This classic strawberry shortcake recipe has soft and buttery biscuits from scratch, fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and an irresistible strawberry syrup.
My favorite strawberry shortcake recipe is closer to an traditional shortcake than most recipes I’ve seen. The biscuits are soft, balancing the tenderness of baked cake and the ease of homemade biscuits.
We worked on this incredible strawberry dessert with Chef Richard Hattaway, and we’ve all fallen head over heels for it. What I love most is the simple strawberry syrup, which we drizzle over the base of the shortcake before adding whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Key Ingredients
- Strawberries: You’ll need 2 pounds of fresh strawberries. A third of them will be simmered with sugar to create a rich, flavorful syrup. You’ll drizzle this sweet syrup over the warm biscuits, allowing it to soak in before topping with fresh whipped cream and the remaining strawberries.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour, but soft white wheat flour (like White Lily, Martha White, and Bob’s Red Mill Fine Pastry Flour) is also an excellent choice.
- Baking Powder: You will need 1 tablespoon of baking powder to make the shortcake biscuits fluffy and tender inside.
- Sugar: You will use sugar in three ways: to sweeten the biscuit dough, for the strawberry syrup, and to sweeten the whipped cream. Granulated, cane, or coconut sugar will all work well.
- Milk, Butter, and Egg: These will be combined with the flour to make the biscuits tender and delicious. Don’t expect the same results as our fluffy biscuits. These biscuits for strawberry shortcake are softer and more tender. I prefer whole milk and unsalted butter for this recipe.
- Cream: Use cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream to make the whipped cream topping.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Homemade Strawberry Shortcake
This recipe has three parts: the biscuits, strawberries in homemade strawberry syrup, and whipped cream. These come together for the quintessential summer dessert! I love them so much (watch my reaction at the end of the video below!).
Tip 1: What to expect from our shortcake biscuits. Some shortcake recipes make a classic biscuit and then add the strawberries, but we really wanted our biscuit to turn out more tender, like cake!
This strawberry shortcake dough is similar to drop biscuits since it has a bit more liquid. This means you won’t be able to cut them out with a biscuit cutter. Instead, you’ll drop spoonfuls of the batter directly onto a baking sheet or use English muffin rings for perfectly round shortcakes (see photo below).
Tip 2: Don’t miss the strawberry syrup. Our homemade syrup is super simple, and it takes our strawberry shortcake to the next level. The syrup absorbs into the biscuits and drizzles down the whole dessert.
To make the syrup, cook some of your fresh strawberries with sugar until the sugar melts. Take it off the heat and gently toss with the remaining strawberries until coated in the syrup, before popping them in the fridge to chill. It’s incredible for this recipe, but if you have some leftover, save it for topping homemade pancakes and waffles!
Tip 3: Whip your own cream. Making homemade whipped cream is simple, and the results are so much better than what you get out of the can.
Use a stand or hand mixer to beat heavy cream with sugar and vanilla until it’s thick and softly whipped. It only takes a few minutes.
Tip 4: Assembling strawberry shortcakes. You’ll want to assemble these right before serving. Split the biscuits in half, drizzle a spoonful of that delicious strawberry syrup over the bottom, and top with whipped cream, strawberries, the other half of the biscuit, more whipped cream, and even more strawberries. So good!
More Fresh Strawberry Recipes
Perfect Strawberry Shortcake
- PREP
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My family thinks this is the best strawberry shortcake, and it’s all thanks to the soft, tender biscuits and the homemade strawberry syrup. You’ll drizzle some of the syrup over the bottom of your biscuits before adding whipped cream and strawberries. It softens the shortcake a bit and adds a lovely strawberry flavor.
This recipe uses a moister biscuit dough, so you don’t need to roll it out and cut it. Instead, you will drop the dough directly onto your baking sheet. For perfectly round shortcakes, use 4-inch English muffin rings. If you prefer, you can also drop the dough onto the baking sheet free-form. These will spread out a bit more, but they taste just as good! Check out the photos and video in the article to see both options.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
Biscuits2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (292 g)
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder, important to level the tablespoon
¼ cup granulated sugar (50 g)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (42 g)
1 cup whole milk (236 ml)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Strawberries and Syrup2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered (907 g)
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (250 g)
Whipped Cream1 ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream (355 ml)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar or powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Make Shortcakes
1Prepare oven and baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you have them, arrange six 4-inch English muffin rings on the sheet.
2Make biscuit dough: Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and work it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, your fingers, or two knives until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk and egg until the batter just comes together.
3Drop onto baking sheet: Divide the batter evenly among the rings (about 4 tablespoons each). They will spread out, so there is no need to spread them before baking. If you do not have the rings, spoon the batter in tall mounds directly onto the parchment paper and gently smooth the top.
4Bake biscuits: Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through. They should be starting to turn golden brown on top, and when you lightly touch them, they should bounce back. A toothpick inserted into the middle should also come out clean. Let them cool completely before assembling and serving.
5Chill a bowl: Place a medium bowl into the freezer to chill while you make the strawberry syrup.
6Make the syrup: Place a third of the strawberries in a saucepan with the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar dissolves. Pour the mixture into the chilled bowl, add the remaining strawberries, and refrigerate until chilled.
7Whip the cream: Use a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer on medium speed to beat the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until medium peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
8Assemble: Slice each biscuit in half horizontally (like an English muffin). Place the bottom half on a serving plate, drizzle with a spoonful of strawberry syrup, then add a generous spoonful of whipped cream. Use a slotted spoon to add some of the strawberries on top of the cream, and then place the other half of the shortcake on top. Repeat with more whipped cream and strawberries. Serve and enjoy!
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. The strawberry syrup lasts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks.
- Measuring flour: Fluff the flour in its container, then gently scoop it into your measuring cup until slightly mounded. Level off the top with a knife for accurate measuring. For even more accuracy, use a scale and measure the flour by weight (in grams).
- Removing the biscuits from the rings: Run a thin knife around the rings to loosen the shortcake.
- Make one large strawberry shortcake: You can bake this batter in a parchment paper-lined 9-inch cake pan or cast-iron pan. Add the batter and gently smooth the top; you do not need to spread it out all the way to the sides. The baking time should be similar, possibly requiring a few more minutes than the individual shortcakes. Allow to cook, cut in half horizontally, and build the shortcake as directed above, but make a family-style shortcake instead. Then, cut the shortcake into slices like a cake or pie for serving. It’s a little messier, but it looks impressive on the table and is still just as delicious!
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. These are likely too high since you will have leftover syrup, and this recipe is generous with the cream.
You said the flour could be weighed in grams,but did not say how many grams are needed. There are so many different references for how many grams per cup of flour. It would have been nice if you had specified the ratio that works best in this recipe.
Hi Eliza, the grams measurement is provided in the recipe. (2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (292 g))
Yes, it is the perfect recipe. I chopped 2 lbs of frozen strawberries and reduced the sugar amount by a third (personal preference). I used a 9×12 glass baking dish for the shortbread and it turned out so moist and tender. The whipped cream was also amazing. Great recipe!
Amazing! Thank you for letting us know that those tweaks worked for you 🙂
Finally found a strawberry shortcake biscuit recipe everyone loved!
Great recipe. Frozen my butter so it was nice and cold. And used a food processor for the rest, which made it very speedy to whip up!
Wonderful! 🙂
Hi there, when making the strawberry syrup, can you use stevia?
Hi Cris, We have not baked or cooked with Stevia, so we cannot speak to how well it will hold up in this recipe. If you do try it, let us know how it turns out.
So excited to try this! Cna I make the biscuit dough ahead of time? And back next day?
Also I’m making shooters can I make them into smaller biscuits ?
I have not done this before (with this batter anyway), so it will be a bit of experimentation on your part. My gut tells me you will be fine, though.
Great recipe. Came out almost perfect. Biscuits are amazing. I baked them in a non-stick Yorkshire pudding pan. Yielded an even bottom, and wonderful crown on top. Needs a bit more liquid in the syrup, and whipped cream could be just a little more sweet. Next time, I’ll up the syrup sugar to 1/3 cup, and the whipped cream sugar to 4 tsp. This one Is definitely a keeper! Thank you.
Sorry, I meant up the sugar syrup by an additional 1/3 cup, so about 1 2/3 cup.
For the whipped cream, you put 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar PLUS 1 tablespoon granulated or powdered sugar? Why is it listed separately? Put it all in together?
Hi Diana, I am so glad you mentioned something! The sugar was listed twice by accident. The 1 1/2 cup sugar is for the strawberries, not the whipped cream. Apologies, and it is fixed now.
Hi Crystal, Thanks for trying the recipe! Was your shortcake batter similar to the one in our video? I’m stumped as to why it was so runny. When you weighed everything, did you use grams for the milk. Ml are provided in the recipe for the milk, not grams.
This recipe was absolutely the best strawberry shortcake I have ever made. My guests loved it so much everyone wanted the recipe.
It was easy to follow the recipe and really was a tasty dessert for summer night BBQ.
Yay! So happy you loved your shortcakes 🙂
This strawberry shortcake was amazing! My son took pictures of it and posted it on his private story. You know it’s good! 🙂 It was so easy to make and made a beautiful presentation! I will definitely add this to holiday and party must-haves!
That’s amazing, Marilee! Thank you so much for sharing!
I picked the strawberry shortcake to make for the little project you have going. Are we supposed to make them look exactly like yours or is it ok to do it in the cast iron? Where do we go to upload and send pic?
Hi Elaine, Make them however you like! We just want you to get in the kitchen and have some fun 🙂 Once you have made it and taken a photo, you can upload it using the form here. (As a note to other readers who may see this, Elaine is referring to our Cooking Club, which challenges you to make one of our chosen recipes each month. You can find out info here).
Can I make the shortcake a day or two in advance and then just prepare the strawberries and whipped cream the night I am serving it? If so, should I keep them in the refrigerator or in an airtight container?
Yep!
Hi there. Can I use frozen strawberries and double the recipe?.
Hi Nicole, Frozen strawberries might make the strawberry filling a little more syrupy, but I don’t think that’s a problem. Yes, you can definitely double the recipe.
Going to make this for Easter. Do u think I can bake the shortcake in silicone molds? I have one that makes individual squares that I use for brownies. Thought it would make them all a nice uniform shape.
Yes, absolutely! I’d grease the mold first, though.
Keep these wonderful recipes coming! You two know how to choose good recipes. Thank you.
Perfect strawberry shortcake anf just in time for strawberries in my garden ( in a month). Your recipies are wonderful always but this is so special. Love the muffin tin baking, such a great idea. All the kids get tge same size! Thanks.
Just finished making and everyone downing the Perfect Strawberry Shortcake! We made the shortcake in the large cast iron pan and it came out perfect! I didn’t even have a chance to take pictures. As soon as everything was ready it was eaten. Thanks for this fantastic recipe.
Fabulous recipe thanks for posting
The strawberry shortcake… the absolute best!
Yay! 🙂
This recipe reminds me of my grandmothers, it’s delicious!
That is one of the best compliments a recipe can ever get. We are thrilled you love it 🙂
This strawberry shortcake is amazing! I really appreciate this web sight. You guys use real food and the clarity of the instructions in your recipes make it easy to create the best food Ive ever eaten. It’s like the love you infuse in the recipes comes out in the taste! Thank you for this website and your labor of love in creating it. Anita
You made our day with this review and comment 🙂
Hi from South Africa! just joined and started receiving your recipes. the website is super-user friendly and recipes thus far are fool-proof. Isidora
Hi Isadora, We are so happy that you found us and thank you so much! 🙂
This is absolutely amazing!! Love your recipe!! Strawberry shortcake is my absolute favorite dessert!! This is not too sweet and very light!!
I’m wanting to make this but for 30 people, can I make the shortcake the day before?
Hi Laura, The shortcakes should be just fine when made a day ahead. Let them cool completely, and then keep in an airtight container on the counter.
Yay! We are thrilled that you loved it 🙂
This looks wonderful. Hope to make it soon! If you’re in a hurry you can get the giant flakey canned biscuits, dip them in melted butter and the coat in sugar. Bake as directed, slice in half and fill with the strawberries.
The Perfect Strawberry Shortcake looks very yummy and easy to follow. We will certainly try it this strawberry season. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you so much Mila. You are going to those this recipe 🙂