Mascarpone Too Expensive? Make Your Own With Just 3 Ingredients

Mascarpone can be a bit on the pricier side. An 8 oz tub can cost around $7, which is almost twice as much as standard cream cheese. Also, finding ways to use up the remaining cheese once you're done making a specific dessert (most likely tiramisu) or a savory dish can be a struggle. To avoid spending a pretty penny on that costly carton of mascarpone, or worse, letting it go to waste, you can make it at home using just three ingredients: heavy cream, nonfat milk powder, and lemon. Yes, it's that basic. This way, you not only get the most bang for your buck, but you also don't have to fret about the quantity. Heavy cream on its own can work as the perfect substitute for mascarpone if you're looking for a cheaper and easier alternative. But if authenticity is what you're after, these three ingredients can get you there.

So how do you make it? Just whisk milk powder into heavy cream and heat this mixture for about ten minutes. Powdered milk should be a pantry staple anyway, given the number of ways you can use it, but it lends an extra dollop of lusciousness to your homemade mascarpone, the very quality it's known for. Once the two are combined, stir in lemon juice. The acidity thickens the milk, separating the curds from the whey. From there, it's simply a matter of cooking the curds a little longer before chilling the mixture in the fridge.

While making mascarpone can be simple, there are a few details you need to be particular about when whipping it up, or things can go downhill fast. The first is temperature. The cream needs to hold steady at 180 degrees for about ten minutes after the milk powder goes in, so you'll have to keep tabs on both heat and time. It would be ideal to use a thermometer to maintain a steady cooking temperature, because even a slight dip or spike can throw things off. Then comes patience. The mixture needs at least two hours in the fridge to settle into a yogurt-like consistency before you transfer it to a cheesecloth-lined strainer. From there, it's all about letting time do the work, as the curds firm up over another twelve to twenty-four hours in the fridge. 

The end result will differ slightly from store-bought mascarpone, but in all the right ways. Homemade tends to be thicker and richer because of all the powdered milk, while the lemon leaves a faint citrusy note that feels almost refreshing. You can use this cream cheese however you'd like. But this version will definitely feel like a little luxury you made with your own hands, and that's a flavor no store-bought tub can match.