Luscious creamy layers filled with rich espresso without ANY gluten, dairy or sugar! Learn the shortcut method to making indulgent (but healthy) tiramisu. No cooking involved! Jump to Recipe
Tiramisu Makeover
I'll never forget my first taste of tiramisu. And from the very first bite, I was in LOVE. The fluffy, light layers of custard layered in between espresso-soaked ladyfingers.. the hints of brandy, cocoa and chocolate shavings. Utterly divine.
I'm so EXCITED I was able to recreate this classic dessert to be LOW-CARB *and* fit my dietary restrictions. It was shockingly EASY. (So much easier than conventional tiramisu!)
NOW, tiramisu without the gluten, dairy, sugar, eggs and baking! This version is paleo-friendly and vegan, too so you can enjoy if you have food allergies or a special diet like grain-free, guten-free or sugar-free! 
Pantry Staple Ingredients
Have you made traditional tiramisu? It's not exactly a piece of cake, ha. Some of the ingredients are rather obscure. But you can emulate the textures and flavors (in a healthy way)-- with ingredients you already have in your pantry:
- Almond Flour
- Cashew Butter
- Stevia Drops
- Cocoa Powder
- Dark Chocolate
- Instant Espresso
This recipe is MUCH easier, and much less time-consuming, since there's no cooking involved. You won't believe how simple it is. Use these shortcuts:
Shortcut #1
Say hello to no-cook "custard"! Instead of cooking cheese and eggs into a smooth custard, you simply mix cashew butter with cashew milk! It's incredibly creamy and light. This dairy-free, egg-free "custard" is sweetened with a little vanilla stevia. And gets its mascarpone-esque flavor from a splash of lemon juice. Remarkably similar! 
Shortcut #2
To make the espresso-soaked ladyfinger layers, use Instant Espresso Powder. If you have an espresso maker at home, by all means use that. But this makes a quick and flavorful alternative. (It's actually freeze-dried espresso. How cool!)
Shortcut #3
Almond flour + cashew butter takes the place of conventional ladyfinger cookies. Same soft cookie texture, but without the gluten and sugar! Score. 
Get Ready to Share
I was secretly hoping they would hate this tiramisu so I could have it allllll to myself, haha. But my husband and kids (who don't even LIKE coffee) absolutely loved this recipe.
So watch out. Whoever's around when you're eating this tiramisu is gonna want some. And you're gonna have to share.
Keep in mind: This recipe makes a small batch.. about 3-4 small servings. So you may want to go ahead and DOUBLE IT.
ps. Want more low-carb espresso filled desserts? Check out my Cappuccino Cream Tart and Mocha Mousse.
How to Make Healthy Tiramisu in less than 10 Minutes (Low-Carb, Vegan & Paleo)
Ingredients
Espresso-Soaked "Ladyfingers"
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 ½ Tbs cashew butter - or natural almond butter
- 3 Tbs unsweetened cashew milk
- 1 ½ Tbs instant espresso powder
- 20 drops Sweet Leaf vanilla stevia drops - or 10 Lakanto Monkfruit Drops, to taste *see notes for sub
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
Vanilla "Custard"
- ⅓ cup cashew butter - or natural almond butter
- 3 ½ Tbs unsweetened cashew milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon lemon juice
- 20 drops Sweet Leaf vanilla stevia drops - or 10 Lakanto Monkfruit Drops, to taste *see notes for sub
Garnish
- 1 Tbs cocoa powder - sifted
- 1 Tbs dark chocolate shavings
Instructions
To make the "ladyfingers"
- Combine almond flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk together remaining "wet" ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
- Pour wet over dry and mix well.
- Loosely press half of the mixture into a 2-cup glass bowl. (try not to compact it too hard)
- Set aside while you prepare the "custard"
To make the 'custard":
- Mix together all ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
- Spread half the custard evenly over the first layer.
To assemble:
- Press the other half of "ladyfingers" into a disc identical to the first layer. Lay it on top of the "custard."
- Spread the remaining "custard" on top.
- Sift on cocoa and garnish with chocolate shavings.
- Cover and refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes to set.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Instant Espresso Powder
Sweetener Swap: You can sub stevia for Lakanto powdered monkfruit. 1 Tbs in the ladyfingers (+ a splash of water) and ½ Tbs in the custard. Taste and adjust as needed.
Storage: Keep refrigerated for up to 7 days, or freeze tightly wrapped for 1 month.
Macros: 329 cal, 27 fat, 13.7 total carb, 3.8 fiber, 9.7 net carb, 10.8 protein (can sub almond butter to lower carb count)
Ashley
I love your recipes lately. I can see that your branching out yet they are still very "Emily" =) I don't use stevia a lot, but you have inspired me to try swapping it more often. I just posted a paleo plan with stevia a couple weeks ago - it turned out beyond delicious!
Emily
Thank you so much Ashley! I am definitely branching out 🙂 Happy to be an inspiration. Isn't it great to be able to make desserts without any added sugar? I love it!
Rita Thomas
Years ago, I still used Splenda, but really wanted to get off of all the artificial stuff. The first time I tried swapping for Stevia, I just didn't like it at all. I tried again...slowly lessening the amount of Splenda or sugar & increasing the Stevia. It was a process, but it worked & now I prefer the taste of the Stevia! Thanks for all the encouragement & fantastic recipes!
Emily
Great job making the switch away from artificial sweeteners! Yay!
You are so welcome 🙂 Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Rashi
How can we not cook the almond flour mixture in the oven?
It's there any mistake in my understanding
You're supposed to eat it uncooked?
Emily
Yes it’s uncooked. There’s no need to. It may seem strange but I promise it works haha (It’s perfectly fine to consume uncooked almond flour, just not wheat flour)
Leeann
Could almond butter be substituted for cashew butter?
Emily
Technically yes, but it's not as sweet and cream-like. The flavor would be different, but it might still be great! If you try it, please report how it goes
Elaine
Hi!I am so excited to try this recipe!!But I have an inconvenient because the stevia that I have is powder.So...please can you advice me about it.What should I do?How much will I need of powder stevia for this recipe?
Emily
Ok that should work too, as long as it’s not granulated. I can’t give an exact conversion without knowing which type you have. Is it the super concentrated stevia extract or one that measures 1:1 like sugar or somewhere in between? There are so many different kinds. But my best advice is to add a little and taste, adjusting however you like it. 🙂 If you’re using the highly concentrated extract powder, you’ll only need a tiny pinch. Hope that helps!
Isabelle
Hello,
I always love your recipes ! I tried some of them and I'm never disappointed ^^ !
(sorry if my english is not good...).
I would like to try your healthy tiramisu for my birthday cake this week end but I don't have stevia at home. Do you think I could substitute it for maple sirup (or perhaps with honey) ? If it's ok, do you know how many gram or tbs I have to use ?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Keep it up !
Emily
Hi Isabelle! So happy to hear you've enjoyed my recipes so far 🙂
I have not yet made this without stevia, but I would suggest a granulated sweetener like coconut sugar (blended into powder for smoother consistency). Liquid sweeteners like maple syrup cause nut butters to "seize" / harden.
I would try 2 Tbs powdered coconut sugar for each portion. Mix and then taste to see if it's sweet enough. You can always taste & adjust raw desserts as you go (the best part! 🙂 Add a little splash of milk if it's too thick.
Hope you have a wonderful birthday and enjoy some delicious & healthy cake
Isabelle
Thank you very much for your answer !
I had no idea that maple sirup could harden nut butters. That's interesting, I'm glad you told me that.
So I will try with coconut sugar (blended). Yummy !
Thank you again and have a good week !
Emily
You are welcome! Let me know how it turns out
Jackie
Hi Isabelle, just wondering how your maple syrup sub turned out for this? Did you need to make any other changes like adding more milk for the consistency? I'm going to make this soon for my upcoming birthday too 🙂 I know it was a couple years ago that you posted this,and you may or may not remember exactly. I hope it turned out great.
Isabelle
Hi Emily,
I'm late to comment my test about your ealthy tiramisu (cooked for my birthday).
The taste was excellent and my family liked it.
But I think the tiramisu could be more spongy than mine : indeed, I tried to make my own cashew butter but it didn't work well, it was too compact. So, next time, I will cook it with cashew butter buy in a shop ! No problem with this 🙂
Thank you for this recipe and all the others you share !
Keep it up !
Emily
I'm glad you and your family liked it!
Yes, store bought cashew butter is more silky smooth than homemade.
One tip to make it not so compact that I discovered when making it again is to simply not overwork the dough (almond flour mixture) and not pack the layers in too hard. Keeps it lighter.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and your kind words ☺️☺️
Lensy
Could I use almond milk instead of cashew milk? I have cashew butter but no milk
Emily
Yes, that should be ok
Laura Bailey
I was looking for an egg-free tiramisu as I am currently pregnant and came across this one. It's so good! I made a few modifications. I used a traditional tiramisu 'crust' -- soaked lady fingers in decaf espresso -- for the bottom and one of the middle layers. Then I used this recipe for the other middle layer and top. I definitely recommend cashew butter over almond as it gives this amazingly delicious taste when combined with vanilla and a little lemon. I left out the stevia as I didn't have it on hand (and plus, the lady fingers added a little sweetness). It's a great hybrid if you aren't 100% ready to give up the traditional tiramisu recipe 🙂 Thank you for the inspiration!!
Emily
You are welcome! Your version sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing
Elaine
Really delicious and very easy to do!!Thanks a lot!!I used powder stevia (3/4 tsp for each mixture) instead of liquid stevia and it worked perfectly.Thank you very much for this wonderful recipe.
Emily
Awesome! You are welcome
Mary Halliburton
I love all of your recipes.
My husband cannot have almonds
Is there something else I could use besides almond flour?
I can't wait to make this for him.
(We are on a keto paleo diet)
Thank you,
Mk
Emily
Hi, I would try another nut or seed flour if you can have them. Cashew flour or pumpkin seed flour would be my pick. These may change the flavor some though. Let me know if you try it 🙂
Tai
Will it work if I use Joi cashew for cashew butter?
Emily
That might work. I haven’t tried joi before so I’m not certain. You may need to add a little liquid or tapioca flour to get the consistency you want. Should be nice and thick & creamy.
Let me know if you try it 🙂
Laura
What would you use instead of lemon juice? I'm allergic to all citrus products
Emily
I would use a *drop* or 2 of apple cider vinegar if you want it to be tangy, or just water is fine.
Laura
What can I use instead of Lemon Juice? I'm allergic to all citrus products.
Emily
I would just use water. If you are craving a bit of tang of mascarpone, perhaps add a couple drops of vinegar.
Yael
Hi can I replace almond milk instead of cashews milk
Emily
Technically yes. It may change the flavor a little.