Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts of all time. It's soft, moist, and creamy. It has flavors of chocolate and coffee and slight flavor of alcohol, all at the same time. Traditionally, the recipe contains dairy and eggs, but in this version I have replaced them with plant based substitutes. Enjoy this vegan tiramisu!
Ingredients and how I modified this to make it vegan
Mascarpone is the star ingredient in tiramisu. It's made with heavy cream, milk, and lemon. To create a vegan mascarpone replacement, I used tofu, almond milk, and lemon instead. I know that tofu sounds weird, but trust me on this one. The texture and consistency of it really imitate that of mascarpone.
The other ingredient that is key in tiramisu and isn't vegan are lady fingers. You can replace lady fingers with any other vanilla wafer type of cookie. The one that I found and used for this recipe is the 365 by Whole Foods vanilla wafer cookie. There are, of course, other brands that have vegan versions, just read the ingredients on the back to check that they don't contain dairy or eggs.
I tried to keep the ingredients and portions relatively on the healthier side. The only sugar used is the 4 tablespoon of powdered sugar I added to the mascarpone, and the sugar that is in the wafer cookies.
If you want to go with a slightly better alternative, you can make your own powdered sugar by grinding coconut sugar in a blender. You can also replace the sugar altogether with stevia, or another sweetener of choice.
I also used raw cacao powder instead of cocoa. Cacao is much less processed, contains magnesium and antioxidants and is considered a superfood. It tastes just as delicious and chocolatey as cocoa in recipes. It's an awesome healthy alternative, but if you don't have it on hand, you can absolutely use regular cocoa powder and the taste will be just the same.
Whether you want to create a healthier version of this delicious dessert, or you are avoiding dairy and looking for dairy free alternative, you will love this delicious vegan tiramisu. My whole family (who is not vegan), absolutely loved this dessert and couldn't believe it was vegan!
Vegan Tiramisu
Ingredients
- 1 package firm tofu
- ¼ cup plant milk
- 4 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 2 tablespoon rum optional
- cacao powder
- 1 package of vegan vanilla wafers found mine at Whole Foods from their 365 brand
Instructions
- To make your vegan mascarpone filling, blend the tofu, plant milk, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a high speed blender. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine one cup of warm water with the instant espresso and mix well.
- After you have created the coffee mixture, add the rum. I used rum because it’s part of the classic tiramisu recipe, but if you don’t consume alcohol, just skip it!
- Start by dipping each vanilla wafer into your espresso/ rum mix for just about a second until it's fully saturated and then transfer it to your first cup. Don't over soak the wafers because they will fall apart.
- Dip about 2-3 wafers for each layer.
- On top of the wafer layer, add 2-3 spoonfuls of your mascarpone filling.
- On top of the mascarpone layer, sift a thin layer of cacao powder on top.
- Repeat the steps, alternating from dipped wafers, mascarpone, and cacao. Do this until you reach the top of the cup. The layer of cacao should be on top.
- When you have done this with all of the cups, refrigerate them for at least an hour.
Nutrition
If you wanted to enjoy tiramisu in its traditional cake form instead of in cups, you can still use the same recipe. Rather than putting it in cups, make it in any kind of baking pan or dish. I have done both version and included photos of both versions.
For more creamy and delicious indulgent desserts like these vegan tiramisu cups, try these dark chocolate mousse cups or chocolate mousse pie!
Jule
hi!
i want to make this recipe but was wondering how big one of your tofu packages is? mine are usually 200g but not sure if that is the amout you used. thank you:)