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.
I’ve never made cheese before but the recipe was easy to follow and while I may have replaced the cheese cloth with several disposable coffee filters it turned out great!
Thank you oh wise cheese teacher
Hi Cheesedtomeetyou (love the name), thanks so much, so glad you liked it. Take care!
I have made this a few times now and it is a family favorite. The cream does not thicken up too much in the pot but after sitting in the cheesecloth lined sieve it was great. We let is sit in the sieve for two days as it seemed to wet after one day. Perfect consistency and taste!
Hi Tweb, thanks so much and thanks for your suggestion, take care and Happy New Year!
Have you ever used Lime vs Lemon?
Hi Rocky, no I haven’t, you could try it and see how it is, if you do, let me know. Take care!
Hi. I intend to make this for the first time next week. You specify a glass bowl. I’m wondering if there’s a specific property to glass, or if any non-metal bowl is usable. I have no glass bowl, only glazed pottery. Thanks.
Hi Sharon, I think a non metal bowl would also work, I probably wouldn’t use plastic though. Let me know how it goes. Take care!
So much better than store-bought! It takes a little patience and a little love, but oh my gosh the outcome is perfection!! Smooth and creamy delicious mascarpone cheese! Next step tiramisu!! I’m in British Columbia Canada and it’s $21 for a container of mascarpone cheese, I just made two containers worth for six dollars… Beyond worth it!
Hi Cherie, thanks so much, so glad you like it. I was in the grocery store in Toronto recently and I saw the price and I could not believe it, it’s insane! Take care!
Hi there, wanted to know do you cover with a lid first and then a tea towel or the other way around?
Hi Sean yes the lid first and then the tea towel, there is a video for the recipe at the top of the page that might help. 🙂
Hi if I use this homemade mascarpone for tiramisu will the tiramisu also only last 3-4days in the ref?
Hi Grace, yes it is always recommended to eat within that time period. 🙂
You don’t state what percentage of cream to use. It comes in 10% BF up to 35% BF (which is whipping cream. What should it be
Hi Elaine, it should be whole cream which has a percentage of at least 30% fat, so 35% is perfect. Let me know how it goes.
Made this for a Black Forrest cake. Followed directions exactly, but it never looked thick enough to strain, as I felt I would lose everything.
Hi Annie, sorry it didn’t thicken. It could have been that the cream didn’t have enough fat content.:)
Hi! Unfortunately, most creams contain some sort of thickening agent eg gellam gum, etc. is that an issue?
Hi Tina, try to get one as natural as possible but I don’t think a little will hurt. Let me know.
Hi, this might be a silly question but what is “whole cream”? I don’t live in the UK/US so I tried this with whipping cream (35% fat) and just ended up with sour whipping cream. Should I try this with creme fraiche/double cream/heavy cream instead?
Hi Barbara, as long as it has at least 35% fat it should work. If you want try with heavy cream but not creme fraiche. Let me know.
Hi, thank you for this recipe, I haven’t made it yet but I’m sure it will turn out great! I’ve been wanting to make tiramisu for a while now but I could never find Mascarpone at my local grocery shop. I’m so glad that I will finally be able to make it! Also, do you think I could double this recipe?
Hi Ingrid, thanks so much, glad I could help. Let me know how it goes. Have a great weekend.
Okay, back to rate. Easy. Outstanding. I will never buy store bought again. A couple of notes. A digital thermometer with the probe on a wire is a wonderful addition. Coupled with a Trudeau Maison spoon rest, which allows you to easily keep your probe stable in your pot, you can prop the smart base anywhere so that you can read it. Also, if it has high and low alarms, that can be helpful here.
A Better Batter whisk is also a nice addition here. It keeps things moving, is silicone, and keeps the sides and bottom of the pan clear of “bits”
I screwed up and added my lemon juice after the first meeting of 140 (it was late; I was tired). Also the temp jumped to 195. Neither slip had a consequence. I drained on a tightly woven cotton napkin lining a fine mesh sieve. Very little liquid drained out, and my product was the perfect consistency.
Thank you again for sharing this excellent yet easy (and forgiving it seems) method for making this phenomenal ingredient.
Hi Leisa, thanks so much so glad you enjoyed it. And thanks so much for reporting back with your tips. Take care and have a wonderful weekend.
I cannot rate the recipe yet, but THANK YOU for providing this. Mascarpone is hard to find in my area. I use it in my Thanksgiving sweet potato/pumpkin pie (though this year, I’m going to use butternut squash as demonstrated by NYT Melissa Clark). I have a homegrown squash for this.
Nothing compares to the texture and taste of this wonderful ingredient. In addition to silki-fying pies, it is a beautiful topping when mixed with homemade lemon curd (1/2 and 1/2). It also makes a wonderful base for fruit tarts.
I’m gonna try this at home…will be back to rate. Thanks for your clear instructions.
Hi Leisa, thanks so much, let me know how it goes. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
It was perfect; and I rated and added some additional color. Thanks again. I’m glad that I found your site. Terrific content.!!!
Hi Leisa, thanks again, happy you enjoy the site. Take care.