Quite literally the best vegan tiramisu you will ever make, this easy dairy free tiramisu is layered with espresso soaked homemade ladyfingers, creamy and rich vegan mascarpone cream filling, and topped with a dusting of cocoa powder. Tastes just like the classic Italian “pick-me-up” layered dessert!

plate of bitten vegan tiramisu

Why you’ll love this easy vegan tiramisu:

If you love tiramisu, just wait until you try this amazing vegan version. It has every flavor of the classic, along with those gorgeous layers of espresso soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone filling. Yet it’s undetectably dairy free, eggless, and vegan.

I make it for Mother’s Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and birthdays too- there’s always an excuse to make tiramisu, in my opinion!

And with the fluffy and creamy dairy free mascarpone cream made with my simple 2 ingredient homemade vegan mascarpone paired the soft yet delightfully soaked espresso homemade ladyfingers, this is the perfect dessert to test on your vegan skeptic friends and family 😉

In fact, it’s so perfect, I decided to go a little crazy…and make a banana pudding tiramisu, pistachio tiramisu, and even a pumpkin tiramisu off of this recipe.

Not to mention, tiramisu cake and tiramisu cheesecake!

sliced vegan tiramisu in casserole dish

How we’re veganizing an Italian classic:

Traditionally, tiramisu is not the world’s easiest dessert, as it requires creating a custard from eggs, and layering the classic Italian dessert just right.

But with a few tricks, I can promise this is truly the easiest vegan tiramisu recipe ever.

Now, I wanted to be a bit different than the vegan and gluten free takes on tiramisu around the internet. Many use cashews or even tofu to make the layer of mascarpone. Others also slice a layer cake into vegan ladyfingers.

But, using my great grandfather’s recipe as a base, we actually don’t have to stray too far from the traditional methods- homemade vegan ladyfingers use aquafaba (chickpea brine) instead of egg whites, and the vegan mascarpone is made literally with the same method as traditional dairy mascarpone (except with pea milk or soy milk!).

slice of tiramisu lifted from pan

How to make vegan tiramisu from scratch

While this vegan tiramisu is easy, you will need to make it in layers. It’s not the quickest dessert, but it is straight forward and a wonderful treat for a dinner party or Christmas dinner.

First we’ll start by making the vegan ladyfingers (with a gluten free option). Then we’ll make the custard-like dairy free mascarpone, and then finally we’ll assemble the tiramisu!

Homemade Vegan Ladyfingers (with Gluten Free Option)

Now when I first tried to make this recipe, I had developed this recipe using my vegan vanilla cupcake batter, and spread the onto a baking sheet to bake. It was a honestly more like cake sticks, and everyone else on the internet decided to do the same.

I wanted something a bit closer to the real deal.

This new version of a vegan ladyfinger is truly it. The lady fingers are light and fluffy, yet structured enough that when they soak up the espresso, the ladyfingers still maintain their shape and don’t become too sponge-like.

This batter will yield about 28 4″ lady fingers, which is just the right amount of homemade ladyfingers to use for your vegan tiramisu. You can pipe the batter onto the baking sheets, no mold needed.

Once the vegan ladyfingers are baked, we’ll move onto making the dairy free mascarpone.

vegan ladyfingers on a plate

Vegan Dairy Free Mascarpone

Traditionally, the custard-like mascarpone also includes zabaglione (a custard of eggs, wine, and sugar). However, seeing as this vegan tiramisu is egg free and dairy free, we had to get a bit creative.

Mascarpone cheese tastes most similar to a ricotta, except it’s creamier. So I combined I actually combined my own homemade vegan mascarpone with vegan heavy cream, vanilla extract and/or paste, and powdered sugar. The result is a super fluffy and light mascarpone cream.

This can be made nut free and soy free by using pea milk in the mascarpone cheese. That’s my preferred method. However, if you’re not soy free nor nut free, you can use soy milk or almond milk here.

vegan mascarpone cream in a bowl

How to assemble tiramisu

Now we get to the fun part: assembling the vegan tiramisu!

You’ll need a 7×12″ baking pan or an 8×8″ or 9×9″ baking pan. Make sure that you’ve prepared the espresso. If you want rum in the espresso, you can add 1/4 cup golden rum.

Refrigerate the vegan tiramisu for at least 3-4 hours (so that it sets and can easily slice!). You can also refrigerate it overnight as well, which would be even better (normally what I do).Then when ready to serve, you can pipe coconut whipped cream on top and dust with cocoa powder.

Slice and serve!

bitten vegan tiramisu

Tips & Tricks

  • Make this a vegan gluten free tiramisu with homemade gluten free ladyfingers: the only ingredient you need to be aware of is the flour. I recommend a gluten free 1:1 baking flour, such as King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten free flour.
  • Keep this tiramisu alcohol free or add in golden rum or amaretto: whichever you prefer! The alcohol version will taste closest to the traditional tiramisu. Kahlua would also be nice. However, I prefer mine without alcohol.
  • Make ahead of time! I recommend making this vegan tiramisu the day before so as not to rush yourself if you’re preparing it for a special occasion.
  • If the mascarpone cream splits: This means that there was too much water in your mascarpone when you squeezed it. It CAN be saved by adding a touch more powdered sugar or cornstarch, and letting the mixture chill in the fridge for an hour or two. Then re-whipping it.
slice of vegan tiramisu on a plate

You are just going to absolutely love this vegan tiramisu recipe! It’s perfect for all eaters, vegan or not! If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others may find it!

As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy vegan tiramisu making!

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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

Watch how to make vegan Tiramisu