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    Home » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Vegan Strawberry Trifle (Gluten-Free)

    Last updated - December 1, 2022; Published - December 3, 2018 By Rhian Williams 15 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    A collage of two vegan strawberry trifle photos

    This Vegan Strawberry Trifle is so easy to make and just as delicious as the traditional version: layers of fruity strawberry jelly, creamy custard and fluffy coconut whipped cream topped with fresh strawberries! It's rich and creamy, and also gluten-free and refined sugar free too. It's a no-bake dessert that's perfect for sharing and great for special occasions like birthdays and Christmas! 

    A vegan strawberry trifle with red strawberry jelly topped with yellow custard, white cream and fresh strawberries
    What is agar?


    Agar is a vegan-friendly gelatine replacement. It's a natural jelly-like substance that comes from algae that grows in the sea. It was first discovered in Japan in the 17th century. It’s very healthy as it’s made of around 80% fibre. You will be able to find agar flakes in most local health stores or Asian supermarkets, if not your local supermarket.

    What custard powder should you use to make vegan custard?


    I use this custard powder - it’s vegan and gluten-free, and doesn’t contain any added sugar, plus it’s made of just 4 simple ingredients!

    A tub of Birds custard powder with the top taken off and orange powder inside

    How to make this recipe

    Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

    • Place the strawberries in a pan with the lemon juice, maple syrup, sherry and water, and cook on a low heat for around 10 minutes, until the strawberries have softened.
    • Use a spoon, fork or wooden spoon to gently mash the strawberries against the side of the pan.
    Fresh strawberries in a silver pan with a jug pouring water into it
    • Making sure the mixture is simmering, add the agar and mix well.
    • Heat for a further couple of minutes, stirring frequently, until the agar has melted.
    Cooked strawberries and water in a pan with agar powder being sprinkled in
    • Pour the jelly mixture into a large trifle dish and leave the jelly to cool and set.
    Cooked strawberries in water in a pan being poured into a glass trifle dish
    • Measure out the milk in a measuring jug and make the custard.

    Tip: If it’s looking too thick, add a little extra milk.

    Yellow vegan custard in a pan against a marble background
    • Making sure that the jelly has set completely, pour the custard mixture on top of the jelly mixture and leave to cool so that the custard will set.
    Vegan strawberry jelly in a glass trifle dish with yellow custard being poured over the top
    • Make the coconut whipped cream using an electric whisk.
    Yellow vegan custard in a glass trifle dish with a silver spoon spooning over white cream
    • Ensuring that the custard has cooled down and set completely, carefully spoon the coconut whipped cream on top of the custard.
    White vegan cream in a glass trifle dish against a marble background
    • Decorate with fresh berries and chopped pistachios, if desired.
    A vegan strawberry trifle in a glass trifle dish topped with fresh strawberries, green leaves and chopped pistachios

    Tip: Best served after having been kept in the fridge for a few hours.

    How long does this Strawberry Trifle keep for?

    This Strawberry Trifle keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    Substitutions you can make

    • You can use fresh or frozen strawberries.
    • You can replace the strawberries with any other fruit: raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, mango, peaches etc (just make sure to adjust the amount of maple syrup depending on the natural sweetness of the fruit you use).
    • You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
    • You can omit the sherry or replace it with any other alcohol.
    • You can replace the cashew milk with almond milk.
    • For a nut-free version, replace the cashew milk with oat milk.
    • If you're pressed for time, you can replace the coconut whipped cream with a thick coconut yogurt.
    • You can decorate the trifle with anything you like!

    More vegan no-bake desserts

    • Chocolate Pudding Pots
    • Chocolate Truffles
    • Fudge
    • Key Lime Pie
    • Blueberry Cheesecake
    • Cookie Dough

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Watch how to make this recipe

    A vegan strawberry trifle with red strawberry jelly topped with yellow custard, white cream and fresh strawberries

    Vegan Strawberry Trifle (Gluten-Free)

    This Vegan Strawberry Trifle is so easy to make and just as delicious as the traditional version: layers of fruity strawberry jelly, creamy custard and fluffy coconut whipped cream topped with fresh strawberries!
    4.40 from 23 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: gluten-free strawberry trifle, vegan christmas dessert, vegan strawberry trifle
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 212kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the jelly:

    • 300 g (10.5 oz) strawberries , hulled and cut into small pieces (or sub any other fruit)
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • Sherry to taste (optional - ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)
    • 400 ml (1 ⅔ cup) water
    • 1 teaspoon agar (check instructions on packet as quantities needed can vary between brands)

    For the custard:

    • 710 ml (3 cups) unsweetened cashew milk (or sub unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened oat milk for a nut-free version)
    • 3 tablespoons custard powder (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)
    • 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)

    For the coconut whipped cream*:

    • 400 g (14 oz) tin full-fat coconut milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)

    To decorate (optional):

    • Fresh berries
    • Pistachio nuts , roughly chopped

    Instructions

    For the jelly:

    • Place the strawberries in a pan with the lemon juice, maple syrup, sherry and water, and cook on a low heat for around 10 minutes, until the strawberries have softened.
    • Use a spoon, fork or wooden spoon to gently mash the strawberries against the side of the pan.
    • Making sure the mixture is simmering, add the agar and mix well.
    • Heat for a further couple of minutes, stirring frequently, until the agar has melted.
    • Pour the jelly mixture into a large trifle dish and leave the jelly to cool and set.

    For the custard:

    • Measure out the milk in a jug and pour most of it into a pan, leaving behind a small amount of milk.
    • Place the custard powder into this milk in the jug and mix well until completely dissolved.
    • Once the milk in the saucepan is steaming, add a little of the hot milk to the dissolved custard powder mixture in the jug, mix well and transfer the whole lot back to the saucepan with the hot milk.
    • Add the maple syrup, mix well and keep heating, stirring frequently, on a low heat for a few minutes until thickened. If it's looking too thick, add a little extra milk.
    • Making sure that the jelly has set completely, pour the custard mixture on top of the jelly mixture and leave to cool so that the custard will set.

    For the coconut whipped cream:

    • You'll need to keep your tin of coconut milk in the fridge overnight for the rich creamy bit to separate from the watery bit at the bottom. Make sure it is full fat coconut milk, otherwise this separation won't happen and you won't be able to make this cream!
    • Open the tin upside down - the coconut cream will be at the bottom and you can just pour off the watery liquid (save this for adding to smoothies).
    • Place the thick, creamy part into a bowl with around 3 tablespoons of the water.
    • Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
    • Use an electric whisk (or a manual one and a lot of elbow grease) to whip up the coconut cream until light and fluffy.
    • Ensuring that the custard has cooled down and set completely, carefully spoon the coconut whipped cream on top of the custard.

    To decorate:

    • Decorate with fresh berries and chopped pistachios, if desired.
    • Best served after having been kept in the fridge for a few hours.
    • Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    Video

    Notes

    *Use a thick coconut yogurt instead if you're pressed for time.
    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Strawberry Trifle (Gluten-Free)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 212 Calories from Fat 99
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 11g17%
    Saturated Fat 9g45%
    Cholesterol 14mg5%
    Sodium 87mg4%
    Potassium 253mg7%
    Carbohydrates 26g9%
    Sugar 16g18%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 10IU0%
    Vitamin C 24mg29%
    Calcium 56mg6%
    Iron 1.9mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

     

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Helen

      April 30, 2018 at 3:37 pm

      5 stars
      Going to be trying this out this summer for sure!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        April 30, 2018 at 3:40 pm

        Thank you!

    2. Anj

      December 26, 2018 at 11:41 am

      thanks for the slop! Christmas was ruined

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        January 04, 2019 at 7:26 am

        Thank you for the feedback, I'm so sorry to hear that. Did you wait for each layer to completely harden before adding the next?

      • Neil

        January 15, 2020 at 11:12 am

        What a sad Christmas you must have had, Ruined by one trifle ! Follow the instructions to the letter next time.

    3. Claire

      December 31, 2018 at 7:30 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness I love this trifle! I did cheat a bit with a vegan jelly so it was easier. I also cheated with the custard and cooked it in the microwave following the instructions on the bird's custard tin (with soya milk as it was all I had) Turned out lovely and smooth and custard just set enough so it doesn't leak into the rest of the trifle. I did add a touch more custard powder though as it looked rather runny but I must admit it does get thicker once it's cooled. I love love love this and definitely making it again and again! Thank you for posting. I know it's supposed to be a summer recipe but what the heck, trifle can be eaten any time as it's so yummy!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        January 02, 2019 at 5:51 am

        Thank you so much, so glad you liked the recipe! And I totally agree, trifle should be enjoyed all year!

    4. Marian Ndongwe

      February 21, 2020 at 5:37 pm

      Liked this very much and my church family enjoyed it very much that they asked to make it again. I find the instructions very simple to follow. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        February 21, 2020 at 9:13 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

    5. Katie

      February 23, 2020 at 1:47 pm

      5 stars
      It is lush everyone should try it!!!!!!!❤️💖♥️

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        February 23, 2020 at 4:34 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

    Newer Comments »

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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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