43 Sweet Strawberry Dessert Recipes

43 Sweet Strawberry Dessert Recipes

In the South, we have only a few weeks to enjoy the fresh, juicy gem that has been deemed the “fruit of love.” Strawberries appear suddenly at farmers’ markets and U-pick farms—and then the really good ones are gone. Be mindful of when they are peaking in your region, and don’t be fooled by the ones that are picked early and hit the market too soon. Unlike some fruits, strawberries don’t get any sweeter after they’ve been harvested. The berries at the grocery store may look plump and ripe with coloring that’s just a shade less than what it should be, but if they were picked too soon (green tips are a giveaway), you will be disappointed by their taste and texture. Although they are delicious when devoured out of hand one by one, strawberries are downright heavenly when baked into our favorite strawberry desserts or paired with other fruits. And while the tart and tangy rhubarb has been one of its longtime partners, strawberries can play well with others, too. From apricots to chocolate to nectarines, these staple strawberry desserts are all delightful.


Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly

There’s nothing dreamier than the golden crust that rises around fresh berries in this batter cobbler. Of all the strawberry desserts in this collection, this one is sure to be the most crowd-pleasing. Your guests won’t care that it took just 10 minutes to prepare.



Jen Causey

The secret behind the vibrant pink frosting on this layered strawberry dessert is a drop of pink food coloring. Sweet and tangy homemade Strawberry-Lemonade Jam cushions the tender lemony cake layers. You can assemble this beautiful cake a day or two ahead and store it at room temperature.



Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Dickey, Prop Styling: Kay E Clarke

Brownies just got a whole lot better with the addition of this rich, strawberry-studded chocolate ganache layer on top. While they’ll require some patience (including an hour of cooling time and another two hours of fridge time), these fudgy squares are worth the wait for a special occasion.



Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

If you love chocolate-dipped strawberries, you’ll eat up this inside-out version. Extra tender chocolate layers are slathered with a buttercream frosting blended with chunks of strawberry. Fresh sliced strawberries make a pretty topper, but a few chocolate-dipped strawberries on top sounds even better.



Photographer: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer

Strawberry ice cream on the inside, shortbread crumbled crust on the outside. These bars will remind you of the ones you used to order from the ice cream truck in summer. Freeze-dried strawberries make these even sweeter.



Photographer: Will Dickey Prop Stylist: Missie Crawford Food Stylist: Erin Merhar

We’ve dubbed this one the ultimate Valentine’s Day dessert, but why make it just one day a year? Graham cracker crust, strawberry cheesecake, and chocolate ganache make this recipe a chocolate-covered strawberry lover’s dream. Make the cheesecake a day ahead of time so it cools properly for the ganache coating.



Hector Sanchez

Turn the classic layered strawberry cake into a sheet cake with strawberry-studded frosting. Easy to make, easy to transport. Cool completely before icing the cake.



Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

This is among the fastest strawberry dessert recipes we’ve ever made: It’s ready for the oven in just 15 minutes. Spoonfuls of sweetened cream cheese turn cakey batter and juicy strawberries into a luscious cobbler with hidden cheesecake-like bites.



Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle,Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

Fluffy meringue cake layers hide a nutty secret: bits of crushed pecans. The flavor adds a bit more meat to this airy confection with whipped cream filling and juicy strawberries. Make sure to cut this one with a sharp, thin-bladed knife.



Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen

Everything you love about a classic Key lime pie, plus some strawberry for extra sweetness. Use our simple recipe for Slab Pastry Crust (double it and put some in the freezer to use for another dessert). Prepare the strawberry whipped cream the day you plan to serve, and garnish with fresh berries and lime zest.



Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff

The creamy, iconic Southern dessert gets a refreshing zip from the juicy, flavorful berries. We used graham crackers instead of the usual vanilla wafers so it would slice more neatly. Line the baking pan with plastic wrap for easy removal and picture-perfect slices.



Greg DuPree; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

Strawberry chunks and angel food cake cubes combine with a vanilla base to turn a classic cake recipe into the next best thing. After you’ve made the ice cream, layer it with the chilled strawberry sauce and cake cubes like a delicious dessert lasagna. Cover and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.



Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

A petite, personal strawberry dessert is always a winner. No sharing means you can keep your chiffon pie all to yourself. Use refrigerated pie crusts for ease and focus your efforts on the delectable chiffon filling.



CREDIT: ANTONIS ACHILLEOS; PROP STYLING: LYDIA PURSELL; FOOD STYLING: CHELSEA ZIMMER

You can’t go wrong with homemade buttermilk biscuits filled with strawberries and fresh cream. Sanding sugar on top adds a touch more sweetness. Use pure vanilla in the whipped cream to make it extra rich.



Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

We present you with cookies and cream at its finest. Add strawberry jam to the homemade whipped cream to give it a pink hue. This may be a no-bake recipe, but everyone is sure to ooh and aah at this impressive tower.



Southern Living

Strawberry compote dresses up the classic cream cheese and vanilla birthday cake. The cake layers are sliced crosswise so you can have three layers of juicy filling in between. Made with simple ingredients, like cream cheese and vanilla bean, and topped with fresh strawberry halves, this dessert is to make your crowd feel celebratory.



Micah Leal

Believe it or not, you won’t find artificial coloring in this recipe. These cupcakes are bursting with strawberry flavor, from the cake itself, and from the frosting, which is made with freeze-dried strawberries for more intense flavor and color.



Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

This strawberry dessert delivers all the taste of strawberry cheesecake with much less effort. The cream cheese filling gets a sprinkle of graham cracker on top for a bit of crunch. No baking and very little cleanup are required.



Southern Living

We don’t know what’s better about this recipe, the chocolate cookie-crumb crust or the red currant jelly spiked with orange liqueur. French pastry cream and jewel-bright berries update the classic in the best way imaginable.



JENNIFER DAVICK

The classic strawberry pretzel dessert also gets a refreshing upgrade in this icebox-inspired pie. To be a no-bake dessert, you can use a pre-made pie crust. Sprinkle crushed pretzels on top of the whipped cream for the crunchy, salty kick you expect from pretzel crusts.



Sarah Epperson

From the outside, it may just look like another vanilla cake. Once you make the first cut, you’ll reveal the pink layers flecked with chopped strawberries. This cake is perfect for both spring and summer celebrations.



Micah A. Leal

Use white chocolate to coat the strawberries, and then decorate with semisweet chocolate for a creative touch. A piping bag and toothpick allow you to make the intricate toothed pattern. The chocolate only requires 30 minutes to harden before serving.



Joy Howard

Soaking strawberries in a bit of sugar releases their natural sugars and turns them into a juicy topping for biscuits, shortcakes, and the like. Adding a bit of bourbon makes them a bit more fun for the adults at the party. Use your favorite brand, and scoop some out before you add the booze for any kids.



Photographer: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer

If you prefer a strawberry cobbler that’s equal parts luscious fruit filling with just a spoonful of delicately sweet cake, this is the strawberry dessert for you. This recipe requires less assembly than shortcake, too. Don’t forget the scoop of ice cream.



Photography and Styling: Sarah Epperson

Use a shortbread crust and lady fingers to adorn the outside of this mashup cheesecake recipe. We use a special trick to prevent water from leaking into the springform pan. Best served with homemade whipped cream.



Jennifer Davick

This cake looks as good as it tastes. The strawberry swirl gives a classic pound cake a delicately marbled appearance; we used Marzetti’s strawberry glaze. Cream cheese adds richness to the batter.



Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

Our spin on this German cake has a tender, fluffy crumb rather than yeasty dough. Strawberries, almonds, and cinnamon sink slightly into the top. Try it with a strong cup of hot coffee.



Micah A. Leal

This icebox pie will be a welcome addition to your table on hot summer days. The marbled top is an indicator of just how good the blend of lemonade and strawberry syrup will taste. Chill at least three hours before serving.



Greg Dupree Styling: Ginny Branch

The simple homemade crust in these tarts includes a surprise ingredient: chopped pistachios. We cook the crusts in mini fluted tart pans and then fill them with a lemony cream-cheese mixture. Strawberries look perfect atop the tiny tarts, but feel free to add other berries as well.



Southern Living

Need an afternoon experiment to do with the kids? Or simply craving a creamy fix? Grab a zip-top bag to get started on this at-home ice cream recipe.



Southern Living

Sugar biscuits give this recipe a striking resemblance to strawberry shortcake. But this fancier confection using our basic Trifle Custard recipe allows you to create a fun checkerboard pattern.



Jennifer Davick; Styling: Leigh Anne Montgomery

We all know and love chocolate-covered strawberries, but how about salted caramel ones? Yes, please! Chop up nuts that you have in your pantry to make the coating even better.



Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck

The classic strawberry tart features a creamy filling with juicy, lightly glazed berries. Here, ricotta cheese is brightened up with orange zest for a unique version that’s going to earn rave reviews from your family. A store-bought pie crust keeps this recipe simple.



Strawberry Galette

Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck

The freeform nature of a galette puts the emphasis on the juicy, fruity filling. You can absolutely use a refrigerated pie crust, but if you want to make your own, try this Single-Crust Pie Pastry. Serve this rustic dessert with a drizzle of honey.



Joy Howard

This spectacular strawberry dessert comes to life in just 30 minutes and is ready to eat after a night of chilling in the fridge. Use a deep-dish pie plate to allow room for the generous amount of filling. Add dollops of whipped cream topped with strawberries for a pretty presentation.



GREG DuPREE

Delicately sweet mascarpone cheese is whipped up into the dreamiest frosting for this strawberry cake. The real star is the beautiful row of berries in the middle. Here’s how you do it: Working from the outer edge of the frosted bottom layer towards the middle, place whole strawberries with the pointed tops facing up.



Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke



Forget chocolate chip: These sweet cookies are bursting with strawberry and almond flavors. We recommend this recipe any time you have older strawberries that need to be used up. Make these cookies next level by using them for ice cream sandwiches.



Photographer: Alison Miksch / Food Stylist: Melissa Gray / Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Scrumptious strawberry syrup soaks into a simple sheet cake topped with fluffy whipped topping. Like many poke cakes, this easy dessert is based on a store-bought cake mix. Store leftovers in the fridge to enjoy later.



Strawberry-Rhubarb Skillet Coffee Cake

Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Coffee cake is breakfast appropriate in our book, but this dessert would be perfect at an outdoor picnic or barbecue too. Pro tip: We recommend soaking the fruit in sugar for 10 minutes to remove excess liquid before mixing it in the batter.



Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Mary Clayton Carl Jones



Blending strawberries into the batter results in a super moist and sweet sheet cake, which we top with fluffy marshmallow cream. You can create the adorable edible flowers by cutting marshmallows and arranging the petals around yellow M&Ms.



Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Sweet and sour, crunchy and salty, this mouthwatering crisp has it all. The oat, almond, and cinnamon streusel browns atop the bubbling rhubarb and strawberry mixture. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this is a heavenly dessert.



Strawberry Pound Cake

Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood



Is there anything so versatile as a classic pound cake? Go ahead and enjoy a slice of this Strawberry Pound Cake for breakfast, a snack, or dessert—or all three. The scrumptious strawberry-and-sugar glaze seals in the moisture and helps it keep.



Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff

We’ve turned your favorite strawberry pretzel salad into a divine dessert. Rhubarb is a vegetable that needs sugar to temper its tangy flavor. Enter the strawberry for rounding out this sweet-and-salty pie.



More Strawberry Inspiration

Photographer: Jen Causey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly