5 from 14 reviews

Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake with Almond Flour Biscuits

By Alanna Taylor-Tobin on May 29, 2022 (updated Feb 6, 2025) / 33 Comments Jump to Recipe

Buttery almond flour biscuits meet billows of whipped cream and ripe berries in this easy gluten-free strawberry shortcake recipe.

The biscuits are adapted from my tender gluten-free almond flour scones, which take about 1 hour to make with 10 main ingredients. With dairy-free, vegan, and naturally sweetened options included.

Strawberry shortcake is on a plate showing off golden biscuits, juicy berries, and supple whipped cream — Almond flour biscuits meet billows of whipped cream and macerated strawberries in this dreamy GF strawberry shortcake.

When berries are in season, it's hard to go wrong with shortcake. Tender biscuits sop up rich berry juices all wrapped up in a blanket of velvety whipped cream – or better yet, vanilla-scented whipped mascarpone. I have a favorite recipe for gluten-free strawberry shortcake in my nerdy gluten-free flours cookbook, Alternative Baker made with ricotta biscuits, honey, and tarragon. But I'm excited to share this more classic version today!

I adapted this biscuit recipe from my gluten-free almond flour scones. The same buttery dough gets formed into round biscuits, baked until golden and craggy, and smothered with berries and whipped cream.

Play around with different fruit, different types of dairy (non-dairy options below!), or add your favorite scone mix-ins such as chopped candied ginger or citrus zest. More flavor suggestions below!

P.S. If you're looking for a more savory biscuit, try these gluten-free buttermilk biscuits made with almond and sweet rice flours which I adapted from this recipe with the help of one of my readers.

craggy, golden biscuits are on a cooling rack — These scone-like biscuits are gently sweetened, tender, and so dreamy!

Here's what you'll need to make them

The biscuits for this shortcake use 10 main ingredients.

Butter makes these biscuits rich and tender. Use plant butter for dairy-free.
Sugar adds subtle sweetness. For refined sugar-free, sub maple sugar, coconut sugar, or another granulated sweetener of your choice.
Egg adds additional structure. Wheat biscuit recipes typically don't contain egg, but here it enhances the texture and makes up for the lack of gluten. For egg-free, make a flax egg (see recipe notes, below!)
Cream brings the dough together and adds richness. Chilled full-fat coconut milk will work for a dairy-free option.
Strawberries combined with the sweetener of your choice (sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc.) form a juicy melange. Use any ripe fruit you like: other berries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, or plums are all lovely choices. Or try my strawberry rhubarb chia jam for a tasty twist.

ingredients for shortcake biscuits arranged on a light blue-gray surface

Alternative Flour Power

A trio of flours, plus some tapioca starch, creates a dreamy texture that's crisp on top and tender in the middle. I've given lots of substitution suggestions, so feel free to experiment with what you have on hand. You can also use a good GF all-purpose blend in place of any or all of the flours listed here. I'd recommend Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF all-purpose flour.

Blanched almond flour provides structure and richness. Sub almond meal or another nut or seed meal. For nut-free, sub tiger nut flour or millet flour.
GF oat flour makes the dough tender and delicate. Sub sorghum, chestnut, teff, or buckwheat flour.
Sweet rice flour helps stick the dough together. Sub cassava flour or GF AP flour.
Tapioca starch makes these biscuits light and pillowy. Sub arrowroot starch.

How the Shortcake Magic Happens

This recipe makes 6 biscuits. It takes about 1 hour to make the biscuits. You can prep the berries and cream while the biscuits do their thing.

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter slices.

butter cut into the flour mixture to form small peas — Work in the butter to form pea-sized butter bits.

gluten-free shortcake biscuit dough, mixed in a bowl — Whisk together the egg, cream, and vanilla and work them into the flour/butter mixture until the dough forms large clumps.

a round of biscuit dough on a floured cutting board — Shape the dough into a round, chill, then place on a floured surface.

biscuits being cut from a round of dough with a metal biscuit cutter — Use a biscuit cutter or glass to cut out cute little biscuits.

unbaked almond flour biscuits on a baking sheet brushed with cream and sugar — Place the biscuit on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar.

baked almond flour biscuits cooling on a wire rack — Bake until golden and cracked on top, then let cool.

Wide, three-quarter angle shot of a shortcake on a cute speckled white plate with two spoons and a linen next to it. — Top with whipped cream (or whipped mascarpone or creme fraiche whipped cream) and lightly sweetened strawberries. Devour!

A gluten-free strawberry shortcake sits on a speckled plate with a spoonful taken out in a way that makes you want to dive right in!

Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten-free strawberry shortcake recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.

5 from 14 reviews

Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake with Almond Flour Biscuits

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Buttery biscuits meet billows of whipped cream and ripe berries in this easy gluten-free strawberry shortcake recipe. Elevate this shortcake with mascarpone whipped cream or whipped crème fraiche in place of the whipped cream. See the recipe notes for dairy-free, vegan, and paleo options!

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 25

Chilling time: 30

Total: 1 15

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

Biscuits (Dry Ingredients)

⅔ cup (110 g) sweet rice flour*
⅔ cup (75 g) blanched almond flour**
⅔ cup (69 g) GF oat flour***
3 tablespoons (22 g) tapioca flour****
¼ cup (50 g) organic granulated sugar*****
2 ½ teaspoons (7 g) baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Biscuits (Wet Ingredients)

6 tablespoons (85 g) cold unsalted butter, sliced ⅛-inch thick
6 tablespoons (90 ml) heavy cream, more as needed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract

Strawberries

1 pound ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons sugar or other sweetener (to your taste)

Whipped Cream

1 cup (235 ml) cold heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons sugar or other sweetener (more to your taste)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Biscuit Dough

In a large bowl, combine the sweet rice, almond, oat, and tapioca flours with the ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Add the butter slices. Blend with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the butter is broken down into the size of small peas. Chill until needed.
Whisk together the 6 tablespoons cream, egg, and vanilla (if using) in a measuring pitcher. Chill until needed.
Remove the flour mixture from the refrigerator. Gradually add the cream mixture, working with a flexible silicone spatula until the dough holds together when you give it a squeeze. If the dough is too dry, add a few drops of cold cream directly to the floury bits.
Gently but firmly press the dough together with your hands and shape it into a rough ball. Place on a piece of beeswax wrap or plastic wrap and form it into a disk that measures 6 ½ inches across and ⅞ inch high. Don't worry about overworking the dough since there isn't any gluten to toughen here!
Wrap and chill the dough disk until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Shape

When ready to bake, position a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat to 425ºF. Stack a rimmed baking sheet atop a second rimmed baking sheet and line with parchment paper. This will all keep the bottoms from over-browning.
Remove the dough round from the refrigerator, unwrap and place on a cutting board dusted lightly with oat flour. Use a 2½-inch biscuit cutter to cut the dough into 4 biscuits. Press the scraps together, form into ⅞-inch high oval, and cut out two more biscuits (or more if you have more dough leftover).
Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little cream and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Bake

Bake the biscuits until golden on top and cooked through, 20–25 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes to brown them evenly.
Remove from the oven and transfer the scones to a wire rack. Let cool until warm, 10-20 minutes.

Berries

Meanwhile, toss the berries with the 2 tablespoons sugar and let sit until juicy, tossing occasionally, 15-30 minutes.

Cream

Place the cream in the chilled bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if you're using a whisk or electric beater). Add the 2 teaspoons sugar and whip on high until the cream holds soft peaks. Beat in the vanilla. (If you accidentally overwhip the cream and it starts to look curdled, don't fret. Gently fold in a big splash of unwhipped cream and it should smooth back out again.)

Aseemble

Carefully cut the biscuits in half crosswise (I like using a small serrated knife.) Place the bottom half of a biscuit on a plate and top with a big dollop of cream. Spoon the berries and their juices over the cream and top with the biscuit top. Serve right away.

Video

Notes

I use Bob's Red Mill flours for these biscuits. See below for substitution suggestions for the individual flours. If you prefer, you can use any all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of some or all of the flours by weight.

*Sweet rice: Can sub by weight GF all-purpose flour such as Bob's Red Mill or cassava flour

**Blanched almond: Can sub by weight almond meal, hazelnut flour, or millet, sorghum, or tiger nut flour for nut-free

***Oat: Can sub by weight buckwheat, teff, or chestnut flour

****Tapioca: Can sub by weight arrowroot or corn starch

*****Sugar: Can sub ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) maple sugar or coconut sugar

Do-Ahead: The dough can be made up to 1 day ahead and shaped, wrapped, and chilled until needed. Or freeze the cut dough rounds for longer storage and bake from frozen, increasing the bake time as needed. Baked biscuits can also be cut in half and frozen. Rewarm before serving.

Variations

Dairy-Free: Use a good vegan butter such as Miyoko's in place of the butter and use chilled full-fat coconut milk in place of the cream in the biscuits. Use coconut yogurt or coconut whipped cream in place of the whipped cream.

Egg-Free: Use a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons hot water, left to thicken and cool 20 minutes) in place of the egg.

Vegan: Combine the dairy-free and egg-free variations above!

Paleo: (I haven't tested this yet, so proceed at your own risk!) Omit the sweet rice and oat flours, using 1 cup each cassava and almond flours, plus the tapioca flour. Use coconut sugar or maple sugar in place of granulated. Use chilled full-fat coconut milk or cream instead of heavy cream.

Any-Fruit GF Shortcakes: Use blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, or strawberry rhubarb compote instead of (or in addition to) strawberries.

Herbaceous Shortcake: Add fresh herbs to the fruit such as slivered mint, basil, lemon balm, lemon verbena, tarragon, or a little minced thyme or rosemary for a flavor twist.

Boozy Shortcake: My dad used to add a splash of Triple Sec or other orange liqueur to the strawberries for shortcake and it's lovely here! Or use another favorite spirit such as GF whiskey, brandy, or rum.

Lemon Ginger Strawberry Shortcake: Add ½ cup / 75g finely chopped candied ginger + zest of 1 large lemon to the dough after cutting in the butter.

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

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Comments

5 from 14 votes (4 ratings without comment)