This vegan trifle recipe is absolutely delicious. It's easy to make, gluten-free and loved by everyone, even those that don't love trifle!
I have always loved the combo of whipped cream and berries. And pudding and berries. But I never realized how good putting them all together with a cake like layer would be!
While this isn't as traditional as it can be, being as I did not soak the cake in whiskey, brandy or the like, it is still incredible and was devoured by my children.
I am not against booze, in fact I actually try to include them in much of my fun and would probably have them on the side with this amazing vegan trifle. But I have an issue with the texture of soaked cake. It makes me gag. So unsoaked it was!
Ingredients
To make this vegan trifle recipe you will need to gather the following items:
- Dairy free whipped cream
- Vanilla cake or cupcakes
- Berries
- Raw cashews
- Coconut cream
- Dairy free milk
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Sea salt
How to Make Vegan Trifle with Berries
This recipe is so easy to make! You can either place the layers in one big dish, or in individual jars. Here's what to do:
- Add all of the pudding layer ingredients to a high speed blender.
- Blend until thick, smooth, and creamy the put it in the fridge to thicken.
- Build the trifle by starting with the cake layer.
- Cover the cake with the pudding.
- Add the fruit next.
- Finally top with whipped cream.
- Enjoy!
Flavor suggestions
You can easily switch things up either to keep flavors interesting , or to fit your dietary needs. Here are a few ways you can change the recipe:
- Make it boozy! Add in whiskey, sherry, or brandy by pouring it onto the cake squares.
- Add some jelly or jam by spreading a layer onto the cake before cutting it up.
- Instead of cake you can use store bought lady fingers, angel food cake or pound cake.
- A mix of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries is best, but you can change up which berries you use.
- Cashew milk gives a nice creamy result. Canned coconut milk works great as well but has a strong coconut flavor.
- Powdered sugar leads to the lightest texture, but cane sugar works too. You can also use maple syrup or date paste but it will affect the end texture a bit.
Tips and tricks
For the best results, make sure to check out these suggestions:
- Making this trifle in individual containers is a cute presentation and makes serving a breeze. You can also make it in a larger baking or serving dish.
- To make this recipe without a high speed blender, soak the cashews overnight, boil them for 30 minutes or grind the dry cashews into a fine powder using a coffee grinder.
- Cover the trifle and store in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. The longer you store the mushier the cake will be.
- Prep this ahead of time by making the whipped cream, cake, and pudding, and store separately until ready to assemble.
Common Questions
A trifle is a British layered dessert generally consisting of cake or spongy pastries soaked in sherry topped with fruit, custard, and whipped cream. There are many variations using different flavors for the layers.
Layer pieces of plant-based cake, fruit, pudding, and whipped cream in one large dish or multiple smaller jars. See the recipe for detailed ingredients and instructions.
Yes. Even though this version does not contain dairy or eggs it should still be kept in the refrigerator to maintain freshness and to hold the consistency.
Trifle is best before 2-3 days once it has been assembled. The cake layer will become too mushy the longer it is stored.
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
So many desserts so little time! Make up any of these plant based desserts and get cheers from the whole family:
- Caramel Sauce (Cook and No Cook Methods!)
- Rice Krispie Treats
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Apple Cobbler
- Gluten-Free Brownies
- Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Millionaire Shortbread
- Vegan Caramel Popcorn
Vegan Trifle Recipe with Berries
Ingredients
- 2 cups dairy free whipped cream , about half my recipe if making homemade
- 2 cups cubed vanilla cake/cupcakes , about 4 cupcakes (or you can use store bought lady fingers, angel food cake or pound cake)
- 2 cups strawberries , blueberries, raspberries (use a mix)
- ยฝ cup whiskey , sherry, or brandy (optional, see note)
- ยฝ cup jelly or jam , optional (see note)
Pudding/Custard layer:
- 1 cup raw cashews see note
- 1 cup coconut cream see note
- ยฝ cup dairy free milk I use cashew milk (canned coconut works great for creaminess but has a strong coconut flavor)
- ยผ cup cane or powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Blend all pudding layer ingredients until you get a thick, smooth and creamy result. Put in the fridge to thicken. How long will depend on how thick you want it. If left overnight it will give the best thickest result. But it will still work having cooled and thickened for at least an hour.
- Build the trifle, you can use one big container to build it in or make 4 individual jars. You can also make 8 smaller jars for a lighter treat.
For 4 jars (16 ounce) build as follows:
- ยผ cup cake cubes
- ยผ cup pudding
- ยผ cup berries
- ยผ cup whipped cream
- Repeat
- You can also make these in individual 4 ounce jars by cutting these amounts in half.
For one larger container build as follows:
- 1 cup cake cubes
- 1 cup pudding
- 1 cup berries
- 1 cup whipped cream
- Repeat
Notes
- Traditional trifle soaks the cake in alcohol of some sort and can also use jelly. I am not a fan of soaked cake so I did not do this, and to keep this simple I did not use the jelly. See directions to incorporate both of these.
- Coconut cream is the top layer from a can of full fat coconut milk, stored in refrigerator for 2-3 days or freezer for 2-3 hours. You need about 1 can of full fat coconut milk to get ยฝ - 1 cup coconut cream (it varies by brand). Some brands also sell the cream alone (like Thai Kitchen).
- Powdered sugar leads to the lightest texture, but cane sugar works too. You can also use maple syrup or date paste but it will affect the end texture a bit.
- If you are not using a high speed blender, you can soak the cashews overnight, boil them for 30 minutes or grind the dry cashews into a fine powder using a coffee grinder (do not boil them for this method).
- You can also use store bought pudding or custard. You will need 2 cups.
Recipe by Veggies Donโt Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Barbara
Love your recipes and am super grateful for the pudding recipe! Thank you! Do you have recipe suggestions for the cake?
Sophia DeSantis
Hi Barbara! Strange, my vanilla cupcake recipe should have been linked. Ah technology haha. I just updated it and you can now find the link to my vanilla cupcake recipe in this recipe!
Sarah
I love this as a light dessert option! I skipped the booze and it was so perfect for everyone!