These no-bake shortcut vegan strawberry shortcakes are simple to make using rounds of prepared polenta in place of baked biscuits. These sweet treats make a lovely dessert that's easy enough to make for an everyday treat and pretty enough for special occasions.
Nothing says summertime like a strawberry shortcake - bursting with flavor from fresh strawberries and cream. Yum!
So of course I had to try my hand at making a vegan version of this delightful dessert.
These vegan strawberry shortcakes are:
- Easy to make in just 15 minutes!
- Loaded with fresh strawberries
- And topped with creamy dairy-free whipped cream
- 100% dairy-free and egg-free
- A kid-friendly vegan dessert!
So let's get cooking!
Tips & Tricks
Polenta
You might be thinking polenta is a weird ingredient for a dessert recipes, but you'll have to trust me on this one. It's actually an incredibly versatile ingredient - here are some more ways to use polenta!
You'll want to get the kind that comes in a tube - like this. You'll usually find it in the refrigerated section at your grocery store, although some brands can be stored at room temperature.
Vegan Whipped Cream
For these, we used So Delicious Coco Whip, which is surprisingly low in fat and sugar, too. You can also try your hand at making your own vegan whipped cream from coconut milk.
Variations
This vegan shortcake recipe works well with other kinds of fruit as well. Try replacing the strawberries with any of these fruits for a totally new dessert:
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Pomegranate Arils (yes, really!)
And for another fun twist, try adding a layer of this homemade vegan Nutella!
More Recipes
If you love this vegan strawberry shortcake, be sure to check out these amazing strawberry recipes, or these delicious vegan desserts:
- No-Bake Vegan Lemon Bars
- Homemade Chocolates with Apricots
- Cinnamon Apple Chickpea Cake
- Boozy Chocolate Pudding
Recipe
Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
- 1 pint strawberries
- ¼ cup strawberry preserves all-fruit
- 18 ounce polenta tube
- vegan butter such as Earth Balance
- dairy-free whipped cream see note
- mint leaves optional for garnish
Instructions
- Remove hulls from the strawberries and slice very thinly. Cut up any large slices into smaller pieces. Reserve 6 small halves for topping, if desired.
- Combine the strawberries and ¼ cup preserves, more or less to coat, in a small bowl and set aside.
- Remove the polenta from the plastic wrapping. Cut a little of the puckered ends off from the polenta tube, then cut the rest into 12 equal slices. These will be about ½ inch thick.
- Heat enough buttery spread on a wide skillet or griddle. Cook the polenta slices in a single layer, about 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until golden and starting to get crusty.
- Remove from the skillet to a platter and allow to cool to room temperature, or until ready to serve. If you're impatient and apply the whipped cream to warm polenta, you'll get a runny mess!
- When ready to serve, layer as follows: A slice of polenta, a small dollop of whipped cream, a few slices of strawberry, another slice of polenta, more whipped cream, a half strawberry (or a few more slices if you didn't reserve halves).
- Garnish with mint if desired; pass around any unused strawberries and more whipped cream to spoon onto individual shortcakes.
Notes
Nutrition (Estimate per Serving)
Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
This recipe was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated.
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