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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Gluten-Free Vegan Tiramisu

    Last updated - July 14, 2021; Published - March 15, 2018 By Rhian Williams 50 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    A collage of two gluten-free vegan tiramisu photos

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Tiramisu is aromatic, creamy and tangy. It's an elegant yet low-maintenance dessert that also tastes incredible: think buttery ladyfingers soaked in coffee and liqueur, layered with silky, tangy mascarpone and finished with a dusting of cocoa powder. Plus it's the best crowd-pleasing make-ahead dessert for easy entertaining as it's effortless to make in large quantities. Not only is this recipe egg-free and dairy-free, but it's also refined sugar free.

    A square of gluten-free vegan tiramisu with a bite taken out of it on a white plate with pink flowers and a gold fork
    What type of coffee should you use to make tiramisu?


    You should make sure the coffee you use is strong so that the flavour is distinguishable. 

    When making coffee-based desserts, the quality of the coffee can be a deal-breaker. If you use an overly acidic, watery coffee, no amount of sugar can make it taste better.

    What temperature coffee should you use to make tiramisu?


    The coffee should be warm, so that it soaks into the sponge better.

    Can you make tiramisu caffeine-free?


    Yes, you can use decaffeinated coffee.

    Can you make tiramisu without coffee?


    Yes, you can make the "coffee" mixture using chicory powder instead. Chicory powder is made from ground chicory root and has a bitter, coffee-like flavour, so much so that it used to be known as ‘poor man’s coffee’. It also boasts numerous health benefits. You can buy it in local health stores or online, and maybe at your local supermarket.

    What type of alcohol should you use to make tiramisu?


    You can use any alcohol you like, but tiramisu is usually made with: marsala wine (or any other dessert wine), rum, amaretto or coffee liqueur.

    If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, make sure to check that the alcohol you use is gluten-free.

    If you need it to be vegan, you can use the website barnivore.com to make sure that your alcohol is vegan.

    Can you make tiramisu without alcohol?


    Yes, if you want to make it alcohol-free or if you are making it for kids, you can omit the alcohol completely.

    How to make this recipe

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

    • Mix together all the ingredients for the sponge batter in a glass mixing bowl.
    Raw gluten-free vegan tiramisu sponge batter in a bowl
    • Transfer into a square baking tin.

    Tip: Line the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the sponge after.

    Raw gluten-free vegan tiramisu sponge batter in a square baking tin lined with baking paper
    • Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
    • Leave the sponge in the tin to cool completely before cutting.
    Baked gluten-free vegan tiramisu sponge cake in a square baking tin lined with baking paper
    • Cut the sponge in half both ways, then cut each square into three, so that you end up with 12 rectangular-shaped sponges.
    • Use a chopping board to carefully slice each rectangular sponge in half horizontally.
    Baked gluten-free vegan tiramisu sponge cake cut into rectangles in a square baking tin lined with baking paper
    • Lay out half of the sponge rectangles along the bottom of a large baking dish.
    Gluten-free vegan sponge rectangles laid out along the bottom of a baking dish
    • Measure out the coffee in a measuring jug and mix in alcohol of choice.
    • Carefully spoon half of the coffee mixture over the sponges until absorbed completely – you will get more precision using a spoon to do this.
    Photo of a large glass tray filled with rectangular sponges soaked in coffee
    • Make the vegan mascarpone using an electric whisk.
    • Spread half of the mascarpone over the sponges.
    Photo of a large glass tray of tiramisu topped with white whipped cream taken from above
    • Lay the rest of the sponges on top of the mascarpone and carefully spoon over the remaining coffee mixture.
    • Top with the remaining mascarpone and finish with a fine dusting of cocoa powder.
    Photo of a large tray of tiramisu sprinkled with cocoa powder taken from above

    Substitutions you can make

    • You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
    • You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
    • You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
    • You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.
    • For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds.
    • You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
    • You can replace the coconut milk with coconut yogurt (or any other plant-based yogurt) if you're feeling lazy.

    How long does this keep for?

    This Tiramisu can be devoured immediately, but also keeps well covered in the fridge for up to a day. It doesn't keep for longer than one day as the sponge becomes too soggy otherwise. The quantities can easily be doubled or tripled if you’re feeding a large crowd.

    Can you freeze this?

    No, unfortunately this Tiramisu cannot be frozen.

    A square of gluten-free vegan tiramisu with a bite taken out of it on a white plate with pink flowers and a gold fork

    More delicious coffee desserts

    • Coffee Pudding Pots
    • Coffee Jelly Ice Cream
    • Coffee Walnut Cake

    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 square of gluten-free vegan tiramisu on a plate with a mouthful cut out of it

    Gluten-Free Vegan Tiramisu

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Tiramisu is aromatic, super creamy and much healthier than the traditional version! 
    4.21 from 82 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: gluten-free tiramisu, vegan dessert, vegan tiramisu
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 351kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the sponge:

    • 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
    • 200 ml (⅘ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
    • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar * (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

    For the coffee mixture:

    • 400 ml (1 ⅔ cup) coffee , strong and warm
    • 2 tablespoons liqueur of choice to taste (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)

    For the mascarpone:

    • 800 g (28 oz) tins of full-fat coconut milk ***
    • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 5 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    To assemble:

    • Cocoa powder , for dusting

    Instructions

    For the cake:

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
    • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
    • Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the vinegar, maple syrup and ground almonds.
    • Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
    • Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry.
    • Transfer mixture into a square baking tin lined with baking paper (I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin).
    • Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
    • Leave the sponge in the tin to cool completely before cutting.

    For the coffee mixture:

    • Measure out the coffee in a jug and mix in the liqueur.

    For the mascarpone:

    • You’ll need to keep your tins 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 tins upside down – the coconut cream will be at the bottom and you can just pour off the watery liquid (save this for adding to soups or smoothies).
    • Place the thick, creamy part into a bowl.
    • Add the lemon juice, 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.

    To assemble:

    • Cut the sponge in half both ways, then cut each square into three, so that you end up with 12 rectangular-shaped sponges.
    • Use a chopping board to carefully slice each rectangular sponge in half horizontally.
    • Lay half of the sponge rectangles along the bottom of a large baking dish (I used a 25cm/10inch by 22cm/8.5inch dish).
    • Carefully spoon half of the coffee mixture over the sponges until absorbed completely - you will get more precision using a spoon to do this.
    • Spread half of the mascarpone over the sponges.
    • Lay the rest of the sponges on top of the mascarpone and carefully spoon over the remaining coffee mixture.
    • Top with the remaining mascarpone and finish with a fine dusting of cocoa powder.
    • Keeps well covered in the fridge for up to a day.

    Video

    Notes

    *The vinegar is crucial as its acidity needs to react with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the sponge fluffy.
    **You can alternatively use almond flour.
    ***You can alternatively use 400g (14oz) coconut yogurt.
    • You should make sure the coffee you use is strong so that the flavour is distinguishable. 
    • The coffee should be warm, so that it soaks into the sponge better. 
    • You can use decaffeinated coffee if you want to make it caffeine-free. 
    • You can make the "coffee" mixture using chicory powder if you want to make it coffee-free.
    • You can use any alcohol you like.
    • If you want to make it alcohol-free or if you are making it for kids, you can omit the alcohol completely.
    • The quantities can easily be doubled or tripled if you’re feeding a large crowd.
    • This tiramisu doesn't keep for longer than one day as the sponge becomes too soggy otherwise.
    • This tiramisu cannot be frozen.
    Nutrition Facts
    Gluten-Free Vegan Tiramisu
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 351 Calories from Fat 234
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 26g40%
    Saturated Fat 17g85%
    Sodium 56mg2%
    Potassium 233mg7%
    Carbohydrates 27g9%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 13g14%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin C 2.6mg3%
    Calcium 96mg10%
    Iron 3.1mg17%
    * 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. Anonymous

      May 19, 2020 at 5:27 pm

      5 stars
      I made this with coconut yogurt and it came out great. It was easy to make. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 19, 2020 at 6:50 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

    2. Mandeep

      November 29, 2020 at 9:55 pm

      Hello, can I make this alcohol free. If so, can it be omitted or should I replace with something else.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 29, 2020 at 10:35 pm

        You can just leave out the alcohol yes!

    3. Stephanie

      January 09, 2021 at 2:05 am

      Can I replace the almond meal with anything else?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        January 09, 2021 at 4:32 pm

        Ground walnuts or ground sunflower seeds!

    4. Johanna

      August 29, 2021 at 4:42 am

      5 stars
      This is an easy, and delicious recipe!! We’ve made it once with frozen raspberries and another time with fresh blueberries (added between the layers of sponge) Instead of the alcohol and coffee, we used carob powder and boiling water. We also substituted spelt flour for the gluten free flour, and coconut yoghurt for the coconut milk. The instructions for how to cut the sponge were easy to follow!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        September 09, 2021 at 4:17 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your substitutions too, so helpful to know.

    5. Bess

      April 06, 2022 at 2:12 pm

      This sounds amazing! Is it possible to make the day before or will it be too soggy the day after it is made? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        April 06, 2022 at 4:37 pm

        You can prepare the cream and bake the sponge, but I wouldn't recommend assembling (especially the soaking the sponge part) until the day you want to eat it!

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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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