These Strawberry Biscuits have dreamy, flaky warm layers of biscuit dough with fresh strawberries studded in between. Baked until lightly golden and drizzled with a sweet glaze, they’re the perfect breakfast or snack during peak berry season. Plus, they’re simple to make in advance and store in the freezer for baking anytime throughout the week.
Adrienne, one of our recipe testers, said, “I was so excited to make these biscuits and they did not disappoint! They baked up beautifully—tall, golden, and perfectly flaky. Every bite was tender and moist with the most delicious pops of fresh strawberry throughout.”
Strawberry Biscuits, oh my! These exceeded my expectations in every single bite. I once had the famous Popeye’s version years ago and have been craving to create my own recipe for them ever since. They’re buttery, flaky, and so tender. And the burst of fresh strawberry flavor takes you straight to summer.
The biscuit dough itself isn’t too sweet, and I developed it that way on purpose. I experimented two ways, the first with using just buttermilk in the dough and the second, with a mixture of buttermilk and heavy cream – the heavy cream version won BIG time with my taste testers (hello decadence!). I add a sweet icing drizzle on top to take these biscuits with strawberries to the next level, they’re even good enough for dessert with a scoop of ice cream!
If you’ve struggled making fluffy biscuits in the past, try this recipe; I give you all of my tips both to make them in the food processor or by hand from years and years of biscuit baking to make sure they’re foolproof and flaky. Try my Biscuit Donuts and 2-Ingredient Biscuits for a twist too!
Why These Popeye’s Strawberry Biscuits Work Every Time!
- Restaurant-quality biscuits at home. Make copycat Popeyes Strawberry Biscuits in your own kitchen (they might just be better than the restaurant!). Use the food processor or assemble them by hand, I give you both options.
- Easy to make in advance. You can easily freeze these biscuits and bake them through in the oven any day of the week for an on-the-go breakfast.
- Customize the biscuits to your liking. Swap the strawberries for another berry, stir in chocolate chips, or add some warm spices (like cinnamon!).
Kathleen’s Tip: I use a combination of buttermilk and heavy cream in these biscuits to create the flakiest bite. The cream actually slows the gluten development in the dough, which yields a more tender texture.
Ingredients
Strawberry Biscuits:
- Unbleached all-purpose flour: The structure for the biscuit dough. While I haven’t tried it, you should be able to swap in a good gluten-free AP flour.
- Granulated sugar: I prefer all-natural cane sugar. A little hint sweetens the biscuit dough just enough to compliment the natural sweetness of the strawberries.
- Baking powder: The key to any great biscuit recipe to make sure they rise tall and have the flakiest layers.
- Baking soda: Works with the baking powder for a tender texture.
- Fine sea salt: Adds flavor to the dough.
- Salted butter: Make sure it’s super cold for best results. I like a high-quality butter, like Irish or grass-fed, for their deeper flavors, and higher fat content. If using unsalted butter, add ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon additional salt. This makes for a tender buttery biscuit.
- Whole milk buttermilk: Should also be super cold. If you don’t have it at home, easily make it with 1 cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir together and let sit for 10 minutes. Thoroughly chill before using.
- Heavy whipping cream: Responsible for a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Fresh strawberries: Look for the ripest you can find! The key is they should be deep red in color all the way through the center.
Glaze:
- Powdered sugar: The base of the frosting.
- Half and half: Has enough fat to make the icing the ideal consistency for drizzling.
- Pure vanilla extract: Makes the glaze so addicting.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Strawberry Biscuits
Step 1: Combine the Biscuit Dough
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and position the rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Food Processor Method (Preferred):
Combine 3 cups flour (reserving ¼ cup if needed), baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in the food processor. Pulse a few times to mix.
Add the cold, cubed butter (about ½-inch cubes) and pulse until the mixture looks shaggy with very small butter pebbles.
Transfer mixture to a large, clean bowl.
By Hand Method:
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold, cubed butter (about ½ inch cubes) until the mixture is shaggy and crumbly. If needed, use your fingertips to smush the butter into the flour mixture.
Step 2: Shape the Biscuits
Lightly pat the diced strawberries with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Gently mix the strawberries into the dough.
Pour in the buttermilk and heavy whipping cream, stirring gently with a wooden spoon just until combined—do not over-mix or crush the berries. It will be a sticky dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured, cold work surface (marble works beautifully). With lightly floured hands, gently bring the dough together, using the heel of your palms just until most of the flour is incorporated. Adding additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time up to ¼ cup, if the dough is too sticky.
Pat or roll lightly with a rolling pin into a 1-inch thick rectangle. I found using a bench scraper helped to do this next step; fold into thirds, pat again into 1-inch rectangle, then fold a second time—this creates those beautiful flaky layers.
Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, press straight down (do not twist). Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet about ½ inch apart. Re-roll or pat scraps and continue cutting until all dough is used.
Recipe Tip: Biscuits cut from re-rolled dough won’t be quite as tender or pretty—but they’ll still be delicious. Cut biscuits close together the first time for best results.
Step 3: Freeze the Biscuits (optional but highly recommended)
Place the entire pan of biscuits in the freezer for 15–30 minutes. This firms up the butter, helping the biscuits rise higher and bake up tender. You “may” skip this step, but your biscuits will not rise as high or be as tender.
Step 4: Bake the Biscuits
Remove from freezer, brush tops with a little additional heavy cream or buttermilk, and bake for 18–20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Bake until golden brown!
One of my recipe testers didn’t want to glaze hers, so after brushing with cream, she sprinkled them with coarse sugar!
Recipe Tip: Biscuits rise higher and bake more tender when placed close enough to gently touch as they bake. But you need a little room for them to rise, so space them about ½ inch apart on the sheet pan.
Step 5: Make the Icing
In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla until smooth and drizzleable. Drizzle over warm biscuits and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Keep all of your ingredients very cold: Butter, buttermilk, cream, even the bowl if your kitchen runs warm.
- Do not twist the biscuit cutter, just press and release: Any twisting can cause the edges to seal which prevents a nice rise.
- If the dough feels sticky when shaping or kneading, lightly flour your hands. If you flour the dough, you can easily dry it out.
- Don’t over-knead the dough. This is key with any biscuit recipe! If you do, then your biscuits will be dense and tough.
- Freeze before baking: This one step makes a huge difference in rise and texture. Don’t skip it!
- Butter vs. Lard: You could use half butter and half lard in this recipe, I’m just not a fan of Crisco, plus I think since this is a sweeter biscuit, that the butter makes the flavors pop!
- Use a bench scraper to help you fold and shape the dough, you don’t want to overwork the dough and this helps pick up the dough easily.
High Altitude Adjustments
Baking at high altitude can feel a little like the Wild West—things rise fast, brown quickly, and sometimes fall just as fast. If you’re baking these strawberry biscuits above 5,000 feet, here’s what has worked beautifully for me, but rest assured these have been tested by my volunteer recipe testers across the country at all elevations and sea level too:
- Flour: Add 2 tablespoons of additional flour to help give the dough a little more structure.
- Leavening: Reduce the baking powder to 2½ teaspoons (keep the baking soda the same). This prevents over-rising and collapse. Reduce to 2 teaspoons above 7,000 feet.
- Liquid: No changes needed—keeping the buttermilk and cream cold is key. But if the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of buttermilk or cream at a time to bring it together.
- Oven Temperature: Keep the oven at 425°F, but watch closely toward the end of baking. Start checking around 16-17 minutes. They are done when the tops are lightly golden and the centers are set (not doughy). Be sure to rotate the pan halfway through for even browning.
Common Mistakes when Baking Strawberry Biscuits
- Using ingredients that aren’t cold enough: Cold butter and dairy are key to creating those flaky, tender layers—warm ingredients will give you flat, dense biscuits. Strawberry buttermilk biscuits don’t want room temperature ingredients.
- Overworking the dough: Mix just until combined and handle lightly; too much kneading makes biscuits tough instead of soft and fluffy. Or adding too much flour.
- Twisting the biscuit cutter: Press straight down and lift—twisting seals the edges and keeps them from rising tall.
- Skipping the freezer step: Even a quick chill helps firm up the butter, giving you higher, flakier biscuits in the oven.
Variations
- Gluten-Free: Use a good gluten-free cup-for-cup all-purpose flour. We love King Arthur Measure for Measure. I also like to replace ⅓ cup of GF flour with oat flour for texture and taste. Pat into rectangle then chill before cutting the dough with biscuit cutters. Chilling the dough before cutting helps hydrate the dough and improve the structure.
- Dairy-Free: Substitute a high-fat plant butter (I like Miyoko’s) for the butter. Use full-fat coconut milk or almond milk with vinegar for the buttermilk. Replace the heavy cream with plant-based heavy cream.
- Sugar-Free: This works great for this recipe; replace the granulated sugar with monk fruit sweetener (a 1:1 blend) and use powdered monk fruit sweetener for the icing or keep them unglazed and just sprinkle a little granulated monk fruit on the tops before baking.
- Add lemon zest for a tangy pop! Zest 1 lemon and add to the dough for that classic strawberry lemon flavor.
- Blueberry Biscuits. Swap out the strawberries for blueberries or raspberries (lightly chopped) and pat dry. This is also a great tip if the strawberries aren’t ripe enough at the store to keep that intense fruity flavor. One of my recipe testers doesn’t like strawberries, so she used smaller blueberries and she loved them.
Storage
Store leftover Strawberry Biscuits completely cooled in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
You can also place iced or un-iced leftover biscuits in the fridge for up to 3 days. Rewarm gently before serving. To rewarm them, pop them in a 350°F oven for about 4-5 minutes, or microwave single biscuits on 50% power for 20-30 seconds.
When it comes to freezing there are two great methods to try:
- Freezing the dough unbaked (make-ahead method). This is the best kept secret for having a freshly baked strawberry biscuit any morning of the week! Freeze the cut biscuits until they are solid on a baking sheet (a few hours), then transfer them to a freezer bag to store for up to 2 months.
- When ready to bake, bake the same way, just add 1-2 minutes of baking time.
- Freeze baked biscuits. Also works like a charm. I recommend freezing them without the icing for up to 2 months. Then warm through in the oven and make a fresh glaze for drizzling
Common Questions
Adding citrus like lemon zest, spices like ground cardamom or cinnamon, and drizzling them with a sweet icing.
They introduced them to the menu in 2023 for a limited time. They are often difficult to find and vary by location.
Cold butter and buttermilk or cream is required. This helps the biscuits to rise and create all of those flaky layers.
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Ingredients
Strawberry Biscuits:
- 3 – 3 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour add 2 tablespoons for High Altitude
- ¼ cup granulated sugar I use all-natural cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder aluminum-free (reduce to 2½ teaspoons for High Altitude)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup salted butter 2 sticks, cold (Irish or grass-fed recommended) if using unsalted add ⅛-¼ teaspoon more salt.
- 1 cup whole milk buttermilk cold, plus more for brushing (see notes to make your own)
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream plus more for brushing
- 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries hulled, washed, patted dry, and chopped
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons half and half
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and position the rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Food Processor Method (Preferred)
- Combine 3 cups flour (reserving ¼ cup if needed), baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in the food processor. Pulse a few times to mix.3 – 3 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add the cold, cubed butter (about ½ inch cubes) and pulse until the mixture looks shaggy with very small butter pebbles.1 cup salted butter
- Transfer mixture to a large, clean bowl.
By Hand Method
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
- Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold, cubed butter (about ½ inch cubes) until the mixture is shaggy and crumbly. If needed, use your fingertips to smush the butter into the flour mixture.
For Both Methods:
- Lightly pat the chopped strawberries with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Gently mix the strawberries into the dough.1 ½ cups fresh strawberries
- Pour in the buttermilk and heavy whipping cream, stirring gently with a wooden spoon just until combined—do not overmix or crush the berries.1 cup whole milk buttermilk, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured, cold surface (marble works beautifully). With lightly floured hands, gently bring the dough together, using the heel of your palms just until most of the flour is incorporated. Adding additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time up to ¼ cup, if the dough is too sticky.
- Pat or roll into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Fold once, pat again into 1-inch rectangle, then fold a second time—this creates those beautiful flaky layers. Using a bench scraper will help you fold the dough and prevent overworking.
- Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, press straight down (do not twist). Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet about ½ inch apart. Re-roll or pat scraps and continue cutting until all dough is used.
Freeze (Highly Recommended)
- Place the entire pan of biscuits in the freezer for 15–30 minutes. This firms up the butter, helping the biscuits rise higher and bake up tender. You “may” skip this step, but your biscuits will not rise as high or be as tender.(May be completely frozen at this point, flash freeze for 60 minutes, then transfer to a baggie or airtight container).
- Remove from freezer, brush tops with a little additional heavy cream or buttermilk, and bake for 18–20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Bake until golden, remove and cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Make the Icing:
- In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla until smooth and drizzleable. Drizzle over warm biscuits and enjoy.Cool biscuits another 5 minutes before glazing for a transparent soaking glaze, allow biscuits to cool completely for a drizzle coating.
Notes
- Biscuits cut from re-rolled dough won’t be quite as tender or pretty—but they’ll still be delicious. Cut biscuits close together the first time for best results.
- Biscuits rise higher and bake more tender when placed close enough to gently touch as they bake. But you need a little room for them to rise, so space them about ¼ – ½ inch apart on the sheet pan. Use a half sheet pan and place them all towards one end, or a quarter sheet pan and snuggle them together.
- If whole buttermilk is hard to find, make your own: add 2 tablespoons white vinegar or lemon juice to a 1-cup measuring cup, fill with milk, stir, and let sit 5–10 minutes. Chill before using for best results.
- Freezing the dough unbaked (make ahead method). This is the best kept secret for having a freshly baked strawberry biscuit any morning of the week! Freeze the cut biscuits until they are solid on a baking sheet (a few hours), then transfer them to a freezer bag to store for up to 2 months.
- When I was ready to bake, I baked the same way, just added 1-2 minutes of baking time, they still turned out beautifully, but not quite as light and fluffy as the original batch. But so you know, nobody complained!
- Freeze-baked biscuits. I recommend freezing them without the icing for up to 2 months. Then warm through in the oven and make a fresh glaze for drizzling
- Add 2 additional tablespoons of flour for structure.
- Reduce baking powder to 2½ teaspoons (2 teaspoons above 7,000 ft); keep baking soda the same.
- Keep liquids the same, adding a teaspoon more buttermilk or cream only if dough feels dry.
- Bake at 425°F, but begin checking at 16–17 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through.
Nutrition
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