Grain-Free Strawberry Shortcake

Published: Jul 1, 2025 by Lauren Goslin · This post may contain affiliate links · 27 Comments

This delicious gluten-free, grain-free strawberry shortcake is one of our family's favorite recipes! It suits many grain-based allergies, in that it's made with coconut flour and a secret ingredient. Mashed strawberries and freshly whipped cream set the whole thing off, making it a very impressive (and healthy!) dessert.

Slice of cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream.

This recipe started with a half awake, half asleep dream for a healthy strawberry shortcake, which is awesome right now since strawberries are so delicious and sweet!

The 'money' component in this equation is obviously the cake. Comprised of coconut flour, eggs, aaaaaannnnddd.....beans!

I know there are still many who are scared to try beans in a sweet recipe, but you truly can't taste them. They make the cake so moist and soft while also adding protein and fiber.

The one can of beans used in this recipe adds a whopping 28 grams of protein! You should see my beefy husband light up over this delicious dessert, simply because it's so protein-packed!

Ingredients and substitutions

White beans - Cannellini and Great Northern are the ones I use; I prefer the latter.
Eggs
Applesauce - Try my Instant Pot Applesauce recipe!
Powdered stevia extract - If you looking to avoid stevia, take a peek at this stevia conversion chart for the amount of granulated sugar to substitute it with. Don't use a liquid sweetener or it will throw off the dry/wet ratio of ingredients, and the cake won't bake correctly.
Vanilla extract
Honey - Maple syrup can also be used.
Coconut oil - Melted butter, olive oil, or grapeseed oil are all excellent substitutes!
Coconut flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Sea salt
Strawberries - Fresh or frozen both work; if using frozen, defrost them first.
Whipped cream - Try coconut whipped cream if you're allergic to dairy!

Recipe steps

For full directions, see the recipe box below. I just want to highlight some of the steps here for you, as I myself am a visual learner.

Begin by processing the 'wet' ingredients, including the beans, eggs, applesauce, stevia (if using), honey, vanilla, and oil. The mixture should be smooth before adding the dry ingredients.

Blended beans and eggs in a food processor.

Next, add in the dry ingredients, including the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. You can sift in the flour to ensure there are no lumps, but I find the processor does a good job of incorporating it.

Blended cake batter with flour in a food processor.

Pour the batter into an 8-inch cake pan and bake as directed below.

While the cake is baking, use the time to mash the strawberries and whip the cream.

Recipe tips

Be aware of over-baking, as this can dry out the cake.

I don't typically add any sweetener to my strawberries, as they are sweet enough on their own for me, but feel free to drizzle in a bit of your favorite sweetener when mashing them.

If you like this recipe, try it in cupcake form! It makes an awesome birthday treat when topped with a healthy chocolate frosting and sprinkles.

If you have a chance to try this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below letting me know how you liked it!

Comments

5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)