Vegan Berry Trifle

Published 12 hours ago• 6 minute read

Published: Jun 27, 2025 by · This post may contain affiliate links ·

Trifles come in lots of variations, but they're all at least meat-free. Still, they're far from vegan, with lots of butter, eggs, and dairy. With that in mind, I came up with a scrumptious trifle recipe without any of those things. It's every bit as delicious as a proper English trifle, and WAAAAY better than Rachel's.

Jump to:

Now, before you dive into the recipe, a heads up: this can be a bit of a project. But it doesn’t have to be!

A lot of conventional trifle recipes call for store-bought components like cake, custard, and whipped cream. I’ve included recipes for each of those components from scratch, but you can absolutely swap in premade versions to save time.

You'll also find plenty of substitution suggestions below, so you can customize the recipe to your tastes and energy level. If you go all in, your homemade vegan trifle will be absolutely magnificent. But even if you cut a few corners, it’ll still be magnificent!

Get started by preheating your oven, then greasing and lining a couple of loaf pans with parchment paper. Leave some paper hanging over the edges — you'll use it later to lift the cakes from the pans.

Flax egg mixture in mixing bowl with wire whisk.

Whisk your ground flaxseeds together with some non-dairy milk, then let the mixture sit while you proceed with the next step of the recipe. It needs time to gel!

Dry ingredients for vanilla cake in a mixing bowl with wire whisk.

Whisk your flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Set this aside for a moment.

Liquid ingredients for vanilla cake in a liquid measuring cup with spoon.

Stir some additional non-dairy milk together with oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Whipped flax egg and sugar mixture in mixing bowl with electric mixer.

Now head back to the bowl with the flax mixture. Add your sugar and beat the mixture with an electric mixer for about a minute.

Wet ingredient mixture for vanilla cake batter in a mixing bowl with electric mixer and spatula.

Turn the mixer down to low speed, then drizzle in the milk and oil mixture with the mixer running.

Vanilla cake batter in a mixing bowl with electric mixer and spatula.

Beat in about a third of the dry ingredients at a time, until everything is mixed and you have a smooth batter.

two loaf pans filled with vanilla cake batter.

Divide the batter between your two loaf pans, then pop them into the oven. Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack when they come out.

This is adapted from my vegan custard recipe, so if you've made that before you probably already know what to do!

Pot of vegan custard simmering on a cooktop with a wire whisk.

Start by combining chilled non-dairy milk and cornstarch in a saucepan, then add sugar and coconut milk. Heat the mixture to a simmer. By now it should be nice and thick!

Hand whisking vegan butter and vanilla into a pot of vegan custard.

Whisk in some vegan butter, making sure it melts, and vanilla extract. You can also add turmeric or yellow food coloring, if you'd like.

Let the custard cool at room temperature for a bit, giving it a whisk here and there. Then move it to the fridge to chill.

Opened can of coconut cream with a spoon in it.

Crack open the can. You should see thick white solids on top. Scoop them into a bowl. Get rid of the remaining liquid (or save it for a smoothie!).

Whipped coconut cream in a mixing bowl with electric mixer and spatula.

Add powdered sugar to the bowl, then beat it together with the coconut cream until the mixture is fluffy.

Aquafaba mixed to soft peaks in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer and spatula.

Use the whisk attachment on your electric mixer to beat the aquafaba and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

Vegan whipped topping in a glass bowl with a spatula.

Use a rubber spatula to very gently fold the aquafaba into the coconut cream mixture, being careful not to deflate the aquafaba.

Cover the bowl and stick it into the fridge. Let your whipped topping chill for a bit.

Loaf cake that's been cut into cubes on a cutting board with knife.

Dice both loaves up into approximately ½ to 1 inch cubes. They don't need to be perfectly sized or perfect cubes, so don't fuss too much here.

Hand spreading whipped topping over a partially assembled vegan trifle.

Grab your trifle bowl and layer your ingredients as follows, starting from the bottom: cake, custard, berries, whipped topping. Then repeat!

You can serve your vegan trifle right away, or do as I prefer — cover it up and chill it until the following day. This gives the ingredients time to settle and meld a bit.

Vegan Berry Trifle on a white wooden surface with a blue napkin, fresh berries, and mint leaves.

Store leftover vegan trifle in the trifle bowl, covered tightly in plastic. If that's not doable, you can transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for three to four days. I actually like it best on the day after it was assembled!

There are seriously endless ways to switch this recipe up!

Yep! The cake is the only gluten containing ingredient, so either swap it out with a vegan and gluten-free cake (or cookies!), or try making it with all-purpose gluten-free flour — I have not tested this, but I think it will work!

Aside from cutting back on the ingredients, you'll need a smaller trifle bowl, or another suitable container. Any bowl will do if you're not concerned with displaying the trifle's layers. You could also make the dessert into individual parfaits — just make sure to cut the cake and fruit into small pieces!

Can I make my trifle with frozen berries?

Fresh berries work best, but frozen will do in a pinch. Make sure to thaw and drain them before using them. They will still release more juice than fresh, so your trifle may be a bit soggy and won't keep as long.

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!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, British

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Chill Time 4 hours

Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 678kcal

Author Alissa Saenz

For the Cake

For the Custard

For the Whipped Topping

For Assembly

Make the Cake

Make the Custard

Make the Whipped Topping

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or carefully transfer the mixture to an airtight container. Chill the mixture for at least 4 hours.

Assemble the Trifle

Remove the cakes from the loaf pans by pulling upward on the excess parchment paper. Place the cakes onto cutting boards, then cut them into ½ to 1-inch cubes.
Take the custard and whipped topping out of the fridge. Whisk or stir the custard to loosen it up a bit.
Arrange half of the cake cubes into the bottom of a 3-quart trifle bowl. Spread half of the custard over the cake cubes. Top the custard layer with all of the strawberries, then cover the strawberries with half of the whipped topping. Optionally, reserve a few berries for garnish.
Repeat the layering arrangement, using the blueberries in place of the strawberries. Garnish the trifle with any berries you reserved.
Serve the trifle immediately, or, if you have time, cover and chill it for a few hours, or up to three days. Serve.

About Alissa Saenz

Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.