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This single serving strawberry shortcake features a buttery, lightly sweetened biscuit layered with juicy strawberries and fluffy whipped cream. It’s a classic dessert that’s quick to make and absolutely full of flavor.
Featured Comment
“Absolutely delicious. Reminds me of the shortcake my mom used to make.”
– Kay
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: Ready in under 30 minutes—great for a fast dessert.
- Simple Ingredients: Made with staples you likely already have.
- Fresh & Flavorful: Buttery biscuit, juicy strawberries, and whipped cream in every bite.
- Customizable: Swap in blueberries, peaches, or your favorite fruit.
- Made from Scratch: Homemade biscuit tastes better than anything from a mix.
What I love most about this small strawberry shortcake is the way each layer complements the next. The buttery biscuit, the sweet strawberries, and the soft whipped cream all come together beautifully. It’s the kind of dessert that feels nostalgic and satisfying, with each bite full of flavor and texture.
I’ve always leaned toward the biscuit version over cake because it adds just the right texture and balance without becoming soggy. Making it from scratch takes just a few extra minutes, and the flavor is absolutely worth it.
Looking for more single serving strawberry recipes? Try our single serving strawberry crisp, creamy strawberry milkshake, small batch strawberry sorbet, or fruit quesadilla. Love berries? Browse our full collection of simple berry recipes for one.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this single serving strawberry shortcake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Butter: Use cold, salted butter. Cold butter creates flaky layers and crisp edges.
- Milk: Regular milk works well. Almond or soy milk can be used for a dairy-free version.
- Strawberries: Use 1/4 cup of fresh, sliced strawberries. Extra strawberries? Add them to small batch sheet pan pancakes, a single serving strawberry icebox cake, a mini trifle, or a knickerbocker glory.
Strawberry Prep Tip:
Use ripe, red strawberries (they won’t ripen after picking). Rinse under cold water and pat dry. For a deeper clean, soak briefly in 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar, then rinse. Hull and slice before using.
- Whipped Cream: Making your own small batch whipped cream is best – use heavy cream, a little sugar, and vanilla (optional). Store-bought or dairy-free versions also work.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations
There are plenty of ways to enjoy this classic dessert with different fruits or mix-ins:
- Blueberry Shortcake: Swap the strawberries for blueberries.
- Peach Shortcake: Use sliced peaches for a fresh, summery option.
- Chocolate Chip Biscuit: Add 2–3 tablespoons of chocolate chips to the biscuit dough.
- Banana Shortcake: Replace the strawberries with sliced bananas or top with our one-banana bananas foster.
- Apple Shortcake: Use the fried apples recipe instead of strawberries for a warm, comforting twist.
- Cake-Based Shortcake: Prefer cake over biscuits? Use our mini pound cake or small white cake as the base.
How To Make Strawberry Shortcake
These photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make a single serving strawberry shortcake. See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add cold, chopped butter and cut it into the flour mixture using your fingers, a fork, pastry cutter, or food processor until it looks like coarse crumbs.
- Pour in the milk and stir until just combined. If the dough is too wet, add 1/2 tablespoon more flour.
- Drop the dough onto a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet and gently shape it into a circle.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, until golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 more minutes.
- Slice the biscuit in half. Add strawberries and whipped cream to the bottom half, then place the top half over it. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Expert Tips
- Wash Berries Last Minute: Rinse strawberries just before using to keep them fresh longer.
- Keep Ingredients Cold: Cold butter and milk help create a flaky, tender biscuit.
- Don’t Overmix: Stir the dough just until combined to avoid dense or chewy biscuits.
- Measure Flour Correctly: Spoon flour into a measuring cup, then level it off. Avoid scooping directly from the bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but fresh strawberries are best for texture and flavor. If using frozen, thaw them completely and drain excess liquid before using.
Yes. Bake the biscuit, let it cool completely, and store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
It’s best assembled just before serving. If you have leftovers, store the biscuit, strawberries, and whipped cream separately in the fridge and assemble when ready to eat.
Absolutely. Just double all ingredients and divide the dough into two biscuits before baking.
It’s optional. I used to macerate them but now prefer the fresher, less sweet taste of plain sliced strawberries. If you’d like to macerate, sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of sugar over the sliced berries, stir gently, and let them sit while you prepare the biscuit. This draws out their juices and creates a light syrup.
RELATED: 15 Easy Single Serving Dessert Recipes
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this mini strawberry shortcake or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
RELATED: 15 Easy Dessert Recipes For One
Strawberry Shortcake For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cold salted butter
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup sliced strawberries
- whipped cream (homemade or store-bought)
- Optional: powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add cold, chopped butter and cut it into the flour mixture using your fingers, a fork, pastry cutter, or food processor until it looks like coarse crumbs.
- Pour in the milk and stir until just combined. If the dough is too wet, add 1/2 tablespoon more flour.
- Drop the dough onto a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet and gently shape it into a circle.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, until golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 more minutes.
- Slice the biscuit in half. Add strawberries and whipped cream to the bottom half, then place the top half over it. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
- Wash Berries Last Minute: Rinse strawberries just before using to keep them fresh longer.
- Keep Ingredients Cold: Cold butter and milk help create a flaky, tender biscuit.
- Don’t Overmix: Stir the dough just until combined to avoid dense or chewy biscuits.
- Measure Flour Correctly: Spoon flour into a measuring cup, then level it off. Avoid scooping directly from the bag.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A quick and easy recipe to which I will return often, I’m sure. But strawberries really must be macerated with a little sugar and lemon ahead of time so their juices will soak into the shortcake. Freshly sliced strawberries make the dessert too dry. Just my humble opinion!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and plan to make it again. Macerating the strawberries with sugar is a great idea and definitely a wonderful way to draw out the juices and add extra flavor. I love that this recipe can be easily adapted to personal taste, and I appreciate you sharing your tip!
This is a lovely recipe and I am making it for myself for Mother’s Day its a classic and I love it 🥰
mmmmm crumbly but a little too much? inside was not cooked Ugh. i love strawberry shortcake but this was not what i was craving
I’m sorry to hear that the strawberry shortcake didn’t turn out as you hoped. Precise measurements of ingredients are really important to get the perfect texture. The shortcake is similar to a biscuit, which might explain the texture. If the inside wasn’t cooked through, it could be an oven issue. Make sure your oven is properly preheated, and consider using an oven thermometer to check the temperature. I hope this helps, and I appreciate your feedback!
Love this recipe! I never want to bother making desserts for myself, but this is so easy. I use my small cuisinart , and pop them in my toaster oven. Voila! I have dessert for 2 days.
Excellent! The warm biscuit is soft, buttery and tender. As shown in the video it has a tendency to crumble slightly. The outside crust is delicious. I made the biscuit a few hours ahead, froze it, then baked straight from the freezer. Because it was frozen when it went into the oven it took about 20 minutes to bake. I added a few drops of fiori di sicilia to the whipped cream.
Very easy recipe for the biscuit and actually makes enough dough to make two smaller biscuits or one good sized one. It’s makes a very tender biscuit. I added orange zest to the biscuit dough and macerated the berries in brown sugar and a little orange juice. I’ve been craving strawberry shortcake for a couple of weeks and this hit the spot!
Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Love your recipes and always love when I can say….thank you for helping those of us who are “home alone” finding ways to enjoy meals and treats that satisfy and yet are easy to prepare and don’t cost an arm and leg to pull together!
Terrific recipe.
Absolutely delicious. Reminds me of the shortcake my mom used to make.