Grain-free Strawberry Shortcake (nut free)

This grain-free strawberry shortcake is everything that shortcake should be: fluffy, soft, buttery, and perfectly delicious! Top off the shortcake with some fresh, organic strawberries and a dollop of dairy-free whipped cream… it’s a match made for modern pioneers! I love strawberry shortcake, so coming up with this grain-free and gluten free shortcake recipe was a dream come true for me! This grain-free strawberry shortcake tastes delicious and has a wonderful texture! It is easy to make and is sure to work perfectly for any summer celebration, but really, you don’t need a celebration to enjoy this shortcake. I love having this strawberry shortcake as a healthy summer dessert, a sweet summer snack, or even as a delicious summer breakfast!

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Modern Pioneer Recipe

This grain-free strawberry shortcake is a modern pioneer recipe, however, its ingredients are simple and pioneer based! Butter, flour, and eggs would have been a staple in many pioneer and homestead recipe. Fresh strawberries and dairy-free cocowhip… not so much. But nonetheless, those are sweet modern pioneer editions that we can enjoy!

Every time strawberry season rolls around, I start trying new and different shortcake recipes attempting to get just the right one. Finally I developed a recipe that fit the bill: not too eggy, not too coconutty, and not too dry. This shortcake is light, fluffy, and tastes delicious! The ingredients are kept simple and are probably even staples you already have in the homestead pantry.

Since the shortcake is made with simple, wholesome ingredients, it’s important that we keep the shortcake toppings healthy and wholesome too. Which is not a problem when you use fresh, organic strawberries and dairy-free whipped topping!

This healthy strawberry shortcake recipe is…

• gluten-free
• grain-free
• tree nut free
• sugar free
• corn free
• soy free

Benefits of Strawberries

Fresh strawberries are the best, and probably one of my favorite berries to eat fresh during their short growing season. I literally have a strawberry-fest during strawberry season trying to get in all my favorite strawberry recipes such as this strawberry rhubarb pie or my favorite strawberry banana smoothies!

Strawberries, like every other berry, are packed with nutrition. To get the most out of your strawberries it is best to buy organic strawberries that have not been sprayed with pesticides and chemicals. Non-organic strawberries really contain no health benefits because all of the nutrition is compensated when chemicals are sprayed on the berries.

Since I can’t grow my own strawberries on my homestead, I love getting fresh strawberries from a local strawberry patch! Strawberries like sunny (6-10 hours of sunlight), well-draining locations. So if you are planning on planting strawberries on your homestead, make sure you pick the sunniest spot that has well-draining soil and a soil pH around 5.5-6.5.

Strawberries are not only delicious to eat, but they also provide some great health benefits! Here are some great health benefits of strawberries!

Health Benefits of Strawberries:

• Strawberries contain folate which keeps your blood healthy.
• The acids in strawberries help keep your teeth clean.
• Strawberries are very high in omega-3’s.
• Strawberries are naturally anti-inflammatory and help bring down inflammation in the gut.
• They are rich in iodine which helps improve your metabolic rate.
• Strawberries are a good source of vitamin K and many other vitamins and minerals.

Need some more delicious strawberry recipes? Make sure you try these gluten-free strawberry breakfast cookies or this dairy-free strawberry banana chia pudding!

Ingredient & Recipe Guide

I love everything about this shortcake! The fluffy texture, the amazing taste, the simplicity of the recipe, the healthiness of the ingredients, everything is perfect about this shortcake! Here’s a quick ingredient guide so you can get a feel for why I chose the simple ingredients that I did:

• Tapioca flour– tapioca flour helps keep the shortcake light
• Cassava flour– cassava flour gives the shortcake texture and volume
• Baking powder– baking powder gives the shortcake loft (make sure you use corn free baking powder)
• Sea salt– sea salt improves the flavor the shortcake
• Eggs– eggs give the shortcake texture and rise (make sure you use organic, pasture-raised eggs)
• Butter– butter gives the shortcake a rich, buttery flavor (use organic, grass-fed butter)
• Dairy-free Milk– milk keeps the shortcake from being too dry (coconut milk beverage and oat milk beverage work well!)

The ingredients in this strawberry shortcake are simple and give this shortcake a fabulous texture! I find this shortcake recipe to be super easy to make and fairly fool-proof. However, to make sure your shortcake turns out the best way possible, here are some recipe tips!

Recipe Tips:

• Flour Guide– The flours I used in this recipe are tapioca and cassava flour. You could substitute arrowroot flour for the tapioca flour if needed. I have not tried any substitutes for the cassava flour, but it does have a similar consistency to almond flour.
• Egg Guide– For the eggs in this recipe, I would suggest using room temperature eggs if possible. They will incorporate into the batter better and will help the shortcake rise. I have not tried making the batter egg-free.
• Dairy-free Version– I use butter in my shortcake recipe but you could try making it dairy free by substituting in coconut oil instead of the butter. Just make sure the coconut oil is softened, not melted. Melted coconut oil will make the shortcake batter too moist.
• Coconut Milk Guide– I used coconut milk beverage from a carton in this shortcake recipe. You can use coconut milk from a can just as easily though. Make sure you stir in the coconut cream that gathers on top of canned coconut milk before using the milk in the recipe. I have also used oat milk with success too, although it is not grain-free.
• Milk Alternatives– You could also use other dairy-free milks in this recipe, like almond milk, cashew milk, or hemp milk!

When you treat yourself to this shortcake you can rest assured that it is healthy and topped with nutritious berries! This grain-free strawberry shortcake will make a great healthy addition to any summer celebration. Serve this shortcake as a dessert, breakfast, side-dish, or appetizer… it is sure to please modern pioneers of all ages!

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Otto’s Naturals cassava flour
• Bob’s Red Mill arrowroot flour
• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Pacific coconut milk beverage
• Pacific oat milk beverage
• Hain Pure Foods baking powder
• Redmond sea salt
• Supplies: 8×8″ glass baking dish, large mixing bowl, strawberry huller

This strawberry shortcake is the perfect healthy treat to enjoy on the homestead. Healthy, nutritious recipes like this shortcake will make your summer even better as you indulge in delicious food that is wholesome and homemade right in the modern pioneer kitchen. I love that this shortcake has no added sugars but is perfectly sweet when topped with fresh strawberries and a dollop of dairy-free cocowhip. It’s a family favorite on my homestead and is sure to be on yours too!

Don’t miss out on any other modern pioneer or heritage pioneer recipes this summer! Join our modern pioneer newsletter community and get started with our Pioneer Egg Recipes Cookbook!

by Alexa