Grain-Free Cheesy Strawberry Biscuits (Small Batch)

Small-batch GRAIN-FREE biscuits! With strawberries! And cheese! These are pretty much what my breakfast dreams are made of on these summer mornings…

Healthier Air Fried Biscuits

You heard it here first my friends, air fried biscuits are beyond easy to make and so delicious. My air fryer has quickly become a kitchen essential for me because of recipes like this one. The outside gets perfectly golden brown while the middle stays soft and chewy- a very difficult characteristic to achieve with almond flour, trust me!

I use these biscuits for egg sandwiches in the morning, a unique dinner side dish, or simply toasted for a fun healthy snack idea! There’s something about the sweet and salty flavor combo of parmesan cheese & strawberries that I simply just can’t resist. Fruit and cheese pairings have been one of my favorite flavor combinations for the summer months since I started following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet to manage my IBD symptoms. Gone are the days of S’mores and lemon bars (very sad, I know). Luckily, I’ve become just as obsessed with grain-free/ SCD-friendly recipes like these biscuits!

Since fermented dairy products (unsweetened yogurt & aged/dry cheeses) are allowed on the SCD, this biscuit recipe is perfect if you are struggling with IBD symptoms! Although the research around the SCD isn’t very well-developed, I (along with many other people with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s) can anecdotally attest to the effectiveness of using food as medicine in this case. Even if you don’t have IBD, I sincerely think that most people will benefit from avoiding highly processed foods!

• Link: “Legal/Illegal List- Specific Carbohydrate Diet”
• Link: “One Year with UC: My Story”

Baking with Yogurt

Ever since the “2 Ingredient Dough” trend came around last year, I simply couldn’t resist trying to make a grain-free version. Typically, the dough is make from self-rising all purpose flour and plain greek yogurt- no kneading, rising, or yeast needed!

My grain-free version of this recipe trend involves slightly more ingredients to achieve the same texture BUT it’s still super quick to make. Instead of the self-rising flour, I use a blend of almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, and baking powder. Just using almond flour resulted in a very dense biscuit, so I’ve found that the addition of the other flours gave it some of the “fluff” factor it was missing!

Because yogurt has living probiotics in it that produce carbon dioxide as a by-product of their metabolic pathways, yogurt can be used in place of eggs and yeast. Especially if there is a leavening agent (such as baking powder) present, yogurt is an amazing shortcut in contrast to waiting for yeast to do their thing. I’ve found that Greek yogurt also contributes an incredible slightly tangy flavor to these biscuits.

By itself, the flavor of unsweetened Greek yogurt might be a little too tangy if you aren’t prepared for it. Even if you’re a Greek yogurt hater, hear me out. In this recipe, the slight sourness perfectly balances the sweet strawberries and salty cheese.

Baking with Freeze-Dried Fruit

Although freeze dried fruit may initially sound crazy, it’s actually widely available at most grocery stores now! Trader Joe’s has an especially exceptional selection. Recently, I always have freeze-dried strawberries and blueberries on hand for recipes.

Because the water has been mostly removed from freeze-dried fruit, I don’t have to worry about how fruits with a high water content (such as berries) will effect the dough as it’s baking. There’s almost nothing worse than soggy bread and long baking times, are ya with me?!

Freeze-dried fruit has been my new favorite solution to the unpredictability of using fruits in recipes now! If you happen to stumble across it at the store, I highly recommend giving it a try!!

Tapioca Flour on the SCD

If you happen to be well-versed in the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), you would know that tapioca flour is considered to be one of the mentioned “illegal” foods. Because of this, I avoided it for a long time. About 6 months after my severe ulcerative colitis flare was deemed to be in remission, I decided to give it a try in a donut recipe. I didn’t personally experience any negative consequences so I’ve continued to use it in small amounts in recipes that need a “fluffier” flour or thickening agent!

Link: “How I Started Adding Non-SCD Foods Back into My Diet”

However, if you are experiencing any IBD symptoms and following the SCD strictly, simply replace the tablespoon of tapioca flour in this recipe with another tablespoon of coconut flour.

How to Make Grain-free Biscuits

Step 1: Lightly crush the freeze-dried strawberries into smaller pieces with the back of a spoon. Add them to a small mixing bowl along with the all of the other ingredients.

Step 2: Mix well!

Step 3: Divide the dough in thirds. Form each section of dough into a “biscuit shape”. They don’t change shape or expand while cooking! Place the biscuits in an air fryer (a convection oven works as well). Make sure to line the air fryer basket with parchment paper.

Step 4: Bake and enjoy warm! If you’re making these biscuits ahead, they are also great toasted and warmed up.

Note: I can easily eat all 3 biscuits by myself, so make sure to at least double the recipe if you’re cooking for friends and family too!

My Other Fav Grain-Free Recipes with Yogurt:

• Air-fried Grain-free Bagel (Single-Serve)
• Air-fried Cinnamon Sugar Bread Bites
• Grain-free Cinnamon Rolls (Single-Serve)
• Grain-free Pumpkin Pecan Cinnamon Buns
• Grain-free Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

Get the Ingredients:

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