Vegan Tiramisu (Easy + Gluten Free) - Okonomi Kitchen (2024)

This easy Vegan Tiramisu recipe is rich, delicious and crowd-pleasingly delicious. Featuring layers of coffee dipped ‘homemade ladyfingers’ and dairy free mascarpone cream, it’s the make-ahead dessert for movie nights in, dinner parties and potlucks! (Gluten Free + Oil Free)

Being a coffee fiend since 1997, Tiramisu was naturally one of my favourite desserts. I seriously can’t believe I haven’t had tiramisu since going vegan (thats 10 years!!).

I had a sudden craving for Tiramisu last month and since then, I’ve been working on a vegan gluten free tiramisu recipe that isn’t a huge fuss to make either.

I was eating one of my vanilla cupcakes one night and figured I could use the base of that recipe and turn it into a cake like I did for my Funfetti Cake recipe because ladyfingers were the most difficult part to replicate IMO. And holy moly did it turn out delicious. Just how I remember it:

• perfectly soaked pieces of cake with a ton of coffee flavour
• creamy dreamy dairy free mascarpone cream
• sweet enough to balance out the bitterness of the coffee

and as a plus, its easy to make with simple ingredients.

Ingredients for Vegan Tiramisu

There are 2 main components to tiramisu: ladyfingers dipped in coffee and mascarpone cream. With a couple of easy swaps, we can achieve a Tiramisu that is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, oil free but still 10/10 delicious! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Vanilla Cake: Since store bought ladyfingers typically contain eggs, we’ll be making our own homemade ladyfingers using vanilla cake. I used my vanilla cupcake recipe / funfetti cake recipe and baked it in a 10×15 inch baking dish. I like to slightly over-bake my cake so it gets a little dryer which mimics that ladyfinger texture. You can use any vegan vanilla cake recipe but the cake shouldn’t be too soft or it’ll fall apart.
• Vanilla Coconut Yogurt: Adds sweet vanilla notes and adds body to the cream. Use a thicker coconut yogurt brand for best results (I used Liberte). You could also use plain dairy free yogurt, coconut cream from the can or even soft tofu! If using any of these, sweeten the cream with 2-3 tbsp of maple syrup.
• Cashews: Makes the ‘mascarpone’ layer rich and creamy.
• Lemon Juice: Adds some tang to the cream layer.
• Miso Paste: For flavour, but you could also use 1/4-1/2 tsp salt instead.
• Espresso OR Strong Coffee: Espresso is definitely stronger in coffee flavour but if you don’t have an espresso machine you could also use very strong brewed coffee.
• Coffee Liqueur: You could also use rum or vegan baileys. For alcohol free, omit and replace with more coffee.
• Cocoa Powder: Use high quality cocoa powder here for best flavour.

How to Make Vegan Tiramisu

Tiramisu is one of those desserts that is easy to make but takes some time, especially because it does taste better after sitting. To save time, I’d recommend to make this tiramisu over the course of two days.

Vegan Ladyfingers

• Make the cake the night before so it has time to cool and you don’t have to be waiting for it. You could also bake the cake the morning of and let it completely cool.
• I used my vanilla cupcake recipe and baked it in a 10×15 inch baking dish and baked it for about 34 minutes. Let it cool on a wire rack and then slice the cake into 1 – 1 1/2 inch strips to mimic ladyfingers.

Dairy Free Mascarpone Layer (Cream Layer)

• Add everything to a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
• You could do this the night before as well and store it in a air tight container in the refrigerator or do it the next day when ready to assemble.

Assembling Tiramisu

1. Make the coffee mixture by stirring the strong coffee and liquor together.
2. In a 9×5 inch loaf pan or 8×8 inch square dish, line up the strips of cake in a single layer. Generously spoon and brush the coffee mixture on top until most of it is soaked. It should use about half the amount of coffee.
3. Spoon half the cream mixture on top and spread it evenly across the cake. Repeat with another layer of cake, coffee mixture and cream. You might have left over cake which is perfect to snack on while making it.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight. Before serving, dust with high quality cocoa powder.

Helpful tips for this recipe

• Use a vanilla cake that has good structure. A cake that is too soft and crumbly, you’ll have a hard time slicing them and they tend to get too soggy. To prevent this, you can over-bake the cake by 5-8 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
• Using different baking pans will change the look of the tiramisu. I used a 10×15 inch baking dish for the cake and assembled it in a 9×5 inch loaf pan. You can use 2 9×9 or 8×8 inch baking dishes for the cake layer. 9×9 inch will yield a thinner cake layer whereas a 8×8 inch dish will bake thicker cake layers and 10×15 inch somewhere in between. For assembling, a 8×8 inch will also work.
• Be sure to generously soak the cake in the coffee mixture. I use half the amount of coffee for each cake layer which was the perfect amount of soaking liquid for the cakes. Using less will result in dry cakes and using more will result in overly soggy cakes.

How to store leftover vegan tiramisu

Tiramisu is one of those desserts that tastes better after sitting in the fridge overnight. The cake has a chance to soak up the coffee, get moist and the flavours have a chance to mend together. Add the cocoa dusting right before serving. The tiramisu will last in the fridge covered for up to 3 days.

I have not tried freezing the assembled tiramisu but I would not recommend doing so because after being thawed, the cake might get too soggy. Instead you could bake the cake, freeze it and then assemble it when ready.

More Vegan Summer Desserts to Try!

• Soy Sauce Caramel Cheesecake (No-Bake)
• Blueberry Lemon Cake
• Mini Blueberry Galettes
• Strawberry Lemon Cake
• Vegan Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes
• Healthy Blueberry Brownies

If you recreate this Vegan Tiramisu Recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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