Is there anything better than the first fresh strawberries of spring? Grab some from your store or local farm and whip up this delicious healthy strawberry shortcake. Made with whole wheat shortcake biscuits and a lower sugar yogurt topping, this dessert is a bit more balanced but still packed with flavor. You can eat it for dessert or even for part of a balanced breakfast.
Note: This was originally published in 2017. The recipe and post have been updated in 2024 for better results.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Whole wheat flour – I used standard whole wheat flour for this recipe. If you prefer, you can use whole wheat pastry flour. You may need slightly less liquid if using pastry flour.
- Yogurt – I recommend choosing a lower-sugar vanilla yogurt for this recipe. I’ve used Two Good Vanilla yogurt, which only has two grams of sugar (it’s lightly sweetened with stevia). Another great option would be Siggi’s vanilla yogurt, which doesn’t have any alternative sweeteners but is still lower in sugar than most vanilla yogurt options.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by mixing together the milk and lemon juice. This creates a faux “buttermilk-like” quality. Set that aside for a few minutes.
Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in the butter. You can do this with a pastry cutter or knives, but I’ve found it’s easiest to do by hand. I cut the butter into small chunks and put them in the flour mixture, then use my hands to incorporate it until the mixture is crumbly and sand-like. You want to make sure there aren’t any butter pieces left that are bigger than the size of a pea.
Crack the egg into the measuring cup with the milk and lemon juice, and whisk it well. Then pour those liquid ingredients into the dry flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Your dough should look like this:
Portion out the dough as drop biscuits onto a baking sheet.
Bake those for about 10-15 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown and the tops no longer look moist.
Serve them with the strawberries and yogurt!
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you’re preparing this recipe:
Shortcake biscuits are best eaten fresh baked, but can be stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days. If you’re planning to store longer than that, it’s best to freeze the biscuits. You can then reheat in the oven until warm and slightly crisp on the outside.
Yes! Feel free to use raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries with a shortcake recipe. They all taste great.
It’s not recommended to make these substitutions for a whole wheat shortcake biscuit recipe, however you may be able to find other recipes that specifically use these ingredients.
Nutrition Benefits
As a dietitian, I love this recipe! There’s nothing wrong with a traditional strawberry shortcake, but sometimes it’s nice to have balanced options that still are super flavorful. Here’s what I’m a fan of for this version:
- Has much less sugar than most recipes! One serving has 9.5 grams of sugar, only a few grams of which are added sugar
- Packs in 10 grams of protein while helps with satiety as well as muscle recovery from workouts
- Has 4 grams of fiber to support digestive health
- Provides 14% of daily calcium needs, a mineral that is essential for bone health
- Packs in 25% of your Vitamin B12 needs, an essential vitamin involved in energy production
- Provides 67% of your daily Vitamin C needs to support immune health and skin health
More Strawberry Recipes
If you’re looking for more strawberry recipes, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Strawberry and watermelon rind mini pies (these are so good!)
- Beet and strawberry salad
- Strawberry banana “nice cream”
- Strawberry chia jam (I love making this for my PB&J oatmeal)
I hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s a family favorite around here. If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Healthy Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
Shortcake Biscuits:
- ⅔ cup 1% milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup cold salted butter (half a stick)
- 1 large egg
Toppings:
- Sliced strawberries (about ⅔ cup sliced per serving)
- Lower-sugar vanilla Greek yogurt (about ⅓ cup per serving; I used Two Good yogurt)
Instructions
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the milk. Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice and set aside for a few minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut the butter into the flour mixture with knifes, a pastry cutter, or your hands, until the mixture is crumbly.
- Whisk the egg into the milk and lemon juice, then pour these liquid ingredients into the flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Drop the dough onto the baking sheet to make a total of ten biscuits. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the biscuits start to turn golden brown along the edge and no longer look moist on top.
- Slice the shortcake biscuits in half and layer them with sliced strawberries and yogurt. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you’re making a full ten servings, you’ll need a 32-ounce container of yogurt and about 3 pounds of strawberries.
- The nutrition facts below are based on one serving being one shortcake biscuit, ⅔ cup sliced strawberries, and ⅓ cup Two Good vanilla yogurt. If you use a different yogurt, keep in mind the nutrition facts may vary.
Nutrition
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Anything with strawberry in it gets my vote! 🙂
YES! So true!
Strawberries are my favourite taste of summer!
Thanks Val- mine too!
Strawberry shortcake, my favourite! Strawberry cheesecake was my favourite for a really long time until shortcake came along, ha! I’ll be trying this recipe, thanks!
Haha, now I want BOTH strawberry shortcake and strawberry cheesecake!
Could I use oar flour?
Hi Eileen! I have not tried making this recipe with oat flour. Oat flour doesn’t have gluten which generally provides some structure and binding. I’m not sure if the biscuits will hold using oat flour, but it’s hard to tell without trying it myself (yet). If you get a chance to try it, please do let me know how it works for you!