This Vegan Mascarpone is rich, slightly sweet and perfect for Tiramisu, toast, creamy pasta and more!
Dairy free alternative to mascarpone
Mascarpone is like a rich, creamy Italian cream cheese. It’s slightly sweet and is used in Tiramisu, desserts, creamy pasta sauces, a dip for fruit and more. It has a higher fat content than cream cheese.
Just like my vegan heavy cream, vegan cream cheese and vegan custard, this is a delicious vegan version of the original.
This dairy free mascarpone is a bit different, but it is high in fat, super creamy, rich and slightly sweet. It does a great job in desserts and is incredible stirred into pasta sauce.
How to make easy vegan mascarpone
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
First, soak your cashews in boiling hot water. I simply warm up water in my electric tea kettle, then pour the water over cashews in a glass measuring cup. Let them soak for at least 5 minutes.
Drain the cashews and discard the soaking water. Add them to a food processor, or high powered blender for a smoother mascarpone.
Next, take a can of coconut milk or cream and spoon out 3/4 cup of the creamy, thick white part. Try not to use any clear liquid.
Add the cream to the food processor along with the lemon juice, salt and sugar (or maple syrup).
Blend or process until very smooth and creamy, scraping the sides as needed.
If you want it to be SUPER smooth, use a high powered blender. You may need to add a little more liquid to get it to blend well. Add a little water or coconut milk as needed to blend.
How to use it
Serve on toast, as a dip for fruit, stir into pasta sauce, add to vegan pizza, soups or desserts.
For my Vegan Tiramisu, I use a different recipe based on vegan cream cheese, but you could substitute this version instead. It’s good in sweet and savory dishes.
How long will it keep?
This vegan mascarpone cheese will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 5 days. It can be frozen if needed.
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Vegan Mascarpone Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 3/4 cup coconut cream the white thick part
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Pour the hot water over the cashews and let soak for at least 5 minutes, or up to 3 hours.
- Drain the cashews and discard the soaking water. Add them to a food processor or high powered blender along with the coconut cream, lemon juice, salt and sugar.
- Blend or process for a few minutes until creamy and smooth, scraping the sides and bottom as needed. If using a blender, you may need to add a little more coconut milk or water to get it to blend.
- Serve immediately anywhere you would mascarpone cheese, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- I haven’t tried this with anything other than cashews, so I don’t know how to make it nut free.
- You may use canned full fat coconut milk instead of cream. Simply spoon out the thick white part and do not use the clear liquid as much as possible.
- Instead of sugar, feel free to use maple syrup or agave.
This is some amazing stuff! I made it to add to the one pot pasta recipe (which is also fantastic). Now I have a bunch left. I’ve never been a regular consumer of mascarpone, even in my pre-vegan days, so I’m wondering what to do with it. I’m thinking I’ll use it as a topping for fruit, maybe? It has an amazing whipped cream cheese texture and flavor that reminds me of cheesecake, or one of those commercial frozen cheesecake/pies.
I would love to see tips on what to do with odds and ends of things! I often have things go bad in my fridge because I didn’t need a full can of some ingredient, or when I only needed a half cup of a recipe that made 3 cups.
Hi Jackie. Thank you for stellar review and feedback! This is a really fun recipe! A couple of ways mascarpone can be used is in Tiramisu, desserts, creamy pasta sauces, a dip for fruit, and more! I bet an online search could give you lots of other ideas as well! I’m so glad you loved the recipe, and wish you lots of happy cooking!
Best vegan sauce ever, pasta or lasagne it does magic. Thanks Nora for sharing this recipe.
Hi, do you think this could work with seeds or another substitute, rather than cashews? Sadly I have a nut allergy. Thanks!
Perhaps sunflower seeds will work. Or you might want to try this method from The Banana Diaries, it has not nuts and looks good too!
I made it today to use in your tiramisu recipe. It tastes great so far but I am going to freeze it before assembling it for Christmas.
Problem I found is that I put in the refrigerator for a couple hours before putting in the freezer. It looks suuuuper thick. I am not even sure how I will spoon into layers. Should I add some vegan milk, water or even vegan yogurt to it once defrosted?
Yes, it hardens when cold because of the coconut cream. You need to let it warm to room temperature so it gets softer before you layer it in tiramisu. I prefer to make it and immediately use it in a recipe, if possible. But if you let it warm it should soften, and if needed (once at room temperature) you can thin it out with some water or plant milk.
Thank you so much.
I added both water and some macadamia milk to thin out.
It helped a lot.
Some picky eaters liked. Others not so much.
This cheese calls back a blurry, positive meal memory from my childhood, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. I felt as if I could eat it from a spoon out of the blender. 😬 (Don’t worry, I restrained myself.) I used it in the One Pot Vegan Pasta and I’m probably going to use the rest of it on a small tiramisu or something. Thank you for the warm fuzzies!
My pleasure, Jennie! I’m glad you loved the recipe! Thanks for your wonderful feedback!
Hi! I’m going to use this recipe for your tiramisu recipe. Should I double the recipe or would this be enough?
Hi Rhoda, this recipe should make just enough for the tiramisu. Happy baking!
It was enough, thank you! Both recipes came out delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! Thanks for getting back to me!