Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

If you grew up with a red box of Bisquick in the pantry, this Bisquick strawberry shortcake recipe is about to bring back some memories.

This is a 25-minute dessert: sweet Bisquick drop biscuits, strawberries macerated in sugar until they turn syrupy, and a cloud of whipped cream on top. No rolling pin. No flour clouds on the counter. Just 2¼ cups of Bisquick, ¾ cup of milk, ¼ cup of melted butter, and 6 tablespoons of sugar - and you're done.

I've made this one more times than I can count, and it's still the strawberry shortcake recipe I reach for when strawberries go on sale and everyone wants something sweet after dinner.

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Why This Bisquick Shortcake Recipe Works

Some desserts are fancy. This is not one of them.

• Drop biscuit style means less mess. No rolling, no cutting, no re-rolling scraps.
• A sticky dough keeps the biscuits tender. Wet dough means steam, and steam means a soft, tall crumb.
• Macerating the strawberries makes its own sauce. Sugar pulls the juice out of the berries. You don't have to cook anything.
• It's ready in about 25 minutes, which makes it perfect for weeknights or last-minute guests.

Bisquick already contains flour, leavening, salt, and shortening. That's why this works - you're only adding milk, butter, and sugar to turn a biscuit mix into a sweet biscuit.

The Original Bisquick Shortcake Recipe on the Box

This is the recipe a lot of people are actually looking for when they search "Bisquick shortcake recipe." Bisquick has printed a shortcake recipe on the box for generations, and the classic ratio is:

The box ratio: 2⅓ cups Bisquick mix + ½ cup milk + 3 tablespoons sugar + 3 tablespoons melted butter. Drop into 6 mounds. Bake at 425°F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Boxes do get reformulated, so glance at yours - but that's the ratio that's been on there for decades.

Mine is a tweak on that, not a replacement. Here's exactly how they differ and why:

	Original box version	My version
Bisquick	2⅓ cups	2¼ cups
Milk	½ cup	¾ cup
Melted butter	3 Tbsp	¼ cup (4 Tbsp)
Sugar in the dough	3 Tbsp	3 Tbsp
Oven	425°F	400°F
Bake time	10–12 min	15–18 min
Yield	6 shortcakes	8 shortcakes
Texture	Firmer, more scone-like	Softer, taller, more tender

Why I changed it: the extra milk and butter make a wetter, stickier dough. A lower oven for a little longer lets that moisture set into a soft crumb instead of drying out. The box version bakes faster and holds its shape better - if you want a sturdier biscuit that won't collapse under a mountain of berries, the box ratio is genuinely great. Use whichever texture you like.

If you'd rather skip the mix entirely, I've also got a classic strawberry shortcake made from scratch.

A Little Nostalgia

Bisquick has been around since 1931. Grandmas used it. Moms used it. And honestly, it still holds up.

Over the years there have been three main ways people have made shortcake with it - rolled and cut like traditional biscuits, spread in a pan and sliced into squares, or dropped by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. I'll walk through all three below, but the drop method is my default. It's easier, and it's forgiving.

Ingredients You'll Need

Quantities are listed in the recipe card below for easy printing.

For the Strawberries

• Fresh strawberries
• Granulated sugar

For the Shortcake Biscuits

• Bisquick Original Baking Mix
• Milk
• Butter or margarine, melted
• Sugar

For Serving

• Whipped cream or whipped topping

That's it. Nothing complicated.

How To Make Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Step 1 Prep the Strawberries

Wash and slice the strawberries.

Sprinkle half the sugar over them and gently stir. Let them sit while you make the biscuits. They will get juicy and syrupy.

If you want extra saucy strawberries, mash half of them before mixing. It makes a big difference.

Step 2 Make the Dough

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl stir together:

• Melted butter or margarine
• Milk
• Bisquick
• Remaining sugar

Stir just until a sticky dough forms. Do not overmix. Sticky is good here.

Step 3 Drop and Bake

Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop mounds of dough onto a lined baking sheet.

Keep them about the size of a golf ball. Too big and they may stay doughy in the middle.

Bake 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown on top.

Let cool about 10 minutes before slicing.

Step 4 Assemble

Split the warm biscuit in half.

Spoon strawberries over the bottom half. Add whipped cream. Place the top back on and add more strawberries and cream if you like.

Serve while slightly warm for best flavor.

Print

3 Ways to Shape Bisquick Shortcake

Same dough. Three different desserts.

Method	Best for	Oven	Time
Drop biscuits	Speed, zero mess	400°F	15–18 min
Rolled and cut	Neat, tall, flaky layers	425°F	10–12 min
Pan / 9x13 shortcake	Feeding a crowd	400°F	18–22 min

Drop Biscuits (my default)

What's written above. Fastest, softest, no special equipment.

Rolled and Cut Biscuits

For neater biscuits with defined layers, reduce the milk to ½ cup so the dough is firm enough to handle. Pat it out on a Bisquick-dusted surface to about ½ inch thick, cut with a 2½-inch round cutter, and bake at 425°F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Press the cutter straight down - don't twist it. Twisting seals the edges and the biscuits won't rise as tall.

Pan Shortcake (8-inch round or 9x13)

This is the old-school "pan shortcake" - one big slab you cut into squares. Perfect for a potluck.

1. Grease a 9x13 pan (or an 8-inch round for a smaller batch).
2. Spread the dough evenly into the pan. It will be sticky - wet your hands or use an offset spatula.
3. Brush the top with a little melted butter and sprinkle with sugar for a crackly top.
4. Bake at 400°F for 18 to 22 minutes, until golden and set in the middle.
5. Cool 10 minutes, cut into squares, split each square, and fill.

A 9x13 gives you about 12 servings. This is the easiest way to make strawberry shortcake for a group.

Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake for Two

Quarter the recipe:

• Scant ½ cup Bisquick (about 9 tablespoons)
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 2 teaspoons sugar in the dough
• ½ pound strawberries + 2 teaspoons sugar

Makes 2 generous shortcakes. Same 400°F oven, but start checking at 12 minutes - a small batch on a big sheet bakes faster.

Tips for the Best Bisquick Shortcake Biscuits

• Use cold milk with the melted butter. The butter seizes into little flecks - that's what you want. Those flecks turn into steam pockets.
• Don't overmix. Stir 15 seconds and stop. Lumps are fine.
• Uniform size means even baking. A cookie scoop guarantees it.
• Use parchment or a baking mat so the bottoms don't over-brown.
• Convection oven? Drop the temperature by 25°F and watch closely.
• Cool 10 minutes before splitting or they'll fall apart.

Troubleshooting

My biscuits were doughy in the middle.
They were too big, or the oven wasn't fully preheated. Keep the mounds golf-ball sized and give the oven a full 15 minutes to come up to temperature.

They spread out flat instead of rising.
Too much milk, or the dough was overmixed. Pull back to ⅔ cup milk and stir only until it just comes together.

They came out dry and crumbly.
Overbaked, or the Bisquick was measured by scooping straight from the box, which packs it down. Spoon the Bisquick into the cup and level it off.

The bottoms burned.
Dark metal pan. Use parchment or a silicone mat, and move the rack up one position.

Variations

Turn it into cupcakes: strawberry shortcake cupcakes.

Add flavor to the dough: a teaspoon of vanilla, or the zest of one lemon. Lemon and strawberry are excellent together.

Buttermilk instead of milk: tangier and more tender.

Heavy cream instead of milk and butter: use 1 cup of heavy cream and skip the butter entirely. Richest version.

Other fruit: peaches, blueberries, or mixed berries all work. The biscuit doesn't care.

Turn it into a cake: try my strawberry shortcake cake.

Make Ahead, Storage, and Freezing

• Make ahead: bake the biscuits in the morning and warm them briefly before serving.
• Room temperature: leftover biscuits keep covered for 1 day.
• Refrigerator: store the macerated strawberries in the fridge for up to 3 days. They only get better on day 2.
• Freezer: freeze baked, cooled biscuits in a zip bag for up to 2 months. Reheat straight from frozen at 350°F for 8 minutes.
• Assemble just before serving so the biscuits don't get soggy.

Bisquick Strawberry Shortcake FAQs

Can you use Bisquick to make strawberry shortcake?

Yes. Bisquick already contains flour, leavening, salt, and shortening, so you only need to add milk, melted butter, and sugar to turn it into sweet shortcake biscuits. A batch takes about 25 minutes start to finish.

What is the original Bisquick shortcake recipe on the box?

The classic box ratio is 2⅓ cups Bisquick mix, ½ cup milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 tablespoons melted butter, dropped into 6 mounds and baked at 425°F for 10 to 12 minutes. My version uses slightly more milk and butter and a lower oven for a softer, taller biscuit. Both work - see the comparison table above.

Is Bisquick shortcake the same as shortbread?

No - and this trips up a lot of people. Shortcake is a sweetened biscuit leavened with baking powder, so it bakes up light, tall, and fluffy, and it's meant to be split and filled. Shortbread is a dense, crumbly butter cookie with no leavening at all. Bisquick makes shortcake, not shortbread.

What's the difference between shortcake and a regular biscuit?

Sugar. A shortcake is essentially a biscuit with sugar added to the dough, and often a little extra fat. Everything else - the mixing method, the leavening, the bake - is the same.

Can I make Bisquick shortcake in a 9x13 pan?

Yes. Spread the dough evenly into a greased 9x13 pan, brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar, and bake at 400°F for 18 to 22 minutes until golden. Cool 10 minutes, cut into squares, and split each square for strawberries and whipped cream. Makes about 12 servings.

Can I use Gluten Free Bisquick?

Yes, but the dough will be softer and needs a few extra minutes in the oven. Add the milk a little at a time so the dough stays scoopable rather than runny. I also have a dedicated gluten-free strawberry shortcake if you'd rather use a recipe built for it from the start.

How many shortcakes does one batch make?

Eight golf-ball-sized drop shortcakes from 2¼ cups of Bisquick. For two people, quarter the recipe - see the "for two" section above.

Can I make the strawberries ahead?

Yes - macerated strawberries keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and the syrup deepens overnight. Just don't assemble until you're ready to serve.

Do you eat strawberry shortcake warm or cold?

Slightly warm biscuit, cold strawberries, cold whipped cream. That temperature contrast is the whole point.

What can I use instead of Bisquick?

Any all-purpose baking mix works with the same ratios. Or make it from scratch - here's my classic strawberry shortcake made from scratch.

More Strawberry Shortcake Recipes

• Classic Strawberry Shortcake Recipe - the from-scratch version
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake - layered and frosted
• Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
• Japanese Strawberry Shortcake - light sponge, barely-sweet cream
• Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars
• Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake
• Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake Muffins
• All 8 strawberry shortcake recipes →

Looking for more easy summer desserts? I've got you covered.