Much easier to make than it might seem, homemade mascarpone is a tastier and less expensive alternative to a store-bought cheese. It’s marvelous with ripe summer berries, finally appeared at our farmer’s markets.
Makes about 12 oz
Ingredients:
- 500 ml whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Preparation:
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
March 9, 2012 at 7:19 am
IME, you are simply not giving enough heat. What kind of bowl are you using? If it’s a thick-sided one that doesn’t conduct heat well (glass, for example), it can take long time to reach the desired temperature. You can transfer your cream in a stainless steel saucepan or pot and heat it gently directly on the stove, just stir it constantly. And don’t expect the curdles, only some thickening (read through others’ comments and answers). The recipe works, believe me.
March 9, 2012 at 6:59 am
What did I miss here?! This thing (that’s now been on the stove for the last 65 minutes!!!) is NOT thickening at all .. where are the curdles? The cream I found was 33%, was that a problem? :S Extremely disappointed with your recipe!!!
January 22, 2012 at 6:55 am
hi,made the mascarpone…amazing…turned out much better than the one from a tub and we made the eggless tiramisu.Rocked absolutely!…my blog post linked to your page..
http://baketitude.blogspot.com/2012/01/mascarpone-chesse-home-made.html
January 21, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Ange, sorry I missed your question. It’s normal if there’s not too much liquid seeping through.
Autumn, thank you very much for your kind words! I am so glad you liked the cheese.
Shalini, you are very welcome. Good luck with the tiramisu.
January 20, 2012 at 8:00 am
hi…thanx a ton for this..we dont get mascarpone here…and delhi is too far to be able to cart it from…goint to attempt tiramisu…eggless for the first time so needed that 1st gr8 step…
January 19, 2012 at 12:10 pm
I found your site a while back and fell in love with the wonderful recipes you have posted. Mascarpone cheese is one of my favorite cheeses to bake with, but can’t always afford the price tag supermarkets place on it. When I found your recipe I tried it out immediately and was so incredibly impressed with how simple it was to make, and what fantastic results I got. I have since made as many mascarpone cheese recipes as I can get my hands on. I have a cooking blog of my own and your mascarpone cheese recipe has been featured numerous times. Thank you for one of my favorite recipes!
January 4, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Hi Vera,
I stumbled across your site a couple days ago and have been hungry ever since! I just poured my mascarpone into my cheesecloth lined sieve and noticed that some creamy liquid is coming out… not like the whey that is usually expelled from the others cheese’s I’ve made… is this normal? or did I not use enough cheesecloth? (I did use 4 layers, but maybe it was too thin?) Thanks :)
~Ange
November 24, 2011 at 11:38 am
Gabriel, the cream of tartar is used in commercial manufacturing, but I find the aftertaste unpleasant. The quantity you used seems way too excessive. I advise you to use lemon juice. You can heat the cream in a thick-bottom stainless steel pot (it will be quicker), but make sure the heat is low, and stir the cream to heat it evenly. The mixture is supposed to look thickened, not curdled in a common sense. It has to coat the back of a spoon, just like custard when it’s done. Don’t let the mixture come to a boil. Hope it helps.
November 24, 2011 at 1:48 am
Hi again Vera. I have used UHT whipped cream and tried to make it today. But the result was not the same as yours. First thing first, I used cream of tartar instead of lemon juice.( I have checked online and found out that this is one of the acid coagulants that are used in mascarpone making) When I add 1 teaspoon of tartar into the cream, it didn’t curdle as you have described. I thought I haven’t added enough tartar, so I add another 1/4 teaspoon of it. But it still didn’t curdle . Is it supposed to curdle like yogurt or just becomes slightly thicker ?
Then I just keep cooking (well, honestly without a thermometer as I can’t found one in my town) but still no trace of thickening. All it formed was a thin layer of membrane. I think the main problem is the temperature of the cream is not high enough. But I let the pan boiled. Could you help me? Thank you a lot.
November 22, 2011 at 9:06 am
Gabriel, you can make the mascarpone with the ultrapasteurized cream without any problem. I just like the flavor of the pasteurized cream better. But even from the ultra, it will still taste better than a store-bought cheese.
November 22, 2011 at 4:01 am
Hi, I know you have clearly stated not to use ultra pasteurized cream. But I just want to know what will happen if you use UP cream? Because I can’t find any pasteurized cream.
October 8, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Wow, I hardly by cheese any more…this is so easy to make and you save $$$ Home made is always better
August 26, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Darby,
You are right, thick glass bowl can slow down the heating. If your sauce pan is a thick-bottom stainless one, you can heat the cream directly in the pan on low heat.
Hope it helps.
August 26, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Hi-
I tried this recipe tonight… full of excitement and anticipation. I don’t know why, but I could not get the cream to get hotter than 168 in the glass bowl. I was using an anchor tempered glass bowl in a wide pan. After an extra 20 or so minutes at max heat, I had to transfer to a pot in order to finally get the cream to 190. It was enormously frustrating. I have to assume the glass itself was insulating the cream from the heat so effectively that I couldn’t get it to temperature. I did, at that point, get it to 190. I’m wondering whether you have any insight on this issue?
Big fan of your sight.
August 17, 2011 at 5:28 am
Sounds interesting, I have never in my life attempted making cheese, have gone through tonnes of sites. always discouraged by certain ingredients never heard of and almost never available, will try this one and let you know.
July 26, 2011 at 8:16 am
Kim, I’d rather add some of the creme fresh to the mascarpone later.
July 26, 2011 at 6:26 am
Sorry…not very clear, could I heat the creme fresh instead of plain heavy cream? Would it add a depth of flavor with the tartness?
July 26, 2011 at 6:25 am
I make my own creme fresh…would this work the same?
April 11, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Deepali Jain, stretch a big piece of plastic wrap over the rims of the bowl. It will cover the top of the cheese in the sieve.
Put in the fridge.
April 11, 2011 at 12:53 am
Hello Vera,
I’m making mascarpone at home and wanted to clarify one thing – you have mentioned – “Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.”
I’m confused about this action, does it mean i cover the cheese & then keep it in sieve in the refrigerator or it means I cover the cheese & sieve together in a wrap? A clarification will really help as I’m planning to make tiramisu from scratch using the same.
April 3, 2011 at 4:35 pm
I have searched and searched for a way to make marscapone. Thanks so much
March 16, 2011 at 9:25 pm
Sylwiaduyen,
My cream is always higher fat percentage, but I think the 30% cream should work too.
March 7, 2011 at 11:39 am
Can i use whipping cream 30%?
Thanh you :)
January 13, 2011 at 10:46 pm
Sam, I’m glad it turned out well. Thank you for the feedback.
January 13, 2011 at 3:17 pm
I tried this recipe and it works fantastically – one of the best I’ve tried for mascarpone. It’s important once the cream thickens (after you add the lemon juice) that you don’t leave it on the heat, hoping it will thicken further. Take it off the heat, leave to stand for ten minutes and then strain. It will firm up during the draining process. Thanks for posting this recipe!
September 14, 2010 at 10:06 am
thank you so much for these instructions ….. cant wait to try it …. many at times recipes have instructions relating to bringing them to a certain temperature …… i have been trying to look for a cooking thermometer but haven’t been lucky yet ….. would be really helpful, if you could suggest certain alternative that can be used ( also wanted to know if a clinical thermometer instead)
Thank you
August 27, 2010 at 9:29 am
I was really looking forward to doing this
FAIL. One use mo’fo FAIL.
I had 1 inch of water, but could not get it to 190. Not even 175!
I had a bowl, all that stuff. water kept evaporating causing me to add more BOILING water…which lowered the heat blah blah blah. I was at it for over 30 MINUTES. NOTHING.
I’m a really good cook and familiar with this kind of thing. NOTHING but a huge disappointment as I really like mascarpone cheese.
July 21, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Vera, I am completely delighted with your blog! Your recipes looks so good and mouthwatering! The pics are great and the stories too!
I am a passionate baker from Brazil, also have a food blog and love to exchange recipes, ideas and food related chats!
This homemade mascarpone caught my eyes! In Brazil mascarpone is a very very expensive cheese, and the idea of making at home is just wonderful!
I´ll make and let you know!
Cheers!
July 20, 2010 at 5:53 pm
hola vera…. muy interesante tu blog te felicito…soy de venezuela y no se realmente a que crema te refieres aqui se consigue solo crema de leche no se si me sirva.. tu crees?? me puedes ayudar!! esto esta buenisimo para un tiramisu!!!!
June 28, 2010 at 6:54 am
I have used your recipe for the mascarpone in one of my posts.I have linked your blog to it.
http://simplysensationalfood.blogspot.com/2010/06/daring-bakers-challenge-june-2010.html
April 14, 2010 at 2:35 am
Vera, thanks so much for your advise. I’m going to give it another try next weekend, but this time I think I will just mix it up with the other ingredients with a spatula or hand held whisk instead of the my KitchenAid where it turned the macarpone to butter even as I was just beginning to beat it. Thanks!
April 12, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Kavie, you overbeat the mascarpone. Since the mascarpone is so high in fat, it can be easily turned into butter. The mascarpone shouldn’t be whipped for a long time, all it needs is just a very brief whirl; the cheese is already smooth from the beginning, you just need to lighten the texture. When the cheesecake contains both – cream cheese and mascarpone, the cream cheese should be beaten first and quite energetically until it’s completely lump-free, and only then the mascarpone should be added and mixed just until combined and no longer.
April 12, 2010 at 12:43 am
Vera, this is going to be interesting for you. I made the mascarpone as instructed. It turned out luscious and creamy and with a dreamy silky texture. Wow! I patted myself on the back and proceeded to make cheesecake a la Chai Cheesecake from Zoe @ zoebakes. I substituted the cream cheese for my freshly homemade mascarpone cheese. The instruction is to “beat the cream cheese on slow until smooth”-this is what I did. Before I could blink my eye, the cheese turned to butter! LOL..It was funny but such a waste of that beautiful cheese. What happened? Can you advise me what actually happened here? With the hope that a miracle might happen in the oven I proceeded to bake and got myself a big ole lard cake..LOL. Your insight will be appreciated.
March 31, 2010 at 9:35 am
Hi vera ,
I make tiramisu and eggless tiramisu cakes regulalry and would love to give this – how to make homemade mascarpone – a shot ..just want to know if i can use my candy thermometer ( its nit digital) and if 40 percent fat heavy cream can be used .
thanks
March 22, 2010 at 10:21 am
Hi Vera, — just wanted to let you know that I took your advice and gently mixed the cheese (just using a spoon), and it came out wonderfully! Thank you again!
March 19, 2010 at 11:00 am
Hi, cud you tell me how much does this make? and how long it lasts?
March 10, 2010 at 12:25 pm
I had this plan to make April the “month of cheese” and try making four or five different cheeses and blogging about it. This one is going to have to be on my list because it looks so gorgeous and easy to make. Thanks!
February 18, 2010 at 3:05 am
I made this yesterday, and put it into a homemade ice cream recipe today. It worked out well, but I couldn’t get the cream to get to the right temp using the bowl in the skillet method, so after about 40 minutes, I transfered it to a heavy saucepan over low heat and it took about a minute to reach 190. Then, my cheesecloth wasn’t tightly woven enough, I think, because the cream just leaked through. So, I put a coffee filter under the cheesecloth and that held it in. In the end though, after draining, I had lovely, creamy, sweet mascarpone, it was very exciting! Can’t wait to taste the ice cream after I freeze it.
February 16, 2010 at 10:52 pm
msmeanie, you are welcome. It’s a pity the cheese turned out lumpy during whipping. It happened because the mascarpone was overwhipped; this cheese doesn’t require a vigorous whipping, just a quick whirl (and not on the highest speed) to aerate it.
The fat content of your cream was just fine.
February 15, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Hi Vera,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I made this a while ago and have a few questions. First, the cheese came out nicely but when I tried to beat it, the texture became clumpy, as if there were tiny clumps of butter in it. I used heavy cream (as opposed to heavy whipping cream) with fat content about 40% (that is the only type I could find here). Do you know what the problem may have been. Does it matter whether we use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream?
Thank you again for this recipe and all your help!
-Anisha
February 14, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Michelle, I prefer to eat it within a couple of days. It will keep longer (about up to the expiration date of the whipping cream), but the cheese tastes best when it’s really fresh.
February 14, 2010 at 3:40 am
Hi- I’m very interested in making this. Do you know how long it will keep in the fridge?
January 25, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Jesus, time can vary (it depends on the heat you are giving). Just heat until the cream thickens (curdles).
January 23, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Hi, i’ve tried but i don’t know how much time after the lemon juice is added the cream has to heat?
January 14, 2010 at 9:01 pm
Thankz…ill tryit this weekend =)
December 12, 2009 at 12:00 am
thanks! good description. have you ever tried using a sterilized handkerchief (boil and hang in sun to dry) instead of the cheesecloth? i find it easier to deal with and always have plenty sitting in my drawer…
December 11, 2009 at 5:01 am
thank you very much Vera:) love your website:), amazing recipe and i get to learn a lot:)
December 10, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Marie, any cream with high fat content (33-36%) will work in this recipe.
December 10, 2009 at 3:31 am
Oh! i also wanna ask if all purpose cream considered a pasteurized cream? because i can’t seem to find any cream here in the Philippines that labels pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized cream. Thank you very much Vera!:)
December 7, 2009 at 11:34 am
Oops, it seems I missed Praveena’s question.
Marie, I would recommend to invest into a thermometer. A digital one costs about 10-15 dollars, but it will help you on many occasions in the future. The exact time is difficult to state, since it very much depends on the heat you are giving. Yes, the cheesecloth is used to remove the liquid and prevent the cheese coming through the holes of the sieve.