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This Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake Recipe is a must-make during the summer! With a buttery drop biscuit as its base, the macerated strawberries are topped with a delicious dairy-free coconut whipped cream for the yummiest treat.
This shortcake recipe is so tasty no one will even notice (or care) that it’s gluten-free and dairy-free!
The Best Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
There might be no better dessert out there than a classic strawberry shortcake during those hot summer months! There may be some controversy out there as to whether or not strawberry shortcakes should be made with a cake or biscuit base.
However, after trying this gluten-free recipe, you’ll be hooked on the biscuit version. Tender and buttery, the rich biscuit base pairs perfectly with the sweet strawberry topping. Finished with a dairy-free coconut whipped cream, it’s the perfect combination of tastes and textures.
Plus, it’s ready to eat in under an hour, and you can even prepare the ingredients in advance! This homemade strawberry shortcake is sure to be your new go-to dessert for summer BBQs, cookouts, and after-dinner treats.
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
*Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and ingredient list!
Gluten Free Shortcake
- Gluten-Free Flours: We use a combination of almond flour, tapioca flour, and coconut flour to form the base of the shortcake. Feel free to use arrowroot powder in place of tapioca flour if preferred. The different flours create a tender, crumbly base with a mildly sweet taste. Do not use just one flour, or the shortcake won’t hold its shape!
- Baking Powder: Make sure it’s fresh, or your shortcake won’t rise!
- Sea Salt: This helps enhance the flavor of the rest of the ingredients.
- Butter: I recommend using grass-fed butter for the best results. Lactose-free ghee will also work. Or, you can substitute your favorite plant-based butter to keep this recipe dairy-free.
- Unsweetened Applesauce: This allows us to cut down on the amount of butter needed without sacrificing the moist texture.
- Egg: We use one egg to bind the shortcake batter. We haven’t tested this strawberry shortcake recipe with a vegan egg substitute but would love to know how it goes if you do!
Use Room Temperature Ingredients
Let your ingredients sit out and come to room temperature before you begin making the biscuits. This makes them easier to mix and prevents overworking the dough, which can result in dense, tough biscuits.
Strawberry Sauce
- Fresh Strawberries: You can’t have a strawberry shortcake without strawberries! Use fresh, clean strawberries, slicing them into pieces before you begin.
- Honey: This enhances the natural sweetness of the strawberries without the need for refined sugar. Feel free to substitute maple syrup if preferred.
- Lemon Juice: The acidity helps amplify the flavor of the berries. Freshly squeezed is best, but bottled lemon juice will work just fine if that’s all you have on hand.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds extra depth and enhances the sweetness of the berries even further.
Coconut Whipped Cream
- Coconut Cream: Make sure to use canned coconut cream, not coconut milk. You can typically find this in the Asian section of your local grocery store. Full-fat varieties are best!
- Vanilla Extract: This enhances the sweetness of the whipped cream, adding extra depth and a subtle vanilla taste.
- Organic Powdered Sugar: If you want to avoid refined sugars completely, you can substitute honey for powdered sugar, but the coconut cream will be a bit thin. Do not substitute granulated sugar!
How to Make Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake with Dairy Free Whipped Cream
- Make the shortcake: Prepare the biscuit dough just like you would gluten free biscuits.
- Bake: Divide the dough into 6 equal-sized portions. Then, transfer it to a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven until the biscuits puff up in the center and are golden brown on the bottom. Set them aside to cool completely.
- Macerate the berries: Combine the strawberries, honey, lemon juice, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Set the mixture aside until the strawberries soften and release their juices.
- Whip the cream: Add the thick coconut cream to a bowl. Be careful not to use any of the thin coconut milk! Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip until it’s light and fluffy. Then, add the vanilla and powdered sugar, and whip just until smooth.
- Serve: Once completely cooled, cut a biscuit in half. Then, top it with a scoop of macerated strawberries and juice, and add a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately, and repeat layering all the ingredients.
Making Coconut Whipped Cream
Our best piece of advice for making coconut whipped cream is to make sure the coconut milk is cold! Leave it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to make sure that the cream (or fat) separates completely from the light coconut milk.
Then, when you are whipping make sure to only scoop the solid cream into the bowl, and leave behind any trace of the milk. It won’t be quite as thick as whipped cream made with dairy, but the luxurious taste more than makes up for it.
Don’t make the coconut cream too far in advance, and no more than 4 hours before you plan to serve.
Make Ahead Instructions
The simplicity of this gluten free strawberry shortcake recipe is one of the reasons this dessert is so popular. However, you can prepare the different components in advance to make it even easier to assemble when you’re ready to serve.
- Biscuits: Prepare the biscuits up to 1 day in advance, and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Berries: Macerate the berries up to 4 hours ahead of time, and place them in the fridge to chill until you’re ready to serve.
- Whipped Cream: Prepare the whipped cream up to 4 hours in advance, and store it covered in the fridge.
Do not assemble the different components until just before serving! Otherwise, your shortcake will become soggy.
FAQs
Strawberries are ripe when they’re a deep red color with bright green tops. They will also have a fragrant, sweet smell. The best berries are free from bruises or discoloration and are firm to the touch.
Allow the biscuits to cool completely. Then, avoid adding too much syrup from the berries. If it seeps into the biscuits, they will absorb the moisture and become soggy.
We do not recommend freezing this recipe as it will become soggy once thawed. Luckily, it’s quick to prepare fresh!
More Strawberry Recipes We Love
- Strawberry Lemonade with Mint
- Strawberry and Cream Overnight Oats (Gluten-Free & Vegan)
- Grilled Chicken with Strawberry and Mango Salsa
- Strawberry Chia Seed Jam (Paleo & Vegan)
- 2-Ingredient Strawberry Homemade Fruit Roll Ups
- Paleo Chocolate Ganache Strawberry Cups
Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake (with Dairy Free Whipped Cream)
Ingredients
Gluten Free Shortcake:
- 1-1/4 cup 120g almond flour
- 1/2 cup 60g tapioca flour or arrowroot powder
- 2 tablespoons 14g coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons grass-fed butter room temperature or cold (see note)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 organic egg
Strawberry Sauce:
- 1 quart 16 ounces strawberries, cleaned, hulled and sliced cups strawberries
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coconut Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup coconut cream cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup organic powdered sugar see note for other option
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Make the shortcake: Make the biscuit dough according to these instructions. Divide into 6 portions and bake for 15 minutes, or until slightly puffed up in the center and golden brown on the bottom. Let cool completely (can be made up to 1 day ahead).1-1/4 cup 120g almond flour, 1/2 cup 60g tapioca flour or arrowroot powder, 2 tablespoons 14g coconut flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, 3 tablespoons grass-fed butter, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 organic egg
- Macerate the berries: In a medium bowl combine strawberries, honey, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, or until the strawberries have softened and released their juices.1 quart 16 ounces strawberries, cleaned, hulled and sliced cups strawberries, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whip the cream: Add the coconut cream to a bowl of an electric mixer, taking care not to add any of the thin coconut milk. Whip the cold coconut cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and whip for an additional minute.1 cup coconut cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ cup organic powdered sugar
- To serve: Cut the biscuit in half, top with a scoop of macerated berries, juice and a dollop of whipped cream and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can substitute lactose free ghee for the butter in the biscuits
- If you wanted to avoid refined sugars completely, you can substitute honey for the powdered sugar, but the coconut cream will be a bit thin.
- This recipe was originally published in May 2015, but updated with new pictures and a change to the recipe. Previously the biscuits were made with 1 cup of flour, but we’ve updated it to be more accurate when weighing ingredients. See post for more detail.
I tripled this recipe. Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients before carefully folding the wet into the dry. I also added about 1 tsp vanilla to the wet ingredients. The shortcakes are delicious! Great flavor and texture 🙂 they do spread quite a bit, so if you like taller ones like me I’d suggest refrigerating the dough prior to shaping and baking and/or using English muffin tins for support. I did not care for the strawberry sauce. Unless you have the best strawberries (mine were good, not great), you end up with a purée that tastes like watered down strawberries.
We cant have butter as dairy intolerance. Is there a substitute??
These sound delicious, I’m so excited to make them! If I make the biscuits the day before ,will they still be good and should I store in the fridge? Thanks!!
Love the Biscuits!! Can you tell me how many carbs? I ate two!! So good!!!! I did not make them into Strawberry Shortcake!
Excited to make these! Does it say anywhere how many this recipe would make?
6!
Any ideas on how to make this with a flour that isn’t almond? I have an autoimmune condition that keeps me from eating almonds. Could you suggest any other alternatives?
You could try ground sunflower seeds, but I haven’t tried it personally so I can’t promise the same results.
Just wondering why you dump the fat from the coconut milk before whipping? Does it make it not whip up? Or are you avoiding the fat for some reason? Maybe I am confused and you’re using only the fat to make the whip cream?
You actually use the cream/fat and not the liquid 🙂
this is on my weekend to-do list! 🙂 (it’s the first thing on my list)
I love strawberry shortcake, this version looks amazing!
This looks so decadent and I love the coconut cream!
I seriously cannot WAIT to try those biscuits! I have plans to pair them with every fruit as the summer continues on. I’m drooling just thinking about peaches + coconut cream! So fun to join in the roundup this month 🙂
I am all about the shortcake! I have not been able to find one good GF option so I will be making this asap!
Strawberry shortcake is SUCH a classic summer dish, and I am SO glad that you made it healthier because I foresee A LOT of it going into my face STAT. Pinned!
Isaac and I have been craving strawberry shortcake and this recipe looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it!
#thosebiscuits!!