Banana scones don’t have to turn out dense or dry, and this version proves it with a stack-and-fold method that builds real flaky layers around a soft, buttermilk-and-banana crumb. Chopped pecans add texture throughout, and a brown butter cream cheese frosting swaps in for a plain glaze.

Four triangular scones with creamy white icing are arranged on a dark tray, with a blurred light cloth and a bowl in the background. — The tops get brushed with an egg and buttermilk wash right before baking, which is what gives them that deep golden color once they come out of the oven.

The Buttermilk Biscuit Trick That Makes These Scones Flaky

This banana scone is built more like a biscuit than a piece of banana bread, using the same stack-and-fold method I use on my buttermilk biscuits to get real, flaky layers. Buttermilk keeps the crumb light and a little tangy, closer to a good biscuit than a slice of quick bread. I skip the usual powdered sugar glaze here for a browned butter cream cheese frosting, since a few extra minutes browning butter gets you real flavor instead of just sweetness. It’s become one of my favorite scones to make for my friends and family.

What a Trip to London Taught Me About Scones

I started making scones after a trip to London in 2012, where I fell in love with clotted cream more than the scone underneath it. Clotted cream is hard to come by here, so instead of chasing down a substitute, I decided the scone itself needed to carry more flavor on its own. That is the standard I hold every scone recipe to now, whether it needs a topping to be worth eating or if it can stand on its own. This one was built with that in mind from the start.

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Two pieces of cinnamon roll with white icing sit on a floral-patterned plate, with a tray of more rolls and a cup in the blurred background.

Too-Ripe Bananas Finally Have Somewhere to Go

I always seem to have bananas that get too ripe before I can use them, and sometimes I want an alternative to banana bread. Turning them into scones gives me another option that’s just as good my brown butter banana walnut bread with vanilla bean butter

Why Buttermilk Instead of Milk or Cream

My biscuit method already relied on buttermilk, so when I started testing this scone, I used it there too instead of switching to milk or heavy cream. The tang in buttermilk balances the banana’s sweetness, and it keeps the crumb tender. Once I saw how much better this version turned out compared to the early batches I made with milk, buttermilk stayed in for good. It’s the same method behind my square buttermilk biscuits with no scraps, just adapted here for something sweet instead of savory.

Don’t Walk Away From the Browning Butter

Watch the butter closely once it starts to foam. Pull it the second it turns amber, since it keeps cooking in the hot saucepan and can burn within seconds if you leave it.
Don’t skip the 30 minutes in the freezer. Cold butter in the dough is what creates steam in the oven, which is what makes the layers rise instead of spread flat.
Keep the butter cold until the moment you need it. Cold, pea-size butter pieces in the dough are what create the flaky layers, so don’t let it sit out while you prep everything else.
No food processor? A pastry cutter works fine to cut the butter into the flour, it just takes a few extra minutes by hand.
These are best the day they’re baked, but they freeze well.
If your bananas aren’t ripe enough yet, you can ripen bananas in the oven in 15 minutes instead of waiting on them to get brown spots.

Four golden-brown scones on a patterned tray with a bowl of cream, a knife, and a floral mug of tea with a tea bag. A gray cloth is partially visible in the background.

Warm from the oven with the frosting just starting to melt is how these are best, and they rarely last past the morning.

Ripe Bananas and Cold Butter

The exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

Baking ingredients on a blue surface: flour, sugar, buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda, pecan halves, two bananas, an egg, and two sticks of butter.

Bananas. You’ll need one to two ripe bananas to get the half cup mashed this recipe calls for. Go riper than you think, since underripe bananas won’t give you enough sweetness or flavor.
Cold butter. A stick and a half, cubed and kept cold until the moment you need it. This is more butter than a lot of scone recipes call for, which is part of what makes the layers here so flaky.
Buttermilk. Full-fat gives you the best moisture and tang for this dough.

How to Make Banana Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting

Step One: Make the Dough

A metal whisk rests in a glass bowl containing milk, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract, ready to be mixed on a light blue textured surface. — Combine the mashed banana, buttermilk, and vanilla and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it. Cold ingredients help keep the butter firm.

Overhead view of a food processor bowl with flour and small cubes of butter inside, ready to be mixed, on a blue-grey surface. — Add cold cubed butter to the dry ingredients.

A food processor bowl filled with flour mixture sits on a blue-gray surface, viewed from above. The blade is partially covered by the powdery mixture. — Process until the butter pieces are about the size of peas.

A food processor bowl contains flour and chopped pecans on a blue surface, ready for mixing. — Add the pecans.

A food processor with coarse, crumbly dough inside sits on a gray countertop, viewed from above. — Add the chilled buttermilk mixture and process just until the dough comes together.

Step Two: Stack and Fold

The folds build the flaky layers. Each stack-and-pat creates thin sheets of butter and dough that puff apart in the oven. Don’t skip the repeats.

A slab of raw biscuit dough is divided into three sections on a floured wooden surface. — Form the dough into a rectangle, then cut it into thirds.

A slab of raw biscuit dough sits on a floured wooden surface, ready to be rolled or cut. — Stack the pieces on top of each other, and pat back down into a rectangle.

Step Three: Shape and Cut

Rectangular block of dough cut into four pieces on a floured wooden board, with a rolling pin nearby. — Cut the dough crosswise into four equal rectangles.

A wooden board holds triangle-shaped pieces of dough, a rolling pin, and a flour-dusted knife, all set against a blue background. — Cut each rectangle in half diagonally to form two triangles and freeze for 30 minutes.

Step Four: Bake

Eight golden-brown scones arranged on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced apart, and freshly baked with a flaky texture. — Preheat the oven to 400°F. Whisk an egg with a tablespoon of buttermilk and brush it over the tops of the scones. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Step Five: Make the Frosting and Finish

A glass bowl containing powdered sugar, a chunk of cream cheese, and a small portion of roasted garlic on a blue surface. — Brown the butter, let it cool, then combine it with cream cheese, powdered sugar.

A glass bowl filled with creamy beige batter being mixed with a yellow spatula, set on a blue surface. — Pour in the cream and beat until smooth and spreadable.

Each extra step here, the fold, the freeze, browning the butter, earns its place, and what comes out of the oven is a scone worth savoring.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.

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Ripe Bananas and Cold Butter