Easy Mason Jar Strawberry Shortcake
Learn how to make strawberry shortcake in jars with fresh berries, fluffy whipped cream, and tender cake—perfect for picnics, parties, and summer holidays!
The other day I was digging through old photo files and stumbled on this forgotten set of images—mason jars filled with fluffy cake, whipped cream, and juicy strawberries. And I couldn’t believe I forgot to share with you this beautiful idea for strawberry shortcake in jars!
This fun summer dessert idea is perfect for patriotic holidays like the 4th of July or Canada Day, or as a pretty and fun-to-serve option for summer picnics and reunions. It’s easy to customize, looks beautiful, and will be a hit!
Why You’ll Love This Summer Dessert idea
- Perfect for Entertaining – These individual desserts are portable and easy to hold in your hand while eating – perfect for outdoor, casual settings. Set them on a tray for people to grab, or set up a station for them to assemble their own!
- Easy to Customize – You can certainly make homemade shortcake, but if you’re short on time- use store-bought pound cake or angel food cake.
- Beautiful Presentation – This dessert presentation is a stunner – the beautiful layers show up like sparkling stars in Mason jars.
Ingredients Needed for Mason Jar Strawberry shortcake
This strawberry shortcake idea is highly customizable based on whether you want it totally homemade and from scratch, or if you want a quicker & easier option! To layer up the elements of this dessert, you’ll need
- Cake: You could use any of the following options: homemade shortcake (the ones pictured are from my friend’s Strawberry Shortcake Sliders recipe), homemade or storebought vanilla cake, angel food cake, or poundcake.
- Whipping cream: Freshly whipped, canned, or Cool Whip would work
- Strawberries: Fresh, sliced and sprinkled with sugar
- Blueberries: Optional, but would make a great red, white, and blue dessert!
- Mint leaves and decorative sliced strawberries for decoration on top: Optional
Step by Step Instructions for Making Mason Jar Strawberry Shortcake
(For all the detailed instructions, refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
1. Slice strawberries & sprinkle with sugar. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. 
2. Layer up cake, strawberries, & whipped cream 
3. Top with a decorative sliced strawberry.
How to Slice Strawberries for Garnish
Watch the quick video below for an easy way to turn strawberries into a pretty garnish:
Helpful Tips When Making This Recipe
- Use wide-mouth mason jars for easier layering and serving.
- For a neater look, pipe the whipped cream using a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped.
- Let the strawberries sit long enough with the sugar so they get nice and juicy!
- You can customize this and use whatever size mason jars you’d like. Jam jars would make a cute little dessert serving.
- If using fresh whipped cream, serve immediately after assembling to prevent the layers from getting soggy. (Cool Whip is more forgiving.)
Substitutions and Variations for these Mason Jar Strawberry Shortcakes
- Cake: Try chocolate cake for a fun twist.
- Fruit: Substitute raspberries, blueberries, or peaches.
- Whipped Cream: Use store-bought whipped topping for speed, and let guests assemble their own.
- Pudding Layer: Add a thin layer of vanilla pudding between the cake and strawberries for an extra creamy treat.
Grandma Rita’s Kitchen Tips
Don’t worry about perfection—layered desserts like this are beautifully forgiving. You can experiment with cake types, fruit combos, or different jar sizes. Be bold and tweak what you have on hand!
Other Strawberry Recipes You May Enjoy:
- Grandma’s Strawberry Pie is always a hit, and can be made ahead of time.
- Strawberry quick bread is perfect for brunch, breakfast, or tea time – and freezes beautifully.
- This best vanilla strawberry cake is a showstopper with fresh strawberry frosting and strawberry slices on top.
Free printable set!!
Snag the planner I use to simplify grocery trips and dinners!
Pin It Now, Make It Later
Don’t lose track of this recipe! Save it on Pinterest so it’s ready when you need it. Follow me on Pinterest for even more meal ideas and inspiration for your home.
Strawberry Shortcake In a Jar
Discover how to layer homemade or store-bought cake, whipped cream, and strawberries in mason jars for a beautiful summer dessert everyone will love.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cake cubes (shortcake, poundcake, or white cake)
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, & sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped or 1- 8 ounce container cool whip
- 1 tbsp instant vanilla pudding mix (optional)
Instructions
- Combine sliced strawberries with sugar. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add pudding mix (if using) and whip to stiff peaks.
- Layer in 8 ounce mason jars: cake, whipped cream, and strawberries. Repeat again and end with strawberries.
Notes
If using fresh whipped cream, it is best to serve these immediately after assembling. If you use stabilized whipped cream (like cool whip) they can be assembled earlier and stored in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 767Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 332mgCarbohydrates: 80gFiber: 1gSugar: 62gProtein: 6g
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Wow, this Mason Jar Strawberry Shortcake recipe looks absolutely delightful! 🍓 I love how easy you make it seem. Perfect summer treat! Can’t wait to try it out—thanks for sharing such a beautiful idea!
It looks fantastic, and the combination of cream and strawberries is incredible. Let’s enjoy and create this delectable delicacy together!
This fun summer dessert idea is perfect for patriotic holidays like the 4th of July or Canada Day, or as a pretty and fun-to-serve option for summer picnics and reunions.