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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!

Mascarpone in a glass jar.


 

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?!

mascarpone how to make heating, in a glass bowl and ready for refrigeration

Ingredients for Homemade Mascarpone

  1. Cream – whole / whipping / heavy cream with at least 30% fat
  2. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Mascarpone in a glass jar.

Naturally I made a few recipes with this Homemade Mascarpone, which I will be sharing but until then I hope you enjoy these.

So take your time, don’t rush it and make some delicious Creamy Homemade Mascarpone. Enjoy!

Mascarpone in a glass jar.
Finished cream recipe in the jar.

Creamy Homemade Mascarpone

Rosemary Molloy
Only two ingredients to make this Easy Creamy Homemade Mascarpone.  This Italian Cream Cheese is perfect as a filling or ingredient in frostings.  
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chilling Time 1 day 3 hours
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 cups
Calories 783 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 16 ounces whole cream (also known as heavy or whipping cream with at least 30% fat)
  • ½ 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.

Notes

Homemade Mascarpone should be stored in the fridge and will last up to 3-4 days. Homemade Mascarpone Cheese really shouldn’t be frozen because it tends to separate.

Nutrition

Calories: 783kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 83g | Saturated Fat: 52g | Cholesterol: 310mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 170mg | Vitamin A: 3335IU | Vitamin C: 2.8mg | Calcium: 147mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

106 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Simply fantastic. I followed the recipe exactly and it tuned out perfectly! I would encourage a clean cotton tea towel over the cheese cloth. After 3 hours of chilling the cream was not very thick and it ran pretty much right thru the 4 layers of cheese cloth. I transferred to the clean cotton kitchen towel and it worked perfectly. Only the watery liquid drained through during the overnight leaving the delicious cream. Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    Thank you Rosemary for this recipe! I’m making it again now for the second time. The first time I used the marscapone for tiramisu and as a cheese on pizza. This time I’m going for the same. It was wonderful and came out perfect!

  3. 5 stars
    I used raw milk from our organic Swedish red cows for this recipe and it was wonderful! I used it in a salmon carbonara for dinner, and frosting on a banana cake! Easy to follow, used a thermometer to be accurate, tasty outcome!

  4. 5 stars
    Any suggestions for how much citric acid to use instead of lemon juice? I was going to use 4,8g of citric acid and 600g of cream. Using this for Tiramisu.

  5. I followed this pretty closely and put it in a sieve with three layers of cheesecloth and it is just so thin that it’s draining through (the cream, not the whey). Should I put it back on the stove and add more lemon juice? Cook it down longer?

  6. Hey! I want to understand why heat the milk twice, when the work can be done with doing it once too.

  7. 5 stars
    I made this yesterday. It worked out wonderfully. I struggled a little to keep the temperature at exactly 85C – I hit 95C for maybe two-three seconds while putting in the eggs, then the temperature varied between 80-90C as I tried to balance my gas stove to hold the true 85C. I did not end up with 2 cups, I ended up with exactly 1. The flavour and texture are wonderful. The recipe I’m using it for said I could also use a full fat yogurt in place, so I’ve done half and half, as I needed 2 cups. I’ll certainly use this recipe again, keeping in mind the ratios.

4.90 from 66 votes (44 ratings without comment)

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