My Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake recipe is a classic summertime dessert. When my younger son graduated from high school I made this easy low-carb dessert recipe for our celebration and everyone went crazy for it. Not a single person knew it was healthy and appropriate for the Keto Diet. And since everyone on Instagram asked for my recipe I thought I'd share it with you here!
Most strawberry shortcake recipes are quite complicated. My homemade Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake recipe is a cinch to throw together. The low-carb vanilla cake I use is a one-pot recipe made with 6 ingredients total, nothing more. While the cake cools you have time to make my 2-ingredient Low-Carb Whipped Cream. After that, you simply assemble it and add the sliced strawberries.
Usually, strawberry shortcake contains gluten because the cake is typically made of wheat flour. Here I use a low-carb cake made of coconut flour that is totally gluten-free and safe for those of you, who like me, have Celiac Disease. On top of that, my Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake will not spike your blood sugar since it contains such a small amount of sweetener.
I'm often asked if whipped cream is allowed on a Gluten-Free Diet. Yes, it is. That's good because it's a key component of my Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake. I'm also asked, can you have whipped cream on the Keto Diet? The answer is a resounding yes. Whipped cream is the perfect high-fat food for keto, but be sure to use stevia or another zero-calorie, no-carb sweetener to keep it that way.
I love using berries to make Keto Desserts since they're low in carbohydrates compared to other fruit. One of my very favorite low-carb desserts is strawberries and whipped cream. It's so elegant, and at the same time incredibly easy to throw together. When I don't have time to bake something, I like to serve strawberries and whipped cream for dessert, along with one of my favorite Low-Carb Chocolate Bars. When I do have time? This Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake recipe is at the top of my list.
So, getting down to it, how do you make Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake from scratch? Well, it's easy. Bake my Paleo Vanilla Birthday Cake, whip up some organic heavy cream and slice a pound of strawberries. Often I bake the cake the night before, let it cool on the counter overnight, then remove it from the pan. All you have to do after that is assemble your layers and you're good to go. Voilá. Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake.
If you don't have time to make my easy Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake from scratch, you can buy a gluten-free vanilla cake and use that to make a quick and easy gluten-free strawberry shortcake with only 3 ingredients. While you're at the grocery store, buy yourself some pre-made whipped cream, and strawberries and you're off to the races. Trust me, your guests will be impressed.
For those of you that follow a Nut-Free Diet, my low-carb, coconut flour Strawberry Shortcake recipe is perfect. That's because its comprised of an easy nut-free cake recipe, lightly sweetened with maple syrup. I smother this rich spongey cake in my purely low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) topping. My unsweetened Homemade Whipped Cream, perfumed with vanilla is simply divine on this low-carb dessert.
If you're a chocolate lover, you'll want to try my Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake. My older son created the recipe when he was 12 years old, and it's a good one if I do say so myself.
I recently wrote a post called, “Am I Allergic to Almond and Coconut Flour?“. In it, I discuss carbohydrate intolerance. I believe this condition originated because carbohydrates were not regularly and abundantly available to humans prior to modern times. Royalty and the wealthy had greater access to sugar and carbohydrates, however, most of our ancestors would not have easily obtained sweets and starches, or any foods at all, in great abundance. Since I have carb intolerance I do much better on a low-carb Ketogenic Diet. On occasion, I like to celebrate with a low-carb dessert like this.
Unfortunately, I also don't do well with most low-carb or zero-carb sweeteners. Many of us with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), cannot digest typical low-carb sweeteners like erythritol. That's why I stick to using small amounts of natural sweeteners in my recipes. I also use pure stevia which is very easy for me to digest. Be careful though! Many products that claim to be made of monk fruit and stevia are typically comprised of erythritol. For more information on that, you'll want to read my post called, What's the Best Sweetener for the Keto Diet?
What's your favorite sweetener? Do you use moderate amounts of honey or maple syrup, or does your system tolerate carbohydrates fairly well? Can you digest calorie-free sugar alcohols like erythritol and xylitol? Leave a comment and let me know!
Finally, I've been blown away by the number of you letting me know how much you love my Low-Carb Cinnamon Coffee Cake and Paleo Orange Cake recipes. Thanks for each of your comment, I love it when you reach out about your Elana's Pantry favorites.
This post is an oldie but goodie from the archives, I first shared this recipe in 2018.
Comments
41 responses to “Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake”
Looks amazing! Is there a dairy free alternative for the whipping cream that you recommend? Thanks so much for all of these great recipes!!!
Sabrina
Sabrina, here you go:
https://elanaspantry.com/coconut-whipped-cream/
Enjoy!
Elana
How about monkfruit? The granulated is a 1:1 ratio. No carbs and no calories.
Sharon, I haven’t tried that so not sure. Granulated monkfruit generally contains corn so I don’t use that product :-)
This is fabulous! We are already big fans of your vanilla birthday cake and this was perfect. I made a few small changes that worked out great. I baked the cake batter all in one 7 1/2 inch spring form pan and then sliced it horizontally. The cooking time was a bit longer and it worked out great. One of these days I’ll buy the 6 inch pans that you love! In between the layers I put a quick strawberry sauce which I made by placing strawberries, a bit of vanilla and a few tablespoons of maple syrup in a covered saucepan and simmering for about 15 min. I pureed that with the immersion blender and cooled it before putting it between the layers and over the top of the cake. I chilled it overnight like that then served it with the sliced strawberries and whip cream on the side the next day. By the way, I always whip cream in the standing mixer and it’s absolutely fine! Thanks for all of your amazing recipes!!!!!
Elisha, that sounds amazing! So glad you are enjoying this cake :-)
Hi Elana,
I’m making this delish looking cake one day in advanced for my little guy’s bday tomorrow. I don’t plan to assemble it until tomorrow, but what is the best way to store the cake part over night?
Thank you!! We are so excited to try it!
Katie, happy birthday to your little guy! This is such a wonderfully healthy cake to make and he is so lucky to have you. When I’m using this cake the next day I cool it for several hours, then release from the pan and store in foil in the fridge overnight.
Hi Elana, your site looks amazing and love it. I live in South Africa and Almond flour is very expensive. Is there any alternative I could use for recipes, especially your muesli scones and anything muesli? I do have sunflower seed flour. I know coconut flour cannot be replace almond flour. Thanks.
Annette, thanks for your comment! I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Elena, I have been following you for several years dabbling in and out, trying keto and now I am back with yours. I don’t have any allergies against any foods but just want to eat healthy. I have a-fib and emphysema so I am hoping diet will help. At the moment, I am low salt, no sugar and no grains. I use Stevia which has an after taste if you use to much. I cannot use xylitol . I can use honey and maple syrup with good results.
I have tried a few of your recipes but am still trying to get my mind to accept as ok eating different textures. Anyway kid (I am 70, so you’re a kid to me, lol) you are doing a great job and I want to thank you for your talents. Blessings always
Ann, what a sweet comment! You can call me kid anytime. I hope you’ll continue to keep me posted on your healing journey :-)
Could you use any fruit?
Lauren, feel free to experiment!
Elana, I made your paleo vanilla birthday cake for my husband birthday last week, we absolutely loved it!!! I actually used a 9″ pan (didn’t have a smaller one) to bake the cake, cut the cake into 4 layers, frosted each layer with your cream cheese frosting and fresh raspberries! The raspberries helped to give height to the cake and allowed me to add more frosting overall. To my surprise the cake came together in 2 hours (of course I didn’t allow the cake to cool completely), so convenient for a work day… thank you for managing to keep your ingredient list nice and short!
Inna, I’m so happy to hear this cake was a hit for your hubby’s birthday! And I work very hard to keep my ingredient lists short –thanks for noticing that :-)
Elana, I have been paleo for about 15 years, so I’ve tried many alternative sweeteners. In the earlier days I didn’t even eat fresh fruit! I now chiefly use modest amounts of honey and maple syrup. I like stevia – both fresh from the garden and liquid. Xylitol is OK for when I don’t want to add more liquid to a recipe, but I’m not in love with it.
Just based on my glowing reviews of your recipes as I emerge from the kitchen, my husband tells everyone who will listen, about your website. The man never met a stranger, so they are people of all ages and descriptions who just want to get healthy. I recovered from fibromyalgia so empathize strongly with your journey. Thank you for making your fine work available to those who need it.
Leslie, this is one of my favorite comments of ALL TIME! I love that you and your husband are on this healing journey of health food with me! I hope we can stay in touch here :-)
Hi Elana,
This looks amazing. Is there a recipe for SCD?
Sandi, I will add that to my list of requests. In the meantime, here is a link to all of my SCD recipes:
https://elanaspantry.com/diets/specific-carbohydrate-diet/
Enjoy!
Elana
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