This Strawberry Tiramisu is made with a creamy mascarpone strawberry filling, soft ladyfingers, and a vibrant homemade strawberry sauce.
This strawberry tiramisu has layers of soft ladyfingers and a rich strawberry mascarpone cream. It is topped with pretty strawberry powder.
Instead of using coffee or milk, you dip the ladyfingers right into a fresh, homemade strawberry sauce.
By adding that same strawberry sauce into the cream filling, the whole dessert tastes like real, fresh fruit. It is a beautiful dessert that requires no baking, has no raw eggs, and no alcohol, so it's family-friendly!
It is perfect for summer parties, family dinners, or any time you want a special treat during strawberry season!
For more strawberry recipes, check out my strawberry cheesecake cookies, strawberry compote, strawberry cinnamon rolls, strawberry danish, and cheesecake with strawberry sauce.
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Why this recipe works
- One Sauce Does It All: You make a quick strawberry sauce on the stove. This single sauce flavors the cream and acts as the liquid for dipping the biscuits.
- Melt-in-Your-Mouth Texture: While sitting in the fridge, the hard ladyfingers soak up the strawberry sauce. They turn into a soft, cake-like texture that is easy to slice.
- Easy One-Bowl Cream: You do not need to whip eggs or use extra bowls. You just pour the heavy cream right into the cheese base and mix it all together. This saves time and means fewer dishes to wash!
- No Oven Needed: You do not need to bake anything. This keeps your kitchen cool on hot summer days.
- No Raw Eggs: Traditional tiramisu uses raw egg yolks. This recipe uses no eggs in the cream, making it safe for everyone and stable in the fridge.
Ingredients
Before you start, measure and prepare your ingredients so the assembly process flows smoothly. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
For the Homemade Strawberry Sauce
- Fresh or Frozen Strawberries: Serve as the flavor foundation. They are simmered down to release their juices, creating a vibrant sauce used for both soaking the ladyfingers and flavoring the cream.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the raw berries and helps them break down into a smooth, glossy syrup.
For the Strawberry Mascarpone Cream
- Mascarpone Cheese: The core ingredient provides a rich, dense, and buttery base. Make sure it sits at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before mixing to prevent stubborn lumps.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Must be completely ice-cold. Cold cream traps air bubbles much more efficiently, allowing it to whip quickly into voluminous, stiff peaks.
- Granulated Sugar: Just half a cup balances the natural tang of the cheese without masking the fresh strawberry flavor.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor; use pure vanilla extract or the inside of a vanilla bean.
For the Assembly & Topping
- Ladyfingers (Savoiardi): Crisp, dry Italian biscuits that absorb the remaining strawberry sauce quickly while maintaining enough structural integrity to slice cleanly.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries: Ground into a fine powder and dusted across the top layer to add a gorgeous pop of color and a concentrated punch of tart strawberry flavor.
Instructions
Make the Strawberry Sauce
Simmer: In a medium saucepan, combine the fresh or frozen strawberries, granulated sugar, and water. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until the berries break down and the liquid thickens slightly.
Strain & Cool: Pour the hot mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids with a spatula to extract all the juice.
Measure out ⅓ cup of this strained sauce and set it aside to cool completely (this goes into the cream). Keep the remaining sauce in a shallow dish to cool to room temperature (this is your dipping liquid).
Make the strawberry cream
Combine Base: In a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature mascarpone cheese, the ⅓ cup of strawberry sauce, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk with an electric hand mixer until the base is perfectly smooth and uniform in color.
Whip to Peaks: Pour the cold heavy cream directly into the same bowl. Start your mixer on low speed to incorporate the liquid, then increase to medium-high. Whip the entire mixture together until it reaches thick, stiff peaks that hold their shape.
Assemble and Top
Dip: Briefly dip your ladyfingers into the room-temperature strawberry dipping sauce (about 1–2 seconds per side). Arrange them in a tight, single layer along the bottom of your baking pan.
First Layer: Spread exactly half of your prepared strawberry mascarpone cream over the soaked ladyfingers, smoothing it out evenly with an offset spatula.
Repeat: Add a second layer of ladyfingers quickly dipped in the strawberry sauce, then top with the remaining half of the mascarpone cream. Smooth out the surface.
Set & Decorate: Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) to let the ladyfingers soften.
Right before serving, dust the top generously with your ground freeze-dried strawberry powder and top with fresh sliced strawberries if desired.
Expert Tips
- Cool the Sauce: Never add warm strawberry sauce to your cheese or cream. Warm sauce will melt the cream and make your filling runny.
- Soft Cheese, Cold Cream: Your mascarpone must be at room temperature so it does not form lumps. Your heavy cream must be ice-cold so it whips up thick.
- Do Not Overmix: Watch the bowl closely when whipping the cream. If you mix mascarpone too long, it will separate and look grainy. Stop mixing as soon as it looks thick.
- Dip Quickly: Only dip the ladyfingers in the sauce for 1 second per side. If they soak too long, they will get soggy and watery.
- Press the Fruit: When straining your sauce, press hard on the berries. The best flavor is in the thick part of the fruit!
Troubleshooting
The cream is too soft: This happens if your strawberry sauce was still warm, or the cream was not cold enough. Do not worry. Put the tiramisu in the fridge for 8–12 hours, and it will firm up nicely.
The cream looks grainy: This means the cheese was mixed too much. Stop the electric mixer immediately. Add 1 tablespoon of liquid heavy cream and stir gently with a spoon to fix it.
The ladyfingers are still hard: If the ladyfingers are crunchy, they need a longer dip, or the tiramisu needs more time in the fridge. Let it sit in the fridge for a full day, and they will soften up.
FAQS
Keep your dips very fast. Just flash-dip each side for 1 second. Never let the biscuits sit in the liquid bowl.
Look in the specialty deli cheese section of the grocery store. It is usually near the fresh mozzarella and ricotta cheese.
No. Regular dried strawberries are chewy like raisins and cannot be crushed into powder. You must use freeze-dried strawberries because they are completely dry and crunchy.
Storing, Freezing, and Making Ahead
Storing: Keep the tiramisu covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. It actually tastes best on the second day!
Freezing: Wrap the chilled tiramisu (without the top powder) tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Make-Ahead: This is a perfect make-ahead dessert because it needs time to set. Assemble it the day before your party. Wait to add the strawberry powder on top until right before you serve it.
Substitutions
Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free ladyfingers instead of regular ones. Dip them extra fast because gluten-free biscuits absorb liquid very quickly.
Cream Cheese: If you cannot find mascarpone, you can use regular block cream cheese at room temperature. The flavor will taste a bit like strawberry cheesecake!
Variations
Mixed Berries: Use a mix of raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries to make a mixed berry version.
Lemon Twist: Stir 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest into the cheese base for a bright, fresh aroma.
Individual Cups: Assemble the dipped ladyfingers and cream inside small glass cups instead of a large pan. This looks beautiful and means you do not have to slice it!
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Fine mesh strainer
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric hand mixer
- Baking pan (10.5 x 7.5-inch or 8x8-inch)
- Rubber spatula
More tiramisu recipes
Easy tiramisu cups- Individual portions of classic tiramisu.
Tiramisu cake with mascarpone cream- A stunning layered cake filled with silky mascarpone cream.
Lemon tiramisu- Made with layers of tart homemade lemon curd, light mascarpone cream, and ladyfingers dipped in lemon syrup.
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📖 Recipe
The BEST Strawberry Tiramisu (No Coffee + No Raw Eggs)
Ingredients
Strawberry sauce
- 1 ½ cups Strawberries frozen or fresh
- ¼ Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Water
For the strawberry mascarpone cream
- 1 lbs Mascarpone room temperature
- 2 cup Heavy cream cold
- ⅓ cup Strawberry sauce that we made
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
Assembly
- ⅓ cup Freeze dried strawberries ground
Instructions
Make the strawberry sauce
- In a medium saucepan, combine the fresh or frozen strawberries, granulated sugar, and water. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until the berries break down and the liquid thickens slightly.
- Pour the hot mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids with a spatula to extract all the juice.
- Measure out ⅓ cup of this strained sauce and set it aside to cool completely (this goes into the cream). Keep the remaining sauce in a shallow dish to cool to room temperature (this is your dipping liquid).
- In a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature mascarpone cheese, the ⅓ cup of strawberry sauce, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk with an electric hand mixer until the base is perfectly smooth and uniform in color.
- Pour the cold heavy cream directly into the same bowl. Start your mixer on low speed to incorporate the liquid, then increase to medium-high. Whip the entire mixture together until it reaches thick, stiff peaks that hold their shape.
Assemble and top
- Briefly dip your ladyfingers into the room-temperature strawberry dipping sauce (about 1–2 seconds per side). Arrange them in a tight, single layer along the bottom of your baking pan.
- Spread exactly half of your prepared strawberry mascarpone cream over the soaked ladyfingers, smoothing it out evenly with an offset spatula.
- Add a second layer of ladyfingers quickly dipped in the strawberry sauce, then top with the remaining half of the mascarpone cream. Smooth out the surface.
- Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) to let the ladyfingers soften.
- Right before serving, dust the top generously with your ground freeze-dried strawberry powder and top with fresh sliced strawberries if desired.
Notes
- Cool the Sauce: Never add warm strawberry sauce to your cheese or cream. Warm sauce will melt the cream and make your filling runny.
- Soft Cheese, Cold Cream: Your mascarpone must be at room temperature so it does not form lumps. Your heavy cream must be ice-cold so it whips up thick.
- Do Not Overmix: Watch the bowl closely when whipping the cream. If you mix mascarpone too long, it will separate and look grainy. Stop mixing as soon as it looks thick.
- Dip Quickly: Only dip the ladyfingers in the sauce for 1 second per side. If they soak too long, they will get soggy and watery.
- Press the Fruit: When straining your sauce, press hard on the berries. The best flavor is in the thick part of the fruit!
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