The Best Homemade Vegan Tiramisu

A veganized version of the popular Italian dessert! Homemade vegan ladyfingers are soaked in espresso, then covered with a sweet cream, layered and topped with cocoa powder. One of my all time favorite desserts and this vegan version tastes just like I remember.

I originally made this recipe 2 years ago. I released it in my second ebook but since I have kind of stopped promoting that and I felt it was time that I wanted to share this recipe with the world. Prior to going vegan, tiramisu was one of my favorite desserts. Especially when homemade. While most blogs will categorize tiramisu as a no bake recipe unfortunately for this vegan version there will be some baking involved, but I promise it is easy!

Components of Tiramisu

Tiramisu only has a few elements but they are delicious, so let’s discuss them. First, you have the ladyfingers. Typically ladyfingers are a more firm sponge biscuit type of cookie. They are great because they absorb the espresso to just become this delicious soaked cookie. I will teach you in this recipe how to make homemade vegan ladyfinger since ladyfingers do contain egg and I have not seen vegan ladyfingers anywhere. Second, espresso or coffee.

I would say the main flavor of tiramisu comes from the coffee so you want to make sure you use one that you enjoy the flavor of. Third, the cream. Traditionally, mascarpone cheese is used along with egg yolks, and sometimes liquor like Marsala wine or rum. The vegan version we are making today actually uses a soft tofu and vegan cream cheese along with sugar to make a delicious cream that tastes just like I remember it. Finally, it gets topped with unsweetened cocoa powder which brings more richness and flavor to the dessert.

What Does Tiramisu Mean?

The reason tiramisu has it’s name is because it actually means “pick me up” or “pull me up.” In Italian the verb tirare means pull, which is where tira comes from, mi means you guessed it me, and su means up. Now that is your Italian lesson for the day.

Homemade Vegan Ladyfingers

The biggest inconvenience about this recipe is having to make homemade ladyfingers. But don’t worry! It isn’t very hard and once they are done everything else is smooth sailing. You can make the ladyfingers ahead of time if you like. I tried my best to develop a recipe that was as reminiscent of ladyfingers that I could and these work so well. They are spongy and absorbent doing exactly what they are supposed to do in this recipe.

When I originally made the ladyfingers recipe I used 6 vegan “egg” replacers. Something similar to Bob’s Red Mill, The Neat Egg, Ener-G – things like that. When I went to make the recipe this day I discovered I had none in my pantry! So I used my handy chickpea flour and it worked perfectly. So feel free to either use a vegan egg replacer like the ones I listed above or the chickpea flour, either way worked great. You could also use the Just Egg but to be honest I didn’t want to necessarily waste that product here.

Chill Out

We’ve gotta discuss one other crucial thing about this recipe, it has to chill. I like to let this sit in the fridge at least overnight but if you can only spare a few hours then I would suggest 5-6 hours. The longer this sits the better it gets for two reasons: the cream will thicken more and the flavors will be more absorbed and developed. Seriously, I think the leftovers are even better. So just have a bit of patience and make sure you plan accordingly.

Tiramisu Variations

Everyone may make their tiramisu a little differently so if your family had a different thing they would do it just incorporate it into this recipe. You can also make single serving individual tiramisu cups. You can add in different flavors, maybe add in fruit. I will always go for the traditional typical way of making it like this but I won’t tell you what to do and what not to do in your own kitchen.

FAQ

• Can I make this gluten free? I didn’t try making it gluten free but you could most likely swap a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour. My friend Britt also has a recipe for gluten free tiramisu!
• Can I use something else instead of making the homemade ladyfingers? I was racking my brain trying to come up with something. I think a golden sandwich cookie could work well here (it will be different) but could work without the cream though just the hard cookie part. You can try vegan shortbread cookies as well. But I HIGHLY recommend making the recipe as is.
• Can I make this soy free? You would have to use a soy free vegan cream cheese and then I would suggest make a cashew cream by blending 1 cup of cashews with 1 cup of water.
• Why didn’t you add Marsala wine or liquor? Honestly, just didn’t feel like it! But again always customize things to your preference.
• How do I store leftovers? Just put them in a container in the fridge. This will last for up to 4 to 5 days.

ORDER MY COOKBOOK

Looking for more delicious vegan comfort recipes? Order my cookbook Plantiful: Over 75 Vibrant Vegan Comfort Foods! Filled with all types of recipe from bites, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, desserts and more! Available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, IndieBound, Walmart, also available in stores.

Sharing direct links to recipes and pictures is highly encouraged, please do not copy and paste my recipes or share my pictures without permission. I work very hard on my blog and don’t want to see my recipes popping up anywhere. Thank you so much.

Homemade Vegan Tiramisu

A vegan version of the popular Italian dessert. Homemade vegan ladyfingers are soaked in espresso and then covered in a sweet cream. This dessert is chilled and then best enjoyed the next day. It get's better as it sits and I promise it will be loved by vegans and non-vegans.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 14 minutes mins

Chilling Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 49 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Ladyfingers

• 6 tablespoons chickpea flour (36g)
• 3 tablespoons (45g) water
• 1 cup (224g) organic sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups (360g) all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons (32g) cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons (19g) baking powder
• ½ cup + 1 tablespoon water (135g)

Cream

• 1 block (14 ounces/369g) soft tofu
• ½ cup (120g) vegan cream cheese
• ½ cup (112g) organic sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup (60ml) nondairy milk
• 1 ¼ cup (300ml) brewed espresso or strong coffee
• Cocoa powder for dusting on top

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350F (190C).
• In a small bowl wish the chickpea flour and 3 tablespoons of water together until thick and smooth. *see note about using vegan “egg” replacer.
• In a bowl add the chickpea flour “egg” and sugar. Mix together until well incorporated. Add vanilla and mix again.
• Sift the flour, cornstarch and baking powder into the bowl.
• Then add the water in slowly mixing with a spoon until it comes together. Once it begins to resemble wet sand use your hands to finish forming the dough. It should be a dough that is easy to form into a ball.
• Take about 1 tbsp of the dough and form it into a ladyfinger shape using your clean hands to roll it.
• Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving a bit of space between them. Repeat until all the dough is used, you should get about 26-32 ladyfingers.
• Bake for 14 minutes. They will be lightly golden brown on the bottom. If they spread and are touching while baking do not worry you can easily break them apart once they've cooled.
• Once the ladyfingers are done baking let them cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the cream ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If necessary add in 1-2 tbsp more of non-dairy milk to help make sure it is very smooth. This will be a thinner consistency as it chills in the fridge it thickens.
• Prepare espresso or coffee. Then dip the cooled ladyfingers in the espresso for a few seconds and place in your dish. I used a 9 x 11 inch baking dish. Make a single layer of espresso dipped lady fingers. If necessary, break the ladyfingers up to fill in sides or empty spaces.
• Then add half of the cream filling, enough to cover it. Add the rest of the lady fingers on top and the remaining cream.
• Cover the tiramisu and refrigerate at least overnight (8 hours). This dessert will get better the longer it sits in the fridge so it is great to make in advance.
• Sift cocoa powder on top and cut up into 8 to 10 pieces depending on how many servings you want. Enjoy.

Video

Notes

• When I originally made the ladyfingers recipe I used 6 vegan “egg” replacers. Something similar to Bob’s Red Mill, The Neat Egg, Ener-G – things like that. You can use the chickpea flour or egg replacers of choice.
• I suggest using a kitchen scale when baking they are inexpensive and are helpful for precise measurements. This is the one I use: https://amzn.to/3Bf0usK

Keyword tiramisu, vegan dessert, vegan sweets, vegan tiramisu

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

SAVE TO PINTEREST

Plantifully Based® is part of the Amazon Affiliate Partner Program. Links on here may be from Amazon or other affiliate programs. If you decide to purchase through a link I will receive a small commission. This helps to run the blog and make more recipes.

If you enjoyed this recipe please be sure to leave a comment or review, it is so helpful for the blog. Thank you!