Lemon Tiramisu is easy to make and absolutely delicious! Made with only 8 ingredients in under 30 minutes of prep time, it's the best lemon dessert recipe.
Lemon tiramisu is a fun twist on classic tiramisu that's light, citrusy, and so delicious!
Mascarpone cheese is blended with fresh whipped cream and layered over lady fingers soaked in a lemon syrup. This Italian dessert has the perfect mix of tangy and sweet flavors!
This lemon tiramisu recipe is a must-try for any lemon dessert lover!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Decadent but easy to make. Tiramisu feels like a fancy dessert, but it's secretly so easy to make.
- A fun twist on a classic. We love regular tiramisu, but there's something irresistible about this light, lemony treat!
- No baking involved. No bake desserts are perfect for the holidays, when your oven is already working overtime.
Ingredients
Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert, and so, there are some specific ingredients that you'll need. For some of them, there are simply no good substitutes.
- limoncello: This is a lemon-flavored liqueur
- lemons: You'll need 3 to 4 large lemons to use for lemon juice and zest
- granulated white sugar
- lemon curd: Look for lemon curd in the grocery store, near the jams and jellies.
- mascarpone cheese is essential to this recipe. It is very rich and high in fat, and there are really no perfect substitutes for it.
- heavy cream is also essential to this recipe. Don't use store-bought whipped cream or Cool Whip.
- ladyfinger cookies
Substitutions:
Limoncello: We like using limoncello in this recipe, but if you want to avoid using liqueur, substitute it with an equal amount of fresh lemon juice.
Mascarpone is very rich and high in fat, and there are really no perfect substitutes for it. It's an essential ingredient in this recipe.
Ladyfingers are the authentic choice for a tiramisu recipe. If you need a substitute, the best choice is to cut pieces of sponge cake or vanilla pound cake into the shape of ladyfingers, but your dessert really won't be the same.
How to Make Lemon Tiramisu
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Make the lemon syrup. Dissolve sugar in hot limoncello, lemon juice and water.
- Whip the cream, then fold it into the mascarpone cheese.
- Pour half of the lemon syrup over half of the ladyfingers.
- Cover the cookies with half of the mascarpone mixture.
- Add half of the lemon curd.
- Top with remaining ladyfinger cookies.
- Pour remaining lemon syrup over the cookies, then top with remaining filling and lemon curd.
- Refrigerate the lemon tiramisu for at least 8 hours before serving.
Liz's Recipe Tips
- Do not over soften the mascarpone cheese. The fat can easily separate, causing the cheese to curdle. It’s fine to take it out of the fridge 5 minutes before you’re ready to use it.
- Be sure your heavy cream is very cold so it whips up easily. To make it even easier, put the bowl and beaters of your mixer in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
- When you're layering the ladyfingers in the pan, you might have to cut off the ends of the cookies with a sharp knife so they'll fit.
- For the best flavor, make this no bake dessert 24 hours before you plan to serve it. Tiramisu is best made in advance of serving it so the cookies can soak up the syrup and the flavors can meld together!
Storage
Keep any leftover tiramisu in the refrigerator and enjoy it within 5 days. Be sure to cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or keep it in an airtight container.
Serving Suggestion
Be sure to cut the servings with a sharp knife that's long enough to get through all of the layers, down to the bottom of the dish.
For a pretty presentation, you can do any/all of the following:
- dust the top of the dessert with powdered sugar
- add a dollop of whipped cream and a twist of lemon peel
- garnish with thin lemon slices
- add white chocolate shavings
Lemon Tiramisu Recipe FAQ
Because of its soft consistency and texture, this dessert doesn't freeze well.
Most large grocery stores carry mascarpone. It's an Italian pasteurized cheese product. Some people believe that it's similar to creme fraiche, which is a French cheese, but creme fraiche has a tangier flavor.
Other Easy No Bake Desserts
Keep your kitchen cool by making any of these no bake treats!
- Easy No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- No Bake Oreo Cheesecake
- Butterscotch Haystacks
- Cherry No Bake Cheesecake
Lemon Tiramisu
Ingredients
For the syrup
- ¾ cup lemon juice about 3 large lemons
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup limoncello
- ¼ cup water
For the cream filling
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream very cold
- 1 pound mascarpone cheese softened but still cold *see Notes
- ¼ cup lemon curd
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
Other ingredients
- 28 ladyfingers about 9 ounces cookies *see Notes for substitutions
- 1 cup lemon curd
Instructions
- In a small saucepan on the stove, heat lemon juice, sugar, limoncello and water over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl and electric hand mixer, whisk the heavy cream until firm peaks form. *Note: For the best results, chill the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer or refrigerator before whipping the cream.
- Transfer the whipped cream from the mixing bowl to a separate bowl. Set aside.
- In the same mixing bowl (you don’t have to wash it!), add the mascarpone, lemon curd and lemon zest. Combine at medium-high speed until mixture is smooth.
- Using a spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until combined.
- Layer half of the ladyfinger cookies in the bottom of an 8-inch square dish. *Note: You might have to cut off the ends of the cookies with a sharp knife so they'll fit. Drizzle half of the lemon syrup over the ladyfingers, making sure to saturate them evenly.
- Spread half of the mascarpone/whipped cream mixture over the top of the soaked lady fingers. Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread ½ cup lemon curd evenly over the whipped cream.
- Layer with the remaining ladyfingers, drizzle them with the remaining lemon syrup, then cover with the remaining mascarpone mixture and ½ cup lemon curd.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight if possible.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Do not over soften the mascarpone cheese. The fat can easily separate, causing the cheese to curdle. It’s fine to take it out of the fridge 5 minutes before you’re ready to use it.
- Make this dessert 24 hours before you plan to serve it. Tiramisu is best made in advance of serving it so the cookies can soak up the liquid and the flavors can meld together!
- Ladyfingers are the authentic choice for a tiramisu recipe. If you need a substitute, the best choice is to cut pieces of sponge cake or vanilla pound cake in an oblong shape similar to ladyfingers, but the dessert really won't be the same.
- There are really no good substitutes for mascarpone cheese. It's a very rich cheese that is much higher in fat than cream cheese.
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