How to Make Creamy Homemade Mascarpone
Only two ingredients to make this Easy Creamy Homemade Mascarpone. This Italian Cream Cheese is perfect as a filling or ingredient in recipes. So good and saves money too!
Homemade Mascarpone
I love Mascarpone, if I can substitute it in anything I will. I would choose it over cream cheese any day! I find it creamier, tastier and smoother. And the taste cannot be beat.
One day a friend of ours asked me, since I love it so much I should make my own Homemade Mascarpone, and that is exactly what I did!
I made it in Italy (actually more than once I must add). Then when I came home to Toronto and I needed it for a recipe, I knew it was one of the best things I could have done.
Not only did I have to go to 4 different stores before I found a container of the stuff I practically had to take a loan out to buy it!
Why is it the good stuff always costs so much?!
Ingredients for Homemade Mascarpone
- Cream – whole / whipping / heavy cream with at least 30% fat
- lemon juice – fresh lemon juice
That’s it!
There may be only two ingredients for Homemade Mascarpone, but you do need a little time and patience to make it! And a candy thermometer is a definite necessity.
How to Make Mascarpone
- Heat the cream to 185 F (85 C) (stirring)
- Remove from heat until it reaches 140 F (60 C)
- Replace on heat heat again to 185F (85C) and add the lemon juice
- Again remove from heat and bring down the temperature to 140 F (60 C)
- Pour the cream into a glass bowl, cover the bowl and let sit until completely cool
- Pour into a sieve lined with a tea towel or 3-4 layers of cheese cloth and refrigerate for 24 hours.
How to Store Homemade Mascarpone:
Homemade Mascarpone should be stored in the fridge and will last up to 3-4 days.
Can you freeze Homemade Mascarpone:
Homemade Mascarpone Cheese really shouldn’t be frozen because it tends to separate.
Naturally I made a few recipes with this Homemade Mascarpone, which I will be sharing but until then I hope you enjoy these.
- Mascarpone Cake with Raspberry Cream
- Fresh Strawberry Pie with a Mascarpone Filling
- Italian Mascarpone Marble Cake
- Easy Mascarpone Cream
So take your time, don’t rush it and make some delicious Creamy Homemade Mascarpone. Enjoy!
What you need to make Mascarpone
- Definitely purchase a Candy Thermometer
- A heavy Sturdy Pot for heating the cream.
- A Glass Bowl for holding the cream.
Creamy Homemade Mascarpone
Ingredients
- 16 ounces whole cream (also known as heavy or whipping cream with at least 30% fat)
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium size pot add the cream and place over medium heat, stir with a wooden spoon or rubber whisk, place a candy thermometer in the pot and heat until it reaches 185 F (85 C).
- Remove from heat and continue to stir until the temperature comes down to 140 F (60 C).
- Place the pot back on the heat and bring it back up to 185 F (85 C), continue to stir, then add the lemon juice lower the heat, keeping the temperature at 185 F and heat and stir for 3 minutes.
- Remove again from the heat and bring the temperature down to 140 F (60 C), continue to stir.
- Then pour the cream into a glass bowl, cover with a lid and cover with a tea towel, let sit at room temperature for 3 hours.
- In a clean bowl place a sieve (make sure sieve is not touching the bottom of the bowl), and line the sieve with a clean cotton tea towel or 3 or 4 layers of cheese cloth, pour the cooled cream onto the cloth, then cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours. Enjoy.
- Makes about 1 – 1 1/2 cups.
There is literally no heavy cream in my WHOLE province.
Is it ok if I use whipping cream that has 35% fat and not higher because there is nothing here?
Hi HD sure whipping cream is fine to use. Let me know how it goes.
Would you vary this recipe if using unpasteurized cream? If not, would the result have a different consistency? It’s great as is for tiramisu but I see pictures on web for a more solid finished product which might be better for some recipes.
Hi KC I am not familiar with unpasteurized cream so I can’t really say how it would turn out. But this homemade cream came out quite thick (not as thick as store-bought) so I think mixing it with cream for tiramisu would work just fine.
I make tiramisu every year for Christmas and this year I’d like to try making it with this recipe. Is whole cream the same as heavy 35% cream?
Hi Cat, yes it is the same.
I have never heard of mascarpone till today. I found a Blackberry Ice-cream recipe on Pinterest that I wanted to try. I looked at the recipe and it called for mascarpone. I wasn’t familiar with it. I researched it and I found this site showing how you could make it. Thanks for the recipe and maybe I might try it in the future. (If I get around to making that Blackberry Ice-cream).
Hi Christal, thanks, Mascarpone is so good, creamy and delicious. Let me know how it goes if you try it.
I didn’t thought it wud be sooo easy 2 make mascarpone..since the price is kinda expensive 😂😂😂..tqvm 4 the recipe!!!
Hi Tila, thanks so much and yes easy and cheap! Have a great weekend.
I made this last week so that I can make my tiramisu cake. Thank you! It was delicious. Will be making it again.
Hi Natasha, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it.
So the directions on the recipe card are slightly different than the directions above the recipe. One calls for putting the lemon juice in after the second heating to 185°, the first says to add the lemon juice and then bring to 185°. Can you please clarify which it is and whether it makes a difference?
Hi Erin, sorry about that, the instrucions in the recipe card are correct. (I made the correction above the recipe card). Thanks
Well, that explains things 😊 thanks for the quick reply. Off to try again.
Thanks for the recipe. If yogurt can now be made in an Instant Pot pressure cooker, I’m wordering if your recipe for mascarpone can be adapted to the pressure cooker. I’m wondering why the temperatures have to be lowered using your recipe, but then again, if it’s a must in creating this at home, I guess I would have to use store-bought for any recipe that calls for it. Thanks, Rosemary, I love getting your newsletter with the recipes.
Warmest regards,
Barbara
Hi Barbara your welcome, I don’t have an Instant Pot (although maybe I should get one!) so I really don’t know if it would work or not. Interesting. Thanks so much, so glad you enjoy the recipes. Best to you.
Hi, I was wondering what ‘whole cream’ was referring to? I have only found heavy whipping cream in the nearby stores, is it possible to use that in this recipe, or will it not work?
Thank you!
Hi Sanika, yes that should work, heavy cream is cream that is at least 30 percent fat. Let me know how it goes.
Thanks, I didn’t know that making mascarpone at home was even a posssibility. Thanks for the enlightenment!
On the other hand, in the New York area at least, commercial premade mascarpone is available at a fairly reasonable price. An 8 ounce container costs just a few dollars at Trader Joes and elswhere but the real plus is that the shelf life is around 3 months, if unopened! Great to keep one in the fridge for last minute tiramisu, pasta dishes or whatever, whenever.
Of course fresh is best, without a doubt and I will use this recipe ASAP but just wanted to let others know about the long freshness date on the commercial stuff! Thanks again!
Hi Kevin, You sure are lucky with the cost of your mascarpone, I think I paid almost 6-7 dollars and thanks for the tips on the freshness date. Let me know how the homemade turns out. 🙂
Hi Rosemary: Is it possible to use this as an icing or a base for icing? Many thanks–I love your making something out of this world easy for us!
Hi Barbara, yes it is possible, I did for a future recipe. It held up really well. Thanks so much, glad to help. 🙂
Great–now for my next steps: thanks so much!
Hi Barbara, your welcome and I hope you like it. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your great tips and recipes. Can you please let us know what fat % cream you used for making this mascarpone. Any idea how long it will keep in the fridge ? Thank you ! Wishing you the best
Hi Emma, use either whole or whipping cream, which is at least 30% fat, and kept in an airtight container in the fridge it should last up to a week. Hope that helps.
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve frequently elected to NOT try a recipe because it calls for Mascarpone, and like you said, I don’t relish going in to debt, LOL! I’ll be giving this a try in the near future. Cheers!
Hi Luanna your welcome and I hope you enjoy it. Let me know. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. It is rather pricey in the stores.
Hi Lucia, your welcome, and I know it costs a fortune. Have a great weekend. 🙂
Everything homemade is so much better!!! We do love our mascarpone cheese and it’s expensive here too. I can’t understand it when it’s so easy to make. You’ve reminded me that it has been too long since I’ve made some. I’ve missed you in my inbox. Hope you and your family are all well. Un abbraccio forte.
Hi Marisa, thanks so much, I know and so easy to make too. Have a great weekend. 🙂