Homemade strawberry shortcake is the quintessential summer dessert. This recipe makes fluffy gluten free and vegan shortcakes topped with juicy strawberry filling and light coconut whipped cream. Ultimately, it’s the perfect after-dinner treat on a warm summer night!
How do you make fluffy gluten free vegan shortcake biscuits?
There are a few key ingredients to perfectly golden brown and flakey vegan gluten free shortcakes.
The first is the right flour blend. We use gluten-free all-purpose and oat flour for these shortcakes. You can mix up a batch of your own homemade all-purpose gluten free flour for this dessert. Then you’ll have some on hand for more gluten free baking. Why not try Classic Chocolate Cupcakes next?
Or, if you’re short on time, go for store-bought. We love King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill!
Looking for another use for any leftover GF flour? How about Caramel Apple Pie Bars to welcome fall?
We also use oat flour in our gluten free shortcakes for a couple of reasons. First of all, it lends a delicious oat-y flavor to these vegan shortcakes, which really compliments strawberry filling.
It also gives a bit more weight and heartiness to the shortcakes. Oat flour is denser than all-purpose, so you don’t want to go full-on oat, but 1/2 cup makes a big difference in the flavor department.
Why use vegan yogurt to make shortcakes?
On to the wet ingredients. We use non-dairy milk and vegan yogurt. We usually choose oat milk for this vegan shortcake recipe. We’re already using oat flour. Why not go double oat?
Of course other dairy-free milks work great. Coconut, almond, soy, or even hazelnut milk would work well. Feel free to experiment with your dairy-free milk of choice! However, if you do opt for coconut, we recommend the kind in a bottle/carton. The canned stuff may have too high of a fat content for these shortcakes.
We include vegan yogurt for a couple of reasons. First, it gives more liquid to moisten the dry ingredients. That’s necessary for the dough to come together. Second, the yogurt adds substance and heft to the dough. It contains protein and fat that thickens up the shortcakes.
We use a small carton of vegan cashew yogurt. It has a delicious sweet vanilla flavor that doesn’t overpower the shortcakes. Bonus: the stuff from Forager is organic and gluten free!
How to form, cut and bake gluten free shortcakes
This shortcake dough is egg-free and dairy-free and therefore will be a little softer than you might expect. But fear not! That’s totally normal.
Vegan yogurts all have different amounts of liquid, so it all depends on which brand you use. You may need to adjust the dry or wet ingredients for the right texture.
If your dough is too wet, simply add more gluten free all purpose flour. Add it a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft but comes together into a ball.
Or, if your dough is too dry, add tablespoons of non-dairy milk. Keep going until the dough forms a soft ball. Be sure to mix each addition well before adding more.
Then use a cookie cutter or an inverted glass to divide your dough into circular biscuits. Fluted biscuit cutters make adorable shortcakes. Note that you may need to lightly flour the inner and outer rim of your cookie cutter – this will help the dough release from the cutter easily.
This recipe makes about 8 vegan biscuits. If you only need 4 or 6 to feed your crowd, you can make them thicker! Before cutting, you’ll roll the dough into a rough circle on a lightly floured work surface. For 8 shortcakes, roll it to about 1/2 inch thick. For fewer, give yourself another 1/4 to 1/2 an inch, and enjoy those thiccc cakes.
And lastly, we like to sprinkle our shortcakes with a pinch of pearl sugar. It gives these vegan shortcakes a classic bakery style look.
To bake, spread out your shortcakes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. They tend to spread out a bit in the oven. You might not want one massive shortcake blob : )
How to make simple strawberry filling for desserts
The filling for these vegan strawberry shortcakes couldn’t be simpler. The recipe also makes a delicous, juicy strawberry filling for other vegan strawberry desserts.
- Use it in this elegant vegan strawberry trifle from the Unconventional Baker. This dessert also happens to be gluten free.
- Or, spoon it generously over this vegan vanilla cake from the Curious Chickpea.
- It would also make a delicious topping to vegan cookie dough ice cream!
This is two ingredient strawberry filling. You just need plump, sliced fresh strawberries and a couple spoonfuls of sugar. This filling is low-sugar because the strawberries are so naturally sweet.
Let it sit for a few minutes. It can sit for up to half an hour. This allows the berries to macerate. The result is nice and juicy to fill your shortcakes.
How to make light homemade vegan coconut whipped cream
And now for the finale. No strawberry shortcake (and really no perfect dessert (or breakfast!), in my opinion) is complete without whipped cream. Despite being dairy-free, this whipped cream recipe is as simple as could be.
Remember to stick your can of coconut milk in the fridge before whipping. Ideally, it will chill for several hours. Even overnight works. This helps the fats in the coconut milk come together and whip up more easily.
This delicious dairy-free whipped cream only needs 3 ingredients. First is the full fat coconut milk. Then, a bit of powdered sugar. And then a drop of vanilla extract. Finally, get whipping on high speed until soft peaks form.
Strawberry Shortcake Assembly
Finally, pile it all together! Divide your vegan gluten free shortcakes between plates. Stuff with juicy strawberry filling and top with a heavy scoop of coconut whipped cream. The whipped cream may get a bit melty with the warm biscuit, but that’s completely fine – I prefer it that way!
If you’re still in the mood for more delicious summery desserts full of sweet fruit, you’re in the right place. Try these vegan desserts to send off summer:
- Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. Bring the tartness to your sweet strawberry filling with rhubarb.
- Vegan Gluten Free Four Berry Pie Bars. This classic Michigan dessert goes gluten free, vegan and hand-held.
- Dark Chocolate Dipped Figs. These couldn’t be easier. Yet they’re one of the most beautiful desserts we’ve made.
- Apricot Oat Bars. Soft, chewy, sweet with soft apricots. Pack these for an afternoon snack and you’ll thank yourself.
Now you’ve mastered vegan gluten free strawberry shortcake. Get outside and enjoy it while the weather’s beautiful!
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This recipe makes fluffy gluten free and vegan shortcakes topped with juicy strawberry filling and light coconut whipped cream. The perfect summer fruit dessert.
Ingredients
Biscuits:
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cold vegan butter, cut into small pieces
- 5.3 oz vegan vanilla yogurt (we used Forager Project Vanilla)
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk, such as oat milk
- Pearl sugar, for topping, optional
Strawberries:
- 2 pints fresh strawberries
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Coconut whipped cream:
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3–1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Put the can of coconut milk in the fridge to chill (for coconut whipped cream).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, oat flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the cold pieces of butter and mix with your hands, pressing the butter between your fingers. The dough should be crumbly.
- Add the vanilla, yogurt and non-dairy milk and combine the batter well. The dough will be very soft, be careful not to over mix it, as it can get tough.
- If you’re using a different brand of vegan yogurt, the mixture may be too wet or dry. If it’s too dry, add more non-dairy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it forms into a soft ball. If the dough is too wet, add more all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it forms into a soft ball.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and press into a circle, about half an inch thick. Use a glass or circular cookie cutter to divide the dough into biscuits, forming the scraps back into a circle to keep cutting.
- Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, sprinkle with pearl sugar, if using, and bake for 18 minutes, or until lightly brown and firm. Cool on a wire rack before serving.
- While the shortcakes cool, mix the sliced strawberries with the remaining 2 tbsp granulated sugar and let sit for 15-30 minutes. This allows the berries to get really juicy. If you like it sweeter, feel free to add more sugar.
- Make the whipped coconut cream by adding the chilled coconut milk, powdered sugar and vanilla to an electric mixer (hand-held or standing). Whip on high until stiff.
- To serve, split each shortcake in half with a fork, fill with strawberries and top with a hefty scoop of coconut whip!
Notes
If you want to use less sugar, you can skip the sugar for the strawberry filling. It won’t be quite as juicy, but if you have perfectly ripe, sweet strawberries, it will still taste amazing! You can also use a bit less powdered sugar in the whipped cream. It will not whip up as much as ours, but again – still tastes great.
Keywords: vegan strawberry shortcake
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