These vegan Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cups are the perfect nostalgic replica of a favorite childhood treat. Vegan Shortbread Cookies crumbled together with freeze-dried strawberries make the perfect tart crumble layered between vegan ice cream. Top it all off with an easy fresh Strawberry Compote for a delicious summer treat you won’t want to miss.
For more delicious vegan desserts try these Vegan Lemon Cookies, Vegan Key Lime Tart, or Vegan Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies.
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cups
- A perfect replica – This recipe nails all of the flavors of those childhood favorite ice cream bars, but without any of the dairy!
- Quick & easy – This recipe is ready in just 20 minutes and only requires the skills of chopping and stirring. Anyone can make this!
- Easy to adjust – You can easily add a flavor twist to this recipe by mixing in some chocolate ice cream, or even mango. Get creative!
Ingredients for Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cups
- Shortbread Cookies – I use my Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies for this recipe because they are super quick and easy. If you want to save even more time, you can opt to make this recipe with a store-bought vegan cookie like Biscoff (yes, they’re vegan!).
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries – These make up the rest of the strawberry shortcake crumble layer, giving it the super sweet and tart flavor you remember.
- Vegan Butter – This helps keep the crumble layer together and highlights some of the flavors. If you are oil-free, you can absolutely omit this ingredient and the flavor will be just as amazing.
- Vegan Ice Cream – These cups combine both strawberry and vanilla vegan ice creams. I prefer the Oatly brand (not sponsored), but you can choose any vegan brand you’d like.
- Strawberry Compote – This is the perfect garnish for this dish.
How to Make Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cups
First, make the Vegan Shortbread Cookies. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl to form the dough. Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick, and use a cookie cutter to shape. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.
While the cookies are baking, make the strawberry compote. Add all ingredients for the compote into a small sauce pan and stir until evenly mixed. Bring to a strong simmer, and stir constantly until the mixture has thickened and the strawberries are tender. This usually takes about 5 minutes. Set it aside to cool.
Once the cookies are done and cooled, place about 10 cookies (115g) into a food processor and pulse until the cookies are mostly broken up.
Add the freeze-dried strawberries and pulse again until the desired crumbly texture is reached. This can be as fine as you’d like, or leave some larger pieces of cookie and strawberry if you prefer.
Once the Strawberry Shortcake crumble is ready and the compote has fully cooled, you are ready to start layering the Ice Cream cups.
You can choose to layer however, you’d like, but here is the order I followed:
- Strawberry Shortcake Crumble
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Crumble
- Strawberry Ice Cream
- Crumble
- Mix of Vanilla and Strawberry Ice Cream
- Strawberry Compote
Once the cups are layered to your liking, top with the cooled strawberry compote. That’s it! You’re ready to serve and enjoy!
How to Store Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cups
- Freezer: If you want to make these cups ahead of time, you can store them in individual freezer-safe containers or make the layers in one large freezer-safe container from which you can scoop individual portions. It will last up to 1 week in the freezer before losing some flavor.
More Tips for Making Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cups
- Not Vegan? Use traditional shortbread cookies or dairy ice cream.
- Gluten-free? Use a gluten-free flour to make the shortbread cookies and you’re all set.
- Want to Mix it up? Add a layer of vegan chocolate or mango ice cream instead or in addition to the strawberry and vanilla ice creams.
Looking for more delicious vegan desserts? Try these Vegan Rice Krispie Treats or Crunchy Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates.
Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cups
Equipment
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
Strawberry Shortcake Crumble
- 10 Shortbread cookies (about 115g)
- 1 oz Freeze dried strawberries 28g
- 2 tbsp Vegan butter 28g
Other Ingredients
- 1 â…“ cup Vegan vanilla ice cream
- 1 â…“ cup Vegan strawberry ice cream
- 8 tbsp Strawberry compote (about 1/2 of original recipe)
Instructions
- First, make the Vegan Shortbread Cookies. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl to form the dough. Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick, and use a cookie cutter to shape. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- While the cookies are baking, make the strawberry compote. Add all ingredients for the compote into a small sauce pan and stir until evenly mixed. Bring to a strong simmer, and stir constantly until the mixture has thickened and the strawberries are tender. This usually takes about 5 minutes. Set it aside to cool.
Make the Strawberry Shortcake Crumble
- Once the cookies are done and cooled, place about 10 cookies (115g) into a food processor and pulse until the cookies are mostly broken up.
- Add the freeze-dried strawberries and pulse again until the desired crumbly texture is reached.
Layer the Cups
- Here is the order I followed:1.Strawberry Shortcake Crumble2. Vanilla Ice Cream3.Crumble4. Strawberry Ice Cream5. Crumble6. Mix of Vanilla and Strawberry Ice Cream7. Strawberry Compote.
- Once the cups are layered to your liking, that's it! You're ready to serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Not Vegan? Use traditional shortbread cookies or dairy ice cream.
- Gluten-free? Use a gluten-free flour to make the shortbread cookies and you’re all set.
- Want to Mix it up? Add a layer of vegan chocolate or mango ice cream instead or in addition to the strawberry and vanilla ice creams.
- If you want to make these cups ahead of time, you can store them in individual freezer-safe containers or make the layers in one large freezer-safe container from which you can scoop individual portions. It will last up to 1 week in the freezer before losing some flavor.
Nutrition
Please note, while all ingredients used in this recipe have been verified to be vegan and free of applicable allergens at the time of recipe creation, different brands may differ in their ingredients or processing procedures and may change their ingredients at any time. For some recipes, I do include ingredients that are processed in a facility that processes other allergens. Please make sure to check the ingredients and processing procedures for your specific purchases to ensure they meet your dietary needs.
Last Updated on February 14, 2025
This flavor combo is unbeatable. The crunch of the cookies with the creamy vegan ice cream is perfect!
Looks delicious, will definitely try it out! Thanks for sharing!