These really are the best strawberry shortcakes! Made with easy buttermilk biscuits, fresh juicy strawberries, and vanilla whipped cream.

How to make the best strawberry shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake is one of my most favorite desserts, especially for spring and summer entertaining. I mean, is there anything more perfect for the season?

I’ve set out to create the best-ever classic strawberry shortcakes recipe, and these are definitely it! They’re built with simple drop buttermilk biscuits, juicy summer strawberries, and very vanilla-y whipped cream. Plus, I share some tips for making these the best strawberry shortcakes you’ve ever had.

(Check out these other strawberry shortcake recipes— Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Shortcakes, Breakfast Strawberry Shortcakes with Yogurt, and Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake.)

What is strawberry shortcake, anyway?

Classic strawberry shortcake has 3 parts:

  • Sweet biscuits (though often you’ll see some sort of cake used instead)
  • Fresh strawberries
  • Whipped cream

I love the combination of flavors and textures you’ll find in this recipe— soft, flaky and buttery biscuits + fresh and bright juicy strawberries + fluffy vanilla-scented whipped cream.

Buttermilk drop biscuits for strawberry shortcakes

Start with these easy buttermilk drop biscuits

These biscuits are adapted from my popular buttermilk biscuit recipe with a few changes to make them even easier, and I’ve made them a little sweet so they’re perfect for this classic dessert.

If you’re used to making strawberry shortcake with cake, I highly recommend you try it with these delicious biscuits instead!

Macerated strawberries for strawberry shortcakes

Next, let’s macerate strawberries

What are macerated strawberries? To “macerate” means to marinate fruit in sugar to release its natural juices, making them super juicy and sweet. In my opinion, it’s an absolutely necessary step for strawberry shortcake!

Put half into a bowl and mash with a potato/veggie masher or fork to get the juices going, then add the remaining strawberries, sugar, and vanilla. Let it sit for at least 20 to let the sugar completely dissolve, and allow the strawberry juices and flavor to develop.

Whipped cream for strawberry shortcakes

Finish with fresh vanilla whipped cream

Often overlooked, the whipped cream is very important for perfect strawberry shortcakes. And real real whipped cream is a must!

This whipped cream is just two ingredients heavy whipping cream and vanilla. There’s enough sweetness from the berries that it’s really not necessary to add any sugar to the whipped cream. If you must add sugar, 1-2 tablespoons is plenty.

I actually have a whole blog post on how to make perfectly whipped cream! The key is whipped cream that is whipped just until it holds soft peaks, but still slumps a bit once it’s been spooned out. You don’t want whipped cream that is too thick and started to look a little lumpy.

Assembling strawberry shortcakes

And there you have it, the most perfectly delicious, best-ever strawberry shortcakes! Enjoy! I know you will.

How to make strawberry shortcakes ahead of time

I love serving strawberry shortcakes during spring and summer gatherings, but I like to plan ahead if I can. And thankfully, this recipe is easy to prep ahead of time so it’s ready whenever you’re ready to serve it.

  • Biscuits: For best results, biscuits should be baked to day you plan to serve them. If you want to prep them ahead of time, prepare the biscuit dough and scoop it out onto a lined sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 days and bake from frozen, adding a minute or 2 to baking time.
  • Strawberries: Macerated strawberries can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours before serving.
  • Whipped cream: Whipped cream can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours before serving, but it will firm up slightly. Give it a good stir to loosen it up, adding a tablespoon of heavy cream if needed to loosen it up before serving.

closeup of strawberry shortcakes in a plate

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This recipe was original published June 2018.

How to make the best strawberry shortcakes
5 from 3 reviews

The Best Strawberry Shortcakes

Servings: 12 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
These really are the best strawberry shortcakes! Made with easy buttermilk biscuits, fresh strawberries, and vanilla whipped cream.

Ingredients
 

Biscuits:

  • 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • ½ cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter , cubed
  • 1 ¼ cup (310 grams) cold buttermilk , plus more for brushing

Macerated strawberries:

  • 1 lb (450 grams) fresh strawberries , hulled and sliced
  • cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped cream:

  • 1 ½ cup (375 ml) cold heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

To make the biscuits:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or fork until butter is the size of peas.
  • Add 1 cup of the buttermilk and use a spoon or spatula to combine. Add remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk as needed to make a wet sticky dough. Do not overmix or biscuits won't rise properly, stop mixing when all dry bits are incorporated.
  • Use a scoop or large spoon to drop into 12 biscuits on the prepared sheet pan. Brush tops with more buttermilk.
  • Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely.

To make the macerated strawberries:

  • Place half of strawberries in a bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork. Add remaining strawberries, sugar, and vanilla and stir until combined. Set aside for at least 20 minutes.

To make the vanilla whipped cream:

  • With an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and vanilla on medium high speed until thick and creamy, but not at all lumpy.

To serve shortcakes:

  • Sliced biscuits in half. Place a generous dollop of whipped cream on top of the bottom biscuit. Spoon some strawberries and juices on top and cover with top biscuit. Enjoy immediately.

Video

Notes

NOTES:
Calories: 344kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 326mg, Potassium: 248mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 719IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 104mg, Iron: 2mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Annalise
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.