Creamy homemade mascarpone cheese is an easy (2 ingredient!) homemade cheese recipe that’s fun to make right in your own kitchen — use it in authentic Italian tiramisu, risotto, and more!
You know I love me a good DIY project like this homemade mascarpone cheese. This one was especially satisfying because mascarpone, the creamy Italian soft cheese, is such a high end product. It can be hard to find, and it’s expensive when you do find it. You probably know it as a critical ingredient in tiramisu, and I l love to sneak it into risotto to give it a rich finish. I blend it up with whipped cream as a topping for my No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Squares and it’s even in my Roasted Fig Ice Cream!
To qualify as a great DIY project a recipe has to be relatively easy to pull off, and the finished product has to be a spot on version of the original. This homemade mascarpone ticks both boxes deliciously.
What is mascarpone cheese?
Mascarpone cheese is a rich, creamy Italian cheese made from cow’s milk. It’s known for its smooth, velvety texture and very mild flavor. It’s considered a fresh cheese because it’s not aged, and this puts it in the same category as cream cheese, ricotta, and cottage cheese.
Mascarpone is called a ‘cheese’ in the technical sense, but it is very close in flavor and texture to a British clotted cream, so it’s perfect on scones and biscuits, too.
The closest American product to mascarpone cheese is cream cheese, and it can be used in many of the same ways.
What you’ll need to make homemade mascarpone
- heavy cream
- fresh lemon juice
- a medium heavy bottomed saucepan
- a clip-on thermometer for the side of the pan
- a mesh strainer
- a clean thin-weave kitchen dish cloth or napkin
- you can use cheesecloth, but you’ll want several layers or your thickened cream will drip through.
how mascarpone is produced (both commercially and at home)
Like many fresh cheeses, this is a snap to make and easy to reproduce at home.
- Acidification:
- Heavy cream is heated to around 190°F ~ this is basically a low simmer.
- An acid like lemon juice, vinegar, or citric acid is added to the cream.
- Thickening:
- The cream is maintained at this temperature for several minutes. It’s creamy and smooth rather than forming distinct curds.
- Cooling:
- The cream will thicken slightly as it cools.
- Straining + chilling:
- The cooled cream is strained through a fine cloth or a cheesecloth in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. This step removes excess liquid and results in a rich, smooth, and spreadable cheese.
homemade mascarpone tips
Cook the cream and lemon juice until thickened
- If the specified time has passed and your cream is still quite thin, you need to keep cooking until it coats the back of your spoon. The cream should be hot but not furiously boiling. A gentle simmer is perfect.
make sure you cool your cream before straining
- I like to place the bowl in an ice bath to hasten the process. This step is essential and I like to get the cream to a cooler-than-room-temperature before straining.
Use a fine weave cloth to line your strainer
- Cheesecloth can be too porous and your thickened cream can flow right through. If this happens to you, start over again with a thicker cloth.
Double the recipe to get more yield
- Making homemade cheese requires a lot of liquid dairy to start with, so if you want a bigger batch of mascarpone, double the cream.
For best results use regular pasteurized cream, not ultra-pasteurized
- Most heavy cream is ultra-pasteurized nowadays, because it results in a longer shelf life, look for regular pasteurized cream at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and local dairies, Fyi I have made mascarpone with ultra-pasteurized cream, but it comes out a little softer.
Use the leftover ‘whey’ for baking
- In the case of a cream based homemade cheese the leftover ‘whey’ is still quite rich and can be used like milk or buttermilk in baking recipes. This means there is no waste in this recipe:
how I use homemade mascarpone cheese
- One of my favorite uses for mascarpone is in tiramisu. It’s a key ingredient in this rich Italian dessert ~ I use it in my easy no bake slab tiramisu, but also in my fresh summery Berry Tiramisu, and in my more decadent Nutella Tiramisu.
- Mascarpone can be used instead of or with cream cheese to make rich cheesecake.
- Substitute mascarpone for the cream cheese in cake frostings and cookie frostings.
- Mascarpone is stirred into risotto to make it extra rich and creamy. Its mild flavor means it can go with any recipe, but I particularly love it with Mushroom Risotto.
- Use mascarpone in creamy dips and spreads that call for cream cheese or sour cream.
- Try it in my Homemade Boursin Cheese Recipe!
- Use as a spread for scones or muffins.
Homemade Mascarpone
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- mesh strainer
- multiple layers of cheesecloth or light dish cloth
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream, non-ultra-pasteurized is preferable
- 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Pour the cream and lemon juice into a medium heavy bottomed pot and heat on medium until it just comes to a simmer (about 190 degrees F on a thermometer.) Heat the cream gently so it doesn't scorch, and stir almost constantly with a silicone spoonula which helps scrape down the sides and bottom of the pan efficiently.
- Gently simmer the cream for another 5 minutes, stirring gently. I found it easiest to keep moving the pot on and off the flame to maintain the gentle simmer.
- Let the cream cool completely. I like to transfer the hot cream to a glass container and place the container in an ice bath to hurry the process. The cream is ready for straining when it has a slight chill to it. Note: this step it critical: the cream will thicken as it cools.
- Line a mesh strainer with multiple layers of cheesecloth or a light kitchen cloth or napkin, and set that over a bowl to catch the dripping whey. Pour the cream into the lined strainer. Cover loosely with plastic and refrigerate for 8 hours. It is during this time that the thickened cream will transform into mascarpone.
- Remove the cheese from the cheesecloth and keep in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Makes approximately 1 ~ 1 1/4 cups. Plan to use this fresh cheese within a week or so.
Nutrition
Can you use lime instead of lemon to make mascarpone?
I have no idea, why don’t we try?
Can I freeze this? I have a Foodsaver vacuum machine (takes all the air out then seals it).
OHHH!!! “Lime instead” just opened a new road in my thoughts!! I instantly thought Mexican food (Mexican 7 Layer Dip) or some tropical dessert… All you wonderful foodie minds out there send me your ideas Please!! Thank you to Sue also for this wonderful mascarpone recipe with all the info on DIY!
Just saw this recipe and have made it before served over pasta, very good.
Can I use oven to set the temperature to 190 and then put the heave cream pan in the oven? It’s hard to keep the temperature to 190 above stove.
That’s worth a try Jane!
I’m going to use my sous vide to get the cream to reach and stay at 190 – that’s the beauty of a sous vide and you don’t have to worry about the cream burning or taking the pan on and off the stove. Just set it to 190 and it stays there. I also use my sous vide to make yogurt.
Hi Sue,
Thank you so much for this recipe. Mine came out all right and I am thrilled because I use mascarpone to make sponge cake that my daughter loves.
One question, more out of curiosity. My mascarpone has a stronger lemony taste than commercial mascapone. Do you know why commercial mascapone doesn’t have any scent or taste of lemon? Thanks.
Hey Lauren ~ I believe that’s because commercial mascarpone is made with citric acid, a natural chemical similar to lemon juice, but without the fresh lemon flavor. You can actually easily buy citric acid and try that yourself. I bet your sponge cake is wonderful!
Thanks for posting this recipe; I’m definitely going to make my own. I found this site because I was searching for why mascarpone is so expensive – I still want to know why it’s so expensive? Does it come all the way from Italy maybe?
Great question, Faith, I just bought some the other day that was made in Wisconsin, but it was still expensive!
Where can I find non pestorize cream.?
If you have a health food store nearby, check there, Aynur.
I don’t have cheesecloth, can I use a coffee filter in my strainer? I’m excited to try this!
I think a coffee filter would take a lot longer, and I’m not sure it’s big enough, Pamela, but more power to you if you try!
Great Recipe! The cheese is great! I plan on making mascarpone ice cream with fig!
That sounds amazing, I have a recipe for you! https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/roasted-fig-gelato/
190 degrees… Celcius or fahrenheit? ?
Im from Denmark (europe) we use celcius
that’s 190F Christina, I just updated, thanks!
This looks terrific.. two questions.. we have our own cows – can we use the cream that we skim from our cow milk when pasteurizing this to make the mascarpone? and second, do you know how many ounces of mascarpone each recipe makes?
thanks!
I’m sure the cream from your cows will make a spectacular cheese, Estelle — how lucky you are! And I think the recipe makes about 8 oz of mascarpone. Have fun!