Indulge in all the luscious flavor and texture of classic Italian tiramisu without the carbs. This easy Keto Tiramisu features layers of coffee-soaked almond flour cake layered with mascarpone whipped cream. One bite and you will swear you are enjoying the real deal in your favorite trattoria!
Tiramisu is one of those timeless classics that surprises you with its creamy richness. I was hooked from the moment I first tried this coffee-flavored layered dessert and I ordered it every time I went to a good Italian restaurant. And when I went low carb for my health, I knew I had to find a way to make it keto-friendly.
Love coffee-flavored desserts? You will also want to try Keto Coffee Cheesecake and Keto Espresso Shortbread.
Long ago, I hit upon the idea of using thin layers of keto vanilla cake in place of the standard ladyfingers. They soak up the coffee in the same way the spongy cookies do, and they provide a great base without the added carbs. I also simplified the luscious filling, forgoing the fussy zabaglione in favor of whipped cream folded into sweetened mascarpone.
I first wrote this recipe in 2013 and since then, I’ve made a few tweaks to make it even easier and lower in carbs. But it remains an oft-requested favorite of my friends. Many of them swear that they prefer it to the original! This Keto Tiramisu offers all of the classic Italian flavor without weighing you down.
Reader’s Thoughts
“I made this Tiramisu recipe this week and all I can say is WOW! I followed your recipe exactly and the results were spectacular. My husband who rarely says more than “this is good” ate his piece (well actually 2 pieces) and declared that if I hadn’t told him it was from my kitchen he would have thought it came from an Italian bakery in our neighborhood! High praise indeed! Thank you!” — Bobbi
Why you need to try this recipe
- Updated recipe: The cake is now a bit thinner, giving the dessert a better cream-to-cake ratio. And it’s lighter in calories!
- Classic flavor: With coffee soaked cake and creamy mascarpone, this has all the tiramisu flavor you crave.
- Classic texture: The cake softens as it sits with the coffee and filling, so it has the same tender, creamy texture that yields delightfully to your fork.
- Simplified prep: No heated egg yolks for zabaglione or other complicated steps.
- Low carb and gluten-free: This dessert has no wheat or gluten, and only xx grams of carbs per serving.
- Make ahead recipe: You can easily make this recipe several days in advance and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: This is an almond flour based cake recipe. See the Tips for success if you would prefer to make it with coconut flour.
- Sweetener: The cake requires granular sweetener and the filling uses powdered sweetener.
- Protein powder: A little protein powder helps the cake be more light and fluffy. Whey protein works best but egg white and plant based protein can work as well.
- Coffee: You can use espresso or strongly brewed coffee.
- Rum: Classic tiramisu usually has a liqueur or rum, but you can skip this if you prefer.
- Mascarpone cheese: This creamy Italian soft cheese has a naturally sweet taste. If you can’t find it, you can use cream cheese, but it is more dense and heavy.
- Heavy whipping cream: Whipped cream helps make the filling more voluminous.
- Garnish: Dust the top with cocoa powder and a little shaved chocolate for classic flavor and appearance.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt.
Overview: How to Make Keto Tiramisu
- Prepare the batter: Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add the eggs, butter, vanilla, and water. Stir until smooth.
- Bake the cake: Spread the batter in a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake until golden and set. Let cool completely.
- Make the coffee mixture: In a small bowl, whisk together the coffee and the rum.
- Prepare the filling: Beat the mascarpone until smooth, then beat in the sweetener and a little of the coffee mixture. Separately, whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Fold the two mixtures together.
- Assemble the layers: Cut pieces of cake to fit into an 8×8 inch pan. Brush with coffee mixture then spread half of the mascarpone mixture over top. Repeat with remaining cake, coffee mixture, and mascarpone mixture.
- Garnish: Dust the top with cocoa powder and grate the chocolate over top. Refrigerate until firm.
Tips for Success
- I updated the cake recipe to make the layers a little thinner. I like the ratio of cake to filling better this way. A jelly roll pan (15×11 inches) works best for this. You can use other pan sizes, but it will change the thickness of the cake and how long it takes to bake.
- Mascarpone can be a bit finicky and curdle easily, so be sure not to over-beat it. Let the mascarpone come to room temperature before beating.
- For a nut-free version, use the batter from my Keto Chantilly Cake. I am not sure how long it will take to bake in a sheet pan so keep a close eye on it in the oven.
Sweetener Options: For both the cake and the filling, you can use your preferred sweetener. The cake may brown a little more quickly with allulose so keep your eye on it in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional mascarpone is a creamy soft cheese that has almost zero carbs per serving. It has a slightly sweet flavor because it is made with full cream. But some brands do add milk, which can add carbs. Check the labels and try to get mascarpone that has less than 1 gram carbs per serving.
Absolutely! This easy tiramisu recipe has no eggs so as long as your mascarpone and cream are fresh, it will be fine for up to a week in the fridge. As with any dessert recipe, wrap it up tightly. It can also be stored in the freezer for up to two months.
This keto tiramisu recipe has 5.8g of carbs and 2.6g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.2g net carbs per slice.
More Keto Italian Desserts
Keto Tiramisu Recipe
Ingredients
Cake Layers
- 2 cups (200 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (95 g) granular sweetener
- 1/4 cup (36 g) unflavored whey protein powder, (or egg white protein powder)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg white
- 1/3 cup (75.67 g) butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Coffee Syrup
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) espresso or strongly brewed coffee
- 1 tbsp dark rum
Tiramisu Filling
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) mascarpone, softened
- 3/4 cup (136.5 g) powdered sweetener, divided
- 3/4 cup (178.5 g) heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) vanilla extract
Garnish
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 ounce (14.17 g) sugar-free dark chocolate
Instructions
Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and grease a rimmed 15×11 inch rimmed sheet pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment and grease the parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs, egg white, butter, water, and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top is just firm to the touch. Let cool completely in the pan.
Coffee Soak
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coffee and the rum. Set aside.
Tiramisu Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone until smooth, then beat in 1/2 cup of the sweetener. Add 2 tablespoons of the coffee/rum mixture and beat until well combined.
- In another large bowl, beat the cream with the remaining sweetener and the vanilla extract until it holds stiff peaks.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until well combined.
To Assemble
- Cut the cake into pieces to fit into the bottom an 8×8 inch pan. Brush with half of the remaining coffee mixutre. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over top.
- Repeat with remaining cake, coffee mixture, and mascarpone mixture. You will have a few bits of cake left over. Discard or use for snacking!
- Dust the top of the tiramisu with cocoa powder and grate the chocolate over top. Refrigerate 2 hours to firm up before cutting.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Love your twist on it, Carolyn!
Can this be frozen after being made?
Probably!
Delicious!!! I will DEFINITELY make again!!!
Im sooo gonna make this soon!
But for that cup of strongly brewed coffee, its just water and coffee? Or can I use whole milk + coffee? Will the milk affect the cake?
Milk would be fine but not traditional to tiramisu.
Okay! Gotcha. But I don’t have rum or any rum extract.. ???? Can I substitute it with something else or perhaps coffee extract
Sure, use what you have there.
Really want to make this recipe. Looks so good. Whey and egg white protein powder are expensive and hard to find in Japan. Can you recommend an alternative? Can I use whipped egg whites or something else? Thank you for your help.
There isn’t a good alternative, to be frank. You can skip it, but your cake won’t rise as well and will be more fragile.
Thanks! I found small bags of hemp protein powder at a health food store. I’m making it tonight. Loved your lemon sour cream pie. Can’t wait to try this!
I just finished putting together this delightful desert! It is chilling in the fridge for later. While making it I decided on some different methods of putting it together. I decided to trim the crust off the loaf cake. It is easiest to cut the loaf in half and trim at that point and then cut your slices. Also since the mascapone is so fragile, next time I will whip the cream in a separate bowl then incorporate into the mascapone mixture. Thanks again!
Love this recipe. Tiramisu is the ultimate dessert for me.
Where do people find these odd-sized pans? I don’t have an 11 x 7 inch pan nor could I find one in any of the stores around me.
Made this let night for a dinner party for 13.
It was a hit. Absolutely delicious. I’m making it again today and will double the rum this time for a slightly stronger taste. Thanks Carolyn
Made this last week, and it was amazing! One of the best low-carb desserts I’ve ever had, and I’m pretty picky! : )
Oh and I sprinkled some Lily’s chocolate chips throughout as well.
Yum!
So glad to hear it!
Carolyn,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. It was the hit of my Father’s day picnic! Tiramisu is a favorite that I never thought I’d be able to make low carb, but you made it possible.
Just a tip for others: I was unable to repair my separated mascarpone enough with the xanthan. (Whoops!) I started over but tried a different method. The second time I whipped the cold cream and liquid Splenda (sub for Swerve so it wouldn’t crystalize) to soft peaks. Then I used a little whipped cream to lighten up the cold mascarpone. Finally I slowly folded the mascarpone into the whipped cream a little at a time. This worked like a charm! The texture was very similar to my old high carb recipe which had quite a few more steps.
Sorry about separated mascarpone. I’ve actually found that if I don’t use the Trader Joe’s brand, I have MUCH better luck. The TJs brand seems to separate worse than other brands.
I’ve made this recipe 4 times now and the only time I’ve had problems with the Mascarpone mix was when I used room temp Mascarpone and whipping cream instead of chilled. And yes, I used Trader Joes Mascarpone all 4 times.
Still tasted great, even broken.
Good to know! Thanks.
This is delicious! I let mine sit overnight (so hard), and wow it was worth it! I used rum extract (didn’t have any run), and it definitely gives that extra kick it needs. Thank you for sharing!
Tina or Carolyn, I was hoping to do the same thing with rum extract! How much extract did you sub for 2 tablespoons of regular rum?
Made this last night, very worth it.
I buggered it up though – I separated the coffee and added the rum, then mixed them up and blended the rum coffee with the mascarpone. Whoops. Nevermind. Still awesome!
As long as you still liked it!
I had to tell you that I made this for the 2nd time last nite. It was a disaster! I ended up with cake in tiramisu flavored sauce. Not that the recipe is bad but I think the brand of marscapone I bought was way to thin, it was cheap and I had never seen that brand before. We laughingly christened it “Tiramisu Soup”.
It made me think though. If I use the cake and soak it in sherry and add strawberries and an artificially sweetened boiled custard. Voila! Sherry trifle… Haven’t had a good one in years!
I made this Saturday night and I must say, this is the best low carb dessert I have made to date! I have never posted before because I have always been disappointed! Someone recommend your site and I am in low carb heaven!!! Thank you so much!!!
That’s wonderful to hear, Dee!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I did not bring down the cream or marscapone to room temperature and did not have any trouble with separation. Just added everything very slowly. So very easy to make, this will be our new go to special occasion recipe. It is the morning after Thanksgiving and this is the leftover I am craving. Thanks again for all your efforts with low carb baking. It is great to be able to bake again!
I think it must be the Trader Joe’s mascarpone, then. It separates on me almost every time!
I am in love… this looks so amazing and I WILL be eating this by tomorrow… big thanks for sharing and all the goodies on your blog!