Skip the store-bought and make summertime strawberry shortcake completely from scratch with this recipe! Biscuits recipe updated in 2021. Using less flour and baking powder, adding a bit of baking soda, and including a dough folding step, these sweet biscuits are better than ever. They’re simply perfect for holding juicy strawberries and fresh whipped cream!
Today is real food and real flavor brought to life without any peanut butter swirls, caramel drizzles, rainbows, chocolate chunks, candy bar pieces, sprinkles, or unicorn magic. Strawberries + sweet biscuits + whipped cream. Every summer has a different song anthem with the latest chart-topping hit, but the summer dessert anthem stays the same year after year. And that dessert we just can’t get out of our heads, tastes delicious any time of day, and soothes our summertime soul is most definitely strawberry shortcake. ♥
Here’s What You Don’t Know About Strawberry Shortcake
Completely homemade strawberry shortcake is easier than you think. Skip the store-bought biscuits and whipped topping. Instead, have fun making strawberry shortcake at home. Load the homemade biscuits up with juicy strawberries and homemade whipped cream that, again, is so simple. If you can reach for store-bought whipped cream in the dairy aisle, you can make fresh whipped cream at home.
I hope I’m not overwhelming you with all this homemade goodness– I promise it’s all very doable. And that’s what summer is about, right? Simple, happy, pure homemade goodness that celebrates the season’s fresh flavors.
Fresh Strawberries for Strawberry Shortcake
You only need two ingredients for the strawberry filling: sugar and fresh strawberries. Chop up the strawberries and mix with a little sugar. The sugar helps strawberries release all their delicious juices, which will seep down into the sweet biscuits and whipped cream. (Aka the best part about strawberry shortcake!) I recommend mixing the strawberries and sugar together before you make the biscuits; this gives the strawberries some time to juice up.
Use Cold & Cubed Butter in the Biscuits
Use a food processor or pastry cutter, like we do for pie crust, to cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients, as detailed in the printable recipe below.
How to Make & Shape These Biscuits
Biscuits for this strawberry shortcake are not nearly as tall and fluffy as regular biscuits. Just to set your expectations appropriately! Don’t expect a super tall biscuit.
The shaping process is exactly like our regular biscuits using the fold and flatten method. Flattening and folding biscuit dough creates multiple flaky layers, just as it does when we make homemade croissants. This step is a lot easier than it looks. First, pour the crumbly dough onto a floured work surface:
Flatten the dough to about 3/4 inch thick with your hands or use a rolling pin:
Fold both ends into the center:
Turn it:
Flatten again and repeat 2 more times.
Use a biscuit cutter to shape them. You can use a 3-inch biscuit cutter or 2.75-inch biscuit cutter. You can bake the biscuits on a lined baking sheet, cast iron skillet, or round cake pan. A brush of heavy cream and sprinkle of coarse sugar gives the sweet biscuits a delightfully crisp top.
Homemade Whipped Cream
Just 3 ingredients here: cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. The colder the heavy cream, the more volume your whipped cream has. Unlike store-bought whipped cream, you can control the amount of sugar. I prefer lightly sweetened whipped cream with strawberry shortcake, so we’ll only use 2 Tablespoons. And another thing! Homemade whipped cream tastes 100x better than store-bought.
With its light and billowy texture, whipped cream is the perfect topping for pies, cakes, cupcakes, cheesecake, trifles, and so much more.
Let’s Assemble Strawberry Shortcake
After the biscuits bake, it’s time to assemble the strawberry shortcakes. Strawberry shortcake is fantastic with warm biscuits, cold strawberries, and cold whipped cream– but you can also wait for the biscuits to fully cool.
Assembling the strawberry shortcakes is the fun part! You can totally set up a “strawberry shortcake bar” where everyone makes their own stacks. And you could definitely add blueberries to the sweet strawberries for a patriotic treat in the summertime.
More Fan-Favorite Summer Desserts
- Key Lime Pie – only 3 ingredients in the filling
- No Bake Cheesecake
- Peach Cobbler – with homemade biscuit topping
- Fruit Pizza
- Lemon Blueberry Cake & Blueberry Pie
Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Shortcake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Fresh summer strawberries shine in this simple homemade strawberry shortcake recipe. The biscuits don’t rise super tall, but you’ll enjoy their crisp crumbly texture paired with the soft whipped cream and juicy strawberries.
Ingredients
Strawberries + Whipped Cream
- 6–7 cups quartered strawberries
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
Biscuits
- 2 and 3/4 cups (345g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for hands and work surface*
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt (I recommend fine sea salt)
- 3/4 cup (180g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk*
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream or buttermilk
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Start with the strawberries: Stir the strawberries and 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar together in a large bowl. Cover and set in the refrigerator until ready to use. This time allows the strawberries to release their delicious juices.
- Make the biscuits: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Mix the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl or in a large food processor. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs form. If you used a food processor, pour the mixture into a large bowl.
- Pour buttermilk on top. Fold everything together with a large spoon or rubber spatula until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough will be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots. Pour the dough and any dough crumbles onto a floured work surface and gently bring together with generously floured hands. Have extra flour nearby and use it often to flour your hands and work surface in this step. Using floured hands or a floured rolling pin, flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle as best you can. Fold one side into the center, then the other side. Turn the dough horizontally. Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle again. Repeat the folding again. Turn the dough horizontally one more time. Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle. Repeat the folding one last time. Flatten into the final 3/4 inch thick rectangle.
- Cut into 2.75 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. (Tip: Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pressing down into the dough.) Re-roll/flatten any scraps and cut more circles until you have around 10-12 biscuits.
- Arrange in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (see note) or close together on a parchment paper or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet. Make sure the biscuits are touching.
- Brush the tops with 2 Tablespoons heavy cream or buttermilk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown on top. Remove from the oven, then cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before assembling.
- Make the whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until soft-medium peaks form, about 3 minutes.
- Slice the biscuits in half and layer with strawberries and whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Each part of this recipe can be prepared ahead of time. Make the biscuits up to 3 days in advance and store covered tightly at room temperature– or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before using. Prepare the strawberries in step 1 up to 1 day in advance. Prepare the whipped cream up to 1 day in advance. Store both in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools: KitchenAid Stand Mixer | Pastry Cutter or Food Processor | 3-Inch Biscuit Cutter or 2.75-Inch Biscuit Cutter | 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet | Pastry Brush | Silpat Baking Mat | Baking Half Sheet
- Flour: Starting with cold flour is helpful when making biscuits. If you can remember, place the flour in the freezer 30 minutes before beginning.
- Baking Powder: To avoid a chemical aftertaste, make sure your baking powder is labeled aluminum free. I usually use Clabber Girl brand and though the ingredients state aluminum, I’ve never noticed an aluminum aftertaste.
- Buttermilk: You can substitute whole milk for buttermilk if desired. Acidic buttermilk isn’t needed in order for the biscuits to rise since we’re using baking powder. However if you’d like the tangy flavor, which I highly recommend, you can make your own sour milk substitute. Add 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add enough cold milk to make 1 cup. (You need 1 cup in the recipe, plus 2 Tbsp for brushing– you can use regular milk to brush on top.) Whisk together, then let sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe. Whole milk is best for the DIY sour milk substitute, though lower fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch. (In my testing, the biscuits don’t taste as rich or rise quite as tall using lower fat or nondairy milks.)
- If you’re using a cast iron skillet: If your cast iron skillet isn’t well seasoned, I recommend greasing it with a little vegetable oil or melted butter. Brush a thin layer of either on the bottom and around the sides. No need to heat the cast iron skillet before using, though you certainly can by placing it in the preheated oven for 15 minutes before arranging the shaped biscuits in it.
- Older Version of This Recipe: We tested and retested this recipe based on reader feedback in 2021. Old version of this recipe called for 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour and 2 Tablespoons baking powder (no baking soda). The written recipe above yields better results with more flavorful and taller biscuits.
Keywords: strawberry shortcake
Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe; it was quick and easy to make with great results. It turned out beautifully, tasty biscuits and sweet strawberries and whipped cream. We really enjoyed the shortcake. Made for What’s on the Menu? tag game.
★★★★★
Hi there,
I’m a pretty adept baker – one of my favorite hobbies, started with my mom when I was a toddler – and these did not turn out for me. They barely rose at all. They look lovely and tasted okay but they were flat as pancakes. I’ve gone over the recipe several times and didn’t make any errors. I did halve it but this shouldn’t have impacted the result. Any thoughts? Thanks
Hi Jennifer, I’m glad you enjoyed the taste of the biscuits. I have 3 tips for taller biscuits: Make sure your dough is 1/2 inch thick to start (don’t shape it too thin). The most important thing is to use a sharp cutter and do not to twist it at all while pressing down (this seals the edges and prevents them from rising). And also be sure they are touching snugly on your pan while baking so they help lift each other up.
5 stars–Delicious. perfect delicate moist crumb. However, mine didn’t rise very high. But worked out none-the less. I did halve the recipe as 12 biscuits are too many for DH and me. Perhaps I should have added 1extra tsp of baking powder as 1Tbsp might not be enough? I did clabber sweet milk to sour with vinegar as no Buttermilk on hand. If I lower the oven temp to 400 but bake a bit longer will they rise higher? This is just a wonderful tender biscuit. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
I’m thrilled you both enjoyed them so much, Sheila! My #1 tips for tall biscuits is Do NOT twist the cutter. Firmly press the cutter down into the biscuit dough. Twisting the cutter into the dough will seal off the biscuit edges, preventing the biscuits from rising. Also be sure they are touching each other in the pan, and that you didn’t roll out the dough too thin.
Recipe’s delicious and truly easy. I think the metrics are bit off, though; I am in Italy and used the weight instead of volume and the dough came out way too wet. Had to add flour, maybe 50-70g? It still turned out perfect though 🙂
★★★★★
Stop what you’re doing and try these shortcakes! The best part are the biscuits with the strawberry juices soaked in and they’re really not that hard to make! Great recipe Sally, I can’t wait for strawberry season to start because I’ll make them all the time!
★★★★★
Could you bake the shortcake like a cake without cutting into biscuit form? Id like to skip this step and just cut into squares once done baking????
I’m sure you could, but I haven’t tried it. I recommend using a 9-inch square baking pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time.
I made this recipe last night. Followed steps exactly and it came out perfectly. My family and friends loved it. I have made many shortcakes, this is now my goto recipe. Thank you! Looking forward to trying many more of your recipes!
★★★★★
Your tips and step by step recipe is so very helpful
★★★★★
I’ve been following you and our website for YEARSS and i was SO excited when I saw Chrissy Teigen used one of your recipes on her new website!! which naturally brought me back here to browse some new recipes to try and now I am set on making this quiche for brunch this weekend. Can’t wait!
Wow…….definitely five stars Sally!!! I’ve never made American ‘biscuits’ before (I’m from Australia) but they are SO GOOD!!! Kind of like our scones, but denser and more moist. And this recipe is so simple, yet so perfect….so simple that I got mine looking almost exactly like yours after following the recipe to a T and watching your Sprinkled Episode 3! I left the quartered and sugared strawberries in the refrigerator for a couple of days (unintentionally – I ran out of ingredients and couldn’t make the biscuits!) and when I did get around to making the rest of the recipe, the strawberries were so good people ate them straight out of the bowl. And they left so much juice that we poured it over the top and used the biscuits to scrape it up….delicious 😉 Thank you Sally!!!
★★★★★
It’s late summer Peach season and I wanted a simple dessert using my favorite fruit. My husband used to bake as a hobby and always turned to a “Sally recipe.” So, when I saw this shortcake recipe I knew had to try it. I was not disappointed and he won’t be when he gets home from Chicago – if there are any biscuits left.
Love these strawberry shortcakes! Curious if you’ve ever experimented with mixing frozen berries right into the shortcake? They were so scone-like I’d love to take them on a camping trip as a fancy breakfast treat–but worried that mixed berries would affect the texture of the shortcake.
I’m so glad you love them! I haven’t tried mixing the berries into the dough. If you try make sure to blot them dry as the excess moisture could change the texture of the biscuits. If you are interested I do already have many scone recipes that I think you would enjoy! You can find them here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/breakfast-treats/scone-recipes/
This was my first time making strawberry short cakes and it was an AMAZING recipe! Got it together really quick! Loved them so much! Totally a keeper!
★★★★★
These biscuits were perfection! I used soured milk since I was away on vacation with limited access to “stuff”. I always end up dumping out half the container of buttermilk anyway because it always goes bad before I can use the whole thing, so the substitution of vinegar in the milk was great! The top of the biscuits were crusty and crackly (even though I didn’t have coarse sugar, only regular granulated) and the inside had an incredible tender crumb! I think you’re right in that the key is to BARELY work the the dough once the ingredients have been combined. And the entire thing took 5 minutes to put together! This recipe is a total keeper – I don’t think I’ll ever use another!
★★★★★
I agree! These are the best looking biscuits I have ever made! Cant wait to put everything together tonight and try this recipe! So easy to cut up the strawberries and whip up the biscuits!
★★★★★
So delicious! The best strawberry shortcake I have ever had!
★★★★★
This is a wonderful recipe. Easy and delicious!
★★★★★
5-Stars!! Love the “cream” biscuits. Instead of rolling and cutting, I take a handful, roll in a ball and pat–that makes them a little prettier than a ‘drop biscuit.’ I cut the recipe in half and had 6 biscuits. Perfect! Thank you.
★★★★★
I bake a lot but this is the first time making biscuits, so I knew they’d be denser, but yeah I do think I used too much liquid. Thanks for the reply! Love the recipe!
★★★★★
These were delicious. I added the zest of an
orange and some vanilla to the biscuits.
★★★★★
I’ve enjoyed making these during this strawberry season. I made the biscuits as written and I liked the crunch the coarse sugar gave it however in reheating after the first day, it took longer for the tops to get crunchy again. The second time I doubled the sugar because I prefer a sweeter biscuit and added a tsp of cinnamon for some flavor with the flour, stirred in a tsp of vanilla with the buttermilk and left off the coarse sugar. I still brushed them with cream for a nice sheen. The bitterness was fairly prominent and I never use baking powder with aluminum so my conclusion was the ratio of baking powder to flour. The third time I used half the baking powder and added 1.5 tsp. of baking soda since buttermilk is used and that took care of the bitterness without compromising the rise. After the minor tweaks, I’m really enjoying the taste and texture of the biscuit. Good recipe!
★★★★
This was my first time making strawberry shortcake from scratch and only the second time I’ve ever made biscuits from scratch. I put them in the cast iron pan, no oil, no parchment. I put it on the lower grate in my oven. They took about 20 minutes to bake, to get golden tops. The bottoms were a bit burned. So just a pro tip for any other newbie bakers out there: I’d recommend putting in on the higher grate in your oven. Otherwise perfect. I’ll definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
This is the best shortcake I have ever made in my life. Moist, flaky, buttery, just sweet enough. Very easy to make. I didn’t have buttermilk so put a tbs of vinegar in the measuring cup and filled it up with milk. Worked beautifully. Thank you for a great recipe.
Wendy
★★★★★
Hi Sally! I had a generic question about biscuits because no matter how many times I try them, the baking powder seems to leave a slight bitter aftertaste which only shows up after baking. I usually use homemade buttermilk, just milk and lemon juice and I’m wondering whether there should be some baking soda too because of the acid. I’ve been reading up a lot about this issue and while most recipes use a fairly large amount of baking powder, it is supposed to cause bitterness if used excessively. So I’m not sure how to fix this because the biscuits won’t rise without it. If you’ve ever faced this, any help would be appreciated !
I made these with my 4 yr old and we loved them. He said he thinks they taste like sugar cookies. He said he just wanted the biscuit all alone with no strawberries or whip cream because he liked them so much. Thanks for a super easy and great recipe.
★★★★★
We just made your biscuits. They were so tender and tasty. Pastry dough is usually pretty difficult for me to work with, this came together so quickly and easily. The rounds came out without sticking, and I was able to re-roll the dough twice to get a couple of extra biscuits. Thank you Sally!
★★★★★
I just love, love, love these super flaky and buttery shortcakes. So good and so simple! Thank you, Sally, for this wonderful recipe! I think I will have to run back into the kitchen and eat another one!
★★★★★
Hi Sally! Great recipe.
I love it that you made from scratch, and definitely, I will make it.
Tomorrow is my daughter B-day so I will surprise her with her favourite Strawberry Shortcake.
Off to make and share this recipe. =)
Thank you so much Sally. My familly and I really enjoyed your super moist çake cecipe for our magical family celabration and i was wondering if u had a website for çake pans thank u SALLY!!!
So delicious! First time making biscuits and it was so easy. Big hit with my husband. Love your recipes!