Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake

Seriously the best gluten-free strawberry shortcake recipe made with warm, flaky gluten-free buttermilk biscuits filled with homemade whipped cream and a fresh strawberry compote. You can bake or air fry the biscuits!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Serving servings

Ingredients

Gluten-Free Flakey Biscuits

3 ¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, I used King Arthur's
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
⅓ cup granulated sugar
12 tbsp cold unsalted butter, roughly cut into cubes
2 tbsp coarse sugar (Turbinado), for topping
1 ¼ cup cold buttermilk, (look at notes for homemade recipe)

Strawberry Shortcakes:

5 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
¼ cup honey
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
⅓ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the Biscuits: In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Then, add the cold butter cubes and toss in the flour. Using your hands, two knives, or a bench scraper, break up the butter and incorporate it into the flour until it is coarse, with varying-sized pieces of butter. There should still be lots of pea-sized pieces. Next, pour in the cold buttermilk and mix until the dough is shaggy and has some dry and wet pieces.
Laminate the Dough: Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. It will be very shaggy with some dry bits. Try to incorporate all of the dry bits and press everything together to create a square. It can be sloppy. Then, cut it in half and pile the halves on top of each other and press back down to create a square. Repeat once or twice more until the dry bits are much more incorporated and it is more dough-like.
Cut the Biscuits: Gently press or roll out the laminated dough until it is a 6x6-inch square. Cut into 9 squares with a sharp knife, but I prefer a bench scraper.
Bake or Air Fry: Add the lined baking sheet and brush the tops with buttermilk, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until risen and golden brown. You can also air fry the biscuits for 10 minutes at 400°F.
Strawberry Filling: In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup of strawberry slices and honey. Mash them up with the back of a fork as best as you can. Then, add the remaining 4 cups strawberry slices and toss to combine. Let sit while biscuits bake or overnight in the refrigerator.
Whipped Cream: Whip ¾ cup heavy cream with an electric hand mixer or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form (about 2 - 3 minutes). You can do it by hand with a whisk, but it will take longer. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and lightly whisk to incorporate.
Assemble: Pull apart warm biscuits and layer with strawberries and whipped cream. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

Use COLD butter. This is my #1 tip for homemade gluten-free biscuits. It’s essential to use cold butter cubes because if the butter is too warm, it will melt out of the biscuits as they bake, making them flat and dense. I like to put the butter cubes in the freezer for 5 minutes before cutting them into the flour.

Homemade Buttermilk: Simply mix 1 tbsp of lemon juice for every 1/2 cup of cold milk (whole or 2%) and let it sit for 5 minutes before using. You can also use full-fat oat milk.

Frozen Strawberries: For best results, use fresh strawberries; however, you can also use frozen ones. Let them thaw at room temperate or in the fridge for a few hours before mashing and following step #6.

Not-Gluten-Free Flour: If you want to make these strawberry shortcakes with regular buttermilk biscuits and not gluten-free ones, try this air fryer biscuits recipe or these almond milk biscuits. Don’t substitute gluten-free flour with regular all-purpose flour because the liquid-to-flour ratio will be off since gluten-free flour requires more liquid.

Almond or Oat Milk: I have tested both and love them. I recommend using full-fat oat milk since it is creamy and a close dairy-free substitute for cow’s milk. Then, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. to make “buttermilk.”

Make Ahead: You can make these gluten-free strawberry shortcakes ahead of time; however, I wouldn’t assemble the shortcakes until 5 – 10 minutes before serving, or else the biscuits could get soggy from the whipped cream. Feel free to make the gluten-free biscuits up to 3 days in advance and store them at room temperature or in the fridge in an airtight container. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. When ready to serve them, make the whipped cream and layer the biscuits.

Storing: For best results, store leftover shortcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, separate from the strawberries and whipped cream.

Reheating: You can reheat the biscuits in the oven at 250°F for 8 – 10 minutes or enjoy the shortcakes at room temperature.

Nutrition

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a comment and star rating on this post and tag @HealthfulBlondie on Instagram & hashtag it #healthfulblondie!