The Secret to the Most Velvety Tiramisu? Skip the Dairy

If you sit down to eat in any Italian restaurant, you’ll likely see tiramisu on the menu. This is regardless of where you are in the world, because the creamy, coffee-soaked dessert is a global favorite. But while the classic recipe is hardly dairy-free, it is possible to make this Italian sweet treat with plant-based ingredients and without sacrificing any taste or texture. And you can do it all from scratch, without having to leave the house. Find out more about how to make deliciously creamy vegan tiramisu in some of our favorite recipes below.

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What can you substitute for heavy cream in tiramisu?

Typically credited to Italy’s northern Veneto region, tiramisu is the perfect balance of sweet, bitter, and creamy. It’s made with coffee-soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone cream, cocoa powder, and sometimes a touch of liquor, but the alcohol isn’t 100 percent necessary. Cream, however, is a must in this indulgent dessert—but it doesn’t have to be made with dairy.

Lazy Cat Kitchen

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Instead of dairy cream, you can opt for coconut cream, for example, which is just as creamy and fluffy. It may add a slight coconut flavor, but this is a nice complement to the coffee and cocoa flavors. Other plant-based options include silken tofu, which has a light, smooth, and velvety texture, just like dairy cream. For ease, you can also opt for store-bought non-dairy cream. Check out our guide to the best vegan heavy cream brands to get you started.

5 dairy-free tiramisu recipes

For more on how to make a deliciously silky version of the Italian favorite dessert, check out five of our go-to, vegan tiramisu recipes below.

Kirsten Kaminski

1 Silky Vegan Coconut Cream Tiramisu

Taken from the Vegan Holiday Cooking cookbook, this vegan tiramisu, made with coconut and cashew cream, is the perfect dessert for any occasion. It offers a delightful balance of spongey, creamy, and chocolatey textures. For an extra kick, the coffee syrup is infused with two tablespoons of amaretto, a sweet Italian liqueur.
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Lazy Cat Kitchen

2 Vegan Tiramisu With Silken Tofu

This indulgent tiramisu recipe from Lazy Cat Kitchen is made with silken tofu instead of dairy cream, and the results are delicious. Of course, it also features vegan lady fingers, strong coffee, and as a boozy extra: a generous splash of Marsala wine—a sweet, fortified wine from Sicily. “You could use rum, brandy, whiskey, any coffee-flavored liqueur or Amaretto instead,” says recipe creator Ania Marcinowska. “If you don’t want to use alcohol, you could skip it or replace it with a few drops of almond extract.”
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Elavegan

3 Vegan Tiramisu Recipe With Cashews

For a tasty, gluten-free, nut-based tiramisu, check out this recipe from Elavegan, which is made with ingredients like cashew cream, maple syrup, and strong coffee. “This dairy-free tiramisu is now void of any ingredients I can’t eat and yet definitely hits the spot,” says blog founder Michaela Vais. “Even your dairy-eating friends will be asking for seconds of this crowd-pleasing dessert.”
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School Night Vegan

4 Vegan Matcha Tiramisu

This recipe from School Night Vegan offers a tasty twist on the classic chocolatey, coffee-laden Italian dessert by adding matcha, a green tea powder, into the mix. The alcoholic boost also comes from sake, a Japanese rice wine. “The matcha flavor is perfectly earthy with a perfectly balanced bitterness and sweetness,” writes recipe creator Richard Makin.
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Minimalist Baker

5 Vegan Tiramisu Pudding Cups

Another fun take on the Italian classic comes from Minimalist Baker with these dairy-free pudding cups. The best part? You only need a handful of ingredients to make them, including instant coffee, coconut milk, dark chocolate, and sea salt. “It’s an easy, no-bake, crowd-pleasing dessert perfect for hot summer days, holidays, and beyond,” notes the blog, adding that “it comes together effortlessly, with just 20 minutes of hands-on prep time required.”
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