These Strawberry Shortcake Cinnamon Rolls bring together the best of two classics: cinnamon rolls and Strawberry Shortcake. Made with a tender biscuit cinnamon roll dough, they’re filled with strawberry jam, fresh diced strawberries, and a touch of cinnamon. Because these are biscuit cinnamon rolls, there’s no rise time. Just mix, roll, bake, and enjoy!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Strawberry Sauce: Make the homemade strawberry sauce first so it has time to chill, then drizzle it over the whipped cream for the perfect topping. If you don’t want to make the strawberry sauce, you can warm up some strawberry jam and drizzle it over the rolls instead. It will give you a sweet, fruity topping quickly, though it will be a bit thicker and less smooth than the sauce. This is a great shortcut if you’re short on time!
- Dough: The dough comes from my popular homemade buttermilk biscuits recipe, which you’ll want to save for when you want super fluffy biscuits! I made them sweet for these strawberry shortcake cinnamon rolls, and it worked great!
- Butter: I used cold unsalted butter to make the rolls light and flaky. If you only have salted butter, that works too; you might just want to skip any extra salt in the recipe.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, make your own!
- Filling: The filling is a sweet mix of strawberry jam, fresh diced strawberries, and a touch of cinnamon. Spread it over the dough, and it makes every bite fruity, sweet, and perfectly cinnamon-y!
- Stabilized Whipped Cream: I use stabilized whipped cream so it stays fluffy and creamy on top of the rolls, without melting or getting runny. It keeps its shape perfectly, making every bite look as good as it tastes, even if you make the rolls ahead of time!
Tested Tip: I made these with both fresh and frozen strawberries. Fresh gave brighter flavor and more texture, while frozen berries (thawed + drained) made the filling a little softer and saucier.
FAQs
Can I use frozen strawberries?
Yes! Just thaw and pat dry first to avoid extra liquid in the filling and sauce.
Can I use store-bought biscuit dough?
Absolutely. It saves time and still gives you strawberry-cinnamon goodness. Homemade dough is flakier, but store-bought is a solid shortcut.
Do I need stabilized whipped cream?
If you want the rolls to look picture-perfect longer, yes. Regular whipped cream deflates faster, but still tastes great if you’re serving right away.
Can I use yeasted cinnamon roll dough instead?
Yes! They’ll be softer and sweeter, more like traditional rolls, but less like shortcake. Try my Raspberry Cream Cheese Sweet Roll Dough as a base.
Troubleshooting Tips for Perfect Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls
- Dough is too dry: Make sure the butter is cold and don’t overwork the dough. Add a little more buttermilk if needed to keep it moist.
- Filling leaks out: Leave a small border around the edges without filling to keep it inside while baking.
- Biscuits are too hard: Don’t overbake. Check a few minutes before the suggested baking time to keep them soft.
Storing & Freezing
Fridge: Store up to 3 days in an airtight container. For best results, add whipped cream just before serving.
Freeze: Best frozen without topping. Wrap cooled rolls tightly in plastic wrap + foil. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and add cream/sauce before serving.
Strawberry Shortcake Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Strawberry Sauce
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled, sliced, divided
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
Dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, grated, cold
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 cups (490 g) buttermilk
Filling
- ½ cup (160 g) strawberry jam
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup finely diced fresh strawberries
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (476 g) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Garnish
- ¼ cup finely diced fresh strawberries
Instructions
Strawberry Sauce
- Add 4 cups of the sliced strawberries and granulated sugar to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Let it come up to a boil and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved and a strawberry syrup should form.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender or food processor. Puree the sauce until smooth.
- Pour the strawberry puree into a bowl and stir in the remaining sliced strawberries.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill the strawberry sauce in the refrigerator while you make the rolls.
Dough
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
- Grate the butter on the fine edge of a grater onto a sheet of parchment paper. Place the grated butter in the freezer while you prepare the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Remove the grated butter from the freezer and add it to the dry ingredients. Use a fork or pastry cutter to work the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour in the buttermilk and stir gently until just combined. The dough should look slightly shaggy but hold together; do not overmix.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gather any loose bits and gently press them into the dough. If the dough sticks, lightly flour the surface underneath.
- Roll the dough into a 10×15-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick.
Filling
- In a small bowl, mix the strawberry jam with the cinnamon.
- Spread the strawberry jam evenly over the dough, all the way to the edges.
- Pat the diced strawberries dry with a paper towel, and then spread them evenly over the jam.
- Starting from the long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 12 equal rolls.
- Arrange the rolls evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Allow the rolls to cool slightly as you prepare the topping.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Place the mixing bowl and whisk attachment from your stand mixer in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
- Once chilled, add the cream cheese and granulated sugar to the bowl. Mix on medium-high speed until smooth and no lumps remain.
- With the mixer off, pour in the heavy cream. Mix on medium speed until soft peaks form. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Continue mixing on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla extract and kosher salt, mixing just until combined; do not overmix.
- Once the rolls are cool, spread or pipe the stabilized whipped cream on top.
- Drizzle with strawberry sauce and garnish with diced strawberries.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
These are so soft and sweet! It is like eating dessert for breakfast!
Elizabeth
When I first bit into these rolls, I could tell the texture was a bit different because of the biscuit dough, but that is the whole point! They taste just like a strawberry shortcake! Genius!
Stephanie
I love that these rolls are made with biscuit dough! It is quick and they taste great!
Bella
Absolutely delicious. The combination of flaky rolls, sweet jam, and stabilized whipped cream tastes just like a strawberry shortcake. Plus, they look really fancy!
