If you have missed this classic dessert then my version of homemade gluten-free strawberry shortcake will transport you back to an identical version of your favorite summertime treat. Easy, fluffy, drop-and-bake gluten-free shortcake biscuits are layered with juicy spoonfuls of fresh strawberry sauce and clouds of heavenly whipped cream topping.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get affordable and easy gluten-free recipes delivered each week!
Welcome Back Gluten Free Shortcake!
Homemade strawberry shortcake was a frequent summertime treat growing up. We had a backyard strawberry patch, so gathering up our early summer homegrown bounty was something my sisters and I happily did.
That nostalgia inspired me to plant my own patch and now making gluten-free strawberry shortcake, complete with sweet fluffy biscuits just like my mom’s, carry’s on with my own family. Just like the old school recipe I grew up with my gluten-free strawberry dessert has the same essential components.
- Gluten-free shortcake biscuits – I turned to my favorite light and fluffy highly-rated gluten free biscuit recipe for the shortcake, adding a bit more sweetness to the dough.
- Fresh macerated strawberry sauce – In order to get a lot of sweet juice to flavor and soak into the biscuits, macerated strawberries work best. It’s easy, doesn’t require a stove top, and requires minimal effort.
- Whipped cream – Included in the recipe is a homemade version, but you may also substitute Cool Whip whipped topping, store bought, or a dairy-free whipped cream.
Even if you don’t happen to have freshly-picked strawberries on hand, the sauce turns even bland-tasting store bought strawberries into a masterpiece. It’s one of my favorite easy gluten-free dessert ideas to make for company because all the components can be made ahead of time.
It’s also great for turning a plethora of fresh strawberries into an easy dessert. In the early summer months I will make this, along with vintage-style gluten-free strawberry rhubarb crisp and any leftover berries are sure to find their way into legendary fluffy GF strawberry muffins, which I freeze for busy weekday mornings.
Free Guide! 5 easy tips for baking like a gluten-free pro!
Simple hacks for fail-proof gluten-free dishes every time!
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Juiciest fresh strawberry sauce
When making shortcake, start with the fruit first. Macerated fruit means berries are crushed with sugar and allowed ample time to sit and release their juices. This will take at least 1-2 hours.
Once the sugar does it’s work, then you can slice the remaining berries and stir those into the crushed ones, yielding a semi-pulpy, fresh, no cook strawberry syrup.
Start the shortcake dough
As the strawberry sauce sets, it’s time to begin the shortcake recipe, which requires a brief rest. First whisk together the dry ingredients (gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Then work in the butter using a pastry blender, a fork, or even your fingers. You’ll want the butter to be mixed in enough so the mixture is sandy, without large clumps of butter.
Add the liquids and rest is key!
In a separate bowl whisk oil, egg, yogurt, milk, and lemon juice together. Pour those wet ingredients into flour / butter mixture and then just stir it to combine until a nice, soft dough forms.
Now it’s time to chill the dough for 30 minutes. This gives time for the GF starches to soak up the moisture and fat, so the shortcake is soft and tender, instead of dry and gritty. Easy, but crucial step for success!
Shape and bake
To easily and evenly scoop the dough out, I use a ⅓ measuring cup greased with nonstick cooking spray. Turn onto two baking sheets, stacked inside each other and lined with parchment paper. This helps protect the bottoms of the biscuits from becoming overly browned before they are baked through.
To give the tops a shiny, crunchy sweet finish, you can brush the shortcake with heavy cream and sprinkle on coarse sanding sugar. Bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.
Whipped Cream and Bringing It All Together
As the biscuits cool it’s time to bring all the magic into one epic gluten-free strawberry shortcake recipe. Whip the cold heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Once soft, yet sturdy peaks form, it is done. Refrigerate it until you are ready to dollop on.
When you’re ready to dig in, add the remaining sliced strawberries to the macerated ones. Split biscuits and place one half on the plate. Spoon a generous amount of strawberry sauce to soak into the shortcake, top with a spoon of whipped cream, top with other biscuit half, more strawberries and whipped cream. It’s one glorious mash up at its best!
Save this recipe to your pinterest board!
Let’s be friends on Pinterest! I’m always sharing great recipes!
Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Fluffy, Tender Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
Strawberry Sauce
- 2 pounds (908 g) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 6 tablespoons (78 g) granulated sugar
Gluten-Free Shortcake
- 2 cups (307 g) all-purpose gluten free flour blend , (I highly recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour)
- 2 tablespoons (26 g) granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- ¾ cup (184 g) plain yogurt
- ¼ cup (61 g) milk, optional, see recipe note
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons (27 g) oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, or substitute vinegar
- optional coarse sugar and heavy cream
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy cream, well chilled
- 3 tablespoons (39 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Strawberry Sauce
- Place ⅓ sliced strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle sugar on top. Use a potato masher or fork to crush strawberries with sugar. This helps the strawberries soften, macerate, and make more of a liquidy, juicy sauce.2 pounds fresh strawberries, 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- When ready to serve with the biscuits, stir in the remaining sliced strawberries. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 2 days.
Gluten Free Shortcake
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the chilled butter pieces to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender, fork, or fingers to cut butter into the flour until small, pea-size pieces remain.2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour blend , 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- In a separate bowl whisk together yogurt, milk, egg, oil, and lemon juice. Stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until no flour pockets remain and thoroughly combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes at room temperature. This allows the starches to blend with the liquid, making the dough tender and easier to shape. Preheat oven to 425ºF.¾ cup plain yogurt, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, ¼ cup milk
- Place one baking sheet inside a second so you have a double layer, and line the top baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease a ⅓ cup measuring cup and scoop a heaping amount of biscuit dough into it, pressing down slightly. Drop on prepared baking sheet, spacing biscuits about 1 inch apart in the center of the sheet (this traps a little extra steam between the biscuits and makes them more tender). Spray measuring cup between each scoop of dough.
- If desired, brush cream all over the biscuits before sprinkling coarse sugar on top. Bake on the LOWER RACK until golden, about 15 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Place baking sheet on wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving with strawberries and whipped cream.
Whipped Cream
- Use a large mixing bowl with hand held mixer or stand mixer fitted with whisk whip. Beat together heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-low speed until the mixture starts to thicken.1 cup heavy cream, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Increase speed to high and whip until stable peaks form, about 1-2 minutes longer.
Assembly
- Split each biscuit through the middle. Spoon strawberries with sauce on the bottom biscuit. Top strawberries with whipped cream and place second half of biscuit on top. Serve with additional whipped cream and sauce, if desired.
Notes
Milk addition
Since Cup4Cup has changed their formula, I’ve found the biscuit dough to be drier. Therefore I recommend adding ¼ cup for biscuits to hold their shape, up to ½ cup if the dough is still dry, or you prefer a softer biscuit with more spread. Other GF flour blends may not require the extra milk.Make Ahead / Storing / Freezing
- Shortcake – Cool completely and store at room temperature in an airtight container up to two days. To freeze, wrap each biscuit in plastic wrap and transfer to freezer ziplock bag. Freeze up to 3 months.
- Strawberry Sauce – Store the sauce in the refrigerator, covered securely, up to 2 days. For best results, don’t add the fresh strawberries until ready to serve. Freeze leftover sauce up to 2 months. Upon thawing, the texture will become softer and more pulpy.
- Whipped Cream – Refrigerate any leftover whipped cream in an airtight container up to two days. Whipped cream may also be piped into serving-sized mounds and frozen.
This post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
Made 4/19/26 for husband. Just out of oven smell amazing and small taste test delish! The only change I made was used heavy cream vs milk, used strawberry flavored Greek yogurt, added raw sugar to top with brushed whipping cream! Thank you !!
So good, Debra! Thank you for sharing. I appreciate it!
Best,
Melissa
As I’m making this, I am wondering if you could use buttermilk instead of the canola, lemon juice and canola oil. What is your recommendation and the amount of buttermilk you would use?
Hi Gail,
If you want to try that I would do 2 tablespoons. However, I do worry the shortcake would be a little dry swapping out the oil because there is only a few tablespoons of butter and the oil provides the rest of the fat. If you’d rather not use oil at all I would do 2 extra tablespoons butter. The yogurt in the biscuits mimics the buttermilk tanginess.
Best,
Melissa
Can you let it sit more than 30 minutes?
Hi Gail,
I would do an hour at most and you can let it sit in the fridge.
Best,
Melissa
I can’t see any comments on this page, nor on your Pinterest. Sure you say it’s rated 4.3 or whatever it is, but without seeing the comments from people- at least some- I won’t usually make the recipe. I hope you take this into account. Seeing ” the comments have been turned off” on anyone’s page tells me they aren’t looking for honest feedback.
Hi Tiffany,
Oh gosh, no. I would never turn off the comments on a recipe post. I use website recipes myself and find them very helpful. Nothing has been turned off. The people that rated this recipe did it without commenting, that is why you don’t see any. For feedback the recipe, since there isn’t any on this one yet, go to my gluten-free biscuits recipe. It is what this recipe is based off of and has 181 comments on the post so there is plenty to look through!
Best,
Melissa
Can I use low fat yogurt or non-fat Greek yogurt?
Hi Irene,
Yes, it’s a pretty flexible recipe. I use whatever I have in my fridge!
Best,
Melissa