This classic vegan strawberry shortcake is the taste of summer. Perfectly fluffy, sweet biscuits topped with sliced 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.
You’ll love this strawberry shortcake recipe because it’s…
- easy to make.
- uses simple ingredients.
- soy-free, nut-free, and easily made gluten-free,
- simply delicious!
What you will need to make strawberry shortcake and why:
For the shortcake:
- Flour – any white 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.
- Sugar – to sweeten the shortcake. You can use any type of sweetener that you want, but if you use a liquid sweetener reduce your plant-based milk slightly.
- Baking Powder – to give the shortcake 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) – or 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 soy, cashew, almond, rice, or oat milk will work.
For the strawberry topping:
- Strawberries – because it’s 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.
For the whipped cream:
You can use store-bought whipped cream or easily make your own vegan whipped cream with my aquafaba whipped cream recipe.
How to make a vegan strawberry shortcake:
Prep the strawberries: (you can do this up to a day ahead)
- 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. Give it a stir and then place in the fridge until you are ready to serve the dessert.
Make the shortcake:
- Preheat oven to 450° F.
- 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. Give it all a stir.
- Add 1/2 cup of shortening and mix with a pastry cutter or large fork. (You can also toss 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 and 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.
Buy or make whipped cream of choice.
- See my post for the full instructions for making aquafaba whipped cream or use your favorite vegan whipped cream.
Assemble the strawberry shortcake:
- Place a shortcake biscuit on a plate, then top with a layer of strawberries, a layer of whipped cream, then top with another biscuit, strawberries, and more whipped cream. (You can also cut the shortcake 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 to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and use the back of a knife to gently 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 unformed.
Want some more recipes that use strawberries?
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Vegan Strawberry Cream Cheese
- Berry Compote aka Berry Sauce
- Vegan No-Bake Cheesecake topped with strawberries
Be sure to follow me on Instagram or on Pinterest for daily vegan inspiration and recipe ideas! Tag me at #thehiddenveggies! I love to see what you made too!
A classic vegan strawberry shortcake, made with fluffy biscuits topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
- 2 cups strawberries sliced
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3 cups flour or gluten-free flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp baking powder (yes 2 tablespoons- you need a lot)
- 1 tsp 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.
- 2 cups vegan whipped cream
-
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. Give it a stir and then place in the fridge until you are ready to serve the dessert.
-
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 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 and 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.
-
Place a shortcake biscuit on a plate, then top with a layer of strawberries, a layer of whipped cream, then top with another biscuit, strawberries, and more whipped cream. (You can also cut the shortcake in half to make them thinner. They soak up more strawberry juice this way too!)
- Be sure to spoon measure your flour. This means to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and use the back of a knife to gently 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 unformed.
