Gluten-Free strawberry shortcake with sweet buttery almond flour buttermilk biscuits. Layered up with juicy macerated strawberries and pillows of whipped cream. Summertime bliss made gluten-free.

If there's one dessert that tastes like summertime bliss, it's strawberry shortcake.
Super sweet and juicy strawberries are still prominently at the market. While the warm weather is still here, we're making the most of these late summer strawberries by keeping everything on hand for gluten-free strawberry shortcake with homemade sweet biscuits.
Using Almond Flour Biscuits for Strawberry Shortcake
Some people serve their strawberry shortcake with sponge cake, often store-bought. But have you eaten it with a sweet buttery biscuit? I've got just the gluten-free biscuit recipe! Made with almond flour, these flaky buttermilk biscuits are super flavorful. For strawberry shortcake, add two tablespoons of sugar to the dough and sprinkle more on top for a sweet biscuit.
It's got that buttery comfort of a homemade cobbler but with juicy fresh berries and pillows of homemade whipped cream. It reminds me of a rustic version of my Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake!
My tip to the best strawberry layer?
Before you start making biscuits, stir the strawberries and sugar together and set them aside to macerate. The strawberries will release their juices, leaving a pool of sweet strawberry syrup to drizzle over the biscuits.
Shortcake Fruit Substitutions
Did you know strawberry shortcake tastes delicious with all different kinds of fruit? If you don't have strawberries on hand, try these fruit substitutions shortcake toppings:
- Fresh blackberries or raspberries mashed and macerated with sugar
- Macerated pluots, plums, or cherries
- Peeled macerated peaches or nectarines
- Blueberries or cranberries heated on the stove until they begin to release their juices and burst
Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Strawberry Shortcake
This recipe has also been tested with a dairy-free substitution. Use full-fat canned coconut milk in place of the milk, making a coconut buttermilk with vinegar just as you would with whole milk. Replace the butter with a stick plant-butter (I tested with Country Crock's plant butter) and continue as the recipe instructs.
For the whipped cream, use whipped coconut cream, following the recipe in my dairy-free gluten-free pumpkin pie post.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake with Almond Flour Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 lb strawberries, hulled and quartered
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
- Zest of half a lemon
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Scant ½ cup whole milk, ½ cup milk minus ½ tablespoon, plus more for brushing
- ½ tablespoon white vinegar, alternatively, skip the milk and vinegar and use ½ cup buttermilk
- 76 g (¼ cup + 3½ tablespoons) sweet rice flour, Also called mochiko. Different from "white rice flour" or "brown rice flour"
- 64 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) Bob's Red Mill super-fine blanched almond flour
- 35 g (¼ cup) Bob's Red Mill millet flour
- 18 g (2½ tablespoons) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, frozen for at least 30 minutes
- Optional: ½ tablespoon melted unsalted butter, for brushing
INSTRUCTIONS
- Before making the biscuits, toss the strawberries, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and chill.
- Prepare a half batch of gluten-free biscuits according to the directions in this post, using the measurements above and the sweet option.
- While the biscuits cool slightly, make the whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, whisk the cream until it begins to thicken, but peaks have not formed yet. With the mixer running on medium-low, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a slow stream. Add the vanilla and continue whisking until pillowy soft peaks form.
- Assemble your strawberry shortcakes. Use a sharp knife to split each biscuit in half. Spoon macerated berries and their juices over the bottom half, top with a large spoonful of whipped cream, then top with the other half of the biscuit.
Kelly Williams -
So excited to make strawberry shortcake. When/where does the frozen butter get added? Many thanks
Sarah Menanix -
Yay - I hope you love them! Follow the gluten-free biscuit recipe instructions in this post - the frozen butter gets grated directly into the dry ingredients. Let me know if you have any other questions!