Healthy Vegan Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake {with coconut whipped cream}

If there is one dessert that screams summertime, it is most definitely THE strawberry shortcake. 

Ahhhh, strawberry shortcake. I love you too much.

I am a chocolate girl through and through but summertime calls for fresh strawberries, shortcake biscuits and whipped topping. Ya feel me? There is just something about a good ole biscuit covered in juicy strawberries and cream!

Oh but I have a question regarding how it is you enjoy your traditional strawberry shortcake…

So I was at my in-laws the other week and MIL (mother-in-law) had made shortcake biscuits and such so I was making myself up a little dessert after dinner. When I got to the table with my bowl of strawberries, biscuit and whipped topping FIL (father-in-law) asked, “Where’s the milk?” And I was like, “Huh? Why do I need milk?” I mean I get biscuits are traditionally dry but isn’t that what the juicy strawberries and whipped cream are for? Well, apparently he prefers his strawberry shortcake with all the fixings AND a few splashes of milk.

If you’re thinking, “Interesting…” Same here. But it had me wondering if that is a Midwest thing or just a strange thing. I’m fairly certain he enjoys his cake with milk too… 

Well, however you prefer to enjoy strawberry shortcake you can’t deny it’s downright goodness.

healthy strawberry shortcake

So we’ve got a simple recipe for healthy vegan and gluten-free friendly strawberry shortcake – a lovely summertime dessert and perfect for any occasion. Juicy strawberries, shortcake biscuits and whipped coconut cream – what’s not to love?!

what you need

• 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour OR whole wheat pastry flour (see recipe page for notes)
• baking powder
• salt
• sugar
• strawberries
• non-dairy milk 
• apple cider vinegar
• full-fat canned coconut milk

how to make the strawberry shortcake

This recipe is really simple guys! The biscuit dough is just flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and non-dairy homemade buttermilk (i.e. cashew milk + apple cider vinegar).

• To get the best possible biscuit texture,  you’ll want to use frozen/cold coconut oil. (If not vegan you can use butter.) 
• I scooped out three tablespoons of my (butter flavored) coconut oil, put them in the freezer for about 3 minutes, and then cut them into pieces before adding them into the bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients.
• You’ll then want to use a dough blender to work the frozen coconut oil bits and dry ingredients together. (Alternatively you can use a food processor and pulse ingredients.)
• Next you slowly add the homemade buttermilk until the dough comes together – it should be somewhat sticky and not crumbly.
• I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out the dough and gently shape into biscuits.

While the biscuits are baking, combine the sliced strawberries with the sugar and allow the strawberries to get super juicy.

Oh, and start working on the coconut whipped cream if using.

Once the biscuits have cooled completely, load em up and dive in!

As always, I love hearing from you when you make a recipe. Leaving a comment and a rating on the blog helps others find the recipe too!

Enjoy, friends!

Vegan Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcakes

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• Author: Ashley
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

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Ingredients

shortcakes

• 2/3 cup non-dairy milk, cold (cashew, almond or canned coconut for richer texture)
• 1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 TBSP coconut oil*, cold (butter flavored for more flavor)
• 1 1/2 cups 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour OR whole wheat pastry flour (plus a little more for hands if needed)
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 TBSP granulated sugar (cane, coconut, sub stevia blend to taste)

strawberries

• 1lb fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 TBSP coconut sugar, optional but makes extra juicy (dry sweetener of choice such as stevia may be subbed, to taste)

Coconut Whipped Cream

• 2 13oz cans full-fat coconut milk or 1 13oz can coconut cream, chilled overnight or at least 6 hours
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, optional

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Instructions

If making whipped coconut cream, cans must be chilled for at least 6 hours. Also you can place a mixing bowl in the fridge or freezer to chill as well. 

1. Measure coconut oil into plastic wrapped lined bowl. Place coconut oil in freezer for at least 30 minutes, until solid and very cold. Once completely cold, place on cutting board and chop into pieces; set aside. (You can also mix dough in a food processor.)
2. Combine milk and apple cider vinegar in glass measuring cup; set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400ºF and line medium baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
4. In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add in pieces of coconut oil (or pulse everything together in food processor bowl as mentioned) and use pastry/dough blender to cut in cold oil.
5. Slowly pour in milk about 1/4 cup at a time, mixing dough together with fork. Dough should come together at the end and be not too dry, slightly sticky. If it seems dry, add 1/2 tablespoon of milk at a time. If the dough seems wet, sprinkle in about 1/2 tablespoon of flour and mix in.
6. Scoop about 1/4 of dough and shape into biscuit rounds about 1″ thick. Place biscuits on lined baking sheet; bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from
7. Meanwhile, combine sliced strawberries with sugar in medium bowl to allow strawberries to get extra juicy; the longer they sit the more juices will release. You could also cut back on the sugar or omit sugar if you’d like.
8. to make the coconut whipped cream: be careful not to shake coconut cans. Gently scoop out the cream (the hard white stuff) from the can and place in chilled mixing bowl. Do NOT add liquid – transfer to jar or bottle to use for smoothies. Using whisk attachment of stand mixer or electric hand mixer, whip coconut cream for about 1 minute then slowly incorporate powdered sugar before mixing on medium-high speed again. Transfer to medium bowl and place in fridge until ready to serve.
9. Assemble shortcakes: Using bread knife, gently slice down the center of shortcake. Layer on strawberries, whipped cream and more strawberries (and more whipped cream if you’d like) and top with other shortcake half. Dig in!

Notes

*Coconut oil should be cold for best texture. If not vegan/dairy-free, feel free to sub cold butter.

Store leftover coconut cream covered in fridge. You can use excess in coffee or spread on toast with berries, etc.

• Category: dessert
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: vegan strawberry shortcake, best desserts for summer, best strawberry recipes

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