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strawberry tiramisu

Easy Strawberry Tiramisu Recipe (No-Bake, No Coffee, No Raw Eggs)

Easy no-bake strawberry tiramisu with silky mascarpone cream, fresh strawberries & no coffee or raw eggs. The foolproof pink dessert everyone will beg you to make!
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Chill time 6 hours
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Strawberry Sauce
  • 2 cups 300 g frozen strawberries — thawed slightly; frozen berries blend into the smoothest sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice about 50 ml
For the Strawberry Cream
  • 2 cups cold whole milk — it must be cold for the pudding to set properly
  • Two 3.4-ounce packages instant vanilla pudding mix — instant not cook-and-serve!
  • ½ teaspoon salt — balances all the sweetness
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 16 ounces mascarpone cheese — cold
  • 2½ cups heavy cream — cold
  • 4 drops red food coloring — for that dreamy pink color
For Assembly
  • 1¾ cups diced fresh strawberries about 250 g — diced small so every bite gets some
  • 1 package ladyfingers Savoiardi — the crisp Italian kind, not soft sponge fingers
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Equipment

  • 10 x 7-inch (27 x 18 cm) dish 

Method
 

  1. Make the Strawberry Sauce: Let the frozen strawberries thaw slightly, then blend them with the sugar and lemon juice until completely smooth. Pour into a shallow bowl and set aside — this is what we're dipping the ladyfingers in instead of coffee! (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
  2. Prep the Fresh Strawberries: Wash and dice the fresh strawberries into small pieces. Set them aside — they're going into the cream later.
  3. Start the Cream: In a large bowl, whisk together the cold milk and both packages of instant vanilla pudding mix until smooth, about 1–2 minutes. Starting with the pudding base first is the secret — it thickens fast and keeps the whole cream stable. (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
  4. Finish the Cream: Add the salt, vanilla, sweetened condensed milk, mascarpone, and heavy cream to the bowl. Beat with an electric mixer, starting on low and increasing to high, until the mixture is thick and holds stiff peaks. It happens quicker than you'd expect — don't walk away!
  5. Divide and Color: Scoop out about 1½ cups of the plain white cream and set it aside for piping on top. Add 4 drops of red food coloring to the remaining cream and mix until it's evenly pink, then gently fold in the diced fresh strawberries. (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
  6. First Layer: Quickly dip each ladyfinger into the strawberry sauce — one fast dip per side, about 1 second — and arrange them in a single layer in your 10 x 7-inch dish. Don't let them soak or they'll turn mushy!
  7. Layer It Up: Spread half of the pink strawberry cream over the ladyfingers. Add a second layer of dipped ladyfingers, then spread the remaining strawberry cream on top and smooth it out.
  8. Pipe the Top: Transfer the reserved white cream to a piping bag and pipe it over the top. Swirls, dollops, little peaks — whatever feels pretty! (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
  9. Chill: Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. This is non-negotiable — the ladyfingers need time to soften into that perfect cake-like texture.
  10. Serve: Just before serving, dust generously with unsweetened cocoa powder, slice, and watch it disappear!
    11. Pudding first, always. Blend the cold milk and instant pudding until smooth before adding anything else. When I first tested this, I tried dumping everything in at once — the cream came out lumpy. Building the pudding base first gives you a perfectly silky, stable cream every time.
    Keep everything cold. Cold milk, cold mascarpone, cold heavy cream. Warm ingredients are the #1 reason mascarpone cream turns soupy or grainy.
    Two-second dip, max. The strawberry sauce is thicker than coffee, but ladyfingers are still little sponges. A fast dip per side is all they need — they'll keep softening in the fridge overnight.

Notes

Storage

  • Fridge: Keeps for up to 3 days, covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It's actually even better on day two! Wait to dust the cocoa powder until just before serving.
  • Make ahead: This is the ultimate make-ahead dessert — assemble it a full day before your event and dust with cocoa right before serving.
  • Freezer: Avoid freezing the assembled tiramisu — the fresh strawberries release water as they thaw and the cream turns weepy. This one is best fresh from the fridge.

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