The Best Vegan Tiramisu

close up on a slice of vegan tiramisu with a bite missing.

4.87 stars (29 ratings)

The Best Vegan Tiramisu

This dreamy, creamy Vegan Tiramisu is made with espresso-soaked vanilla cake ladyfingers, rich and decadent vegan mascarpone, and topped with cocoa powder. It’s the type of dessert you dream about plus it can be made in advance.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Chilling time4

Total Time5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 576kcal

Author: Nora Taylor

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake Ladyfingers

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Vegan Mascarpone

2 cups raw cashews
2 (12-oz) containers Mori Nu Silken Tofu
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted refined coconut oil

Espresso Mixture

6 shots strong espresso or coffee (about 1 cup)
4 tablespoons coffee liquor, vegan-friendly optional, I usually leave this out
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

To Finish

2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the vanilla cake ladyfingers

Heat oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 10x15 inch sheet pan (9x13 inches would work if needed).
In a large bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and sugar. Whisk well to combine.To the bowl with the dry ingredients, pour in the oil, soy milk, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract. Mix with a large spoon until just combined, but be careful not to over mix the batter or your cake won't be soft and fluffy.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. If using a 9x13 inch pan, it will need to bake for 40 minutes or so. Check with a toothpick to ensure it's cooked through in the middle.
Let the cake cool, then cut off the edges of the cake. Cut the rest of the cake in half lengthwise and then into strips about 1 1/2 inches wide. You will have some leftover cake pieces, which are lovely to have with tea or as a fun snack. Set aside.

Make the vegan mascarpone

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil (I use my tea kettle). Pour the hot water over the cashews and let soak for 5 minutes or up to an hour.
Drain the cashews, discard the soaking water and add to a high powered blender with the rest of the mascarpone ingredients. Blend until very smooth, scraping the sides as needed. The mixture will be quite thick.
Place in a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. (You could just leave it in the blender to refrigerate as well).

Make the espresso mixture

In a small bowl, stir together the espresso or strong coffee, liquor (if using) and sugar. Set aside.

Assemble

Get out an 8×8 inch pan or tall dish. Add a thin layer of mascarpone to the bottom of the dish. Dip the cake strips into the espresso mixture for a few seconds and place a layer in the bottom of the pan. Layer on half of the creamy mixture. Add another layer of espresso dipped cake pieces, then the rest of cream and refrigerate.
Refrigerate for several hours or overnight if possible to let the cream firm up and the flavors to mingle.
After chilling for several hours or overnight, dust with cocoa powder (I used a sifter for this). Slice and serve.

Notes

Make the tiramisu gluten free by using gluten free all purpose flour in place of regular in the cake.
Use espresso for best results, but if you can not, strong coffee is an okay substitute. Just make sure to use strong coffee with a flavor you like!
May use another non-dairy milk in place of soy if you like.
Melted coconut oil or vegan butter can be used in place of canola oil for the cake.
I usually leave out the alcohol since my kids like tiramisu. You can use it, or not.
UPDATE 2024 - After a lot of testing, I updated the recipe with an improved vegan mascarpone layer. If you are looking for the original recipe that used vegan cream cheese, you can find it here: Original Vegan Tiramisu. I very much prefer the new recipe though, plus many folks can't find store bought vegan cream cheese so this new version is more accessible.

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