have that crusty, crunchy edge, too. I always grate my hard butter stick with a large holed grater. The work goes quickly and the shreds of butter are the right size to squeeze into the dry ingredients. Thanks for working this recipe out!
I’m so glad you liked these!! Thanks for making them 🙂
Hi! I’m going to bake these this weekend but wanted to double the recipe. Do you think it will come out fine by doubling the ingredients or should I make two separate batches?
I haven’t tried doubling this so I’d say make 2 batches just to be sure they come out perfect 🙂
Such a beautiful orange flavour! I made these the night before, froze and baked from frozen in the morning. It added maybe 10 minutes of cooking time, but the tops and bottoms were perfectly browned and the middle still had good moisture. A perfect addition to the breakfast table!
I’m so glad these worked well for you even after freezing! Thanks for giving them a try.
I made these this morning. They were awesome. I folded the dough a couple of times to get layers.
Thanks for the awesome recipe
First I’d like to thank you for this recipe. I love Panera’s orange scones and was hoping this recipe would come close. It does!! The scones are just as good as the ones at Panera Bread. I used a food processor to mix the dry ingredients with the cold butter. I pulsed the ingredients a few times and it worked out great. The scones are soft and the icing is delicious! Thank you again.
I’m so glad you liked them!!
Thank you so much for the kind words!!! I’m glad you liked them 🙂