This Easy Strawberry Shortcake is a classic, from-scratch dessert made with fresh strawberries, tender shortcakes, and whipped cream. It comes together in about 30 minutes with just a few ingredients, making it perfect for summer gatherings or an easy anytime treat.
Strawberry shortcake is a classic dessert that’s simple, fresh, and always a good choice when strawberries are in season. This version keeps things easy with just a few ingredients and straightforward steps, so you can have a homemade dessert ready in about 30 minutes.
The combination of soft shortcakes, juicy strawberries, and whipped cream makes this a go-to recipe for everything from casual family desserts to summer get-togethers. It’s a great option when you want something that feels special but doesn’t take a lot of effort.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Sugar: Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar in the strawberries depending on how ripe your strawberries are and your tastes.
- Lemon juice: The lemon juice adds a bit of brightness to the strawberries. You could substitute orange juice if you prefer.
- Flour: You can weigh the flour (click “metric” just above the ingredients) or sift, lightly spoon into a measuring cup, and level without packing. Too much flour will give you dry, dense or heavy biscuits.
- Butter: If using unsalted butter, increase the salt to 3/4 teaspoon.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a homemade buttermilk substitute.
- Turbinado sugar: The turbinado sugar adds a nice bit of crunch and sweetness to the outside of the biscuits. You could use another type of coarse sugar if you prefer.
- Whipped cream: If you would like tips or a recipe, you can find my homemade whipped cream recipe here.
How to make homemade strawberry shortcake
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Toss together strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Let stand while you make the biscuits.
Step 2: Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 3: Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, remaining granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a large bowl.
Step 4: Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Step 5: Stir in buttermilk just until incorporated.
Step 6: Drop ⅓-cup scoops of dough about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet.
Step 7: Brush dough with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Step 8: Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
Step 9: Let the biscuits cool to room temperature before serve.
Step 10: For each serving, spoon about ¾ cup berries with juice over a biscuit. Top with whipped cream.
Recipe Tips!
- Variations: You can make Fourth of July-themed shortcakes by adding blueberries with the strawberries. Or feel free to change up the flavor of the whipped cream by using other flavors of extracts beyond vanilla extract.
- Use ripe strawberries: The flavor of the berries makes a big difference, so choose ripe, sweet strawberries for the best results.
- Let the strawberries sit: Tossing the strawberries with a little sugar and letting them rest helps draw out the juices and creates a syrupy texture.
- Don’t overmix the dough: Mix just until combined to keep the shortcakes tender and light.
- Keep ingredients cold (for the shortcakes): Cold butter helps create a better texture in the shortcakes.
Storage
Store any leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for 2-3 days when properly stored.
Store any leftover strawberries or whipped cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The strawberries should keep for about 3 days when properly stored. The whipped cream will keep for about 2-3 days when properly stored in the fridge. However, both are best when freshly made.
More strawberry dessert recipes!
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Easy Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Ingredients
Strawberries
- 8 cups fresh strawberries sliced
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Biscuits
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cold salted butter cut into small pieces
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar
Whipped cream
- 1 cup whipped cream
Instructions
- Toss together strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl.8 cups fresh strawberries, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Let stand while you make the biscuits.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk together flour, remaining granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.3 cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.¾ cup cold salted butter
- Stir in buttermilk just until incorporated.1 cup cold buttermilk
- Drop ⅓-cup scoops of dough about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet.
- Brush dough with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.2 tablespoons heavy cream, ¼ cup turbinado sugar
- Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
- Let the biscuits cool to room temperature before serve.
- For each serving, spoon about ¾ cup berries with juice over a biscuit.
- Top with whipped cream.1 cup whipped cream
Notes
- Sugar: Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar in the strawberries depending on how ripe your strawberries are and your tastes.
- Lemon juice: The lemon juice adds a bit of brightness to the strawberries. You could substitute orange juice if you prefer.
- Flour: You can weigh the flour (click “metric” just above the ingredients) or sift, lightly spoon into a measuring cup, and level without packing. Too much flour will give you dry, dense or heavy biscuits.
- Butter: If using salted butter, decrease the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a homemade buttermilk substitute.
- Turbinado sugar: The turbinado sugar adds a nice bit of crunch and sweetness to the outside of the biscuits. You could use another type of coarse sugar if you prefer.
- Whipped cream: If you would like tips or a recipe, you can find my homemade whipped cream recipe here.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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