Olive Garden Tiramisu
Prep time: 25 minutes (plus 6+ hours chilling) Cook time: 0 minutes Servings: 8 servings
Olive Garden’s tiramisu is one of the most popular desserts on their menu, and for good reason. It’s the classic Italian dessert executed well — layers of espresso-soaked ladyfinger cookies sandwiching a light, sweet mascarpone cream, all dusted with bitter cocoa powder. The contrast of sweet cream, bitter coffee, and cocoa creates a flavor that’s far more complex than the simple ingredient list suggests.
The no-cook technique means this is entirely about assembly and patience. The magic happens in the refrigerator, where the ladyfingers absorb moisture from the cream and coffee, transforming from crispy cookies into a soft, cake-like layer that melds with the mascarpone.
Tiramisu Tips
- Quick dip, don’t soak. The most common mistake is soaking the ladyfingers too long. One to two seconds per side is all you need. They continue absorbing moisture in the fridge. Over-soaked ladyfingers turn to mush.
- Room temperature mascarpone. Cold mascarpone is lumpy and doesn’t fold smoothly. Let it sit out for 30 minutes before using.
- Overnight is best. Six hours is the minimum, but 12-24 hours gives you the best texture and flavor. The layers set properly and the coffee flavor permeates everything evenly.
Olive Garden Dessert Pricing
A slice of tiramisu at Olive Garden costs $8-10. This recipe makes 8 generous servings for about $12 total — $1.50 per serving. It’s also impressive enough to serve at a dinner party, which you can’t say about most recipes.
More Olive Garden Copycat Recipes
Tiramisu closes the Olive Garden meal — here’s what leads up to it:
- Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks — the garlic-butter breadsticks that open every Olive Garden dinner; tiramisu closes it; the two bookend the whole table
- Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana — the rustic Italian sausage-and-potato soup for the first course; a full three-course Olive Garden dinner at home starts here
- Copycat Olive Garden Salad — the house salad with Italian dressing to complete the soup-and-salad duo before the pasta and the tiramisu
See all Olive Garden copycat recipes →
