This dairy and gluten free tiramisu will change your life. At the very least, your dessert life. Because after years of not being able to eat the perfection that is tiramisu, this is changing – right here, right now. Easy to make, rich and delicious, this just may be your new favourite dessert.
Tiramisu.
But not just any old tiramisu – oh no, my dear friends. We’re talking tiramisu that you can eat even if you have a gluten or dairy intolerance. Tiramisu that doesn’t deprive you of any of the taste, texture or coffee-filled decadence – despite containing no gluten and no dairy.
That’s right, we’re talking dairy and gluten free tiramisu here, and I’m on a sugar-and-coffee-induced high, only it’s a hyper-high because we can have tiramisu again!!!
*cue the confetti*
You know when you’re so excited words get all jumbled up until you’re just babbling nonsense? When you’re waving your hands so vigorously it’s like you’ll propel yourself into the stratosphere any second now? When you’re jumping up and down like an over-excited puppy because OHMYGOSHSOEXCITED?
This is me, right now, trying to convey how completely over-the-moon I am about this recipe. You get me, right? When you can’t eat this and can’t enjoy that and no, none of that super delicious thing for you – it can get frustrating and just downright gaaaah.
Well, one thing’s for sure: the dessert of all desserts is finally within our reach, and excuse me while I sneak another bite (or ten) of the most delicious gluten free tiramisu in the whole wide world. (No you can’t taste that it doesn’t contain any gluten or dairy.)
We’ve talked about how to make the gluten free ladyfingers in the last post, and this is essentially a continuation of that. Once you have those gluten free sponge fingers made and baked (and provided you haven’t eaten all of them just to make sure they’re really that good… they are), you’re over 50% there.
All that’s left for us to do is to prepare the creamy (so. creamy.) filling and get some coffee brewing. The filling is – unsurprisingly enough – made from coconut cream, which is whipped into pure fluffiness with some powdered sugar. A dash of vanilla if you want to be fancy, and we’re all done with the filling. Easy, right?
Once you find the right dish to use (why is it that the one you want is always at the back of the cupboard?!), we’ll start the assembly. We’re about to have a whole lotta fun, friends!
We all know how to make tiramisu, right?
A layer of coffee-soaked ladyfingers.
A layer of creamy creaminess.
Another layer of ladyfingers drenched in coffee.
A final layer of the creamy filling.
A dusting of cocoa powder because (a) the bitterness of cocoa works perfectly here and (b) so pretty.
And then, the hardest part. We’ll need to chill the gluten and dairy free tiramisu in the fridge for a few hours.
I know. I feel your pain. You can do it.
Just before serving, dust with a bit more cocoa powder (using a tea strainer is optional but gives you extra I’m-super-casual-and-totally-cool points).
And finally, finally, finally – after years of not being able to enjoy the pure brilliance that is tiramisu – you have that first bite and it’s like… the world is okay again.
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Dairy & Gluten Free Tiramisu
This dairy and gluten free tiramisu will change your life. At the very least, your dessert life. Because after years of not being able to eat the perfection that is tiramisu, this is changing – right here, right now. Easy to make, rich and delicious, this just may be your new favourite dessert.
NOTE: The ingredients listed below are sufficient for an oval serving dish of approximate dimensions: width=8 inch (21 cm), length=12 inch (30 cm). You can easily adapt the recipe to different serving dish sizes by increasing/decreasing the quantities.
Ingredients
- 26 gluten free ladyfingers (Note 1)
- 2 cups (475 mL) unsweetened coffee, cooled (Note 2)
- 4 cups (800 g) coconut cream (Note 3)
- 2 1/4 cups (275 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tsp vanilla paste (or 4 tsp vanilla extract)
- cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
To make the creamy filling, whip the coconut cream, powdered sugar and vanilla paste until fluffy and soft peaks form.
Start assembling the tiramisu by dipping the gluten free ladyfingers into cold unsweetened coffee and laying them on the bottom of a serving dish of your choice. Make an even layer with little/no gaps between the ladyfingers – fill in any gaps by breaking the ladyfingers into pieces before dipping them into coffee.
I don't recommend using hot coffee, as it can cause the ladyfingers to become too fragile and fall apart.
Spoon half of the creamy filling on top of the ladyfingers. Smooth out the filling to make an even layer.
Place another layer of ladyfingers, soaked in coffee, on top of the creamy filling.
Spoon the rest of the filling on top of the second layer of ladyfingers and smooth out the top.
Dust with cocoa powder.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Before serving, dust with a bit more cocoa powder, and enjoy!
The dairy and gluten free tiramisu keeps well in a closed container (or covered in cling film/kitchen foil) in the fridge for about 1 week.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Get the recipe to make the gluten free ladyfingers here!
Note 2: Depending on how intense you want the coffee flavour to be, make the coffee as strong as you want!
Note 3: You can get coconut cream by putting coconut milk (with a high coconut content and without too many stabilisers/preservatives) into the fridge overnight – without shaking! The coconut milk will separate into coconut cream (that you'll need in this recipe) and coconut water (which you should NOT use in this recipe, but is great in smoothies).
Looking for more gluten and dairy free desserts? You’re in the right place!
Gluten Free Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
Gluten & Dairy Free Caramel Mousse Cakes
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake
18 thoughts on “Dairy + Gluten Free Tiramisu”
Can you substitute dairy free cream for coconut cream? My husband really doesn’t like coconut flavour but he loves tiramisu and I’m the dairy free one!
Hi Helen, I’m not 100% sure as I don’t have much experience with dairy free cream, unfortunately. If you have good experiences with it, definitely give it a go – let me know how it turns out!
Can anyone comment on how this tastes versus traditional tiramisu made with dairy/? I’m not expecting this to come out exactly the same, of course, but mascarpone cheese has a very distinct flavlur. Is the coconut flavour very prominent in the cream?
Hi Gee, while the taste of mascarpone cheese is definitely very unique and there are coconut undertones in the flavour when using coconut cream, I personally don’t find it very strong or overwhelming. Of course, that will depend on the person – I know some are very sensitive to coconut flavour.
It was very yummy, but would have been nice to know the solid cream was needed not the liquid form, ended up using cornstarch to thicken it and never got to thick peaks. I read you can refrigerate the cans of coconut cream overnight and they’ll separate from the milk and the solid, but didn’t catch that in this recipe. Good to know for next time! Otherwise I did the low sugar option and added some kahlua and rum to the coffee mix and it was super delicious!
I made this for my boyfriend’s graduation and he LOVED it! It was so easy to make and so delicious. I’m not a huge fan of coffee flavor, but these were really amazing. I did use a different coffee mixture to dip my ladyfingers in which added some really great flavor:
6 tablespoons fresh espresso
6 tablespoons Kahlua
2 tablespoons white rum (I used Bacardi)
3/4 cup water
I also doubled the amount of ladyfingers I used to make a slightly larger batch, but I kept the amount of cream and coffee mixture the same and they were just the right amount.
Turned out amazing!! Will definitely be making more of these. YUM!
This looks like the perfect birthday treat for a friend of mine. I usually use Marsala in my tiramisu and am partial to the taste. I’d like to add it to this recipe but am unsure on how to adjust ratios. Any thoughts? Thank you!
This will depend on whether you add it to the soaking liquid (coffee) or into the cream. I wouldn’t recommend the latter, as it can make the cream too runny. I would decrease the amount of coffee slightly and make up the remaining volume with the Marsala. 🙂
Yum! I will definitely be making this again. For those like me who don’t have such a sweet tooth, I put a lot less sugar in the cream (2 Tbsp icing sugar per cup of cream).
If I buy cans of coconut cream instead of coconut milk, can I use that straight without having to refrigerate and separate the water?
If it’s pure, thick coconut cream, it’s okay to go right ahead and use it as-is.
Hi Kat, thank you very much for the GF Sponge Finger recipe – I will be making them very soon. I recently made a frozen Tiramisu for a party which layered the sponge fingers with ice cream. I was wanting to do a GF/DF version for my family and that’s how I found your recipe. My idea which I wanted to pass on is to layer with Almond Milk ice cream which will cut down the fat and sugar content of the dessert for those wanting a little indulgence without too many extra calories. The frozen version is great served with a little dark chocolate sauce and dark chocolate curls as a garnish.
Is powdered sugar the same as Icing Sugar?
Or can I use Caster Sugar?
Powdered and icing sugar are one and the same.
Caster sugar while very fine is not the same as confectioners sugar
THIS was outlandishly delicious – you made by hubby’s birthday dessert wish come true! He’s GF/DF and ha not had his favorite dessert – tiramisu in over 10 years! THANK YOU!!!
Everything was perfect! One note fore people – don’t over beat the coconut milk or it can break and seperate into chunks – made that mistake oops! and had to open another 4 cans. SO GOOD making again tonight!
Oh goodness, this comment totally made my day! 😀 I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the tiramisu. 🙂