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    Home

    Vegan Mascarpone Recipe

    Last modified: June 18, 2020. Originally posted: May 27, 2020 By Sophia DeSantis

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    Text overlay on the top part of a photo with a jar of mascarpone
    A glass jar filled with mascarpone cheese sitting on a striped towel
    Collage of mascarpone in a food processor and a jar of the finished product with text overlay

    If you're looking for a dairy-free substitute for all those delicious desserts, this vegan mascarpone recipe is the perfect choice. It's easy and versatile!

    A glass jar filled with mascarpone cheese sitting on a striped towel
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    I love having all the dairy-free cream options ready to use when needed, so creating this mascarpone cheese substitute was a much needed addition to my list.

    What is Mascarpone?

    The easy explanation is that mascarpone is like an Italian cream cheese. It has a sweeter flavor because of the high fat content and is also not as thick.

    Cream cheese was created in America, and it uses whole milk as a base. Mascarpone is Italian and is made using heavy cream. Which is where the richer and slightly sweet flavor come from.

    How to Make Vegan Mascarpone?

    Since mascarpone is traditionally dairy filled and not vegan, I had to make a mascarpone cheese substitute. I used my vegan cream cheese recipe as a base, since the mix of raw cashews and slivered almonds created a great creamy flavor.

    The recipes are similar, with this one focusing on a little less tang and bringing out some of the sweetness.

    Ingredients

    In order to get the flavor I was looking for I needed the perfect mix or tang and nut base. Here is what I used:

    • Raw cashews
    • Blanched slivered almonds
    • Creamy dairy-free yogurt
    • Lemon juice
    • White vinegar
    • Sea salt
    • Sugar (this is optional for use in sweet recipes)

    Making the recipe itself is super easy as all you need to do it blend them well. Here are the simple steps:

    1. Add everything to a food processor and blend until smooth. Top view of a food processor with creamy mascarpone in it
    2. Serve as a topper or mix into recipes. Top view of spoon getting a scoop of mascarpone from a glass jar

    Uses and recipes

    Since mascarpone has a slightly sweet flavor, it is often used in desserts. However you can also use it in savory dishes. Some general ways to use mascarpone are:

    • Dip for fruit
    • Spread on toast
    • Pizza topper or sauce
    • Sub for whipped cream
    • Mix it into pasta sauce
    • Soup topper
    • Add it in vegetable dishes for a creamy twist
    • Make desserts with it

    This vegan mascarpone is great used in many of the recipes on this site. Here are some ideas:

    • Vegan Tiramisu
    • Use it instead of frosting on my vegan vanilla, vegan chocolate or vegan pumpkin spice cupcakes
    • Use it on this pina colada smoothie
    • As a topper for this vegan peach cobbler
    • Top this vegan apple crisp with it
    • As a sub for whipped cream for my vegan pumpkin pie
    • Drop a scoop into this vegan hot chocolate
    • Serve it over this vegan strawberry shortcake
    • Drizzle it on these maple roasted carrots
    • Use it in these vegan mashed potatoes
    Three glass jars of tiramisu sitting on a grey towel

    Common Questions

    What's the difference between ricotta and mascarpone?

    The main difference is the flavor. Ricotta isn't as sweet as mascarpone. It also has a little bit of a different texture. It's more textured and although creamy, isn't as smooth.

    What would be a suitable substitute for mascarpone for a vegan dessert?

    If you don't have mascarpone, you can substitute cream cheese, but you may want to mix it with a touch of milk to remove some of the tartness and thin it out a bit.

    You can even sub coconut whip if you are using it in dessert and don't mind the fluffier texture. For savory dishes I would use a plain yogurt or sour cream.

    How do you store mascarpone?

    This is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

    What is the shelf life?

    You don't want to keep this longer than 7 days in the fridge. You can freeze it for longer shelf life but it will need to be blended up again once defrosted to get back some of the texture.

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    Close up of a glass jar filled with mascarpone cheese

    Vegan Mascarpone Recipe

    Sophia DeSantis
    If you're looking for a dairy-free substitute for all those delicious desserts, this vegan mascarpone recipe is the perfect choice. It's easy and versatile!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course 30 Minutes or Less, Filling, Topping
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 16
    Calories 73 kcal

    Equipment

    • Food processor

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 ¼ cup raw cashews , soaked overnight
    • ¼ cup blanched slivered almonds , soaked overnight (see note)
    • ½ cup plain dairy free yogurt (see note)
    • 5 teaspoons lemon juice
    • 3 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • 2 teaspoons cane sugar ,optional (see note)

    Instructions
     

    • Put everything into a food processor and blend until creamy and smooth.
    • Use in your favorite recipes or as a dip!

    Notes

    • The nuts need to be soaked for the right result. If you forget to soak, you can boil them for 30 minutes.
    • If you want a lighter result, use up to ½ cup almonds. If you want it thicker and heavier use all cashews. Just make sure the total amount of nuts is 1 ½ cups.
    • Make sure to use a creamy full fat yogurt for best results.
    • Regular mascarpone doesn’t have sugar but it does have a touch of sweetness from the heavy cream. To mimic that adding a touch of sugar helps. Feel free to leave it out depending on what you are making.
    • This makes about 2 cups, serving size is 2 tablespoons.

    Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 73kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 35mgPotassium: 78mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg

    Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.

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    1. Mike

      December 13, 2021 at 10:54 am

      So, I tried the recipe and I must have made it a bit too heavy cause it didn't turn out as fluffy as I was hoping for. However, I put the mixture into the fridge and will try adding confectioner's sugar to see if that helps it fluff up a bit.

      The recipe was really easy to follow, the only thing I'd add is what each component is meant to do, incase someone needs to make a substitution for what you have written, they can substitute correctly. This is only because I'm fairly new with these recipes and have only made your version before. I'm sure many more like me are new to baking and would love a little explanation as to why you chose these ingredients specifically other than being Vegan/GF.

      Thank you, have a wonderful day!

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        December 15, 2021 at 9:45 pm

        Hi Mike! I'm glad it was easy to follow! The fluffiness may also have to do with your food processor. Sometimes if a blender or processor aren't sharp or high speed enough it can affect the texture. Also, did you use all cashews or add in some almonds? But as long as it tastes good you're good to go! As for the ingredients, the nuts and yogurt are there to mimic dairy. And the yogurt, lemon and vinegar are there to balance it out and mask some of that nut flavor. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    2. Charles Stuart

      August 19, 2021 at 4:36 am

      I am neither vegetarian nor vegan but I wanted to bake a cake that doesn't contain dairy, so a friend with a dairy allergy can eat it. I was really surprised how well this turns out and I think it could be even better passed through a fine sieve. It's not quite the same as genuine mascarpone but it's very good. I was also surprised how good almond yoghurt is. My one complaint is that whenever I look at the recipe again it defaults back to American measures that just aren't used in the rest of the world. It's easy enough to set to metric but it would be nice if the site remembered my choice.

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        August 20, 2021 at 11:46 am

        I'm so happy you liked it! I wish there was a way to save your choice but unfortunately I don't think there is.

        Reply
    3. Stephen in Seattle

      May 13, 2021 at 12:20 pm

      Wow! Wow! Wow! I can't believe how easy this was to make and how fantastic the results. We're veganizing Kasha Kohl's recipe from her Burren Wild gluten-free cookbook for rhubarb lavender cake. The marscapone will be part of the topping.

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        May 13, 2021 at 2:26 pm

        Yay! I am so happy you liked it!

        Reply
    4. Lynne

      May 13, 2021 at 6:58 am

      This was easy & so good! Great recipe. Thank you.

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        May 13, 2021 at 2:26 pm

        I'm so happy you liked it!!

        Reply
    5. Anita

      March 27, 2021 at 8:23 pm

      Hi here! Have loved trying out this recipe. Just wondering how long it will keep for if refrigerated?

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        April 01, 2021 at 5:37 pm

        Hi Anita! I'd say about 5-7 days for optimal flavor! Glad you liked it!

        Reply
    6. Mehy

      December 15, 2020 at 7:23 pm

      Hi,

      Is it ok to replace the vegan yogurt with vanilla Skype full fat yogurt and get the same result?

      Much appreciated.

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        December 16, 2020 at 3:17 pm

        Hi Mehy! I have never tried the Skype but it should yield similar results! Let me know if you try it!

        Reply
        • Mehy

          December 22, 2020 at 6:12 pm

          Sorry autocorrect, it’s Skyre yogurt.

        • veggiesdontbite

          December 22, 2020 at 9:39 pm

          Hi Mehy! I haven't tried that one. But let me know if you give it a shot!

    7. Chelsee Lee

      November 18, 2020 at 11:05 am

      PERFECT! I needed a good recipe like this for the holidays and this will be great.

      Reply
    8. Steph

      November 01, 2020 at 9:03 pm

      Can you recommend any full fat vegan yogurts? I was thinking almond yogurt but all vegan yogurt has a ton of sugar. I’m allergic to coconut:/

      Also this looks divine and I want to try soooo bad!

      Reply
      • veggiesdontbite

        November 02, 2020 at 1:20 pm

        Hi Steph!! Yes, a lot of the plain yogurt has sugar as well, but the plain seems to have less. Unfortunately my favorite one with very little sugar is coconut based. I'd try an almond one or the cashew one from Forager. I usually use my coconut one I love, but the others should work well too!

        Reply

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