Vegan Ladyfingers 

These vegan ladyfingers are light, airy, and so tasty! This quick and easy recipe uses just a few ingredients and has no aquafaba. Such perfect treats for tiramisu, or to enjoy with your tea or coffee!

Ladyfingers are also known as Italian savoirardi. They are slender sweets that are sort of a cross between sponge-like cakes, cookies, and biscuits.

Their soft, fluffy, and slightly sweetened characteristics make them great for enjoying with your coffee, during tea-time, or as finger food at parties and showers. 

I developed this recipe for the ladyfinger portion of my Tiramisu recipe. It was difficult for me to find ladyfingers at my local grocery stores. And the few that I have found have not been vegan. Hence, I decided fresh and homemade was better anyway!

Traditional ladyfinger recipes typically involve a lot of eggs and many vegan recipes use aquafaba as an egg replacement. Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. My recipe is egg-free, has no aquafaba, and is quick and easy!

You can enjoy these sponge fingers as moist cookies. Or, make them ahead of time and let them dry out before using them in trifles or tiramisu. 

Reasons To Love This Recipe

• No aquafaba
• Quick and easy
• Eggless, dairy-free
• Just a few ingredients

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Soy Milk - Soy or a different full-fat plant-based milk can be used. However, soy tends to work the best in my experience. 
• Apple Cider Vinegar - ACV is added to the plant milk to create a buttermilk replacement. Either lemon juice or white vinegar can be used as replacements, if needed.
• Vegan butter - Use vegan butter sticks if you can because they tend to hold up better. My preference here is Earth Balance. If it isn’t salted, add ⅛ teaspoon of salt to the batter. Refrigerate it until just before you’re ready to use it. 
• Cane Sugar - Vegan cane sugar adds a perfect level of sweetness. 
• Vanilla - Just a little bit of vanilla extract flavors the ladyfingers. 
• Flour - All-purpose flour is a great, light flour to use here. A gluten-free, 1-to-1 substitute can work as well.
• Baking Powder - Baking powder helps the ladyfingers rise up. Do not use baking soda as a replacement because it will cause them to spread and flatten more than we want. Interestingly, baking powder doesn't have a long shelf life and will not work properly if it's expired. I like the one made by Bob's Red Mill because it's aluminum-free.
• Salt - Just a pinch to enhance the other flavors. 
• Powdered Sugar (vegan) - This optional ingredient is dusted on top of the ladyfinger biscuits before eating them. You can leave it off if you plan to use them in tiramisu.

How to Make Vegan Ladyfingers 

Here are some quick visual steps. Find the full recipe with exact measurements on the recipe card below.

Make the vegan buttermilk by stirring the soy milk and apple cider vinegar together. Set it aside for a few minutes as it curdles. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with silicone mats (or parchment paper). Lining them helps keep the ladyfingers from cooking too quickly on the hot trays and silicone keeps them from spreading a bit more.

Beat the vegan butter and cane sugar together until it forms a grainy texture. I suggest mixing them in a large bowl to prevent a mess. Using a hand or stand mixer makes things easier. Next, mix the buttermilk and vanilla in until everything is fully combined. 

Try to work quickly once the plant milk and vegan butter are out of the refrigerator. Cold dough rises better in the oven because of the steam pockets that are created with the heat.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl. This helps reduce the amount of clumps that need to be broken up later which would cause over-mixing. Beat the dry ingredients in just until they’re fully combined.

Spoon the batter into a piping bag. If you don’t have one, use a gallon bag. No need to chill the dough as that will cause the ladyfingers to become dense and chewy.

Then, clip a corner that’s ½ inch wide. Pipe the batter in strips that are about 2 ½ inches long and an inch apart. Bake them for about 10-12 mins in the middle of the oven. Start checking them around 10 minutes and remove them as soon as you see a light golden color forming on the bottom/edges. 

Let them cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling rack for another 10 minutes. Dust them with powdered sugar and enjoy! No need to add powdered sugar if you're planning to use them to make tiramisu. 

Tips For Success

• I have had the best curdling results by using soy milk but another full-fat plant-based milk can be used. 
• Keep the butter and plant milk in the refrigerator until just before you need them and work quickly once they are out for a light and airy biscuit.
• Try to use butter sticks such as Earth Balance because they hold up better.
• Check to make sure your baking powder isn't expired to ensure a full rise.
• Try not to over mix the dough once you've added the flour as that can toughen up the ladyfingers.
• Using a sifter for the dry ingredients helps break up any clumps. This reduces the need to over mix the batter. 
• If you don’t have a piping bag, simply spoon the batter into a gallon bag. Then, push out the excess air, seal it, and clip a corner about ½ inch wide. 
• Be sure to line your baking sheets with a silicone mat (preferred) or parchment paper. This keeps the ladyfingers from cooking too fast and flattening on the hot trays.

Frequently Asked Question

Related Vegan Recipes 

• Tiramisu
• Blueberry Lemon Muffins
• Cinnamon Rolls without Yeast
• Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

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