My strawberry shortcake recipe layers fluffy, tender biscuits with homemade vanilla whipped cream and a fresh strawberry topping that’s perfectly sweet and saucy. It’s my favorite, no-stress spring and summer dessert!
Save the Recipe!
You’re going to fall in love with this stunner. Slice open fresh-out-of-the-oven Drop Biscuits. Whip up my 5-minute Homemade Whipped Cream, and try not to eat it all before loading it on top of the warm biscuits! Decorate with my strawberry topping that’s just sweet enough while still letting those fresh strawberries sing. Best yet? The whole thing takes only 45 minutes to make from start to “dig in”!
If you’re a sweet tooth queen (or king!), top with my mom’s famous Strawberry Preserves instead, that’s sweeter and even saucier. And if you prefer cake instead of biscuits for strawberry shortcake, my Strawberry Pound Cake or Olive Oil Cake are matches made in heaven.
So let’s get into it so I can go back to scarfing down way too many of these little “single serve” strawberry shortcakes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick fresh strawberry topping: bright, saucy, and just sweet enough!
- Homemade whipped cream in a jiffy: sweet vanilla whipped cream in 5 minutes.
- Fluffy, buttery Drop Biscuits: the perfect single-serve dessert.
- Make it ahead: make this strawberry shortcake recipe up to 3 days ahead!
Ingredients for Strawberry Shortcake
- All-purpose flour – regular flour is the base for our biscuits!
- Buttermilk – cold buttermilk is a biscuit’s best friend, tenderizing them and making them extra fluffy and fabulous.
- Unsalted butter – cold butter creates flaky (not greasy) biscuits.
- Granulated sugar – a little sugar sweetens up the biscuits and helps us macerate our strawberries (AKA release their juices and make them saucy).
- Baking powder – baking powder gives our biscuits lift.
- Baking soda – baking soda also helps our biscuits rise (and brown!).
- Salt – salt enhances flavor.
- Vanilla extract – vanilla seems to make all sweets better!
- Fresh strawberries – while you can use frozen, thawed strawberries, fresh strawberries have a more intense taste and retain their texture better than frozen!
- Strawberry jam – a little strawberry jam intensifies that berry taste and creates a thicker, glossier strawberry topping!
- Heavy cream – want whipped cream? You need heavy cream! Regular heavy cream is more stable than “whipping cream”, lasting longer if made ahead and creating sturdier peaks.
- Confectioner’s sugar – to sweeten up your whipped cream, confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar) is key!
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake
I’m drooling just thinking about these warm biscuits loaded with fresh strawberry topping and whipped cream! Here’s an outline of the steps; full recipe in the recipe card! Here we go:
Prepare. Preheat oven to 425℉ Grease a large baking sheet.
Combine dry ingredients. For the biscuits, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add butter. Add in the cold butter chunks. Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients to form a fine crumble.
Add wet ingredients. Add buttermilk and vanilla, and mix until just combined.
Drop biscuit dough. Drop ¼ cup sized dough balls about an inch apart on the greased baking sheet. Bake for 11-15 minutes.
Mash strawberries. Fully mash a quarter of the strawberries. Then mix in the rest of the strawberries.
Macerate strawberries. Add in the strawberry jam and sugar. Mix. Let stand for 15 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally.
Whip cream. Use a hand or stand mixer to whip together the cold cream, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla over medium speed for 2-3 minutes until medium peaks form.
Assemble. Assemble by slicing biscuits in half lengthwise. Add strawberries to the bottoms, then whipped cream, and then the biscuit tops. Add more whipped cream and strawberries. Enjoy!
FAQs
Biscuits are the perfect base for strawberry shortcake! They are super easy to make, single-serve, fluffy and not too sweet. If you prefer cake instead, don’t miss my Strawberry Pound Cake that’s so delicious too!
Yes! While you can use pre-made whipped cream, homemade whipped cream only takes 5 minutes to make and it’s so good!
Yes! While fresh biscuits are best, you can make them 2-3 days in advance, reheating them in a 350-degree oven wrapped in foil until warm. Whipped cream and the strawberry topping also last in the fridge for 2-3 days! Store them in separate, airtight containers in the fridge, letting them sit at room temp for 30 minutes before serving. The strawberry mixture will become saucier the longer it macerates. Assemble right before enjoying!
More Strawberry Recipes You’ll Love!
Desserts
Best Fresh Strawberry Pie
Breakfast
Perfect Strawberry Muffins
Snacks & Side Dishes
Homemade Strawberry Popsicles (With Lemon)
If you’ve tried this Strawberry Shortcake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you are here!
Easy Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Equipment
- Stand or hand mixer
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, (1 stick) cut into chunks
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Topping
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons good-quality strawberry jam
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream, not whipping cream!
- 3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, (powdered sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Grease a large baking sheet and set aside.
- For the biscuits, in a large bowl, use a whisk to combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add in the cold butter chunks. Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients to form a fine crumble (very small pieces of butter mixed into the flour mixture).
- Add buttermilk and the ½ teaspoon vanilla, and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix!
- Drop ¼ cup sized dough balls about an inch apart on the greased baking sheet. You should have enough dough for about 11 biscuits. Bake for 11-15 minutes, until light golden and set.
- While biscuits are baking, fully mash a quarter (¼) of the strawberries. Then mix in the rest of the sliced strawberries.
- Add in the strawberry jam and 2 tablespoons sugar. Mix. Let stand for 15 minutes at room temperature to let the strawberries release their juices, tossing occasionally.
- While biscuits cool for a few minutes, make the whipped cream. Use a hand or stand mixer to whip together the cold cream, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla over medium speed for about 2-3 minutes until medium peaks form (holds its shape well without being overly stiff).
- Assemble by slicing biscuits in half lengthwise. Add a generous spoonful of the strawberries to the bottoms, then a big dollop of whipped cream, and then pop on the biscuit tops. Finally, add another dollop of whipped cream and some more strawberries. Enjoy right away!
Video
Notes
- Make ahead: While fresh biscuits are best, you can make them 2-3 days in advance, reheating them until warm. Whipped cream and the strawberry topping also last in the fridge for 2-3 days! Store them in separate, airtight containers in the fridge. The strawberry mixture will become saucier the longer it macerates. Assemble right before enjoying! Refer to my FAQs for more details.
- Like a sweeter whipped cream? Add a tablespoon or two more powdered sugar!
- Don’t have time to make whipped cream? Buy it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I wanted to test this recipe now so I could make it later for my husband and family for our big Father’s Day celebration next month. This recipe is perfect, and so easy! I am excited to make it for our big celebration next month! Thank you!
Love to hear this! Thanks for your comment and let me know how it goes for Father’s Day!
Grace
Strawberry shortcake marks the beginning of summer and this recipe makes that beginning a celebration!
The key is a biscuit that is not too sweet, but rather acts as a foil against the delectable sweetness of ripe strawberries.
Delicious!!!
I love your description!! Thanks for your review!
Grace
OMG the biscuits are heaven!! Wow this is seriously the best strawberry shortcake!
AHH yay! I’m glad you agree!
Grace