Tiramisu Ice Cream Recipe (No Custard, No Eggs)
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Tiramisu Ice Cream takes everything you love about the classic Italian dessert: the coffee, the mascarpone, the cocoa, and the ladyfingers, and turns it into something you scoop instead of slice. It tastes like a strong, creamy coffee ice cream shot through with a chocolate-espresso swirl and soft bits of ladyfinger, and it is rich in the way tiramisu is rich. Better still, it skips the two things that usually make homemade ice cream a chore: there’s no cooked egg custard to fuss over, and it does not freeze into a solid brick you have to chip at.
I first made this for a summer dinner party, and it was gone before I got back for a second scoop. What I like about it is that the mascarpone does the work an egg custard usually does. You get that dense, creamy body without standing at the stove tempering yolks. The amaretto earns its place too, and not only for flavor. A few tablespoons of liquor keep the ice cream soft enough to scoop straight from the freezer instead of setting up like a brick. If you like tiramisu or a strong coffee ice cream, this is one you can make ahead and keep in the freezer through the warm months.
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Why You’ll Love This Tiramisu Ice Cream
- You get the full tiramisu flavor without the layering or the custard step. The mascarpone base blends smoothly in one bowl, and the hardest part is waiting for it to chill before it goes in the machine.
- It scoops straight from the freezer. The three tablespoons of amaretto lower the freezing point just enough that the ice cream stays soft instead of freezing rock hard, which is the usual problem with homemade batches that skip commercial stabilizers.
- The ladyfingers stay in it as actual pieces of cookie, folded in by hand after churning rather than blended into the base, so you get soft little bites of ladyfinger running through the espresso swirl.
- You can make it ahead. It stores in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, so you can churn it in advance of a dinner or a warm-weather weekend and scoop it when you want it, rather than making dessert the same day you serve it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
Mascarpone cheese. This is what makes this work without eggs. It carries far more fat than cream cheese, which is why the base sets up rich and creamy on its own, no custard needed. Use full-fat mascarpone and let it come to room temperature first so it blends smooth without lumps.
Amaretto. It does two jobs. It brings the almond and coffee-liqueur note that reads as tiramisu, and the alcohol keeps the finished ice cream scoopable rather than icy. If you want it without alcohol, you can leave it out, but you will get a firmer freeze.
Semi-sweet chocolate. Chopped, it gets stirred into the hot espresso until it melts, then swirled through the ice cream in the last few minutes of churning. Chop it fine so it melts smoothly into the coffee rather than seizing into lumps.
Espresso. Carries the coffee flavor that makes this taste like tiramisu. Use real espresso or strong brewed coffee. If you keep instant espresso powder in the cupboard, mixed with hot water, it works just as well.
Ladyfingers. They go in as chopped pieces, not soaked, so they hold a little texture. Crushed shortbread or plain vanilla cookies stand in fine if you cannot find them.
How to Make Tiramisu Ice Cream at Home
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How to Make Tiramisu Ice Cream
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Blend the Base
Blend the mascarpone, milk, amaretto, sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy with no lumps. This is the whole base, so take it to properly smooth before it goes anywhere.
Chill the Base
Refrigerate the base for at least an hour. That chill matters more than it looks: a cold base freezes faster in the machine, and a faster freeze means smaller ice crystals, which is what gives you a smooth scoop instead of a grainy one.
Make the Espresso-Chocolate Swirl
Stir the chopped chocolate into the hot espresso until it melts smooth, then let it cool. It needs to come down to just warm so it does not melt the ice cream where it touches.
Churn the Ice Cream
Pour the chilled base into the ice cream maker and churn to a soft-serve texture, usually 20 to 25 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of churning, drizzle in the espresso-chocolate mix 1 teaspoon at a time so it runs through as a swirl.
Fold in the Ladyfingers
Once churning is done, fold the chopped ladyfingers in by hand. Fold gently rather than stirring hard, so they stay in pieces, and you get a little cookie in each bite.
Freeze Until Firm
Transfer to an airtight container, dust the top with cocoa, and freeze for at least 2 hours for a scoopable texture. The two things to get right are a properly cold base going into the machine and a light hand folding in the cookies at the end.
Expert Tips for Tiramisu Ice Cream
Get the base properly cold before it churns. An hour in the fridge is the minimum. The colder the base going in, the faster it freezes and the smaller the ice crystals, which is the whole difference between smooth and grainy homemade ice cream.
Do not add extra amaretto thinking more is better. Three tablespoons is calibrated. Alcohol softens the freeze, but past a point the base won’t set at all, and you’re left with a soft, wet mixture instead of scoopable ice cream. Stick to what the card says.
Cool the espresso-chocolate swirl before it goes in. If it’s still warm, it will melt the churned ice cream where it touches, and you lose the swirl. Let it come down to just warm, then drizzle it a teaspoon at a time in the last few minutes.
Fold the ladyfingers, not stir them. Stirring hard breaks them into dust and knocks the air out of the ice cream. A few gentle folds leave you actual pieces of cookie in each scoop.
No ice cream maker? Use the freeze-and-stir method. Freeze the blended base in a loaf pan and stir it every 30 minutes for about three hours, breaking up the crystals each time until it’s thick and scoopable. Stirring by hand does the job the machine’s paddle would, keeping the crystals small. The texture comes out slightly icier than the churned version, but it gets you there without the machine.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup hot espresso or strong coffee
- ½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
- 8 ladyfingers roughly chopped
- Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
Video
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, combine the mascarpone, milk, amaretto, sugar, and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill thoroughly.8 ounces mascarpone cheese, 1 cup whole milk, 3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur, ½ cup granulated sugar, pinch of salt
- In a small bowl, stir the chopped chocolate into the hot espresso until fully melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.⅓ cup hot espresso or strong coffee, ½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- Pour the chilled mascarpone mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions, usually about 20–25 minutes.
- In the final 5 minutes of churning, slowly drizzle in the espresso-chocolate mixture, one teaspoon at a time, to create a swirl effect.
- Once churning is complete, fold in the chopped ladyfingers gently by hand.8 ladyfingers
- Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container. Dust the top with cocoa powder and freeze for at least 2 hours for a firmer texture.Unsweetened cocoa powder
Notes
- Mascarpone: Use full-fat mascarpone at room temperature so it blends smooth. The fat is what makes the ice cream creamy without eggs.
- Espresso swap: Instant espresso powder mixed with hot water works if you don’t have brewed espresso.
- Amaretto alternatives: Coffee liqueur like Kahlua or dark rum both work, or leave the alcohol out for a firmer freeze.
- Ladyfinger swaps: Crushed shortbread or plain vanilla cookies stand in well.
- Freeze time: Soft-serve texture right away; 2 to 4 hours in the freezer firms it up.
- No ice cream maker: Freeze the base in a loaf pan and stir every 30 minutes for about 3 hours until thick and scoopable. Comes out a little icier than churned.
- Made ahead or as leftovers: Store in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface to prevent freezer burn, in the coldest part of the freezer. It stays smooth and creamy for up to 2 weeks from when you made it, and is best earlier in that window rather than at the end. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving if it’s too firm to scoop.
Nutrition
SERIOUSLY GOOD
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Tiramisu Ice Cream Variations
Make it alcohol-free. Skip the amaretto, and the ice cream still tastes like tiramisu from the coffee and mascarpone. Expect a firmer freeze, so let it sit out a few minutes longer before scooping.
Swap the liqueur. The card also works with coffee liqueur like Kahlua or dark rum in place of the amaretto. Any of these spirits keeps the same softening effect on the freeze, since it’s the alcohol, not the specific liqueur, that lowers the freezing point and keeps the ice cream scoopable.
Change the cookie. Crushed shortbread or plain vanilla cookies work in place of ladyfingers. For a coffee-shop version, fold in a handful of crushed soft sugar cookies instead.
What to Serve With Tiramisu Ice Cream
I like this best in a chilled glass with a shot of espresso poured over it, affogato style, which plays straight into the coffee flavor. It’s also good scooped over a warm tiramisu brownie, or alongside crisp cookies for something to bite against the soft ice cream.
When I want to make more of it for guests, I put out a plate of soft sugar cookies next to it and let people build their own. And if there’s a lemon fan at the table who isn’t sold on coffee, I set out the lemon tiramisu alongside it so there is a citrus option next to the coffee one.
How to Store Tiramisu Ice Cream
If you’re making this ahead for an occasion, churn it and freeze it in an airtight container with a layer of plastic wrap pressed onto the surface. It holds its texture in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, so you have a comfortable window to make it in advance rather than the same day, though homemade ice cream is at its best earlier in that window rather than at the very end of it. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften before you scoop.
Day to day, scoop out only what you are going to eat and return the container to the freezer right away. Keep the plastic wrap pressed onto the surface between servings and store the container in the coldest part of the freezer, toward the back rather than the door where the temperature swings. Stored this way, it stays smooth for up to 2 weeks from when you made it.
The reason it does not hold longer is that it has no commercial stabilizers; those are the additives that keep store-bought ice cream from going icy over months, and without them the ice crystals in a homemade batch slowly grow and coarsen the texture past that window. Give the container a few minutes at room temperature before scooping if it has firmed up too much.
Tiramisu Ice Cream FAQs
Yes. You can churn it in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the freezer, where it holds for up to 2 weeks. It’s at its best earlier in that window rather than at the very end, so a day or a few days ahead is fine for an occasion. Let it sit out a few minutes to soften before scooping.
Yes. Freeze the blended base in a loaf pan and stir it every 30 minutes for about three hours, breaking up the ice crystals each time, until it’s thick and scoopable. The result is a little icier than the churned version but still good.
You can. The ice cream still tastes like tiramisu from the coffee and mascarpone. Without the amaretto, it freezes firmer, so give it a few extra minutes at room temperature before serving.
Crushed shortbread or plain vanilla cookies both work well folded in.
Usually the base was not cold enough going into the machine. Ice cream turns smooth when the water in it freezes into many tiny crystals rather than a few big ones, and the faster the mix freezes, the smaller those crystals stay. A base that starts warm makes the machine spend its churning time just cooling the mix down, so it freezes slowly, and the crystals grow large and grainy. Chilling the base for at least an hour first means it enters the machine already cold and freezes fast, locking in the fine texture. After that, temperature swings in the freezer over time will still coarsen it, which is why storing it toward the back rather than the door helps.
More Cold Desserts to Try
When the weather turns warm, these are the cold desserts I keep coming back to.
Biscoff Ice Cream carries the warm, spiced cookie-butter flavor of Lotus Biscoff instead of coffee.
Ice Cream Sandwiches are a handheld frozen treat with the ice cream pressed between two cookies.
Tiramisu Cheesecake takes the same coffee and mascarpone flavor into a sliceable, set dessert rather than a scoop.
Matcha Tiramisu keeps the layered mascarpone structure but swaps the coffee for green tea.