This classic vegan strawberry shortcake is a delicious summer dessert. Perfectly fluffy, sweet shortcake biscuits topped with sliced fresh strawberries and vegan whipped cream, this dessert is sure to be a hit! Easily made with simple ingredients, this sweet treat is delicious with regular or gluten-free flour.

Vegan strawberry shortcake stacked with strawberries and vegan whipped cream on top and in between the layers.

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This is a classic recipe that you must enjoy at least once during strawberry season. It’s best with fresh-picked, ripe, juicy strawberries. Strawberry shortcake is made from lightly sweet biscuits topped with fresh strawberry sauce and whipped cream. My mouth is watering just typing this!

This recipe is

  • easy to make.
  • soy-free, nut-free, and easily made gluten-free.
  • simply delicious!

Ingredients and substitutions

For the shortcake

  • Flour – Any white all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour will work. You can also use my homemade all-purpose gluten-free flour recipe for this if you need it to be gluten-free. Don’t use almond flour, it must be grain-based flour.
  • Vegan Sugar – to sweeten the shortcake. I usually use organic cane sugar, but you can use any type of sweetener that you want. If you use a liquid sweetener like maple syrup, reduce your plant-based milk slightly. You can add a little extra sugar if you want a sweeter biscuit. Coconut sugar gives it a nice flavor, but it will turn your biscuit dough brown.
  • Baking Powder – to give the shortcake a lift and make it fluffy. You will need 2 tablespoons. I know that this sounds like a lot, but trust me, you need that much. Don’t use baking soda! It will not do the same thing.
  • Salt – for flavor.
  • Nutmeg – for flavor (optional, but highly recommended).
  • Shortening (Crisco) – You can also use coconut oil or vegan butter. They will all work, but my mom and grandma always used Crisco, so that’s what I use for a classic taste and texture. And… yes, surprisingly, Crisco is vegan.
  • Plant-Based Milk – to get the right moisture level. Any type of non-dairy milk, (soy milk, cashew milk, almond milk, rice milk, or oat milk will work.)

For the strawberry topping

  • Strawberries – because it’s a strawberry shortcake, but you can use any other berry that you would like instead.
  • Sugar – to sweeten the strawberries a little more and draw some liquid out of them. You can omit this, but you won’t have strawberry syrup.
  • Lemon Juice – just a few drops to keep the strawberries from turning brown.

For the whipped cream

You can use store-bought whipped cream like coconut whip or easily make your own vegan whipped cream with one of my recipes. Use my vegan whipped cream frosting if you want a super-rich whipped cream that won’t deflate, or if you want a lighter whipped cream, use my aquafaba whipped cream and decorate just before serving. You can also use whipped coconut cream if desired.

A vegan strawberry shortcake stacked on a white plate with layers of strawberries and vegan whipped cream.

How to make a vegan strawberry shortcake

Prep the strawberries (you can do this up to a day ahead)

Step 1 – Wash a pound of strawberries, cut the stems off the top, and slice them into 1/8-inch thick slices.

Step 2 – Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tsp of sugar. Give it a stir and then place it in the fridge until you are ready to serve the dessert.

Make the shortcake

Step 3 – Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Step 4 – Make the flour mixture – In a large bowl, measure out 3 cups of flour (use a spoon to fill the measuring cups), 2 tbsp of baking powder, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of salt, and a dash of nutmeg into a bowl. Give it all a stir.

Step 5 – Add 1/2 cup of room temperature shortening (or cold butter) and mix with a pastry cutter or large fork. (You can also toss it into a food processor and pulse it a few times if you find that easier).

Step 6 – Once the dry ingredients and fat are mixed well, slowly add the plant-based milk and fold the mixture until a soft dough is formed. (You may need slightly more or less milk depending on how you measured and what type of flour you are using). Mix just until you can no longer see dry flour and you have a shaggy dough.

A collage of 4 pictures showing the process of making vegan shortbread dough.

Step 7 – Press the dough with your hands on a floured flat surface until it’s about 3/4 inch thick. You can also use a rolling pin to help you smooth it out. Then use a biscuit cutter, round cookie cutter, or a large drinking glass to cut the dough into 3-4 inch circles. (Gently reshape the scraps between the circles until all the dough is formed.)

Vegan shortbread on a marble cutting board being cut into biscuits for strawberry shortcake.

Step 8 – Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12 minutes.

Step 9 – Allow cooling on the tray for about 10 minutes before serving.

Buy or make whipped cream of choice

Step 10 – See my post for the full instructions for making aquafaba whipped cream or vegan whipped cream frosting, or use your favorite store-bought vegan whipped cream.

Assemble the strawberry shortcake

Step 11 – Place a shortcake biscuit on a plate, then top it with a layer of strawberries and a layer of whipped cream. Then top it with another biscuit, strawberries, and more whipped cream. (You can also cut the shortcakes in half to make them thinner. They soak up more strawberry juice this way, too!)

Pro Tips

  • Be sure to spoon-measure your flour. This means spooning the flour into the measuring cup and using the back of a knife to level the flour. If you scoop the flour out with a measuring cup, you will pack it down and have more flour than you need, which will result in dry biscuits.
  • Don’t over-mix the dough. As soon as you can no longer see dry flour, stop mixing.
  • Let the strawberries sit for at least 1/2 hour after sprinkling them with sugar. This allows it to release some juices, which will soak into your biscuit and make it more moist and flavorful.
  • If you want to save time, you can also cook the shortbread-like drop biscuits by dropping a 3/4 cup pile of dough onto a cookie sheet and baking them unformed.
A white plate with strawberry shortcake on a marble countertop.

More strawberry recipes

Vegan strawberry shortcake recipe

Two layers of vegan shortcake layered with strawberries and vegan whipped cream.
Diet
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5 from 4 rating

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

Yield: 8
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Total: 27 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A classic vegan strawberry shortcake, made with fluffy biscuits topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
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Ingredients

For the strawberry topping (you can do this up to a day ahead)

  • 2 cups strawberries, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

For the shortcake

  • 3 cups flour, or gluten-free flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder, (yes 2 tablespoons- you need a lot)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 dash nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup shortening, or vegan butter or softened coconut oil
  • 1 1/4 cup soy milk, or any other plant-based milk that you want.

For the whipped cream

Instructions
 

Prep the strawberries

  • Wash a pound of strawberries, cut the stems off the top, and slice them into 1/8-inch thick slices.
  • Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of lemon juice.  Give it a stir and then place them in the fridge until you are ready to serve the dessert.

Make the shortcake

  • Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
  • Measure out 3 cups flour, (use a spoon to fill the measuring cups) 2 tbsp of baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, and a dash of nutmeg into a bowl.
  • Add 1/2 cup of shortening and mix with a pastry cutter or large fork. (You can also toss it into a food processor and pulse it a few times if you find that easier).
  • Once the dry mixture and fat are mixed well, slowly add the plant-based milk and fold the mixture until a soft dough is formed. (You may need slightly more or less milk depending on how you measured and what type of flour you are using). Mix just until you can no longer see dry flour.
  • Press the dough with your hands on a floured flat surface until it's about 3/4 inch thick, then use a biscuit cutter or a large drinking glass to cut the dough into 3-4 inch circles. (Gently reshape the scraps between the circles until all the dough is formed.)
  • Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12 minutes.
  • Allow cooling on the tray for about 10 minutes before serving.

Assemble the strawberry shortcake

  • Place a shortcake biscuit on a plate, then top it with a layer of strawberries and a layer of whipped cream. Then top it with another biscuit, strawberries, and more whipped cream.  (You can also cut the shortcakes in half to make them thinner.  They soak up more strawberry juice this way, too!)

Notes

  • Be sure to spoon-measure your flour.  This means spooning the flour into the measuring cup and using the back of a knife to level the flour.  If you scoop the flour out with a measuring cup, you will pack it down and have more flour than you need, which will result in dry biscuits.
  • Don’t over-mix the dough.  As soon as you can no longer see dry flour, stop mixing.
  • Let the strawberries sit for at least 1/2 hour after sprinkling with sugar. This allows it to release some juices, which will soak into your biscuit and make it more moist and flavorful.
  • If you want to save time you can also cook the shortbread-like drop biscuits, dropping a 3/4 cup pile of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake them unformed.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 478kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 922mg, Potassium: 546mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 145IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 281mg, Iron: 4mg
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