Paleo Strawberry Shortcake (gluten-free, dairy-free)

This Paleo Strawberry Shortcake is the perfect spring or summer dessert!

Light, fluffy almond flour biscuits are topped with juicy strawberries and dollops of whipped coconut cream for a refreshing treat.

This healthy strawberry shortcake is not only easy to make, the 3 components can all be made ahead of time.

And it’s gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free!

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Paleo Strawberry Shortcake

While some strawberry shortcake recipes use yellow cake, pound cake or other baked goods, I’ve always thought of this classic dessert using biscuits.

So to make this Paleo, gluten-free and dairy-free, I’m using my almond flour biscuits as the base. They’re quick to whip up and bake – from start to finish in less than 30 minutes!

Then you simply chop the strawberries and mix them with a little honey and salt – this helps draw out their moisture to make a sauce. Since they’re naturally sweet you don’t need to add much sweetener.

And finally, to make this a dairy-free strawberry shortcake recipe, it uses whipped coconut cream instead of heavy cream.

It does require some planning ahead – you have to chill cans of full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk in the fridge for at least 24 hours. The coconut milk consists of coconut cream and coconut water – once they chill, the two components separate, so you can scoop out the thick layer of cream and whip it into pillowy clouds.

Making 3 different things for one dessert might seem like a lot. But they’re all simple and can all be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you’re ready to serve.

This almond flour shortcake is an easy Paleo strawberry dessert recipe when strawberries are in season. But it’s so good you’ll end up making it year-round.

 

What you need

Ingredients:

• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 3 tablespoons honey
• fine sea salt
• 2 (15 oz.) cans of full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk (I really like Native Forest when I need coconut cream), chilled for at least 24 hours
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 palm shortening
• 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour/starch, plus more as needed for rolling out the biscuits
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Equipment:

• 5 mixing bowls total (1 small one for melting the palm shortening in the microwave, the rest can be medium or large)
• a cutting board
• a paring knife for the strawberries
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• a whisk, electric mixer and/or stand mixer with the whisk attachment
• biscuit cutter or cookie cutter (I use one about 2 3/4″ inches wide from a set like this)
• bench scraper (optional but helpful)
• parchment paper

How to make Paleo Strawberry Shortcake

For the biscuits:

Step 1: Heat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: Melt the palm shortening in the microwave (should take about 1 minute) and let cool.

Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients: almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Step 4: In a medium bowl, together the eggs and vinegar.

Step 5: Stir in the the melted, cooled palm shortening and the egg/vinegar mixture into the dry ingredients. The dough should come together like play dough. If it’s crumbly, add a bit more melted, cooled palm shortening at a time until it comes together. If it’s too wet, add a teaspoon each of almond flour and arrowroot until it dries.

Step 6:  Sprinkle a bit of arrowroot on a cutting board and wipe it around with your fingers. Turn the dough out onto the board and use your hands to flatten it to a 3/4-1″ high slab. [Note: 3/4″ inch high will yield approx. 10 flatter biscuits, while 1″ high will yield approx. 6 taller biscuits like seen in the photos.] It can be any shape as you’ll have to re-shape it after cutting out a few biscuits anyway.

Step 7: Dip a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter (I use one that’s 2¾” wide; see notes) into the arrowroot. Cut out biscuits and transfer to the lined baking sheet. (If the biscuits just fall right out of the cutter before you can get them to the baking sheet, I slide a bench scraper under them and use that to lift them to the sheet.) When necessary, reshape the dough to form smaller and smaller slabs (they should always be 3/4-1″ high) and continue to cut out biscuits. If necessary, smooth any cracks in the tops of the biscuits without pressing down too much. Any cracks will get bigger as they bake and make the biscuits more crumbly. If you find your biscuits sticking to the cutter, dip the cutter in more arrowroot.

Step 8: Bake for 10-12 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Let cool completely.

For the strawberries:

Step 1: Hull (cut off the green stem) and chop the strawberries.

Step 2: Add them to a bowl and stir in the honey and salt. Let the strawberries sit for at least 30 minutes so they release some of their juice, stirring occasionally.

For the whipped coconut cream:

Step 1: Open the chilled cans of coconut milk and scoop out the thick cream into a large bowl. Reserve the coconut water – you might need it in a bit.

Step 2: Add the honey and vanilla. Using a whisk, electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whisk until fluffy. If it seems too thick/stiff, add the reserved coconut water a teaspoon at a time to thin it out.

How to assemble and serve Paleo Strawberry Shortcake

Split the biscuits in half horizontally. Place one on a plate cut-side up. Dollop on some whipped coconut cream, then spoon on some of the strawberries with their juice.

You can also switch the order and add the strawberries first, if you like.

Then top with the other biscuit half. If you now want to add another layer of strawberries and cream, go for it!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Other Paleo strawberry recipes you might like:

• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free)
• Rhubarb Gelato with Easy Strawberry Sauce (Paleo, dairy-free)
• Strawberry, Cucumber and Arugula Salad (Paleo, dairy-free, Whole30)
• Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins (Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free)

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