Publised on 19/02/2024. Last Updated on 24/08/2024 by Richard
This vegan strawberry shortcake recipe combines light, flaky biscuits with delicious vanilla vegan whipped cream and juicy strawberries!
I'll be honest, I cried a little tear when I first tasted this vegan strawberry shortcake recipe. Some recipes take a while to come together, here on School Night Vegan, but others just seem to WORK! This one combines crisp, fluffy vegan biscuits with juicy, syrupy strawberries and smooth vegan whipped cream - so how could it go wrong?
Vegan strawberry shortcake isn't something I grew up with (in England we're more likely to have scones with jam and cream) but this was such a delight to eat, I'll definitely be making a habit of it! Oh and heads up, you can sub the biscuits in this recipe for scones, lemon poppy seed scones or blueberry scones, for a nice twist!
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🍓 Ingredients for Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
Ah, the magical trio – strawberries, biscuits, and vegan whipped cream. But what's in em!? Let's dive into the ingredients that make our vegan strawberry shortcake so delish.
For the Strawberries:
- Strawberries
- Sugar
For the Biscuits:
- Plain white flour
- Caster sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Fine sea salt
- Vegan butter
- Soy milk
- Lemon juice
- Granulated sugar
Vegan Cream:
- Vegan whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- Caster sugar
🍰 A Note on "Biscuits"
So what actually ARE biscuits? They're not just for vegan strawberry shortcake! Across the pond, American biscuits are fluffy and buttery, sometimes paired with savoury dishes or smothered in gravy and sometimes with sweet toppings instead. In the UK, "biscuit" brings to mind sweet, crisp treats perfect for tea time – think digestive or shortbread.
So which am I referring to in this recipe? Strawberry shortcake is a decidedly American recipe, so I'm sticking with the vernacular! These biscuits are essentially light and flaky scones, made with very little sugar and a layered buttery dough that puffs when baked. Ideal for soaking up strawberry syrup! Mmm!
🥣 How to Make Vegan Biscuits
OK, the main element of this vegan strawberry shortcake? Biscuits! If you've never made them, here's how! Again, the full recipe is at the bottom of this page, but here's a little breakdown of the main four steps!
1. Make the dough: First we need to cut together the dry ingredients and the vegan butter until we have a lumpy mixture. Then we add just enough vegan buttermilk mixture to bring together into a dough.
2. Roll it out: Now we transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle (measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the page).
3. Fold over twice: Fold the top third down to the centre of the rectangle, then repeat with the bottom third, folding it over the top layer.
4. Fold once more: Now take the right hand edge of the dough rectangle and fold it over like you're closing a book. Now we repeat this process, rolling the dough again and repeating the folds. Finally it's time to cut out the biscuits and bake!
🔀 Substitutions and Swaps!
- Experiment with different berries or fruits for the compote to suit your taste. How about blueberry shortcake? Or raspberry shortcake? I like to work with whatever's in season! Who says vegan strawberry shortcake needs to be limited to strawbs??
- Consider gluten-free flour for a gluten-free version of the biscuits. I like to use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend like Bob's Red Mill.
- Feel free to use a store bought vegan whipping cream like this one, or make good use of my home-made vegan whipping cream recipe and make your own!.
🔪 How To Serve Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
- Cool & Slice: Allow biscuits to cool, slice them in half, creating the perfect foundation for the strawberry show. You can also serve on warmed biscuits, but you may find the texture better when cooled.
- Macerate & Whip: Spoon on those strawberries marinated in sugar, then add a dollop of vegan whipped cream. It's like a strawberry spa day, but for biscuits.
- Stack & Repeat: Seal the whole deal with the biscuit's top half, then repeat the layers – strawberries and whipped cream – for a tower of delight.
🤷♀️ Vegan Strawberry Shortcake FAQs
A: Sure thing! Just thaw and drain excess liquid before the strawberry jam session.
A: Absolutely! Soy just adds a hint of creaminess, but almond, oat, or coconut milk can join the party too.
A: Good one! Pop the biscuits in the fridge in a container and warm up in the oven before use. The strawberries and whipped vegan cream will keep in sealed containers in the fridge for a few days!
And that's it! A super simple recipe! If you want more delicious vegan bakes, you're in the right place! How about my Classic Vegan Carrot Cake, my Vegan Blueberry Muffins or my Vegan Choc Chip Muffins!
Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
Equipment
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Medium Bowl
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 pastry knife, or two sharp knives
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Stand Mixer or Electric Whisk
Ingredients
For the Strawberries
- 850 g strawberries sliced
- 50 g sugar
For the Biscuits
- 350 g plain white flour
- 50 g caster sugar
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 200 g vegan butter chilled and cubed
- 180 ml soy milk + 2 tablespoon for brushing
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar for sprinkling
For the Vegan Cream
- 220 ml vegan whipping cream use my recipe or store-bought
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon caster sugar
Instructions
To Make the Strawberries
- In a medium bowl combine the strawberries and caster sugar then stir to combine. Cover and leave to macerate in the fridge while you make the biscuits.850 g strawberries, 50 g sugar
To Make the Biscuits
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C (fan) and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt then whisk to combine.350 g plain white flour, 50 g caster sugar, 3 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add the vegan butter and use a pastry knife or two sharp knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the largest pieces of butter are the size of garden peas.200 g vegan butter
- In a measuring jug, combine the soy milk and lemon juice then whisk to combine.180 ml soy milk + 2 tablespoon for brushing, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Slowly add the soy milk mixture to the bowl while stirring gently with a fork until the mixture is just combined, do not over mix!
- Form the dough into a rough ball, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Dust the top of the dough with a little flour then roll the dough into a 35cm (14 inch) x 25cm (10 inch) rectangle, using a rolling pin.
- Fold the top third of the dough over into the centre then follow with the bottom half of the dough. Fold the dough in half again from one side to make a thick square of dough (see notes in blog post for photos of this method!)
- Now repeat the process again; rolling out to a 35cm (14 inch) x 25cm (10 inch) rectangle, folding down the top third then folding up the bottom third, then folding in half.
- Finally, roll out the dough until it’s around 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick then use a cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles of dough, around 7.5cm (3 inch) in diameter.
- Place the biscuits on the prepared baking tray and brush with the extra 2 tablespoon soy milk. Sprinkle with the extra 2 tablespoon granulated sugar and bake for 18 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the whipped cream.2 tablespoon granulated sugar
To Make the Whipped Cream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a medium bowl if using an electric whisk) combine the vegan whipping cream, vanilla extract and caster sugar. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.220 ml vegan whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoon caster sugar
To Assemble
- Allow the biscuits to cool to room temperature before slicing in half, topping with a few tablespoons of the macerated strawberries, followed by a dollop of the vegan whipped cream. Close with the top half of the biscuit and repeat with more strawberries and more whipped cream.
Avery Hutcheson
Richard, somehow you made better strawberry shortcake than any American ever has. Well done!! The lamination is key, of course. Thank you for yet another perfect recipe 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻