Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

The recipe is made with basic everyday ingredients you may already have on hand or can be found at your local grocery store. They’re all budget-friendly too with no eggs or dairy needed.

From Valentine’s Day, to Easter, 4th of July and Mother’s Day, this is the perfect no-fuss dessert you’ll love to make again and again.

For more desserts like this, you might enjoy this vegan lemon loaf, vegan blueberry crumble bars, vegan strawberry oatmeal bars, vegan blackberry crumble and vegan carrot cake.

Ingredients

Please note the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions is located at the end of the post.

• Strawberries: You will need fresh strawberries. You can use frozen but it’s really best with fresh. If using frozen, thaw and drain before use.
• Sugar: You’ll need a granulated sweetener like cane sugar or organic sugar for both the strawberries and biscuits.
• Whipped Cream: You can use any store-bought or homemade dairy-free whipped cream, such as CocoWhip, canned plant-based whipped cream, plant-based whipping cream or aquafaba whipped cream.
• Almond Milk: You can substitute any plant-based milk such as soy milk, cashew milk or oat milk.
• Lemon Juice: This can be substituted with apple cider vinegar.
• Flour: The recipe calls for all-purpose flour and has not been tested with alternatives.
• Baking Powder and Soda: You’ll need both baking powder and baking soda. Watch you don’t mix them up!
• Salt: You’ll need a bit of salt for the biscuit dough for flavour and structure.
• Butter: You can use any brand of plant-based butter such as Earth Balance, Melt Organic or Country Crock.

Variations

• Have a vanilla layer cake recipe you love? Layer it with whipped cream and the macerated strawberries.
• Pile whipped cream and strawberries on slabs of this vegan lemon loaf.
• You can use fresh raspberries, blueberries, black berries or mixed berries instead of strawberries.
• Dairy-free vanilla ice cream works in place of whipped cream but whipped cream is traditionally used for strawberry shortcake.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the strawberries by mixing the strawberries and sugar and setting them aside. As they sit, they’ll get sweet and juicy!

Step 2: Prepare by preheating the oven to 425 F and lightly greasing a 12-inch cast iron skillet or baking tray with vegan butter or cooking spray.

Prepare the vegan buttermilk by mixing together the almond milk and lemon juice in a glass or bowl and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes until it starts to curdle.

Step 3: While you’re waiting, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix until combined.

Step 5: Add the vegan buttermilk mixture and gently stir to combine, avoiding over-mixing. The dough will be thick and just a little sticky.

Step 6: On a clean, lightly floured surface, use your hands to take the dough from the bowl and bring it together.

Roll the dough into a 9×13-inch rectangle, then fold it by thirds. Below you can see how the dough has been folded over itself by thirds.

Turn the dough horizontally and roll it out once again into a 9×13-inch rectangle. Repeat the folding process again and roll it out once more into a rectangle. The dough should be about 1/2-inch thick.

Step 7: Use a biscuit cutter, glass or even small Mason jar to cut round biscuits, combining the scraps and continuing to roll them out until you can’t get any more biscuits.

Place the biscuits close together in the greased skillet or on a baking sheet.

Why place the biscuits close to each other? This actually helps them rise taller and fluffier by sticking to one another.

Step 8: Bake for 13-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Let the biscuits cool for 10 minutes before assembling your shortcakes.

Step 9: To assemble the strawberry shortcakes, slice the biscuits in half. On the bottom half, place a scoop of strawberries following by whipped cream.

Place the top half of the biscuit over top then add more whipped cream and strawberries on top.

Expert Tips

1. For a lower-sugar option, you can omit the sugar in the strawberries.
2. Be careful not to over mix the dough. This is key for fluffy biscuits.
3. Use a digital kitchen scale. This is important for accurately measuring the biscuit ingredients, especially the flour. I recommend always using a scale for baking.
4. Use cold milk and butter. Be sure to keep the milk and butter in the fridge until right before use.

Storing Leftovers

• Store the strawberry mixture in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
• The biscuits can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for a few days, in the fridge for about 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.
• Frozen biscuits can be thawed at room temperature or in the fridge and be reheated in a toaster oven or conventional oven briefly until warmed.