Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
Ligia Lugo
Published:
April 10, 2024
Last Modified:
May 20, 2026
Tender, flaky shortcake biscuits are the perfect blank canvas for a pile of juicy strawberries and a velvety swirl of vegan whipped cream. This vegan strawberry shortcake is a summertime staple!
You’ll love the way these fluffy shortcake biscuits soak up the perfect summer strawberries and their juices. A cloud of vegan whipped cream completes the picture, adding a creamy counterpoint to the crisp berries and delicate cakes.
For me, no summer is complete without at least one strawberry shortcake, ideally eaten al fresco–perhaps a friend’s patio, at a neighborhood barbecue, or quietly on the porch at home. The warm evening, lingering sunlight, and slightly slower pace of life in summer just make this treat all that much more special.
Made with just 8 vegan ingredients, my shortcake biscuits are quick and easy to pull off. You’ll make a simple buttermilk substitute using coconut milk and lemon juice, while cutting in solid coconut oil in place of butter creates a tender, flaky texture. Add some macerated strawberries and whipped coconut cream, you’ve got a midsummer evening in a bowl!
Ingredient Notes
- Full-fat coconut milk + Lemon juice – Using a combination of full-fat coconut milk and lemon juice perfectly mimics buttermilk, which is a key ingredient in traditional homemade biscuits like shortcake. The tangy liquid helps to lift the dough as it bakes, creating a tender, soft texture.
- Fresh strawberries – The star of the show! You’ll notice such a flavor and texture difference if you use fresh strawberries here, as their bright sweetness and crisp texture is at its peak. If fresh berries are unavailable to you or are out of season in your area, frozen strawberries will work though too. They will have a spongier texture, but they will still make delicious vegan strawberry shortcakes!
- All-purpose flour + Almond flour – After trying a few different flour combinations, I’ve found that a 1:1 ratio of these two gives the best of both worlds. All-purpose flour builds the structure of your shortcake, while almond flour adds a bit more texture and has a subtle nutty flavor that I just love. Together, these two flours create a melt-in-your-mouth biscuit that’s still sturdy enough to support a generous pile of strawberries!
- Solid coconut oil – You’ll be working the solidified coconut oil into the flour, where it will disperse in small clumps throughout the biscuit dough. As they bake, these clumps will create tiny pockets of steam, resulting in flaky, layered biscuits. You could also use an equal amount of your favorite vegan butter, but it must be a butter that gets very solid when chilled, not any of those whipped or spreadable options.
- Vegan whipped cream – Lightly sweeten and whip some pure coconut cream (see my recipe for Vegan Whipped Cream), or use your favorite store bought option.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small pitcher or bowl, whisk the coconut milk and lemon juice together, then let it sit for about 5 minutes. You’ll notice it will thicken up and take on a slightly clumpy appearance – the perfect texture for a vegan buttermilk substitute.
- Prepare the berries. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the strawberry slices with 2 tablespoons of cane sugar, then gently toss to combine and set aside. Letting the berries sit with the sugar enhances the sweetness of the fresh fruit, but also pulls out some of those natural juices, creating a wonderfully saucy strawberry filling.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the all purpose flour, almond flour, cane sugar, baking powder, and cornstarch in a bowl, then whisk gently, just until mixed.
- Cut in the coconut oil. Add the coconut oil to the dry ingredient mixture, then use a pastry cutter or spatula to work the fat into the dry ingredients. The mixture will take on a coarse appearance with various sized lumps of oil and that’s a good thing! These bits of oil will turn to steam as they bake, creating fluffy, tender biscuits. Once you have a coarse meal, add the coconut milk + lemon juice mixture you prepared earlier.
- Form the dough. Fold everything together, just until the dough comes together. You can start out mixing with a spatula, but at a certain point, I usually just end up using my hands to finish bringing the dough together.
- Cut the shortcake biscuits. Now turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. It will be a bit shaggy at first, and that’s perfectly fine. Flatten it out using your hands, then using a lightly floured rolling pin to press it out about ½-inch thick. Using a flour-dusted cookie cutter–I actually have a favorite water glass that doubles as the perfect biscuit cutter!–to cut out six circles. Transfer them to your prepared baking sheet, arranging them so that they touch each other.
- Bake. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for about 18 minutes. You’ll see the biscuits rise quite a bit, and they should be lightly golden brown on top. Let your vegan biscuits cool completely, then separate them. Use a serrated knife to slice them each in half horizontally.
- Assemble and serve! It’s best to build your shortcakes just before you’re ready to serve them, as the delicious strawberry juices will work quickly, seeping into and softening the shortcake biscuits. Place a spoonful of your strawberry mixture on the bottom half of each shortcake, then top the fruit with a dollop–or two, if you’re like me!–of vegan whipped cream. Gently top with the other half of the shortcake biscuit and enjoy your little slice of summer!
Tips From Ligia
Refrigerate your coconut oil to make it solid.
You want your coconut oil completely solid for this recipe, as it is the secret to ultra-tender bakery style shortcake biscuits! If your coconut oil happens to be soft at room temperature as it often is when I’m making this summer dessert, just stick it in the fridge until it firms up. As soon as it’s solid, you can use it!
How To Store
Refrigerating These strawberry shortcakes are at their best when they’re fresh, so if you can, only assemble as many as you plan to serve, then store the components separately. Place the shortcake biscuits in a zip-top bag or wrap in plastic wrap, place any leftover strawberries in an airtight container, and any leftover coconut cream in another airtight container. All of these components will keep for up to 4 days. The texture of the strawberries get softer and more spongy as time goes on, and you may need to re-whip the coconut cream to make it fluffy again when you’re ready to serve.
Freezing The shortcake biscuits freeze very well, in fact, I’ll often double the batch whenever I make this dessert and immediately stick half in the freezer. Just wrap each shortcake individually in plastic wrap, then pile them in a freezer-safe tupperware or a zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thawing To thaw the biscuits, just transfer them to the refrigerator and let them defrost overnight. It’s best to let these thaw at their own pace; resist the temptation of that microwave “defrost” button here!
Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
For the Shortcake Biscuits:
- 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3 Tbsp organic cane sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp solid coconut oil
For the Strawberries:
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 2 Tbsp organic cane sugar
For Topping:
- Vegan Whipped Cream, or whipped coconut cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the coconut milk and lemon juice together in a small bowl and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The mixture will thicken up slightly, making a perfect vegan buttermilk alternative!
- Sprinkle the sliced strawberries with 2 tablespoons of cane sugar, then gently toss in a bowl to combine. Let the mixture sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe; the sugar will sweeten the fruit and make them even juicier.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the all purpose flour, almond flour, cane sugar, baking powder, and cornstarch. Whisk to mix the dry ingredients together.
- Add the coconut oil and use a pastry cutter or spatula to cut the solid coconut oil into the dry ingredients. When the mixture takes on a clumpy, sandy texture you’ll know you’re done! Then add the coconut milk + lemon juice mixture you prepared earlier.
- Fold everything together, just until the dough comes together. Once it becomes difficult to mix with the spatula, you can use your hands to finish bringing the dough together.
- Transfer the shortcake dough onto a floured board or clean countertop and flatten it slightly. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough to about ½-inch thick. Then use a round cookie cutter or water glass to cut out 6 circles. Arrange the rounds on your parchment paper lined baking sheet, letting them touch together.
- Bake for about 18 minutes, until the biscuits have risen and become lightly golden brown on top. Cool completely, then separate your shortcakes and use a serrated knife to slice each in half horizontally.
- To assemble your vegan strawberry shortcakes: place a spoonful of your strawberry mixture on the bottom half of each shortcake, then top the fruit with as much vegan whipped cream as you like! Add the top half of each shortcake and enjoy immediately.
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