3 Ingredient Quick Vegan Mascarpone- No Cashews, No Tofu!
This creamy vegan mascarpone is made with just 3 simple dairy free ingredients using the traditional method. No tofu, no nuts, quick to make, and perfect for both sweet and savory!
Why this is the *only* vegan mascarpone recipe you need:
If you’re looking for the most perfect vegan mascarpone recipe, then you have *arrived.*
This recipe is it.
A super creamy, smooth, mildly sweet and lush mascarpone that’s all dairy free, and SO simple to make.
We’re talking 3 ingredients, none of which are nuts, vegan yogurt, tofu, or the like. And the result? A dairy-free mascarpone suitable for anything from your favorite vegan dessert to your favorite vegan pasta dish.
This mascarpone is especially good when paired with my vegan ladyfingers in this top rated vegan tiramisu recipe!
This mascarpone is versatile, quick to make (only 5 minutes of actual work), and just SO delicious. You’re going to love it!!
What is mascarpone?
If you’ve never had mascarpone before, then you’re in for a treat, because this one is nearly identical to the classic dairy version.
Mascarpone is essentially the Italian cream cheese. It’s very very milld, and almost sweet in flavor, and is made by coagulating and simmering heavy cream with lemon juice or an acid. Then strained and served!
While traditional mascarpone is usually just 2 ingredients and since pea milk is lower in fat than heavy cream, we’re adding some more fat back at the end to create that super creamy texture!
The only 3 ingredients you need:
When I said simple, I really meant simple– like my vegan ricotta. Here’s what you need:
- Pea milk: The lovely thing about this vegan mascarpone is that it’s both gluten-free, soy free, and nut free. Pea milk acts very similarly and a great dairy-free substitute to regular dairy milk (which is why it’s also a great substitute in vegan buttermilk!). You can use soy or almond milk (NOT shelf-stable though). However, to keep it nut free and soy free, use pea milk.
- Lemon juice: Or apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, white vinegar, or another vinegar. This will help curdle the proteins in the pea milk, similarly to dairy milk.
- Heavy vegan cream: Or coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk here- either or! The heavy vegan cream will help to create a super lush and smooth mascarpone texture. I like to use Plant Crock or Silk here!
And that’s truly it! In terms of equipment, you’ll also need a sieve, cheesecloth, a large bowl, a saucepan, and a food processor. Other than that, let’s get started!
Overview: Step by Step How to Make Vegan Mascarpone:
The full measurements are found down below in the recipe card. However, this is a walk through of the entire process!
Why not just use tofu?
I’ve tried to use tofu (both firm tofu and silken tofu) for a homemade vegan cream cheese and a homemade mascarpone. Personally, I really didn’t like the texture, and I felt it did taste of soy. However, previously, I did use soy milk for this recipe. And for some reason, the acid must neutralize the soy flavor, and the mascarpone does NOT taste of soy. A bonus!
What’s more, we’re honoring the traditional method of making mascarpone by using this method, and by using pea milkThis is how mascarpone is traditionally made, and I felt it was really cool to incorporate some of the longstanding traditions into our vegan baking skills!
Additionally, if my home bakers feel called to, you can even use your own homemade pea milk or soy milk- how lovely would that be?! Everything from scratch!
How to use this vegan mascarpone:
What you’ll love about this dairy-free mascarpone is that it’s not only great for vegan desserts, for for vegan savory dishes as well.
Aside from just dipped some fresh berries or fresh fruit into this vegan mascarpone cheese, here are my top 10 favorite uses for vegan mascarpone:
- make the most amazing vegan tiramisu recipe (it’s top rated!!)
- in my amazing brown sugar maple mascarpone cheesecake
- use it in a vegan mascarpone cream to top on any dessert
- mixed into whipped cream and dolloped on top of this vegan olive oil cake
- top your favorite soup recipe with it (especially this Tuscan white bean soup!)
- swap it into your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe!
- dollop it on homemade vegan pizza (or gluten free pizza!)
- incorporate it into your favorite vegan pasta sauce or dish
- on top of vegan pancakes or French toast
- as a cake or cupcake filling to your favorite cake recipe when made as a mascarpone cream
- stir it into vegan mashed potatoes in place of vegan sour cream
- spread it on toast or a homemade bagel, as you would vegan cream cheese!
Storage tips:
After you’ve made your homemade mascarpone, you can absolutely use it right away (but it might still be a little warm!). Or you can store it for later!
To store your vegan mascarpone: Spoon the mascarpone into a sealable storage container. Seal it, and keep it in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
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3 Ingredient Quick Vegan Mascarpone- No Cashews, No Tofu!
- Prep Time: 1
- Cooling time: 10
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Cheese
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This creamy vegan mascarpone is made with just 3 simple dairy free ingredients using the traditional method. Quick to make, and perfect for both sweet and savory!
Ingredients
- 4 cups (960 mL) pea milk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup vegan heavy cream or coconut cream
Instructions
- Prep: Place a large sieve over a large bowl with a piece of cheesecloth. Set aside.
- Heat: Pour the pea milk into a medium saucepan, along with the lemon juice. Stir to combine, then turn the heat on to medium heat. Let the mixture cook until it’s foaming on the top, about 5 minutes. See photos in the blog post for reference. It should almost be overflowing. Those are the curdles.
- Strain: Pour the mixture into the sieve with the cheesecloth, and let stand for at least 10 minutes to cool down. Once the pea milk is easily handleable, squeeze the cheesecloth closed and gently squeeze out and drain any remaining liquid. Discard the liquid once you’ve squeeze it all out.
- Blend: Add the pea curdles to a food processor or high-speed blender along with the vegan heavy cream. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender. Blend the mixture until consistent and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Store: Scrape the mascarpone into a sealable storage container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Alternatively, you can use right away, but it might be a little warm still! Otherwise, you can chill it for 30 minutes, and then use in your recipes.
Notes
Pea milk: I have tried this recipe with both soy milk and almond milk. Both will work, however, please do not use shelf stable soy milk.
Why not tofu? Please see blog post for explanation!
Thanks for the recipe. Would I be able to use oat milk instead of pea milk?
Hi Vallen, Unfortunately not, as the oat milk won’t curdle any proteins.
Thanks for getting bacl to me so quickly. So, I know u said that shelf stable soy doesn’t work but what about shelf stable pea or almond milk? Would those work if I use the shelf stable versions or must they be from the fridge section of the grocery store?
Hi Vallen! So none of the shelf-stable milks will work because they have a specific ingredient in them preventing them from curdling. I would only use the refrigerated version of soy milk or pea milk here for the strongest curdles!
I’ve made this a couple of times to use in a tiramisu and it works great,. In teh U I’ve found Plenish UHT soya from Tesco has worked the best (their oat/almon didn’t curdle and most other brands had stabilisers in them)
Had quite the adventure making this! First used silk almond milk, stirred because my mom didn’t know she shouldn’t. Yielded a little bit. Then pea milk that was accidentally shelf stable. That couldn’t work of course. Then made homemade pea milk which sadly also didn’t work. Then tried the silk almond unsweetened not shelf stable milk again without stirring and it made so many curdles! Definitely recommend using silk unsweetened almond milk from the refrigerator section for this recipe! And definitely DON’T STIR!
hi i live in the uk and never heard of pea milk before. Any idea where to buy it?
Oh I believe there are some brands, but I’m not sure if they’re only shelf stable. Shelf stable doesn’t work for this recipe because of whatever additives they use to prevent curdling, so you can use refrigerated soy milk instead!
Hi Britt,
Do you think I can add this mascarpone cheese to a cake i need to bake without it melting/disappear?
I want to try a tiramisu style brownie but with mascarpone in the batter? 🤔🤞
Thanks M.
Hi Miry! So if you’re looking for something like a “cream cheese” ripple but with mascarpone instead, this WILL work!
I normally make my own pea milk using Naked brand 100% pea protein powder. I know it has enough protein content, so is there a reason this still won’t curdle?
Oh are you blending pea protein powder with water? because that unfortunately won’t work!
I made this today, and it was not too bad. The only thing, I’m wondering, is how I could have made it more creamier, more (bad choice of word, but cant find a word for it lol) “liquidier” like a cream. I felt that it was more pastier (but not too pasty) rather than a cream, but nonetheless almost “authentic” “traditional”…
From a creators prospective, anything I can put in to make the mascarpone more looser?
I just made this. I doubled it for tiramisu. I used 2 cups of ripple half and half and 6cup of ripple regular unsweetened. It turned out AMAZING. Beautiful curdles. And I was skeptical but the taste is SPOT ON
Oh my gosh so happy to hear this!! Also Concetta is a family name for us 🙂 One of my favorite names!! Brilliant to use the half and half I will try that myself! Thank you!
You mentioned that mascarpone is made by curdling heavy cream. I can’t get pea milk where I live but they do sell a plantbased heavy cream made from full (a type of legume), 31% fat. Do you think that might work? It does contain emulsifiers and stabilizers.
Hi Tamar! So plant based heavy cream won’t work unless it contains a high amount of protein. The proteins in heavy cream (from dairy) curdle much easier, which is why we need to lean on protein based plant milks like soy milk and pea milk. If you don’t have pea milk, you can use soy! I know everyone complains that it’s like tofu, but it’s actually having more control over the process, as we’re not pressing the tofu together and processing it further. I hope that helps!
Thank you, I will try that!
Absolutely, let me know how it goes!!
I couldn’t find the blog explaining why not tofu 🙁
Hi Nadia! Sorry about that! You can find more details under the section “Why not just use tofu?” But I’ve tried to use tofu (both firm tofu and silken tofu) for a homemade vegan cream cheese and a homemade mascarpone. I personally really didn’t like the texture! Hope this helps!
I’m surprised the shelf stable soy milk doesn’t coagulate; whenever I curdle it for cakes it gets lumpy. Does it need to get excessively lumpy? I’ve just never seen pea milk and trying to avoid having to buy a bunch of different milks.
I completely understand that! I for some reason have not been able to get shelf stable soy to curdle with heat. I think it’s different at room temperature for buttermilk, because you’re just looking for a few curdles, but with this, you want thick, firm curdles from the entire mixture, which I think the heat creates that for refrigerated soy, but shelf stable must have something in it that protects its integrity when changing temperatures
I saw this mascarpone vegan cheese called Schlagfix Vegan Mascarpone Bundle – Light and Deliciously Smooth on Amazon uk website. Thought share it with you and everyone to try it.
This is the link
https://amzn.eu/d/9wywMXw
Just trying out this recipe, still cooling down.
in the meantime I got curious, is there something I can do with the left liquid of the peamilk?
Oh yes!! You can use it for soups or smoothies- it has a pretty neutral flavor so that’s what I do!
hi Brit,
I left a comment and I don’t see it posted. I used fresh must be refrigerated pea milk. I heated 4 cups along with 1/4 cup lemon juice over medium heat for 30 minutes and it never curddled. why not? I was counting on this recipe to work for me.
kim
Hi Kim! That’s great that you used the refrigerated pea milk, because that’s the one that will work! My guess that the lemon juice wasn’t good here (could have been an old lemon- the less acidic the lemon, the less it will curdle). If you can, switch to vinegar, as that’s longer lasting and has less of a chance of having expired.
This was SO easy thank you. And I loved that it mimicked the traditional way of making cheese. I tried two batches, first one, total fail – I put my heat on medium as suggested however I think it got too hot too fast and broke down the protein. So I tried again on low and success!
hiw long did you heat it for before it curddled? J think I made the same mistake too hot too fast. The recipe says heat for 5 minutes??
help please I need a dairy free marscapone by tomorrow.
Hi Kim so sorry I’m just getting to this! We have a large backlog of comments right now, as it’s the busiest time of year, but working our way through them as fast as we can! You can always add more vinegar if it’s not curdling, but the mixture should be hot, and if there’s enough vinegar/lemon juice in there, it should curdle right away. If you used lemon juice, it is possible that the lemon wasn’t good anymore, so it wasn’t as acidic (which the acid is what causes the curdling!).