You’ll love this classic, easy Strawberry Shortcake Recipe. The homemade shortcake biscuits are impressively soft and layered with juicy strawberries and whipped cream.
We love strawberry recipes that use plenty of strawberries, like our No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake, and this crowd-pleasing Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Strawberry shortcakes are one of the most iconic strawberry desserts, and it does not disappoint.
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Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
This traditional strawberry shortcake recipe comes together quickly and it’s made completely from scratch, which is perfect for summer because you don’t have to spend a ton of time in the kitchen making it. Just like Panna Cotta, this is completely homemade but feels like a shortcut dessert.
Shortcakes are a great party dessert because you can set them up buffet-style and let guests build their own. They are best eaten fresh, but thankfully, they are super easy to bake and assemble.
Strawberry Shortcakes Video
See how simple it is to whip up this delicious recipe. Natasha gives you all the tips to make this classic Strawberry Shortcake one of your favorite summer desserts!
What is a Strawberry Shortcake?
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake is a stacked dessert with buttery homemade biscuits, strawberries macerated (juiced up) in sugar, and lightly sweetened soft whipped cream. The earliest recipe for strawberry shortcake dates back to the 1500s. It is popularly made with strawberries, but you can substitute them with other berries or sliced stone fruit like peaches (see our suggestions below!).
Homemade biscuits are so easy to make, and if you haven’t tried them, you are in for a treat! They exceed store-bought ‘bisquick’ in taste and quality.
Ingredients
Strawberry shortcake recipes include three parts: buttery, fluffy homemade biscuit, macerated strawberries, and whipped cream. These three ingredients are so easy to make, but together, they taste out of this world!
Substitutions
While this classic dessert is perfect just as written, try these swaps for a quick twist on the traditional dish.
- Swap the Fruit – Fresh blueberries, raspberries, diced mangos, peaches or our easy Cherry Sauce would taste great in place of the strawberries. Or for a fall twist, try Sauteed Apples and Caramel Sauce.
- Flavored Cream – Fold citrus zest into the whipped cream for a fresh flavor twist
- Garnish – Add a few basil leaves for a pretty and elevated presentation.
How to Make Strawberry Shortcakes
This classic strawberry shortcake recipe is best when the elements are made from scratch–and it’s just so easy! It starts with homemade biscuits and what sets these apart from our classic Biscuits is a teensy bit of vanilla and a little more sugar since these are meant to be served as a dessert.
Step 1: Make the Biscuits
- Sift together the dry ingredients with a sieve: flour, baking powder, sugar and salt
- Cut in the Butter – Add COLD butter into dry ingredients until coarse crumbs form. You can use a pastry cutter or a food processor.
- Combine milk, cream, and vanilla and drizzle over flour mixture. Mix until it starts coming together.
- Transfer to a floured surface, pat into a rectangle, fold in half, and repeat.
- Cover with a tea towel and rest 30 minutes at room temperature then pat into a 5″x10″ rectangle (3/4″ tall). Use a 2 1/2″ round cookie cutter or shark knife to cut out biscuits and bake.
Pro Tip:
For the best-rising biscuits, dip the biscuit cutter into flour with every biscuit you cut and push the cutter STRAIGHT DOWN without twisting.
Step 2: Macerate Strawberries
Mix the sliced strawberries with sugar while your dough is resting. This allows the strawberries to macerate and juice up in the refrigerator, forming a natural strawberry syrup that is so good soaked into the biscuits.
Step 3: Make Whipped Cream
In a cold mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Watch my video tutorial on How to Make Whipped Cream.
Step 4: Serve Individual Strawberry Shortcakes
Slice the biscuit using a fork to pierce around the center, then spoon macerated strawberries over the base, followed by sweetened whipped cream. Cover with the top of the biscuit the spoon on more whipped cream and strawberries.
Serving a crowd? You can also lay out a tray of biscuits, a bowl of strawberries, and a dish of whipped cream allowing guests to serve themselves buffet-style.
Make-Ahead
To make it simple to serve this dessert to a crowd, you can make each element ahead.
- Make the biscuits a day or two ahead, or make and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Stir the strawberries with the sugar and store the mixture in the fridge for up to a day ahead.
- Whipped cream stays fresh for a few hours in the fridge. Make it before the party leaving the cream with slightly softer peaks, and then finish whipping to soft peaks right before serving.
Classic Strawberry Shortcake is such a beautiful and fun dessert to serve at your next gathering. The taste of homemade biscuits, macerated strawberries, and homemade whipped cream is worth every moment it takes to make them from scratch.
More Easy Strawberry Recipes
We always have a ton of sweet, delicious strawberries during strawberry season. After you try this Strawberry Shortcake Recipe, treat yourself to these other delicious strawberry recipes!
- Easy Strawberry Cake
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Strawberry Sauce
- Strawberry Scones
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Strawberry Smoothie
Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Ingredients
Shortcake Biscuits:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more to dust
- 1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold, diced
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1/2 cup milk, cold
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Macerated Strawberries:
- 1 1/2 lbs strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Whipped Cream
- 1 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
How to Make Biscuits
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients then sift together. Add 5 Tbsp diced cold butter and cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with a food processor until it resembles course crumbs.
- Stir together 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1/2 tsp vanilla and pour over flour mixture. Fold together with wooden spoon until dough starts coming together then turn out onto a well-floured surface.
- Pat into a rectangle. Fold in half and pat down slightly into another rectangle. Fold in half a second time and pat down into a rectangle. Cover with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature (65˚-75˚F).
- Preheat the oven to 425˚and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently pat into a 5” x 10” rectangle (3/4” thickness). Use a floured 2 1/2" round cutter to cut out 8 rounds. Dip in flour with each cut and push straight down into the dough without twisting the cutter.
- Transfer rounds to lined baking sheet, 1/2” apart and Bake at 425˚F for 13-15 minutes or until golden on top. Cool biscuits on a rack for 10 minutes before assembling.
Macerate Strawberries
- Slice strawberries and place into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make Whipped Cream
- In a mixing bowl, beat together 1 cup cold heavy cream with 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla for about 2 minutes on medium/high speed or until medium-soft peaks form.
How to Assemble Strawberry Shortcakes
- Split biscuit in half. Add strawberries with some sauce. Top with generous dollop of cream. Cover with biscuit top, add more cream and strawberries.
Notes
- Make the biscuits 2-3 days ahead if stored in an airtight container on the counter, or in the freezer for 3 months.
- Strawberries can be mixed with sugar and stored in the fridge for 24 hours.
- You can make the whipped cream a few hours ahead by whipping the cream slightly less than soft peaks. Cover and store in the refrigerator, and then finish whipping just before serving.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Hi Natasha,
Thank you for the inspiration. I used this recipe today! My kitchen smells so good. I added 2 tablespoon of sugar on mine.
Hi Margie! I bet it smells divine. Thank you for trying my recipe. ♥️
Hi Natasha. I love this recipe. Its one of my many favorites from you collection. I have 1 question for you. Do you prefer baking and cooking with your electric oven the range oven? I am building a new home and wondering whether I should go full dual fuel range or ensure I have an electric oven as well. Any thoughts or suggestions would be immensely appreciated. Davita
HI Davita, we have a dual fuel range and love it! An electric oven is more consistent and having gas burners is great. I wouldn’t go back to an electric cooktop after this. I suggest getting a dual fuel range if it is ok with your budget.
Hey Natasha! I would like to make a large strawberry shortcake. Would this be possible?
Hi Madison, I haven’t tried making this larger, but I imagine with a few adjustments, it may work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha,
The leftover cream can save in chiller for how many days ya?
Hi Aishah, it’s best to whip heavy cream and serve soon after, but I have whipped it before, placed in a bowl, covered and refrigerated for several hours and it worked out well.
Hi Natasha! This looks like a great recipe but, I don’t have a pastry cutter or a food processor so can I use a blender? Hope you can help! Thanks! 🙂 🙂 😀
Hi Elle, I haven’t tested with a blender, but I don’t think a blender would be ideal. It would blend the butter into the flour instead of cutting it in. Two sharp knives might be better than a fork and will take a little longer than a food processor, but they should work.
I made your strawberry Shortcake biscuits. Amazing❤️
I enjoy trying all your recipes,
always a huge success!!!!
Thank you😃
Love it! Thanks for your great feedback, I hope you’ll love every recipe that you will try.
Can I use confectioners’ sugar for all the recipes that I use that you use whipped cream in?
Hi Amy, it really depends on the recipe. I would suggest making the recipe as written first before making any changes or substitutions.
Hi,
Just wondering if the dough can be made few days ahead.
Hi Belinda, I recommend baking it as soon as you make the dough. The biscuits can be made ahead and stored, though.
Natasha, I haven’t tried your Shortcake recipe yet but it looks delicious. One thing we do when making the whipped cream for our shortcake is use confectioner’s sugar instead of granulated. It stiffens the cream more and will last longer, especially if there is any left over. Thanks for your labor of love.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Natasha . . . if I am going to take the strawberry shortcake to another person’s home, for dessert, how can I make the whipped cream ahead of time and preserve the integrity of it for later in the evening when the shortcake is assembled?
Hi Marilyn, it’s best to whip heavy cream and serve soon after, but I have whipped it before, placed in a bowl, covered and refrigerated for several hours and it worked out well.
Can you freeze the biscuits?
Hi Margo, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Greeting from the Sunshine State we are in the Strawberry season and this is my second time this week I make Strawberry shortcake, recipe was very easy..Thank you Natasha.
Yum! I’ve been craving this! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I love everything you prepare! You are so bubbly and have a beautiful smile. You’re a terrific cook. Everybody loves a good cook!! Blessings…
Thank you for that wonderful compliment! You’re so nice!
Hi Natasha
It is a great recipe and could I substitute the all purpose flour for Gluten free all purpose flour
Or what would be a good substitution
Hi Denise, I haven’t tested this with gluten-free flour. If you happen to experiment, I would love to know how you like that.
Thank you Natasha! Tried this recipe since it is without eggs n outcome was superb! Will try this biscuit with raspberry custard as well 🙂
Hi Natasha! I have tried several or your recipes, including this one, and let me tell you…….your recipes never disappoint!!! Thank you for sharing them!!!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m all smiles
I have not tried this recipe but i am planning to but if you don’t have a pastry cutter or food processor, can you use a blender or a fork?
Hi, I haven’t tested with a blender but I don’t think a blender would be ideal. It would blend the butter into the flour instead of cutting it in. Two sharp knives might be better than a fork and will take a little longer than a food processor, but should work.
Very yummy recipe! Macerated strawberries for about 6 hours by the time we ate it, also added some brown sugar to macérate. Brushed the top of my biscuits with cream and next time will sprinkle some turbinado on top for a little sweet crunch!
Hi Natasha, can the biscuits be made ahead of time (2-3 days) and refrigerated till needed?
Hi Diane, that should work!
Natasha, can I make the dough in the mixer or it should be done by hand?
Hi J, it’s best done in a food processor or with a pastry cutter to ensure that you are cutting the butter into the flour.