What to Serve with Tiramisu? 10 BEST Side Dishes

Meaning “cheer me up” or “pick me up,” tiramisu is an Italian dessert made from savoiardi (ladyfingers), mascarpone cheese, egg yolks, coffee, and cocoa.

It is typically served cold.

Tiramisu originated in Italy around the 1960s; however, there was no written evidence of its recipes until the 1970s.

It pairs best with fruits, chocolate, and sweet wines like Marsala, Ice Wine, Port, Cream Sherry, and Vin Santo.

If you’re planning to serve tiramisu, we have a list of awesome side dishes for you to consider serving.

Keep reading if you want to know what to serve with tiramisu.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Tiramisu?

Tiramisu makes a great dessert for any kind of meal, and you can eat them alone in small quantities.

However, if you want to take your menu up a notch and serve something to pair with it, there are certainly ample options.

This Italian dessert pairs well with various fruits, dessert-style wines, and many Italian side dishes.

You should consider serving them to add more flavors and textures to your dessert.

They provide the necessary nutrients tiramisu lacks.

Also, this list will help if you’re wondering what foods go well with tiramisu besides desserts.

So, don’t fret about what food to prepare when you have tiramisu in mind.

What to Serve with Tiramisu? 10 BEST Side Dishes

If you’re looking for the perfect accompaniment to your tiramisu dish, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve rounded up 10 delicious side dishes that pair perfectly with this classic Italian dessert.

1 – Macerated Strawberries and Raspberries

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If you’re just looking for something exciting and refreshing to serve with tiramisu, you won’t want to look any further.

Macerated strawberries and raspberries are a match made in heaven for tiramisu- you’ve got to try it.

Grab a bunch of strawberries and raspberries, lemon juice, and caster sugar.

All you have to do now is slice the berries, add the lemon juice and sugar, and stir.

Leave it for a minimum of 30 minutes, and you’re done.

The lemon juice and sugar add a depth of flavor to the berries and make them even more delectable.

2 – Chocolate-Covered Raisin and Strawberry Cupcakes

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Serve this classic candy with your tiramisu if you want your guests to enjoy a restaurant-quality experience at the next dinner.

Once you learn how to make this delicious dessert, you’ll never want to grab it from the store again.

Chocolate-covered raisin and strawberry cupcakes use frozen or dried strawberries, raisins, flour, baking powder, powdered sugar, vanilla essence, milk, and salt.

If you want to top them off with buttercream frosting for that extra sweetness, get room-temperature butter, vanilla essence, icing sugar, milk, and salt.

It takes around 45 minutes to make this dessert.

So, it’s perfect for those days when you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen.

3 – Banana Pudding

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There’s nothing wrong with serving two types of sweet desserts- especially when they complement each other perfectly.

Banana pudding typically comprises vanilla wafers, custard, and fresh bananas topped with meringue or whipped cream.

Many like to top the banana pudding with tiramisu as their flavors go well together.

But you can make a whole new dessert to serve with your tiramisu if you want to present multiple desserts.

4 – Chopped Almonds, Walnuts, Peanuts, And Cashew Nuts

If you don’t have time to spare for another dish that takes over an hour to cook, simply chop some nuts and serve them beside your tiramisu.

Chopped almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashew nuts, or anything you have in hand will work for this side.

It is the easiest, most hassle-free way to have something to serve along with tiramisu.

As simple as the preparation is, assorted nuts add depth and texture to tiramisu in the most decadent way.

5 – Marsala Wine

Skip your other beverages this time and serve Marsala wine instead if you’re serving tiramisu for the last course.

Produced in Marsala, Sicily, Marsala is a sweet wine that’s popular for serving with tiramisu.

It is suggested that you serve wine that’s sweeter than the dessert when there’s tiramisu for dessert.

If not, the dessert’s sweetness cancels out the taste of the wine and makes it bland.

If you can’t get your hands on Marsala wine, you can opt for other sweet wines like Moscato Rosa, Port, and Sherry.

6 – Rainbow Fruit Skewers

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While there are many fruit recipes that go with tiramisu, you can keep it clean, fresh, and simple by making rainbow fruit skewers with the fruits you can get.

They are packed with vitamins and take only 15 minutes to make.

For the most vibrant rainbow fruit skewers, you can get fruits like raspberries, tangerines, mango, pineapple, watermelon, green and red grapes, blueberries, kiwi, and strawberries.

Cut them in different shapes (if you have time) and put them in the skewers.

That’s all.

7 – Italian Green Beans

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Now, let’s get into the “side dish” part of the list.

This is for those who aren’t very sure about what sides to serve during the main course when you have tiramisu coming up next.

Italian green beans work for anyone- even the pickiest eaters.

This dish features green beans mixed with sautéed ripe grape tomatoes and drenched in Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, and garlic.

The fresh flavors of the veggies go well with decadent tiramisu and keep the palate cleansed for the dessert.

You can prepare this side dish without worry as it complements almost all main courses.

You can make this dish in 15 to 20 minutes using the simplest ingredients in your pantry.

8 – Tuscan White Bean Salad

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Although the name of this dish calls for cannellini beans, you can use any type of beans you have.

Pair Tuscan white bean salad with whatever main dish you’ve prepared, and you can finish it off beautifully with a tiramisu cake.

Tuscan white bean salad uses ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, brown mushrooms, yellow onion, olive oil, lemon juice, scallion, parsley, salt, and pepper.

It has a good amount of fiber and protein and is very healthy compared to many side dishes.

The best part is that you can include this dish on your menu when you plan to serve tiramisu for dessert.

9 – Italian Stuffed Tomatoes

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Another Italian side dish that’s sure to blow everybody’s minds is Italian stuffed tomatoes.

It uses bread crumbs, anchovies, and pine nuts to give a savory filling for the tomatoes.

You can brighten the dish up further by adding lemon zest and parsley to the stuffing.

Some even like to add raisins, but that’s optional.

Make sure to line the tomatoes with sea salt generously.

All you’ve got to do now is drizzle some white wine at the bottom of the pan and bake the stuffed tomatoes for 25 minutes.

This side dish is great and compatible with many main courses if you want to keep the theme Italian.

10 – Farro Salad

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Do you want a salad that’s fancier and more presentable than your regular green salad? Try Italian farro salad.

Regardless of what you’re serving for the main course, this side dish will go well with anything.

Farro salad is made using sweet and juicy cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, radishes, and a zingy dressing.

But you can use other veggies by all means, as farro tastes excellent with many vegetables.

It is a simple side dish that’s great for indoor and outdoor meals.

TIP: Ensure to salt the water you’re using to cook the farro.

Without seasoning, you’ll get a bland taste.

Conclusion

Tiramisu is one of the most popular dessert choices when it comes to fine dining.

Since it is quick and easy to make, you can prepare a batch at home and serve your family and friends after dinner.

You’d also be thrilled to know that this dessert has many sides that complement it.

Whether you want to opt for fresh fruits or decadent nuts, there are many pocket-friendly options year-round.

Try our recommendations today, one by one, to pick your favorite.

With so many foods complementing your tiramisu, you never have to worry about boring and repetitive desserts.