BEST Strawberry Shortcake Recipe (2024)

This easy Strawberry Shortcake recipe is everyone’s favorite summer dessert! Tender, sweet biscuits topped with macerated strawberries and freshly whipped cream make this the best Strawberry Shortcake EVER! Easy to make and perfect for small or large gatherings.

Love strawberries? Try my Strawberry Shortcake Roulade and Mini Strawberry Pies too!

What Is Strawberry Shortcake?

Only the most epic dessert EVER! Seriously though, it’s one of those desserts that you look forward to all year and as soon as strawberries are in season, you make on repeat for the next three to four months savoring every.single.bite.

But, to be more technical, there are three components to this dessert. Let’s take a look at those in more detail:

Biscuits or Scones.

This is the “shortcake” and my version is a cross between my biscuit recipe and my lemon blueberry scones (minus the lemons and blueberries of course!) It’s a tender, sweetened biscuit that can be made with milk or buttermilk if you prefer. So good! Take a walk on the wild side and try pound cake, angel food cake or even chocolate pound cake instead!

Strawberries.

Macerated strawberries to be specific. Fresh is best and rule the show when it comes to homemade strawberry shortcake. Slice or chop and toss with some granulated sugar and let them sit while the biscuits are cooling. The sugar dissolves with the strawberry juice and creates the most delicious syrup. (Leftovers can be used on buttermilk pancakes for breakfast tomorrow!)

Whipped cream.

Can you use a can? Sure, but why would use when my homemade whipped cream recipe uses just 3 ingredients and takes just minutes to make. I like to whip to soft peaks – so soft and creamy!

Once you have the three components ready, it’s just a matter of assembling and devouring – easy, peasy!

What To Serve With This Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Homemade Strawberry Shortcake is a delicious summer dessert that is perfect no matter what we’re having for dinner. Here are a few of our faorite pre-shortcake meals:

1. The BEST Steak Kabobs
2. Grilled Potatoes
3. Shrimp Foil Packets
4. Chicken Marinade
5. Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese
6. The BEST Chicken Salad

Ingredients Needed

There are three components to this classic strawberry shortcake recipe and I’m breaking down each one for you here. You can find the full printable recipe in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s take a quick look at what you’ll need:

For the Biscuits (Scones)

• all-purpose flour – this is the structure of our biscuits.
• granulated sugar – a bit more than my classic biscuit recipe but not too much because we’re sweetening the strawberries and whipped cream.
• salt – for flavor
• baking powder – this is our leavening agent for the biscuits.
• cream of tartar– this is an optional ingredient but if you have some on hand, use it! I love it in this recipe.
• unsalted butter – you want your butter very cold. Cut into small cubes and then cut in with a pastry cutter OR you can grate frozen butter and stir into the dry ingredients.
• whole milkor buttermilk – which one you use is entirely up to you, the recipe works both ways. I prefer the buttermilk, my kids prefer the milk.
• heavy cream – brushed on top of the biscuits right before they go in the oven.
• coarse sugaror turbinado sugar or sanding sugar – sprinkle on the biscuits before baking for added texture and sweetness.

For Macerated Strawberries

Only 2 ingredients!

• freshstrawberries– I like to get about 2 pounds. We like a lot of strawberries in our strawberry shortcake recipe. Take the time to pick through, wash, trim and hull the strawberries before slicing or quartering.
• granulated sugar – depending on the sweetness of my strawberries, I like to use between one quarter and one third cup.

Whipped Cream

Just 3 ingredients! See my whipped cream post for more tips and tricks.

• heavy cream– you want this to be extracold along with the bowl and the beater. You can place in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.
• powdered sugar– to sweeten the whipped cream.
• vanilla extract – for flavor.

Let’s Make Strawberry Shortcake!

Make Strawberry Shortcake Biscuit Recipe

1. Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cream of tartar (if using) in a large bowl.
2. Cut in butter. Use a pastry cutter to cutreallycold butter into flour mixture.
3. Add milk. Stir in the milk (or buttermilk) and mix just until the ingredients are combined.
4. Pat out dough. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface and pat into a rectangle about one inch thick. Fold in half and then pat out again. Repeat a few more times. If the dough is super sticky just sprinkle on some additional flour. Pat the dough out to ¾ – 1 inch thickness.
5. Cut out biscuits. Cut with a biscuit cutter or glass.
6. Bake. Place the biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet or parchment lined baking sheet. Brush top of biscuits with heavy cream and sprinkle sanding sugar or coarse sugar on top. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
7. Let cool. Remove and let cool while preparing strawberries and whipped cream.

Prepare Macerated Strawberries

1. Prep strawberries. Place sliced or chopped strawberries in a large bowl. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top and stir gently to combine.
2. Let sit. Let sit for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.

You’ll know the macerated strawberries are ready when the sugar has completely dissolved and there’s a nice syrup developing in the bottom of the bowl.

Make Whipped Cream

1. Chill everything. Chill the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. The whipping cream can also be chilled.
2. Beat. Pour heavy whipping cream into mixing bowl and beat on medium to medium high speed with the whisk attachment until the cream gets bubbly and starts to thicken.
3. Sweeten and flavor. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue beating on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, being careful not to over beat.

How To Assemble Strawberry Shortcake

Assembling the shortcakes is super simple and easy to do. There are a number of ways to build your easy strawberry shortcake but this is how I like to do it:

• Use a serrated knife to split the biscuit in two.
• Place a generous scoop of macerated strawberries directly onto the bottom half, about ¼ cup or so.
• Top with whipped cream, a few more strawberries and finally the top half of the biscuit.
• We like to add another dollop of whipped cream and a few strawberries to the very top of the shortcake.

For extra sweetness, spoon the strawberry syrup that is has developed from the macerated strawberries right on top of the strawberry shortcake. Enjoy immediately.

How To Store Leftovers

Store each component separately and assemble when ready to serve. Macerated strawberries and whipped cream are good for 1 day in the fridge while the biscuits will stay fresh for up to 3 days.

Variations To Try

Instead of biscuits, consider making scones! They are so decadent and delicious and perfect served with strawberries and whipped cream. Check out my Lemon Blueberry Scones for inspiration!

Angel cake strawberry shortcake is a lovely light take on this classic strawberry shortcake recipe. Simply replace the biscuits with angel food cake.

Boozy berries. Consider adding a few tablespoons of raspberry liqueur or Amaretto to the strawberries when macerating.

DIY buttermilk. Want the tangy taste of buttermilk but don’t have any on hand? Make your own. In a liquid measuring cup, add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or fresh squeezed lemon juice. Next, add enough cold whole milk to measure 1 cup. Whisk to combine and let sit for 5 minutes before using.

Strawberry Drinks

Craving more strawberry recipes? Here are some of our favorite strawberry drinks to enjoy with these shortcakes:

1. Strawberry Lemonade
2. Pineapple Strawberry Mojito
3. Strawberry Italian Soda
4. Strawberry Mango Smoothie

More Strawberry Desserts

These are some of our go-to strawberry desserts, perfect for summer!

1. Mini Strawberry Pies
2. Strawberry Shortcake Roulade
3. Strawberry Sorbet
4. 4 Ingredient Strawberry Oat Crumb Bars
5. Strawberry Sauce

How To Make Strawberry Shortcake