If you’ve never attempted homemade mascarpone cheese before you’re in for a real treat! Look no further for a foolproof mascarpone recipe! Learn how to make mascarpone that’s luxuriously thick, rich and creamy. It’s super easy, costs less than store-bought, and the results will wow you!
This foolproof homemade mascarpone recipe is so easy to make and costs less than the store-bought stuff! I used to wince every time I had to pay the exorbitant price associated with a small tub of mascarpone at the store. Those days of wincing over the price of mascarpone are gone! Making it yourself is not only super easy and quick but will save you money!
What Is Mascarpone?
Mascarpone cheese is a double or triple cream cheese that is made by heating cream over gentle, steady heat and then adding acid to thicken it. The mixture is then left to drain in cheesecloth for a few hours where the whey will separate from the solids resulting in a thick, spreadable cream cheese.
Mascarpone originated in the Lombardy region of northern Italy and is believed to date back to the Renaissance. It’s used in both sweet and savory dishes. It’s best known for its use in making Italy’s famous dessert, tiramisu.
Mascarpone vs. Cream Cheese
The taste, texture and fat content are different. Mascarpone has at least double the fat as American cream cheese (e.g., Philadelphia) giving it a much richer, thicker and melt-in-your-mouth texture than standard cream cheese. While cream cheese has a tangy flavor, mascarpone is much milder and isn’t tangy at all. Cream cheese is firmer and more “rubbery” in texture while mascarpone is softer and much creamier. Though you can use the two interchangeably the flavor and texture will be different. A closer relative to mascarpone is the French crème fraîche or English clotted cream.
How Do You Use Mascarpone?
Mascarpone is as versatile as whipped cream and so the possibilities are endless. Here are just few delicious ways to use it:
- Tiramisu (we’ll state the most famous application first)
- Mixed with berries and a little honey for a healthy dessert
- To make parfaits or trifles
- To make semifreddo
- Spread on toast or bagels with a drizzle of honey
- As a frosting for cake
- As a filling for crepes
- Substitute it for sour cream in cakes and muffins
- Mascarpone cream cheese frosting for your carrot cake (or gluten free carrot cake)
- Serve a dollop of it with roasted fruits or vegetables
- Add it to risotto for an extra creamy texture
- As a substitute for whipped cream
- To make a savory herb dip or a sweet dip for fruits
- Use it as the white sauce for your pizza
- Use it to make your Fettuccine Alfredo
- As the base in your creamy sauces
- Add some to your mashed potatoes
- Add a dollop to your soups and stews
- Combine with Nutella for a frosting or pie filling
- Use it to make cheesecake
- Add some to your vegetable or au gratin potatoes
- Add some to your scrambled eggs
- Add some to your Southern grits to make them extra creamy
How Long Does Mascarpone Keep?
Mascarpone should be stored in the refrigerator and will keep for 3-5 days. If it develops any mold or a strange odor toss it out.
Can You Freeze Mascarpone?
Mascarpone is not the best candidate for freezing because as with most soft cheeses it has the tendency to separate when thawed. However once it’s thawed you can try to whip it back into shape again. If that doesn’t work you can still use the mascarpone for cooking. You can freeze it in heavy duty freezer bags for about 2 months and then thaw it very slowly in the refrigerator.
What Do I Need To Make Mascarpone?
- Heavy Cream (regular or “whipping” heavy cream)
- Milk (not ultra-pasteurized)
- Tartaric Acid
- Calcium Chloride
- Thermometer
- Cheesecloth
Tartaric Acid
Traditionally made by adding an acidic substance to thicken the cream (known as “denaturation”). While you can use lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid, I’ve found that tartaric acid is the most foolproof and yields the best results for a really nice, thick texture. You can find tartaric acid in any wine or cheesemaking shop.
I purchase my food-grade tartaric acid here on Amazon.
Calcium Chloride
Unless you’re using fresh cream straight from the cow you will need calcium chloride. This is a necessary ingredient when using pasteurized milk and cream, it is what helps the milk/cream coagulate and thicken.
Thermometer
You will need a thermometer to check the temperature of your cream. You can use a dairy thermometer or a regular digital thermometer. I use an instant read thermometer which I already have on hand and use regularly for bread-baking and other things.
Cheesecloth
This is what you will use to drain your thickened cream. I use and recommend this cheesecloth because it’s 100% unbleached cotton, is high grade, is very durable for multiple uses, and you get a ton of it. Overall it’s the best value I have found for the quality.
Ready to make some perfect homemade mascarpone cheese?
Let’s get started!
How To Make Mascarpone
Pour the heavy cream and milk into a small saucepan. Thoroughly stir in the calcium chloride mixture making sure it is fully distributed throughout the cream. Gently heat the cream over medium heat until it reaches 185-190 F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Use a dairy thermometer or an instant read thermometer.
Once the cream reaches 185-190 F adjust the temperature so that the cream remains at 185-195 F and hold it at that steady temperature for 5 minutes.
During the 5 minutes dilute the tartaric acid in 2 tablespoons of water. Stir in the tartaric acid mixture, stirring constantly for about a minute. The cream will curdle and take on a consistency of thin cream of wheat. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
Pour the thickened cream into a colander that’s lined with cheesecloth. Cover it to prevent anything from falling in it and place it in the fridge or in a cool place to let it drain for about 4 hours (or longer) until the desired consistency is reached.
Transfer the mascarpone to a bowl. Cover and keep refrigerated. It will keep for 3-5 days. (See also section above about freezing mascarpone.)
Enjoy!
Be sure to also try our Homemade Quark!
PIN ME!
How to Make Mascarpone (Foolproof)
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (35-40%)
- 1 cup whole milk (NOT ultra-pasteurized)
- 1/16 teaspoon calcium chloride , mixed in 2 tablespoons water before adding it to the cream
- 1/8 teaspoon tartaric acid , mixed in 2 tablespoons water before adding it to the cream
Instructions
- Pour the heavy cream and milk into a small saucepan. Thoroughly stir in the calcium chloride mixture making sure it is fully distributed throughout the cream. Gently heat the cream over medium heat until it reaches 185-190 F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Use a dairy thermometer or an instant read thermometer.Once the cream reaches 185-190 F adjust the temperature so that the cream remains at 185-195 F and hold it at that steady temperature for 5 minutes.During the 5 minutes dilute the tartaric acid in 2 tablespoons of water. Stir in the tartaric acid mixture, stirring constantly for about a minute. The cream will curdle and take on a consistency of thin cream of wheat. Let it cool for 5 minutes.Pour the thickened cream into a colander that's lined with cheesecloth. Cover it to prevent anything from falling in it and place it in the fridge or in a cool place to let it drain for about 4 hours (or longer) until the desired consistency is reached. Transfer the mascarpone to a bowl. Cover and keep refrigerated. It will keep for 3-5 days. (See also section above about freezing mascarpone.) Makes about 2 cups of mascarpone cheese.Note: This recipe can be doubled.
Nutrition
lily says
Can I use the 0% skim milk? does the % matter?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lily, fat % is critical in mascarpone so in addition to the heavy cream you will want to use whole milk.
lily says
Thanks for the fast reply. Because of I typically do not drink whole milk, will this work if i freeze the rest and re-se next time? Have you tried with thawed frozen milk before?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lily, I haven’t tried that so I’m honestly am not sure if/how that would affect the outcome.
Gail Stone says
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe!! I needed a lot of marscapone for a very large Chantilly Berry cake for my mom’s 80th birthday. Buying it would have broken the bank and made her favorite cake crazy expensive. With your recipe I made 52 ounces for about $10. Fortunately, i have access to a really good milk here, the kind that let’s the cream rise to the top. It worked out beautifully. It is so delicious! I just got the cheese made and in the fridge. Yummy!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Gail, I’m so happy it was a success, thank you! And you absolutely cannot beat that price for mascarpone! :)
Natalia says
Hi, thank you for the recipe. I’ve made it yesterday following all the instructions, but the cheese didn’t drain. Do you know what could have gone wrong? Thanks for your help!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Natalie, it didn’t drain meaning it was too thick? No liquid would drain out of it?
Moritz says
hey, thank you for the recipe. my mascarpone appeared to have turned out fine but when i tried it, it was very chalky. any idea why? thank you for your help :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Moritz, that can commonly happen when the milk/cream is heated too quickly. Try heating it slowly to avoid that problem.
Food Pundit (John) says
Problem making “FOOLPROOF” Mascarpone, I clicked on the images of CHEESE CLOTH, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, and TARTARIC ACID, which took me to Amazon for the items suggested, I ordered them, they arrived and I bought a pint of HEAVY CREAM. I then followed the recipe directions to the letter. IT IS NOT FOOLPROOF. It did not thicken as directions indicate it should have. The mixture just ran through the cheesecloth. That was this morning. My major mistake was waiting until today to try theto make Tiramisu with it. Now I have to do a chocolate cake for backup. Someone else had this problem earlier, so I was very diligent in following your recipe. I will go back and read the response to see if there were any helpful notes. Any suggestions on what went wrong with my attempt?
Julia Katherine Bond says
Have no idea what I did wrong! Did not thicken as it should have. I cooked or simmered the cream in a double boiler (homemade). Several people recommended. I put a small pan inside a larger pan with just enough water to allow to float. Was a very short distance from water to pan holding cream. I stirred for over 15 min. Did. Not feel it had thickened as much as expected. It was bubbling around edges and little to center. Could I have allowed it to boil too much? I then checked and was at 189. Another 3 min and was 190! I mixed the acid in 2tbsp of water. I had doubled my Recipe so I used 1/4 versus 1/8 tsp. Acid! I did not double the recommended 2 tbsp. water. Was this a problem? I then poured over cheesecloth (sent to me with acid) with this over strainer. Half the cream immediately went into pan below. I thought my cloth should have been folded with more layers. Tried doing this with restart. Did not help. Went thru to pan – at least one half. Refrigerated. Next AM I mixed as much as I could possibly get off cloth with what was in pan. Resulted in a pudding like consistency! Used in shell stuffing recipe.
Added 1/2cup beaten cream cheese to mixture.
Amy says
I followed this recipe exactly twice and my mascarpone never thickened. I don’t know what I did wrong. Any suggestions?
Heather says
Kimberly! ❣️
Thank you for this gorgeous recipe! You’re right on the button in your descriptions, comparisons and contrasts between mascarpone and other clotted cheese and creams. It’s wonderful to find a site like this with not only great recipes, but clear videos and directions, not to mention an approachable personality so easy to understand. I had wanted to try other methods to my traditional mascarpone and crème fraîche. I cater dozens of cheesecakes, quark cheesecakes, tiramisus and other cream-based desserts for a living, so you must also know the cost in crème fraîche and mascarpone!
Thank you for adding more knowledge for all of we ‘wee’ bakers out here. I’m in southern California🍰
Cheers!
Heather
Paul Teal says
You write. “A closer relative to mascarpone is the French crème fraîche or English clotted cream”. Sorry but I disagree, English Clotted cream is a distant relative in that it is not a cheese. Try suggesting that you might substitute clotted cream for marscapone to an Italian and you had best be standing well back. :-) If you wre to try using clotted cream to make tiramisu you will be sorely disappointed. If you think marscapone is expensive–triple the price for clotted cream, once you have applied for a mortgage you will make the tiramisu and not be able to eat it because it will be far too rich. A tablespoon of clotted cream goes a very long way. I am not trying to difficult but it is just plain folly to do it. Thank you for your time and your reply.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Paul…..it’s a “close-ER relative” to mascarpone than cream cheese is, not a “close relative”. Note the difference. And that statement is true, both respect to texture and flavor.
And suggesting that creme fraiche or clotted cream can be substituted for mascarpone in one recipe does not imply it can be substituted for every recipe calling for mascarpone (e.g. tiramisu). Cheers.
Paul Teal says
The making of English (Cornish) clotted cream has nothing in common with marscapone except that the raw ingredient comes from a cow. There is nothing added to clotted cream, it is simply gently heated for a long period of time until the water component, (whey) has evaporated. It is not cheese.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Paul, that’s correct, clotted cream is not the same thing as mascarpone and I wasn’t suggesting that to be the case. Note the context of my comment. It’s a discussion about suitable substitutes for mascarpone. The point I’m making is that if you’re going to use a substitute then use either creme fraiche or clotted cream because they are more similar in flavor and texture than cream cheese is.
Mary says
I used to make my own Mascapone but stopped because I ran out of the acid that did the thickening. I bought it from a cheese maker whom I lost contact with.
Now that I know that it was Tartaric Acid that I was using I can start making it again.
Thanks for the information to get me going again, because it costs an arm and a leg to buy it, but it is so luscious! :))
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful! I know, mascarpone is so expensive. Once you buy some tartaric acid it will last you a long time and for many batches and then the cost of the mascarpone is simply the cost of the cream. Very little whey is lost in the straining process so with two cups of cream you’re pretty much getting two cups of mascarpone. Score! Happy mascarpone making, Mary! :)
John JOHNSTON says
What I did not see in this website is that if you click on the photos in the recipe you will be taken to the site to purchase the item. CHEESECLOTH, TARTARIC, or CALCIUM CHLORIDE. I did, and immediate order, fast delivery.
Catalina says
I am glad to make mascarpone at home. Sounds so easy!
Amanda Livesay says
I had no idea homemade mascarpone was so simple! I love this!
Sara Welch says
What a great recipe, and so versatile too! Looking forward to enjoying this on some of your suggestions, indeed!