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Attention: We have some extreme goodness here, people.
I’ve been wanting to make a strawberry shortcake for-EVER and I am so very, very excited to share this recipe with you today.
Can you feel the giddiness? Good.
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Growing up in Southern California, I had access to some of the best strawberries in the world. Every year, when strawberry season came along, my dad and I would drive out to Camarillo to the same strawberry stand and buy our flats of freshly picked strawberries.
We’d be lucky to make it halfway home without eating at least a dozen of them each. They were the most amazing strawberries I’ve ever tasted and leave me with such a fond memory of my dad.
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So. Fast forward 25 years or so and I now have three little kiddos of my own. And, of course, they love strawberries. I mean, who doesn’t, right? Jordan, now 6, has been asking to make strawberry shortcake with me for at least 6 months. And I think I must’ve said, “Maybe this weekend…” a good 10-15 times already.
And she has waited, patiently. She’s such a good kid.
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As luck would have it, this past weekend, Jordan and I finally got our opportunity to create our own strawberry memories together. Now, these strawberries weren’t from Camarillo, but they still did the trick. I added some coconut sugar to them to add just a tad of sweetness and syrup.
Because you HAVE to have the delicious syrup with your strawberry shortcake, amirite?
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To kick it up a notch or two and to put a healthy spin on this delicious dessert, I decided to make a gluten free strawberry shortcake. Instead of all-purpose wheat flour, I used almond flour (or almond meal, which is the exact same thing) and can be purchased at most grocery store bulk sections.
Not only does replacing the regular flour with almond flour remove the gluten from the shortcakes, it increases the protein, good fats, fiber and nutrients. Super cool.
But, we didn’t stop there.
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Nope. We removed all processed sugars from this gluten free strawberry shortcake recipe, too. Instead, I used coconut flour, honey, and applesauce to sweeten the shortcakes.
Jordan had a blast helping me make these. As you can see, she was able to pretty much make the entire shortcake all by herself, which she absolutely loved. I set u a little station for her with all the fixings and let her went to town. So much fun.
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But, we didn’t stop there.
Nope. We also made a 100% vegan whipped cream topping out of coconut milk and a little maple syrup.
It was delicious. The whipped cream also happens to be dairy-free and low carb, too – which is totally awesome, as well.
Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake
All in all, Jordan and I had a pretty fabulous time making our strawberry shortcakes together and we plan to make them again very soon.
And, of course, eat tons of strawberries in the process. Image may be NSFW.
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If you give this recipe a try, let me know what you think by leaving a comment and rating it. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #asweetpeachef on Instagram! I LOVE seeing what you come up with. Enjoy!
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- For The Shortcakes:
- 2½ cups almond flour (or almond meal)
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk
- 2 eggs
- For The Strawberries:
- 1 quart fresh strawberries, halved
- ½ tbsp. coconut sugar
- For The Vegan Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 14-ounce can coconut milk, refrigerated
- 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
- ¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp. kosher salt
- For The Shortcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.
- In another medium bowl, combine the coconut oil, applesauce, honey, almond milk, and eggs. Whisk together until well combined.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture until it's thoroughly combined.
- Scoop out a large spoonful of the batter and gently roll into a small ball using your hands. Repeat with the remaining dough until you’ve made 6 balls.
- Place the dough balls on the parchment-lined baking sheet, separated by approx. two inches.
- Place into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow the balls to become more firm.
- Gently flatten each ball using the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown on top and a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- For The Strawberries:
- Place the sliced strawberries into a medium bowl and sprinkle the coconut sugar over them. Toss to fully cover the strawberries with the sugar and then set aside. As the strawberries sit, they will release juices.
- For The Whipped Topping:
- Before getting started, make sure you have refrigerated the coconut milk until completely chilled (overnight is best).
- Scoop out the thick cream at the top of the can, leaving the looser coconut water for another use.
- Add the coconut cream to a stand mixer, followed by the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Beat on high speed using a whisk attachment until the cream is fluffy and stiff ridges have formed.
- For The Strawberry Shortcakes:
- To serve, slice a shortcake in half and set the top aside.
- Layer the bottom half of the shortcake with a handful of the sweetened strawberries.
- Place a dollop of the whipped cream over the strawberries, followed by the top of the shortcake.
- If desired (and I totally recommend), you can garnish with another dollop of the whipped cream and a strawberry on top.
This post was last updated on February 23, 2016 to include a new recipe video.
The post Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake + Vegan Whipped Cream Topping appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.