Creamy Homemade Mascarpone | Low-Carb, So Simple! (2024)

This 2-ingredient Creamy Homemade Mascarpone will indulgently pamper your tastebuds! It’s a perfect ingredient to your healthy low-sugar cooking — and it simply tastes divine as is! When you learn how ridiculously easy and satisfying it is to make mascarpone, you will never touch the commercial version, which also contains nasty and synthetic food additives, such as citric acid.

How to make this 2-ingredient Creamy Homemade Mascarpone

Mascarpone cheeseis a versatile ingredient that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. This creamy Italian cheese is known for its mild flavor and smooth, velvety texture. While store-bought mascarpone is readily available, making your own at home is definitely a fun and rewarding experience. Moreover, with homemade mascarpone, you can totally avoid factory-processing and inferior food additives that are not good for your health.

Creating your own homemade mascarpone is surprisingly simple and requires only two ingredients. There are several methods for making mascarpone, but the most common involve heating heavy cream and adding an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice or vinegar. With a little patience and attention to detail, you can create a delicious and creamy mascarpone that rivals any store-bought version.

I prefer to use apple cider vinegar as that acidic ingredient. You need less vinegar than lemon juice. This, in turn, makes the mascarpone more mellow and not sour. If I need something with a sour taste, I use cream cheese.

It’s important to use heavy cream with at least 30% fat to ensure the cheese is rich and creamy. I prefer to use cream with 35% fat, as that’s what we have here in Finland.

Actually, this recipe makes such rich mascarpone which is more like double cream. And that pleases me a lot since we don’t have double cream here in Finland.

Many mascarpone recipes use a candy thermometer, but I have learned that you don’t need one. I’ve never measured the temperature of my cream, and I have always ended up with a successful result.

A heavy-bottomed saucepan is important because it distributes heat evenly and prevents the cream from scorching.

You can use a spoon or a whisk to combine and mix the ingredients and create a smooth texture. I prefer a spoon as it’s easier to clean.

You will also need cheesecloth and a fine-mesh strainer to strain the mixture. A bowl is necessary to catch the strained liquid.

Make sure that all your equipment is clean and dry before you begin. Any dirt or moisture can affect the quality of your mascarpone.

So, I’ll show you a method for making unbelievably rich and creamy mascarpone cheese at home. Whether you are a seasoned cook or a beginner in the kitchen, this recipe is easy to follow and will yield a delicious result. So grab your ingredients, and let’s get started!

Pour 2 cups (470 ml) of heavy cream into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Heat, all the time mixing, over high heat…

…until the mixture is piping hot and steaming. Don’t cook! If you want to use a candy thermometer, the ideal temperature is 185°F (85°C).

Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the vinegar.

Heat and stir (but don’t cook!) the cream for a few minutes, until it thickens. Note that the consistency is silky smooth; no lumps here! Once the cream is so thick that it coats the back of your spoon, remove the mixture from the heat.

Place a fine-mesh strainer on a small clean glass or ceramic bowl.

Line the strainer with cheesecloth (double layer for the best result).

Pour the cream mixture into the strainer.

Let cool first to room temperature, then refrigerate and let drain overnight. You can cover the strainer with plastic wrap.

Next day, remove from the fridge and transfer your mascarpone from the strainer to a container.

Look how thick and creamy it is!

Use like commercial mascarpone. Store in the fridge for up to three days. So thick — so yum!

How I came up with this easy mascarpone recipe

Ages ago, I have written Homemade Mascarpone to my idea list. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of commercial mascarpone due to its bland taste and synthetic citric acid, so a homemade version sounded like a must-try.

I was browsing the web for ideas before starting my own experiments. Soon I learned that people used heavy cream, milk, or half-and-half as a base to make mascarpone.

Since I try to avoid carbs — and I love super-creamy and rich stuff — I decided to use heavy cream as a base for my mascarpone.

I also needed something acidic to thicken the mascarpone. Again, I saw that people were using lemon juice, white vinegar, and even calcium chloride in their mascarpone recipes.

I contemplated that apple cider vinegar would be acidic but not too pungent, so I wanted to try ACV in my first mascarpone experiment. I didn’t see anybody else using ACV, though, and I wonder why.

My Mascarpone Experiment

After using some simple mental arithmetics to calculate the measures, I was ready to conduct my first experiment. I had found out that you’ll need 1 teaspoon of vinegar per every 1 cup (240 ml) of heavy cream to create mascarpone. And, in my first experiment, I used 1 cup (240 ml) of cream and 1 teaspoon of ACV because I wanted to start with a small batch to see if I was on the correct track and not waste any precious ingredients.

I heated the cream until piping hot, added the vinegar, and mixed until the mixture had gotten a bit thicker. I didn’t bother to use a candy thermometer even though I knew most homemade mascarpone recipes use it.

Finally, I poured the hot mixture into a cheesecloth-lined fine-mesh strainer and chilled it. Now was the most difficult part: to wait until the next day! With my impatient nerves, that was challenging.

The Result

The next day, I took the creation from the fridge and excitedly checked the consistency. It had turned into a very thick and super-creamy mascarpone!

Of course, I had to taste the mascarpone immediately. It tasted unbelievably divine, and the extreme creaminess was pampering my tastebuds. Oh, what a celestial creation! I’m sure I will make this mascarpone over and over again — this recipe is super easy and foolproof and makes perfect, thick, and incredibly creamy mascarpone!

Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy:

2-Ingredient Creamy Homemade Mascarpone

Yield: 9.5 oz (270 g)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 5 minutes

This 2-ingredient Creamy Homemade Mascarpone will indulgently pamper your tastebuds! It’s a perfect ingredient to your healthy low-sugar cooking — and it simply tastes divine as is! When you learn how ridiculously easy and satisfying it is to make mascarpone, you will never touch the commercial version, which also contains nasty and synthetic food additives, such as citric acid.

Ingredients

• 2 cups = 470 ml heavy cream with at least 30% fat
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Pour the cream into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over high heat, all the time mixing, until piping hot and steaming. Don't cook!
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the vinegar.
3. Heat and stir (but don't cook!) the cream for a few minutes, until it thickens.
4. Once the cream is so thick that it coats the back of your spoon, remove the mixture from the heat.
5. Place a fine-mesh strainer on a clean glass or ceramic bowl. Line the strainer with cheesecloth (double layer for the best result).
6. Pour the cream mixture into the strainer. Let cool first to room temperature, then refrigerate and let drain overnight. You can cover the strainer with plastic wrap.
7. Next day, remove from the fridge and transfer your mascarpone from the strainer to a container.
8. Use like commercial mascarpone. Store in the fridge for up to three days.

Recommended Products

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Tips and Variations

Tip 1: Whip your Mascarpone

You can get an even smoother consistency by whipping your mascarpone with an electric mixer. Don’t beat it very long, though, or it might separate or turn into a rock. Just a quick mix is enough to create a smooth and hom*ogenous consistency.

Tip 2: Use Fresh Lemon Juice

Adding fresh lemon juice to mascarpone cream not only adds a tangy, almost cream cheese-like flavor but also helps stabilize the cream. The acid in the lemon juice reacts with the cream, causing it to thicken and hold its shape better. Be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best results. Bottled juice just tastes dull.

TIP 3: Swap Vinegar for Lemon Juice

You can certainly use only lemon juice to make your mascarpone. If you find vinegar too pungent, lemon juice is a perfect alternative. For 2 cups (470 ml) of heavy cream, use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice instead of vinegar.

Variation 1: Add Flavors

Mascarpone cream is versatile and can be flavored in many ways. Try adding vanilla extract, dark cocoa powder, or espresso powder for a classic tiramisu-like flavor. For a fruity twist, add mashed berries, lemon peel, or orange peel. Feel free to sweeten your homemade mascarpone with natural keto-friendly sweeteners such as erythritol, stevia, monk fruit, or allulose. You can also add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger for a warm and cozy flavor — not forgetting my all-time favorite spice: pumpkin pie spice!

Variation 2: Adjust Consistency

If you prefer thinner mascarpone cheese, you can easily adjust the consistency. Add more heavy cream or a splash of milk to make your mascarpone thinner. Be sure to adjust the possible flavorings accordingly to maintain the balance of flavors.

Variation 2: Adjust the Amount

As I said, I noticed that you’ll need 1 teaspoon of vinegar per 1 cup (240 ml) of heavy cream to create a perfect mascarpone. With this ratio in mind, you can make as big a batch of mascarpone as you need. Alternatively, as mentioned above, you can use lemon juice as the acidic ingredient. In that case, use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per 1 cup (240 ml) of heavy cream. Just notice that bigger batches take longer to drain.

Be sure to check my recipes with mascarpone!

General prattling

Yet another busy week has passed. I have been acting as Ketokamu CEO and, in addition, done my daily Ketokamu tasks like customer service and content creation. Moreover, I have been working on Afrikaans in my language technology work.

There are going to be major changes in our Ketokamu organization. In fact, there are many directions to go, and we have to weigh the pros and cons of each direction. The coming weeks will be crucial — and interesting. I’m confident that everything will turn out well.

But, I have also baked and cooked a lot. Well, I’m still following a carnivore diet, but I baked a delicious Keto Lemon and Ricotta Cake using our Ketokamu baking mix. The cake turned out as an immediate hit among our Ketokamu followers!