Vegan Strawberry Shortcake in Mason Jars

Let’s face it – everything tastes better when it’s in a mason jar. We store a lot of our dried goods in mason jars and it keeps our pantry looking straight out of Pinterest. Mason jars are just so freaking cute, I can’t get enough of them.

Speaking of mason jars, this Vegan Strawberry Shortcake in a Mason Jar is so deliciously creamy and fruity. Plus, we used chia seeds in the strawberry filling! Chia seeds are FULL of important nutrients and antioxidants.

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Growing up, Strawberry Shortcake was one of those desserts I would only eat for special occasions like communions, weddings, and graduation parties. I have fond memories of Strawberry Shortcake as a double-layer (or triple-layer) vanilla cake with strawberry filling and covered in a whipped cream frosting.

Last weekend, I was craving a strawberry dessert but, when I looked up how to make Strawberry Shortcake, I found a lot of biscuit-type recipes. Hmmm… maybe I’m the weirdo but I never remembered having Strawberry Shortcake like that. I decided to create a recipe that reminds me of the Strawberry Shortcake I love but changing up some ingredients to make it plant-based too.

To achieve the perfect Vegan Strawberry Shortcake, I baked my favorite vegan vanilla cupcakes, mixed up some light and fluffy coconut whipped cream, and then layered them in a mason jar with reduced strawberries.

It made the perfect party dessert – even though we actually didn’t have a party – but one day, WE WILL, I know it! And when we do, we’ll serve up these delicious dairy-free Strawberry Shortcake mason jar treats like it’s nobody’s business.

It’s easy to make these Vegan Strawberry Shortcakes. Make three layers: Vanilla Cupcake, Coconut Whipped Cream, and Strawberry Chia Filling – then layer it up again until it fills up the mason jar. Our jars were 8 oz. and we were able to get about 12 jars filled. We topped them with blueberries to add a Memorial Day Weekend festive touch but that’s totally optional.

You can probably make this as a standard cake if you want. The vegan vanilla cupcake recipe makes enough to fill two 6-inch round cake pans. Remember to adjust the baking time a little bit though. Let me know in the comments if you decide to do it this way instead.

If you make these delicious Vegan Strawberry Shortcakes, take a photo and tag us @pastabased!
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4.25 from 8 votes

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Vegan Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

It's easy to make these Vegan Strawberry Shortcakes. Make three layers: Vanilla Cupcake, Coconut Whipped Cream, and Strawberry Chia Filling - then layer it up again until it fills up the mason jar.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Vegan

Servings: 12 8 oz. jars

Ingredients

Vanilla Cupcakes

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Coconut Whipped Cream

• 2 14 oz. cans coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Strawberry Chia Filling

• 5 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chia seeds

Instructions

1. Chill your coconut cream cans in the refrigerator overnight so that the liquid separates from the cream.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Measure out 1 cup of almond milk and mix with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together dry cupcake ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and cornstarch.  In a medium bowl, mix together wet cupcake ingredients: vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and almond milk/apple cider vinegar mixture.

4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into a greased cupcake pan, filling cupcake batter about 2/3 of the way. You should get about 12-14 cupcakes. Place into the oven to bake for about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool when done.

5. Meanwhile, make the strawberry-chia filling. Heat a pot on the stove at medium-high heat. Add sliced strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir frequently for about 15 minutes to reduce. Once done, remove from heat and let cool slightly before mixing in chia seeds. Place in refrigerator to cool completely.

6. To make coconut whipped cream, scoop hardened coconut cream into a chilled bowl. Make sure not to get any coconut water in the bowl. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beat with a hand-mixer until creamy and fluffy, 5-10 minutes.

7. Once cupcakes are cooled, remove from pan and cut them in half horizontally (so you have the top of the cupcake and the bottom as two equal circles). 

8. Place the bottom of the cupcake at the bottom of an 8 oz. mason jar. Then, layer in some coconut whipped cream. Layer some strawberry-chia filling on top of that. Repeat until the jar is full, adding the second half of cupcake, then coconut whipped cream, then strawberry-chia filling again...