This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Easy Tiramisu recipe made with coffee-dipped ladyfingers (store-bought or homemade) surrounded by a lightly sweetened, creamy, egg-free filling. This wonderful no bake Italian dessert can be ready in minutes!
Tiramisu is an Italian dessert made with ladyfingers dipped in strong coffee or espresso, layered with a creamy whipped filling.
Why This Recipe Works
This “tiramisu for one” is my version of the classic Italian dessert. It’s not only scaled down in size, but this eggless version is made with very few ingredients and is very easy to make.
A good single serving tiramisu recipe has been on my “must make” list for quite some time. Tiramisu is heavenly – but it takes time to make and quite a few steps are involved. With this simple 10-minute tiramisu recipe, you can enjoy a delicious dessert anytime you have a sweet craving.
Ingredient Notes
See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Heavy cream: Also called double cream. Do not substitute with a lower fat milk. The fat that is in the cream thickens and holds its shape as it is whipped.
- Granulated sugar and vanilla extract: For sweetness and flavor.
- Mascarpone cheese: An Italian cream cheese that can be found in the cheese or dairy section at most grocery stores. See below for ways to use up the remaining mascarpone.
- Ladyfingers: Sweet, dry biscuits that are shaped like a long finger. They are called savoiardi in Italian and are often used in trifles and tiramisu. They can be purchased in most grocery stores or you can use our ladyfingers recipe and make them easily at home. You’ll use about 4-5 ladyfingers in this easy tiramisu recipe depending on the size of the dish you use. Store-bought ladyfingers may be frozen and will last for 2 months. You could also use shortbread cookies instead of ladyfingers. The cookies used in our Coconut Cream Pie For One are perfect! You may also use sponge cake, angel food cake, or pound cake if you can’t find ladyfingers or don’t want to make them.
- Coffee: Typically, tiramisu is made with espresso and if you have espresso, great! If not, use strong coffee instead. With this single serving version, you won’t need much – just about 6 tablespoons. I use leftover coffee from my morning pot.
- Rum or brandy: This ingredient is optional. I reach for brandy or rum most often when making a tiramisu but I’ve also made it with Kahlua and Marsala wine. All are fabulous! If you don’t want to use alcohol, just leave it out.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: For dusting but also adds a wonderful flavor.
How To Make This Recipe
Tiramisu is traditionally made by layering ladyfingers that have been soaked in espresso and a touch of alcohol with a sweet cream filling and finished with a dusting of cocoa powder. For a single serving tiramisu, we assemble it the same way.
- Whip together cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Add mascarpone cheese and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
- Dip ladyfingers in room temperature espresso or strong coffee (and rum or brandy, if using). You may have to break the ladyfingers in half in order to fit them in the dessert dish.
- Place in a 10-ounce ramekin to make the first layer.
- Spread half of the whipped cream mixture on top of the layer of ladyfingers.
- Repeat process with the second layer of ladyfingers.
- Add the remaining cream mixture and dust with cocoa powder.
Expert Tips
- Don’t over soak the cookies. When you dip the ladyfingers into coffee, be sure to pull them out as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will crumble. Then arrange them in the ramekin or small baking dish.
- When making the filling, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla to soft peaks. This means that the cream is thick enough to form soft shapes just firm enough to hold briefly as you lift the whisk, then falls back into the cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. If you don’t want to use alcohol in your tiramisu, just leave it out.
Absolutely!
I like to add a cocoa powder to the top of my mini tiramisu as well as chocolate curls or shaved chocolate.
To create chocolate curls, use a vegetable peeler and make curls by drawing the peeler along the thinner side of the chocolate. To make shavings, either use the vegetable peeler and make short strokes or use a microplane grater or the smallest holes on a box grater.
Yes. Tiramisu is best when refrigerated for several hours before eating. It will keep well in the refrigerator when covered for up to 3 days.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this tiramisu recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
Click on the recipe title to go straight to the recipe.
- Cream: Vanilla Ice Cream, Tres Leches Cake, Mashed Potatoes
- Mascarpone cheese: Grilled Pound Cake
- Use as a whipped cream substitute: Mix a dollop of mascarpone with some honey for a quick and easy topping.
- Spoon into tomato sauce to make a creamy version to toss with pasta.
- Add a spoonful to Carrot Soup.
- Ladyfingers: Use instead of graham crackers in an Icebox Cake, Cheesecake, or Lemon Meringue Pie
- Coffee: Mocha Oatmeal Bowl
- Rum: Bananas Foster
Other No Bake Desserts
Best Dish To Use
For this easy tiramisu recipe, I use an 10-ounce ramekin which measures 4-inches by 2.5-inches. For best results, use a dish of similar size.
If you’ve tried this easy tiramisu recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
Recipe
Tiramisu For One
Ingredients
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese , room temperature
- 6 tablespoons strong coffee or espresso
- ½ teaspoon Brandy (optional) , or use rum, Amaretto, Marsala wine, or Kahlua or leave out altogether.
- 5 ladyfingers/Savoiardi (look for eggless if needed)
- cocoa powder , for dusting
Instructions
- Beat heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl until soft peaks form.
- Add in mascarpone cheese and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
- Pour coffee and brandy, if using into a separate bowl. Break ladyfingers in half if necessary to fit into a dessert ramekin and briefly dip the ladyfingers in coffee. Place in the ramekin.
- Spread half of the whipped cream mixture on top of the first layer of ladyfingers.
- Repeat process with the second layer of ladyfingers and cream mixture.
- Dust the top of the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a sieve. Refrigerate for 2 or more hours.
Notes
- Don’t over soak the cookies. When you dip the ladyfingers into coffee, be sure to pull them out as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will crumble. Then arrange them in the ramekin or small baking dish.
- When making the filling, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla to soft peaks. This means that the cream is thick enough to form soft shapes just firm enough to hold briefly as you lift the whisk, then falls back into the cream.
- 1 egg
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- Separate the eggs, placing the yolk in one bowl and the white in another.
- Using a hand mixer or large whisk, whip the egg white until foamy. Add 1/2 tablespoon sugar and beat until glossy.
- In a separate bowl, whip the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons sugar.
- Fold in 1/2 of the egg whites; then, fold in the flour and baking powder.
- Fold in the rest of the egg whites.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip or use a medium-sized plastic bag with the tip cut off and pipe the batter in 3-inch long lines about 1-inch apart on a small baking sheet.
- Bake in a 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) preheated oven for 7-8 minutes.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Could you double this? And use the 5×5 baking dish?
Yes, the 5×5 dish works beautifully if doubling the recipe.
I was going to try the one serving method, but decided to make a single larger batch by multiplying the ingredients by 4. I had a liquor on hand (Amaro Agnone) and added it to the coffee. We loved the results. It was so easy! Thank you!
Can I replace mascarpone with cream cheese?
Yes, you can use cream cheese as a substitute for mascarpone here. The filling won’t be as creamy and will be slightly tangy but still should be delicious.
I’m allergic to coffee so I substituted mint hot chocolate and it was amazing!