What to do with all those strawberries you just picked at strawberry picking farms or strawberry festivals near you? We pulled together our favorite family strawberry recipes to use up all that juicy, red sweetness. These easy strawberry recipes are written so that parents can do the prep work and leave the rest of the mixing, stirring, and baking up to the kids!
But wait! If you haven’t gone strawberry picking yet, don't worry. We know the best strawberry picking farms and strawberry festivals in Boston, Connecticut, New York, Westchester & the Hudson Valley, Long Island, Philadelphia, Houston, New Jersey, Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, Orlando, and Los Angeles. Now go get picking and baking!
Looking for more yummy (and quick) things to make with or for kids? Check out our Easy Recipes Guide.
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Easy Strawberry Recipes Kids Can Make Themselves
1. Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
All parents need to do is core the strawberries in this recipe, and kids can do the rest.
Ingredients
- 1 lb large strawberries
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
Instructions
Parents: Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberries. Remove the top and core with a paring knife, if necessary.
Kids: Mix the cream cheese (softened to room temperature or microwaved in 10-second bursts until easy to stir), powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or Ziploc with the corner snipped off. Fill the strawberries with cheesecake mixture. Once strawberries are filled, sprinkle or dip the tops with graham cracker crumbs.
This recipe has been lightly adapted for kids from a recipe on The Sweets Life.
2. Strawberries and Cream
Parents can slice the strawberries and kids can enjoy this simple treat!
Ingredients
- 1 lb strawberries
- Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream)
Instructions
Parents: Remove the green tops and slice the strawberries.
Kids: Place Cool Whip in a bowl, arrange the strawberries on a plate, and enjoy!
3. Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
A classic treat that kids can make and enjoy themselves.
Ingredients
- Strawberries
- Milk or dark chocolate chips
- White chocolate chips
- Sprinkles
- Milk
Instructions
Parents: Melt the chocolate chips with a tiny splash of milk in the microwave on full heat. It shouldn’t take long, keep stirring it every 10 seconds.
Kids: Wash the strawberries and let them dry. Dip them into melted chocolate and add sprinkles or chopped nuts. Place on parchment or wax paper and let the chocolate set up (goes faster in the fridge!).
Start with any biscuit, even store bought, and kids can have a blast piling on whipped cream and strawberries.
Easy Strawberry Recipes Kids and Parents Make Together
4. Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb strawberries
- Whipped cream
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) melted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the counter
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- whipped cream or Cool Whip
- strawberries!
Instructions
Parents: Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it with cooking spray. Chill 1 cup of buttermilk in the freezer for 10 minutes. Melt 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) of butter.
Kids: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Pour the melted butter into the chilled buttermilk; watch the butter turn into tiny floating globs. This means you don't have to cut the butter into the flour to get flaky biscuits! Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. The dough should be stiff; add more flour if needed. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead it 5-6 times until it holds together. Pat the dough into a 6-inch square that's 1 1/2 to 2 inches high.
Parents: Help kids use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 18 minutes until the tops are golden brown. While the biscuits are still hot, brush the tops with the remaining melted butter.
Kids: Break a biscuit in half and pile it with whipped cream and strawberries!
The biscuit recipe has been lightly adapted for kids from a recipe on the cafe sucre farine.
5. Freezer Strawberry Jam
This jam is easy to make, but no less delicious than a more complex recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 cups crushed strawberries (about 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries, stems removed)
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 box Sure Jell Fruit Pectin (*see note)
- Clean containers to put the jam in – I like to use half-pint mason jars. This recipe typically fills 5-6 half-pint jars.
Instructions
Parents: In a food processor, pulse the strawberries a few times until they are diced but not completely mashed.
Kids: Measure 2 cups of diced strawberries into a large bowl. Accurate measurement of berries and sugar is crucial for proper jam setting., so measure carefully! Add sugar, one cup at a time. Let the strawberries and sugar stand for 10 minutes.
Parents: Combine water and pectin in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Once it boils, continue stirring for 1 minute, then remove from heat and add it to the strawberry mixture.
Kids: Stir vigorously for several minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved. Fill your containers with the jam, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace at the top.
Seal the containers with lids and let them stand at room temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours, you can store the jam in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks or freeze it for up to 1 year. Enjoy your homemade strawberry jam!
This recipe has been lightly adapted from a recipe on Tastes Better From Scratch.
6. Homemade Mini Strawberry Pie (Homemade Pop-Tarts!)
Kids can fill these pies with your strawberry jam and top them with fun and colorful sprinkles or icing.
Ingredients
- frozen pie crust
- strawberry jam
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- food coloring, if desired
Instructions
Kids & parents together: Using a paper cutout rectangle, cut the pie dough into rectangles. You can pull all the dough scraps together, roll the dough out to a ¼ layer, and cut out the remaining rectangles. Make sure you have an even amount of rectangles. Place the pastry on a lined baking sheet. Place half the rectangles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Scoop about a tablespoon-sized dollop of filling into the center of the rectangles. You can use your fresh or store-bought jam or preserves, or get more creative with chocolate, chia jam, or Nutella! Brush the edges of the pastry with egg.
Whisk an egg in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, paint the edges of the rectangles with the egg. Place the top rectangle onto each jelly-filled rectangle. Using a fork, gently seal the two rectangles together. Brush the remaining egg wash over the tops of the pastries.
Bake for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven. The pastries should be golden brown.
Whisk together the milk, powdered sugar, and food coloring in a small bowl. Allow the pastries to completely cool before decorating with icing (and sprinkles, if you want!). See more instructions and photos for making homemade Pop-Tarts in our detailed recipe.