Creamy homemade mascarpone cheese is an easy homemade cheese recipe that’s fun to make right in your own kitchen — use it in all sorts of authentic Italian recipes, both sweet and savory — and save a lot of money while you’re at it!
You know I love me a good DIY project. 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 Black Bottom Cheesecake Squares and it’s even in my Roasted Fig Ice Cream!
What is mascarpone?
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. 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 you’ll need to make homemade mascarpone cheese
- a clip on thermometer
- and a piece of cheesecloth for draining the cheese.
How to make mascarpone cheese:
- The first step in making mascarpone cheese is to bring heavy cream up to a boil in a pot on the stove.
- You’ll add lemon juice, which coagulates and thickens the cream. There won’t be any actual curds, because heavy cream doesn’t curdle like milk does.
- You’ll drain it to remove any whey (the thin liquid leftover) and then you are left with an incredibly rich cheese.
Most cheese making recipes specify using heavy cream that has not been ultra-pasteurized
It’s one of those truisms that gets passed from recipe to recipe. Ultra-pasteurizing just means that the milk is flash heated to a higher point than regular pasteurization. Almost all heavy cream is ultra-pasteurized nowadays, because it results in a longer shelf life, so finding anything else can be a challenge.
I actually made my first batch with ultra-pasteurized heavy cream ~ and it worked!
The batch of cheese made with regular ultra-pasteurized cream turned out almost identical to the next batch I made with the non-ultra-pasteurized cream I found at Whole Foods. The only difference I could tell was that the ultra-pasteurized cream resulted in a lightly softer end product. So make what you will of that. Common wisdom says to use non ultra-pasteurized cream.
Homemade Mascarpone
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream, non-ultra-pasteurized is preferable
- 1-2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Pour the cream into a small heavy bottomed pot and heat on medium until it reaches 190 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Heat the cream gently so it doesn't scorch.
- Add the lemon juice, and keep the cream at 190F for another 5 minutes, stirring gently. I found it easiest to keep moving the pot on and off the flame to maintain the temperature. The cream will thicken and coat the back of the spoon.
- Let the cream cool to room temperature, which will take about half an hour.
- Line a mesh strainer with several layers of cheesecloth, and set that over a bowl to catch the dripping whey. Pour the cream into the cheesecloth. Cover loosely with plastic and refrigerate for 8 hours.
- Remove the cheese from the cheesecloth and keep in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Makes approximately 1 1/4 cups. Plan to use the cheese within a week or so.
Thanks for pinning this Homemade Mascarpone Cheese!
I’ll be honest, I don’t know if this is the recipe I used when I made the BEST cake I ever made (IMO) I only had Lime juice at the time, and accidentally realized AFTER it was done that it was CONCENTRATED lime juice! It turned out even better than the stuff I’ve bought though. It was SUPER tangy/tart. Home made has a much smoother, creamier consistency than store bought too in my experience. I have an electric stovetop and had to really monitor the milk. I used coffee filters instead because for some reason the store I went to was completely out of cheesecloth (or maybe I was just distracted and overlooked them, that happens) I taste tested it to make sure it was safe (cause, as I said, concentrated juice instead!) and after another day and being 100% fine I used it to make the frosting for my cake! (Blueberry Lemon Curd, my home made marscarpone, and cool whip because I tend to overdo my whipped cream) The cake itself was a tweaked, scratch, french vanilla recipe I added lemon flavor to instead for more of a “spring” flavor to go with the frosting. IT WAS AMAZING. I was even told to talk to a local restraurant for them to have on their menu. (I didn’t because I got discouraged by someone)
Basically saying, as ditzy as I am, this is SUPER easy, SUPER delish, and TOTALLY worth making!
What a wonderful post! Your dessert sounds so amazing and yummy. Love that you used lime juice. BTW I have found cheesecloth in the sewing section and the paint department also of stores so it’s an elusive animal in different stores!
I made the cheese for use in a tiramisu. The first time i used a pot on the stove and think i overheated it. Flop. 2nd try, instant pot yogurt boil function. Add the lemon juice etc etc. IT WAS AMAZING as was the tiramisu. I need to go on that page and share my experience with it.
The ricotta recipe is pretty simple too!
Thank you
How does mascarpone taste and what consistency is it supposed to be?
I made this and its been in the fridge for maybe 8 hours but I have no idea.
Hey,
I don’t have any heavy cream, and there isn’t any in my whole province.
Is it possible to use 35% fat whipping cream to make the mascarpone instead?
35% fat cream should work fine H.D.
also how many tbsp of lemon juice should I use?
It says 1-2 but I need exact measuremnets.
Can you shape it into a ball?
It’s thick enough to shape into a ball, if you’d like.
Thank you for this! I’ve made the ricotta before and like it so much better than the flavorless, grainy stuff we have in the stores here. Mascarpone is REALLY expensive here, too, so excited to try this and use it on your mascarpone/maple syrup tart. One question: Since you collect the whey, what do you do with it?
Thanks!
I’m not Sue, but I do know you can use the whey to lacto-ferment veggies, ie cabbage for sauerkraut. Just google it…loads of recipes. Or go to the Weston A Price Foundation website and check there. Also, I use whey in my smoothies when they are too thick to pour and/are drink.
Do you make homemade bread or rolls? The whey works nicely as the liquid in it.
Chickens love the whey and it’s good for them!
Someday I want to raise chickens…
Tirimisu?
Going to a Sunday dinner next week to an Italian friend of ours. I normally make the dessert and this year along with my signature 100+ year old recipe little layer chocolate cake with this year being in Easter colors alternating layers pale green, yellow(normal), pale blue and pink. I’m also going to make a Kahlua Tiramisu with homemade mascarpone. Should be great with such a GREAT recipe!!
Is there room for a plus-one??
Can I use heavy whipping cream in place of heavy cream. How much difference will it make?
You can use those interchangeably Jk.
I need 32 oz (about 4 cups) of marscspone for a recipe. Can I quadruple your recipe and still have it set properly, or make it 4x or something in between?
I would just do it in separate batches, meaning do it in separate containers to be sure Kathryn.