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how to make vegan tiramisu

Vegan Tiramisu

A dairy- and egg-free rendition of a classic Italian dessert! Vanilla cake soaked with coffee and layered with spiked cashew cream. This recipe is best made a day in advance and chilled. For a shortcut, you can also use a boxed vegan-friendly vanilla cake mix instead of following the from-scratch recipe.
4.5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Sarah Sullivan

Ingredients

Vegan Vanilla Cake

  • 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1 cup plain unsweetened plant milk
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted vegan butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Coconut Whipped Cream

  • 2 13.5 oz cans coconut cream, chilled
  • 1/3 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar depending on how sweet you like it
  • 1-3 tablespoons coffee liqueur see notes for substitutions

Sweetened Cashew Cream

  • 1 1/2 cups raw cashews soaked 4+ hours or overnight
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup or sweetener of choice
  • 1-2 tablespoons coffee liqueur see notes for substitutions
  • water as needed
  • 1/2 recipe coconut whipped cream see above

Assembly

  • 1 cup strong coffee or espresso chilled
  • 1-3 tablespoons coffee liqueur optional
  • cocoa powder for dusting
  • chocolate shavings optional, to garnish

Instructions

Vegan Vanilla Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Grease and flour two square 8x8” baking pans. You can line the pans with circles of parchment for easier removal. (If you only have one square pan, you can bake one cake and cut it into two layers when cooled.)
  • Combine vinegar and milk and set aside to curdle.
  • Whisk dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
  • Divide cake batter between the two prepared baking pans, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when gently pressed. (If you’re using only one cake pan, this may take up to 40-45 minutes.)
  • Remove and cool for 10 minutes in pans, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
  • If you have time to make the cake the night before, you can leave it out overnight to get slightly stale. It will be able to absorb more of the coffee soak this way, but it's optional.

Spiked Coconut Whipped Cream

  • Scoop the solid coconut cream from the tops of the cans. (Save the coconut water to drink or add to smoothies.) If you can only find full-fat coconut milk (rather than cream), you will need an extra can. Lite coconut milk will not work in this recipe; it won't firm up enough.
  • Sift in the powdered sugar and add the coffee liqueur/coffee 1 tablespoon at a time, to taste. Beat (with a mixer or vigorously by hand) until fluffy. Refrigerate.

Sweetened Cashew Cream

  • Add soaked cashews to your blender or food processor, along with sweetener and 1-2 tablespoons coffee liqueur or coffee/espresso. Add in 2-3 tablespoons water and process, scraping down the sides of your container often. If your blender has a tamper, it will be helpful to use here.
  • Add additional water, a tablespoon at a time, until cashew cream is as smooth as possible. Avoid adding too much liquid, as it will spill out of the tiramisu if it's too loose. It should be roughly the texture of hummus (just slightly wetter is okay).
  • Gently fold in half of the coconut whipped cream prepared in the previous step. Reserve remaining whipped cream to use as a topping.

Assembly

  • Line the bottom of an 8x8” or 9x9” square baking pan with one layer of cake. Use a fork to prick the cake all over, to allow the coffee to sink in better.
  • Combine 1 cup chilled coffee/espresso with your 1-3 tablespoons coffee liqueur or other alcohol, if using.
  • Using a pastry brush or a spoon, saturate the cake with some of your chilled coffee mixture. I like mine to be extra moist, so I use around 1 cup of soak for the entire tiramisu. If you prefer to keep the dessert more cake-like, feel free to use less.
  • Spread half of the cashew-coconut custard evenly across your soaked cake layer. Repeat with an additional layer of soaked cake and the remainder of the cashew mixture. Top with the reserved coconut whipped cream.
  • Dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle with optional chocolate shavings. This is best served chilled for several hours. It’s even better if you can make it a day in advance; the cake will absorb more flavor and the coconut cream will firm up slightly when chilled, so it will be easier to cut and serve.

Notes

  • Coffee liqueur alternatives: Amaretto, marsala wine, dark rum can be used instead. Each of these has a distinct flavor, so you may need to adjust the measurements. I recommend adding a little bit at a time and tasting as you go.
  • Alcohol-free: Simply use cooled espresso or strong coffee.
  • Cake shortcut: You can use a boxed vanilla cake mix to speed things up if you prefer. Many of these are "accidentally" vegan, including a lot of the flavors from Duncan Hines — just double-check the ingredients! Simply prepare according to package directions using your favorite vegan egg replacer.
  • Cashew-free: You can use blanched slivered almonds, soaked overnight; or, soak whole raw almonds overnight and remove the skins by hand. Almonds don't blend as easily as cashews so the texture may be a little gritty/less smooth.
  • Nut-free: You can try substituting about 16 ounces of a store-bought vegan cream cheese (like the one by Tofutti or Daiya). However, I haven't tried this recipe with this substitution, so I can't vouch for it entirely!
Did you make this recipe?We’d love for you to leave a review on the website! You can also share a photo on IG and tag @sarahsvegankitchen_ or #sarahsvegankitchen.