This vegan mascarpone recipe is easily made with simple ingredients to get a rich creamy result! The perfect dairy-free mascarpone substitute.
You can use vegan mascarpone in any recipe that calls for mascarpone cheese. It is versatile and perfect for desserts, pastas and more!
This post was originally published on May 27, 2020.
I use this easy vegan mascarpone cheese in multiple ways! It's a perfect substitute in my vegan tiramisu, and is a delicious addition to my spinach tomato pasta for a creamy twist.
Ingredients
Since traditional mascarpone is 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.
Each recipe for vegan mascarpone will vary, this particular one is made without coconut cream, soy, or tofu. In order to get the flavor I was looking for I needed the perfect mix of 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)
How to Make Vegan Mascarpone
Making the recipe itself is super easy as all you need to do it blend them well. Here are the simple steps:
- Add everything to a food processor or high speed blender and blend until you reach a smooth and creamy texture.
- Serve as a topper or mix into recipes.
Uses for Vegan Mascarpone
Since mascarpone has a slightly sweet taste, it is often used in desserts. However you can also use this dairy-free substitute in savory recipes like pasta dishes.
Some general ways to use mascarpone are:
- Dip for fruit
- Spread on toast
- Pizza topper or sauce
- Sub for whipped cream
- Stir it into pasta sauce
- Soup topper
- Add it in vegetable dishes for a creamy twist
- Make desserts with it like tarts, cheesecakes, pies, cakes, parfaits, and more!
This vegan mascarpone is great used in many of the recipes on this site. Here are some ideas:
- Use in this Vegan Tiramisu recipe
- Substitute it for frosting on my vegan vanilla, vegan chocolate or vegan pumpkin spice cupcakes, or any cake!
- 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
- Spread over pancakes or vegan French toast with a drizzle of maple syrup
Preparation Tips
- For the best vegan mascarpone use full fat vegan yogurt, which results in ultimate creaminess.
- For an extra thick consistency make sure to use all cashews.
- If you want a lighter result, use up to ½ cup almonds instead.
- Just make sure the total amount of nuts is 1 ½ cups no matter what type you use.
- The nuts need to be soaked overnight for the right result.
- If you forget to soak, you can boil them for 30 minutes, then drain and proceed with the recipe.
- 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 the sugar out depending on what you are making.
Storage Tips
- Seal the dairy free mascarpone in an airtight container.
- Keep it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- You can also freeze vegan mascarpone cheese for up to 3 months.
- Defrost in the fridge then re-blend to get the texture back.
Common Questions
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.
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. (Try my vegan ricotta recipe next!)
Some recipes use full-fat coconut milk or tofu. This version uses nuts, dairy-free yogurt, lemon juice, vinegar, and a pinch of salt.
Yes, the most common substitute for mascarpone cheese is 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.
More Dairy-Free Substitutes
Vegan Mascarpone Recipe
Equipment
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
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
jennifer
I'm so excited to find dairy-free alternatives that don't use soy! (body can't handle either). However, we do have a lemon/citrus allergy in the family, as well- Do you think we could just omit the lemon juice? Or add a touch more vinegar?
Sophia DeSantis
Hi Jennifer! I wouldn't just omit it because the tang is important to counteract the sweetness of the cashews. You can try to add more vinegar or maybe some apple cider vinegar since all white vinegar will be too tart. The flavor overall won't be exactly the same as it is with lemon because the flavor the lemon brings contributes to the end result. But it should still work ok!
Mike
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!
veggiesdontbite
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!
Charles Stuart
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.
veggiesdontbite
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.
Stephen in Seattle
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.
veggiesdontbite
Yay! I am so happy you liked it!
Lynne
This was easy & so good! Great recipe. Thank you.
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you liked it!!
Anita
Hi here! Have loved trying out this recipe. Just wondering how long it will keep for if refrigerated?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Anita! I'd say about 5-7 days for optimal flavor! Glad you liked it!
Mehy
Hi,
Is it ok to replace the vegan yogurt with vanilla Skype full fat yogurt and get the same result?
Much appreciated.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Mehy! I have never tried the Skype but it should yield similar results! Let me know if you try it!
Mehy
Sorry autocorrect, it’s Skyre yogurt.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Mehy! I haven't tried that one. But let me know if you give it a shot!
Chelsee Lee
PERFECT! I needed a good recipe like this for the holidays and this will be great.
Steph
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!
veggiesdontbite
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!