Strawberry tiramisu is a light, fresh and fruity take on the classic Italian dessert. This version has a double doze of fruit, it's easy to make and so delicious. Perfect for entertaining, being made ahead, too.

slice of strawberry tiramisu in front of dish with more and strawberries to either side.

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When I first decided to try making strawberry tiramisu years ago, I did a fair bit of thinking about how to get it just as I wanted. I wanted plenty strawberry flavor, but also not to be artificial-tasting.

So I knew the strawberry flavor had to come from real strawberries, not something from a packet. The answer was to make a kind of strawberry sauce or syrup to use as the soaking liquid, as well as a layer of fresh strawberries in the middle. It's easy, effective, and so delicious.

overhead view of whole strawberry tiramisu with strawberry slices decorating the cream

While I love baked strawberry desserts like strawberry rhubarb crisp, strawberry souffle and strawberry bundt cake, no bake desserts are perfect to be able to enjoy year round. True, strawberries are best when they are in season locally, but we're lucky to get some from other areas not too far where the season is slightly different, too.

Another great thing about this dessert is that it can be made ahead which makes it a great choice when you are entertaining. You can scale it up, too, as suits.

bowl of strawberries, container of mascarpone, measures with cream, water, packet of ladyfinger cookies and bowl of sugar from overhead.

Tiramisu origins and ingredients

Tiramisu is a traditional Italian dessert from Treviso near Venice in the North of the country. As with many traditional dishes, the exact origins are debated, including even whether it's a 20th century creation, or much earlier. No doubt partly now that it has worldwide fame, the city is understandably proud of the dish and celebrates it with an annual competition.

Traditionally, tiramisu comprises of layers of ladyfinger cookies (savoiardi) soaked in coffee with a rich mascarpone and egg yolk cream in between each layer. A generous dusting of cocoa powder finishes it off.

A common variation involves using alcohol, such as marsala, in place of or mixed in with the coffee that you soak the ladyfingers in. In the US, it's common to temper the egg yolks given concerns over using them raw, though in Italy this is rarely done.

dipping a ladyfinger cookie in strawberry syrup

A strawberry variation

This tiramisu with strawberries uses the same basic idea of forming layers with soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone cream, but with a strawberry twist. It's still easy to make, with just a small number of ingredients, just a slight extra step in preparation.

Instead of coffee, you use a strawberry syrup to soak the cookies. It's made much the same way as a jam, just with less sugar and cooked less time. Just enough to get the strawberry flavor out for the lady finger cookies to soak up. The flavor is not super strong, but it's there.

Then you also add a layer of sliced strawberries in between the cookies and cream, and more to decorate on top. These add to the strawberry flavor, as well as give a pretty presentation.

I have also gone with the common variation with no eggs in the mascarpone cream. Instead, the mascarpone filling is a combination of whipped cream, mascarpone cheese and a little sugar to sweeten it. The texture is a little lighter than you would have with an egg base, but it pairs well with the fruit. It also avoids any concern over using raw eggs.

four syrup dipped ladyfinger cookies in a row in a dish from overhead.

Does strawberry tiramisu have alcohol in it?

As I have made here, there's no alcohol in the dish. Instead, you use a homemade strawberry syrup to soak the cookies in. This gives a gentle strawberry flavor and is moist enough to help the cookies become sponge-like.

If you wanted, you could add a little strawberry liqueur, or something that would gently enhance the fruity flavors like triple sec. But this way is family-friendly and tastes great, as my kids are happy to report.

Scaling up (or down)

This recipe makes a relatively small sized tiramisu, that's perfect for our family. However, it's easy to scale up or down as suits. Simply multiply up or down all of the ingredients, and find a dish that suits the size.

For a double sized version, I'd suggest using a square baking tin or baking dish, for example. And if you want to serve only two, maybe make individual portions in ramekins or other small dishes. You might want to cut the cookies in half.

As written below, the size uses one sleeve from a packet of ladyfinger cookies (you usually get two). So if you made double, you would use a whole packet (just to help with buying).

adding second layer of dipped cookies on top of cream and strawberry slices layers.

Steps to make strawberry tiramisu

While there are a couple steps, each of them is easy to do:

Make the strawberry syrup - the process is similar to making strawberry jam, you simply cook for a shorter time and strain it. Simmer together strawberries with water, a little sugar and orange juice (or you could use lemon). Mash as it cooks to bring out all the juices and flavor, then cool and strain.
Prepare the mascarpone cream - whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Separately, beat together the mascarpone and sugar until smooth. Fold the cream into the mascarpone so they are well blended.
Soak the ladyfingers and build layers - dip the ladyfingers in the strawberry syrup and put a layer in the bottom of your dish. Top with a layer of mascarpone cream, then a layer of slices strawberries, followed by more dipped cookies and more mascarpone cream.
Cover and chill - the cream mixture will be relatively soft when you put this together, so it needs chilling time to firm up. Also, the cookies need to soften a little. So cover and refrigerate at least four hours, but ideally overnight.
Decorate and serve - add a few more slices of strawberry on top either before or after you cut or scoop out slices to serve.

slice of strawberry tiramisu in front of dish with rest in it.

This strawberry tiramisu has everything you'd expect in a good no bake dessert - not too many ingredients, easy to make, and full of delicious flavor. It's a popular choice in our house, so be sure to try it out in yours.

Try these other fruit desserts:

Grilled peaches with mascarpone
Blueberry galette (free-form tart)
Summer pudding (a traditional fruit-filled British dessert)
No churn roasted strawberry ice cream
Plus get more dessert recipes in the archives.

slice of strawberry tiramisu in front of dish with rest

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5 from 3 votes