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Vegan Ladyfingers – Connoisseurus Veg

2 weeks ago

1 5 minutes read

These vegan ladyfingers are light, crispy, and deliciously sweet! Perfect whether you’re craving a delicious cookie or whipping up a batch of tiramisu.

Plate of Vegan Ladyfingers with a cup of tea in the background.

Is there anything better than a ladyfinger cookie with a cup of tea? Also known as sponge fingers or savoiardi, ladyfingers are a variety of British cookie that’s known for being light and airy. They’re also one of the main ingredients in tiramisu.

Unfortunately, I’ve never come across vegan ladyfingers at the store. (Do you know of a brand? Tell me!) This isn’t really surprising, as they’re not exactly the easiest cookies to veganize. Unlike classics like snowballs, which don’t require any eggs, or chocolate chip cookies where a little bit of cornstarch can stand in for an egg, ladyfingers are made with whipped egg whites. Lots of them!

There are a lot of egg substitutes out there, but only one that really whips up like egg whites. Aquafaba is the answer.

Read on and I’ll teach you how to recreate the sweet deliciousness of ladyfinger cookies using water from a can of chickpeas.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

Flour. I created this recipe using all-purpose flour, and since it is a tricky one, I wouldn’t recommend substituting anything else.
Cornstarch.
Baking powder. This isn’t something you’ll find in most traditional ladyfinger recipes, but we’re using it to give our vegan version a little extra lift, since they’re made without eggs.
Salt.
Sugar. Use organic sugar to ensure the recipe stays vegan. Conventional sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
Vegan butter. Most ladyfinger recipes don’t call for butter, but in this one we’re using it to supply a bit of richness and fat that would otherwise be lacking in a recipe without egg yolks.
Aquafaba. This is the liquid you’ll find in a can of chickpeas or other beans. Aquafaba whips up much like egg whites do, so you can create dishes like meringues, sponge cakes, and of course, ladyfingers. Working with aquafaba can take some getting used to, so I highly recommend playing around with it. Next time you crack open a can of beans, try whipping it up to see what happens! While chickpeas are most commonly used, I actually prefer aquafaba that’s packed with cannellini beans.
Vanilla extract.
Powdered sugar. This is optional. Just use it if you’d like to add a dusting to your ladyfingers, and you can skip it if you’re making tiramisu with them. As with granulated sugar, make sure this is organic.

How They’re Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

Dry ingredients for vegan ladyfingers in a mixing bowl with wire whisk.

Start by combining your dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Whisk everything together.

Creamed vegan butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer.

Now use an electric mixer to cream half of your sugar together with room temperature butter, one tablespoon of aquafaba, and the vanilla extract. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer — your choice!

Tip: You’ll need an electric mixer for the next step as well. Assuming you don’t have a spare, take a moment to wash and dry the beaters. It’s important that they’re clean and dry for the next step.

Aquafaba in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer.

Place the rest of your aquafaba (½ cup) into a large mixing bowl. It will be runny and transparent, with a yellowish tinge to it, kind of like egg whites.

Whipped aquafaba in a mixing bowl with electric mixer.

Beat the aquafaba on high speed until soft peaks form. Be patient! This can take a while — up to 15 minutes with some brands of chickpeas. Once you reach soft peaks, slowly start to beat in the remaining half cup of sugar.

Tip: Your aquafaba has reached the soft peaks stage when it’s thick, opaque, and somewhat able to hold it’s shape. Lift the mixer out of the bowl and see what happens. It should form a peak that retains it’s shape for a few seconds before collapsing.

Spatula folding mixture of vegan butter and sugar into a bowl of vegan meringue.

Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the butter mixture into the aquafaba mixture, being careful not to disturb it too much.

Vegan Ladyfinger cookie dough in a bowl with spatula.

Now fold flour mixture into the aquafaba mixture, still being careful not to disrupt all those wonderful air bubbles.

Tip: Be gentle when folding each addition into your ladyfinger batter, and stop once it’s thoroughly mixed. The batter will become denser after you add the dry ingredients, but it should still be quite a bit lighter than typical cookie dough.

Unbaked Vegan Ladyfingers on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Use a pastry bag to pipe the batter in small strips on your prepared baking sheets, then bake the cookies until they’re set and golden brown around the edges.

Tip: If you don’t have a pastry bag, simply cut a corner off of a large plastic storage bag.

White wooden surface set with cup of tea and plate of Vegan Ladyfinger cookies.

Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool for a few minutes, then transfer your vegan ladyfingers directly to the racks until they cool completely. Optionally, sprinkle them with a bit of powdered sugar.

Lady's hand holding a vegan ladyfinger cookie.

Shelf-Life & Storage

Vegan ladyfingers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.

More Vegan Cookies

Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!