Mini Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake
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I put this together on a whim. I already had strawberries, I already had whipped cream, and I had just pulled a batch of vanilla cupcakes from the oven. I sliced them in half, stuffed them, and that was it. This gluten-free strawberry shortcake wasn’t planned, it’s just what happens when good ingredients are already on the counter.
My kids were just as happy eating these as anything from a bakery. That’s the bar I hold all my low-carb baking to. Not “pretty good for keto” but just actually good, full stop. I brought these to my daughter’s birthday party, and not one person suspected they were sugar-free. The coconut flour base comes out soft and moist, closer to a buttermilk biscuit than a dense grain-free muffin, and the strawberries and whipped cream do the rest.
If you’re new to baking with coconut flour, this is one of the best places to start. The technique is forgiving and the ingredient list is short. For a deeper dive into low-carb baking, The Ultimate Guide to Low-Carb Baking is worth bookmarking, but you won’t need it to make this recipe work.
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How to Make Mini Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake
Make the vanilla cupcake base, let it cool, slice in half, and stuff with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. The full ingredient list, measurements, and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ingredient Notes
- Coconut flour: The only flour that works here. Don’t substitute it. Coconut flour is uniquely absorbent and changing it will change the texture entirely. I use Anthony’s Organic Coconut Flour.
- Sugar: Regular granulated white sugar works; substitute with equal amounts of granulated keto sweetener to make it sugar-free. I recommend Besti.
- Baking powder: Not baking soda. This is what keeps the muffins light and helps them rise.
- Fresh strawberries: In-season only. Off-season berries are pale and bland and will let the whole thing down. Look for bright red, fragrant berries with very little white around the stem. Don’t use frozen strawberries.
- Whipped cream: Freshly whipped is my favorite. You can substitute with mascarpone cheese if you’re bringing this to a gathering and want something more stable.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a second bowl.
- Slowly add them together.
- Pour into a prepared muffin pan and bake.
- Cool the cupcakes while whipping the cream and slicing strawberries.
- Assemble and serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- An electric mixer gets you the lightest, fluffiest batter. Mixing by hand works (I’ve done it both ways), but expect a slightly denser result.
- Assemble right before serving. Once filled, these don’t hold. Build the cupcake base ahead of time and stuff it when you’re ready.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Store unfilled cupcake bases in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months wrapped in plastic inside a freezer-safe bag. Thaw overnight at room temperature before filling and serving.
How to Serve Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake
Assemble right before serving so the muffins stay firm. For a party, set out the bases, a bowl of sliced strawberries and whipped cream separately and let people build their own. It’s a fun, interactive dessert station. Round out the table with keto chocolate chip cookies, no-bake coconut macaroons, and keto mini cheesecakes.
More Gluten-Free Berry Recipes
- Strawberry shortcake pancakes
- Strawberry cheesecake smoothie
- Blueberry mocktail
- Strawberry lemonade
- White chocolate raspberry mousse
Mini Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
For the vanilla cupcakes
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice about ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup coconut flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar or preferred granulated keto sweetener
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 6 large eggs
For the filling
- ½ cup strawberries fresh
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
- Cream the butter, cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs two at a time, mixing between each addition.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a second bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients in portions, mixing inbetween each addition. The goal is a mousse-like batter. If it comes out thicker, that’s fine but it will bake more densely, like shortbread rather than a fluffy cake.
- Divide the batter equally into all the muffin wells. Bake for 350 °F for 30 minutes until the edges are golden and the tops feel firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and transfer to a cooling rack.
- While the cupcakes cool, whip the cream and slice the strawberries. Once fully cool, slice each cupcake in half and fill with strawberries and a generous spoonful of whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition & Macros
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information.
I don’t have (and generally don’t like the taste of coconuts. Can I use almond floor instead? This sound great!
Hello, Carol! While you can swap in almond flour if you don’t like coconut, I don’t have experience with this and can’t give a recommendation on how much to use. If I were to try, I would start at 2 1/2 cups almond flour and use only 2 eggs, look at the batter and maybe add another egg if needed. It will take some experimenting.