This gluten-free and vegan Sheet Pan Strawberry Shortcake recipe makes serving shortcakes for a crowd a breeze. Just three easy layers!
Growing up, my experience of strawberry shortcakes consisted of store-bought individual sponge cakes, Cool Whip, and macerated strawberries.
And I loved it.
Sweet as sweet could be and the first shortcakes of the season meant there was a high chance we'd get to enjoy them multiple times before summer was out.
It wasn't until later that I first tried truly homemade strawberry shortcake served with a slightly sweet biscuit, whipped cream, and topped with strawberries.
Game changer.
Sheet Pan Strawberry Shortcake Ingredients
But, as it tends to do, the game changed again and gluten was no longer part of the picture for me.
Inspired by Erin McDowell's slab shortcake with roasted rhubarb, I liked the idea of creating a gluten-free and dairy-free shortcake recipe that was incredibly easy for serving a crowd.
Here are the major ingredients you'll need:
- fresh strawberries
- almond flour
- white rice flour
- olive oil
- organic cane sugar
- arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
- almond milk
- maple syrup
- dairy-free cream cheese
- organic powdered sugar
- lemon zest
For the sheet pan biscuit layer, I adapted the biscuit recipe from my gluten-free blueberry cobbler recipe. If you haven't tried it yet, put it on your list!
Olive oil adds richness to our cake with almond flour and rice flour.
This slightly sweetened cakey biscuit acts as a great base for the cream cheese whipped topping.
To keep things completely dairy-free, for the whipped cream layer I used a combination of dairy-free cream cheese, coconut cream, and organic powdered sugar.
I like using almond-based cream cheese, but any dairy-free cream cheese will do.
Now, comes my favorite part: the strawberries.
Instead of macerating the fresh strawberries in sugar, I decided to roast them.
Roasting strawberries, and other fruits for that matter (like baked peaches with oats), with just a bit of maple syrup, really bring out the natural sweetness.
Plus, it gives the fruit a jammy consistency that can't be beaten.
Roast your strawberries at the same time your biscuit layer bakes. Whip up your topping and place it in the refrigerator until ready to assemble all parts.
So easy, so satisfying.
This sheet pan strawberry cake would make a great addition to 4th of July festivities or the end to any summer meal with friends or family, plus any of these gluten-free berry desserts. Add this refreshing festive mocktail and you've got a party.
Speaking of summer fruit, Amanda's grilled peach salsa would be just perfect for a summer cookout!
More Berry Dessert Recipes
Vegan Gluten-Free Strawberry Crisp
Love this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating on the recipe card below and let me know what you think in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Sheet Pan Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Sheet Pan Biscuit
- 1 ⅓ cups 220g white rice flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
- 1 cup 92g almond flour
- 3 tablespoons organic cane sugar divided
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk divided
- ½ cup olive oil
Roasted Strawberries
- 16 oz fresh strawberries quartered
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Whipped Topping
- 8 oz dairy-free cream cheese
- 1 cup coconut cream or hardened cream from one can of full-fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight
- ¾ cup organic powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9x13 rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray or coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine white rice flour, almond flour, 2 tablespoons of organic cane sugar, arrowroot starch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup almond milk and the olive oil. Stir to combine.
- Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until all ingredients are incorporated. Chill biscuit dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the biscuit dough is chilling, prepare your strawberries. Line a second sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the quartered strawberries in a medium to large bowl with maple syrup, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Stir to thoroughly combine then spread in an even layer onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Set aside until ready to bake biscuit layer.
- Once biscuit dough has chilled, spread it into an even layer in the greased sheet pan. Using a pastry brush, wash biscuit slab with additional almond milk so that top is moistened, sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of organic cane sugar.
- Place the biscuit sheet pan on the middle rack in oven. Bake biscuit for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the edges and top start to turn a pale golden. Place your strawberries on the bottom rack and roast for 25 minutes.
- Allow both the strawberries and biscuit to cool completely before assembling shortcake.
- While biscuit and strawberries bake, place cream cheese whipped topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer and mix until smooth. Place in the refrigerator until ready to assemble shortcake.
Assembling Sheet Pan Shortcake
- Spread cream cheese whipped topping over top of biscuit layer leaving a ½-1 inch border. Spread roasted strawberries over top. Slice into squares using a sharp knife. Use a spatula to serve.
Carrie
The biscuit is perfection as well as the strawberries. The topping needs way more sugar, in my opinion. I don’t even like things that sweet but I feel the topping was almost bitter. I sprinkled more sugar on top which helped. Next time I would add more sugar.
Tessa
Thank you, Carrie!
Eva
I haven't made this yet but am wondering if I could substitute ap flour 1:1? Thanks
Jen
Is the rice flour measurement actually supposed to be 2 1/3 cups or is 270g wrong? 1 1/3 weighs no where close to 270g, but 270g comes out to almost 2 1/3 cups.
I just started making this but am not sure how to proceed now. So far I’ve only added 1 1/3 cups of rice flour. Please help!
Tessa
Hi Jen! So sorry for the confusion. I am away from my kitchen right now, but go with the 1 1/3 cups! I will check on the grams asap. Thank you!
Jen
1 1/3 cups worked great. The cake was seriously tasty. Thanks for your help with the measurements!
Laura Wood
Going to fit this one in before the summer feel is gone! Still getting yummy strawberries at store. I really like the idea of roasting the fruit too.
Tessa
Roasted strawberries are so delicious!