This Vegan Limoncello Tiramisu is a bright and zesty spin on the classic Italian dessert! Made with layers of homemade vegan ladyfingers, fluffy cream, lemon curd, and a tangy lemon soak infused with limoncello, it’s the perfect no-bake treat for hot summer nights.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lemon curd: a thick, smooth, tangy-sweet spread made from lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, butter, and traditionally eggs or egg yolks. For ours, we use cornstarch as a thickener. Find our lemon curd recipe here
- Lemon soak: A simple mixture of lemon juice, sugar, and limoncello infuses the ladyfingers with a punch of citrus flavor.
- Vegan cream mixture: This mixture consists of vegan cream cheese (to mimic the tanginess of mascarpone cheese), granulated sugar, and vegan heavy cream whipped together until thick and creamy.
- Vegan ladyfingers: We used our homemade vegan ladyfingers recipe, but if you can buy vegan-friendly ladyfingers in stores, feel free to use them.
- Lemon zest: Adds a final burst of citrus aroma and flavor. Zest right before serving for the brightest taste!
How to Make Vegan Limoncello Tiramisu
Before getting started, make sure to bake a batch of our Vegan Ladyfingers and set them aside to cool!
Prepare the Lemon Soak
- Dissolve the sugar in a small saucepan. Add the lemon juice, granulated sugar, and water to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the limoncello.
- Cool to room temperature. Pour the lemon soak into a heatproof container and set aside to cool.
Prepare the Cream
- Cream the cream cheese until light and creamy. Add the softened vegan cream cheese, sugar, and lemon zest to a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the mixture until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Whip the vegan heavy cream into stiff peaks. Add the vegan heavy cream to a separate large bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Combine the cream cheese mixture and heavy cream. Add the whipped cream and ½ cup of the prepared and cooled lemon curd to the cream cheese mixture and beat on low until combined.
How to Assemble the Limoncello Tiramisu
- Dip the ladyfingers in lemon soak. One by one, dip half of the ladyfingers into the lemon soak, about 2 seconds on each side (you don’t want them to be soggy!).
- Layer ladyfingers in an 11×7” baking dish. Once dipped, place them in the bottom of the dish, covering the bottom with an even, single layer of cookies. You might have to cut some of the ladyfingers to make them fit well.
- Top with cream mixture. Using an offset spatula, spread half of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers.
- Add lemon curd. Layer about ¼ cup of the lemon curd on the cream mixture and spread evenly.
- Repeat layers once more. Follow this same process, and top with the remaining cream mixture, making the top as flat and level as possible.
- Finish with additional lemon curd. You can dollop spoonfuls of the lemon curd on top and swirl it into the cream mixture with a toothpick or the back of a spoon. Or, for extra lemony flavor, you can spread a thicker layer on top and use an offset spatula to smooth it.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Clean up the edges of the baking dish with a damp towel, as needed, then cover tightly with plastic wrap—place in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Serve. Once chilled, slice and enjoy!
Find the full printable recipe here: Vegan Limoncello Tiramisu
