Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
Rich and creamy, Homemade Mascarpone Cheese cheese lets you treat yourself to an elegant ingredient without searching high and low to locate it! Plus, it’s much less expensive to make at home.
Have you ever wasted half a day calling numerous grocery stores or driving from market to market to locate just one ingredient? Mascarpone can often be hard to track down, but it’s not difficult to make from scratch! You’ll have this rich, buttery, and tangy ingredient available for all sorts of delicious Mascarpone Recipes!
Why You Should Make Mascarpone Cheese
- Until Whole Foods and Fresh Market opened locally, foods like mascarpone cheese were impossible to find in our local grocery stores.
- Making mascarpone from scratch is ridiculously simple, though, and only takes two ingredients and a candy thermometer.
- So besides sharing some yummy recipes utilizing mascarpone, I also will teach you how to whip it up in your own kitchen!
Frequently Asked Questions
Mascarpone Cheese is an Italian cream cheese which hails from the Lombardy region of Italy. Made with heavy cream, it’s definitely richer than American cream cheese and is featured in dessert recipes like Tiramisu. The addition of mascarpone gives desserts a creamy, luscious texture.
It’s also great on scones, instead of clotted cream, along with a smear of jam! According to the Farmers’ Almanac, mascarpone is described as a buttery, double or triple-cream cheese made from cow’s milk which is ivory-colored, soft, and delicate and can be either nearly liquid or similar to butter in texture. Mascarpone can be substituted for cream cheese in many circumstances, though the flavor is slightly different. But it’s also a little looser in texture than cream cheese.
So if using mascarpone in a cookie recipe, for example, it may need a bit of extra flour to reach the right consistency. You can substitute cream cheese for mascarpone in a pinch, but you must mix in some heavy cream to duplicate the texture. Or you can make it at home with two simple ingredients, pasteurized heavy cream, and lemon juice!
Besides the Italian classic, Tiramisu, mascarpone cheese can be used in cheesecakes instead of cream cheese, with a little sugar to garnish desserts instead of whipped cream, and loads of other desserts. Mascarpone Cheesecake with Balsamic Strawberries is one of my favorite cheesecake recipes of all time.
I also love a no-bake Mocha Icebox Cake as well as a nontraditional Berry Tiramisu, too. But Italians have savory mascarpone cheese recipes as well, like as a white pizza sauce, in a rich, pasta sauce or as a soup topping.
Unless you’re Italian or watch a lot of Giada DeLaurentis, you may not know the proper way to pronounce mascarpone. So here goes: mahs-kahr-POH-neh(nay). Now you know!!!
How to Make Mascarpone
All that’s needed to make homemade mascarpone is heavy cream and lemon juice. Who knew? Take some time to find pasteurized heavy cream, not ultra-pasteurized heavy cream. The flavor is fresher and definitely superior, but if you cannot find it, don’t fret. I found mine at Whole Foods but I realize that’s not an option for everyone. PRO-Tip: This recipe will work with ultra-pasteurized cream if that’s all you can find.
Steps for Making Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
This Mascarpone Cheese Recipe is easy if you have the right supplies. First, you need an accurate thermometer to make sure you pull the cream mixture off the heat at the proper temperature. Also, hunt down some pasteurized heavy cream. Ultra-pasteurized will work in a pinch, but the results may not be as creamy.
- PRO-Tip: As noted above, read the label and try to track down some pasteurized heavy cream NOT ultra-pasteurized. I find it at Whole Foods.
- PRO-Tip: The process is simple. Pour the cream into a saucepan and cook to 190º F, just to a simmer, not a rolling boil. Use a clip-on thermometer, if available) to monitor the temperature.
- Add lemon juice and cook just until thickened.
- Drain in a cheesecloth-lined strainer and chill and you’ll have 12 ounces of quality mascarpone for little effort and money.
- PRO-Tip: Store covered in an airtight container. Use your homemade mascarpone cheese within 7-10 days.
- If you can’t possibly use all the mascarpone cream, it can be frozen for up to 6 weeks. The quality may not be as quite as good as fresh, but after stirring, it’s perfectly fine to use in recipes.
Useful Tools (affiliate links):
More Recipes You’ll Love:
Here are some delicious recipes using mascarpone cheese plus it would be a scrumptious spread on this yummy Brown Sugar Bread!
- Mascarpone Filled Strawberries
- Individual Tiramisu Parfaits
- Balsamic Raspberries with Mascarpone
- Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake
- Mascarpone Topped Poached Apples
- More Best Dessert Recipes
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This recipe was first shared in November 2014. Text was updated in 2021.
Homemade Mascarpone Cheese Recipe
A simple recipe to make mascarpone cheese at home. Adapted from Pastry Affair.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream (pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Pour cream into a large sauce pan and heat to a simmer (you don't want it to boil). Stir in lemon juice. With a candy thermometer, monitor the temperature and keep around 190º F. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, till mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Pour through a strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth and positioned over a bowl. Flip cheesecloth over top of strainer and refrigerate for 8 hours.
- Scrape cheese from cheesecloth into a storage container and press plastic wrap over the surface.
- Store for up to a week.
Notes
Pasteurized not Ultra-Pasteurized Heavy Cream is preferred, but both will work.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 tablespoonAmount Per Serving: Calories: 68Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 6mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
80 Comments on “Homemade Mascarpone Cheese”
Im a italian from Napoli and we use acid citric or lemon juice. Original Italian Mascarpone can be made with both acido citrico and or acido tartarico, we prefer acido citrico from lemon juice because it is much easier and faster than with tartarico.
U can check it out at wiki or at this site:
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mascarpone
http://bressanini-lescienze.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2012/04/16/le-ricette-scientifiche-mascarpone-fai-da-te/
Thanks for your input, Silvietta! I’ll try it with citric acid next. Great tip!
Hello Liz,
Nonsense. Concrete countertops, Danish cookware, and frayed cheesecloth cannot cover the fact that Mascarpone is not cream with lemon juice. That’s like saying that you are minutes away from Pizza if you can put together a pizza bagel. Mascarpone is made with tartaric acid from wine production. Lemon juice, vinegar, or citric acid do not belong in it. They will give it a terrible sandy texture and weird flavor; it will likely spoil within days too.
Great points, but in a pinch this works for adding to cheesecakes and more. And I’ve never had mine turn out sandy. Many cooks don’t have access to real mascarpone or tartaric acid. This works perfectly in a pinch when you don’t have other options.
I can’t tell you how many times i’ve had people ask me how to do this. Thank you!
I love how easy this is to make! Thank you!!
This makes any dessert better!
This is even better than store bought! And so easy to make!
Thank you for making such a wonderful delicacy within the reach of all of us! I expect to make
this and want to go on to the next step and make ‘cream cheese’ icing with it: what would I
do next? Many, many thanks!
Hi, Barbara,
You are most welcome. I like the look of this recipe: https://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/mascarpone-frosting/ You may need a bit more powdered sugar since the homemade version might not be as thick as store bought. Hope you enjoy!!
Wow i love this! Mascarpone is hella expensive in Sg and its so hard just finding a proper one! What does it mean to use paesturised cream? Regular ones? How do i tell the difference?
Around here most cream is ultrapasteurized–and you don’t want that. If you don’t see ultrapasteurized on the label, I’d guess it was just pasteurized (the cream of my childhood!). Hope that helps.
Once again I was out looking for mascarpone today and couldn’t find it. This time I’m printing the recipe. Thanks Liz!
Hi Liz!
I made this last night and took it out this morning!
It is AMAZING! So easy! Thanks for sharing!
Kim
I’m so glad, Kim! I always love your feedback!!! xo
Wow. I love mascarpone, get it from Trader Joe’s, never thought about making it myself. I prefer to make my own paneer and I know how easy that is, don’t know why I never thought to try making this! Thanks for the heads up.
So easy to make 🙂
I can’t always find mascarpone, so I’m going to try it soon
Thanks Liz
This is a must try. Mascarpone costs an arm and a leg around here.
That’s so cool.. never tried it at home.. will definitely try it out from now on! Didn’t see written, but how much of Mascarpone cheese results from 2 cups of heavy cream?
Ella, it makes about 1 1/2 cups of mascarpone 🙂
It must have been so satisfying to make your own mascarpone. I had no idea it only takes two ingredients to make it! Amazing. It looks really good and creamy and so good with a fruit platter. My Archie also spends more time on his hair than I do! xx
HOW COOL!!! I so need to hop on this homemade cheese bandwagon!!
OMG I had noooooo idea! LOVE this! Pinning to try!
Lizzy ! This recipe is absolutely amazing!
I love it! And I love mascarpone:)
xo
Omy Lizzy! What amazing recipe ! I love mascarpone and this look amazing!
Thanks for this one! Not an easy ingredient to always find in my neck of the woods! This is great for my arsenal!