This is the best vegan mascarpone recipe. Slightly sweet and just a little tart it's made with raw cashews, coconut milk, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup to keep it dairy free yet still creamy and delicious. It's so easy to make and can be used in so many ways. It's also paleo and refined sugar free.
Why you will love this recipe:
- This dairy free mascarpone has the best flavour! Slightly sweet and a little tart, just like traditional mascarpone.
- It's so creamy and rich and spreads really well.
- This plant based mascarpone can be used in so many ways including making tiramisu and mascarpone pasta.
- It's really easy to make and stores well in the fridge.
- This vegan mascarpone cheese is naturally dairy free and refined sugar free.
- Besides being vegan and vegetarian this mascarpone is also paleo.
- It's made with no cheese, no tofu, and no cream.Â
- If you love dairy free sauces you will also love vegan cheese sauce.
Key ingredients and substitutions:
- Raw cashews - these are key for this recipe and give it that nice thick and creamy texture. Be sure to use raw cashews and not roasted cashews as roasted cashews will give this mascarpone a weird flavour.
- Coconut milk - I recommend using full fat coconut milk for this recipe. This helps give this mascarpone recipe the most creamy and rich texture. You could also swap this for another dairy free milk such as cashew milk, almond milk or oat milk.
- Apple cider vinegar - to give it that perfect tartness. You could swap this for lemon juice if you don't have apple cider vinegar.
- Lemon juice - another tart ingredient to give this mascarpone the perfect flavour.
- Maple syrup - for just the right amount of natural sweetness. You could swap this for date syrup if you don't have maple syrup.
How to make this recipe:
Step one:
First, place all the ingredients into your food processor.
Step two:
Then blend everything well until the mascarpone has the texture you prefer.
Step three:
Then serve and enjoy!
Tips and variations:
- To make it sweeter: add an extra tablespoon of maple syrup.
- To make it more bitter: add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Don't skip soaking the cashews. This helps them turn out perfectly creamy when you blend all the ingredients together.
- Feel free to make a double or triple batch if you are serving a crowd.
How to use mascarpone:
Mascarpone can be used in many ways. Traditionally it is used to make tiramisu but you can also use it to top cakes, as an icing, as a bagel spread, as a dip for fruit, to add to soups or stews, or even to make mascarpone pasta!
How to store:
Store this mascarpone in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Frequently asked questions:
Traditional mascarpone is an Italian soft cheese that is made from cream. It resembles cream cheese and is coagulated through the addition of acidic ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid.
It is classically used to make tiramisu, but it can be used for many other things including as a frosting or sauce. I love using it as a dip for fresh fruit or as a topping for cakes, cupcakes or even banana bread. It can also be used in pasta sauces, soups or as a topping for cooked vegetables. It can even be used as a bagel spread.
This mascarpone is made with real food ingredients including cashews, maple syrup and coconut milk making it refined sugar free and a healthy dessert option.Â
Traditional mascarpone is made from cream.Â
Other vegan recipes you will love:
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Vegan Mascarpone
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 1-2 hours
- 1/4 cup plus one tablespoon full fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoon maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it)
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into your food processor.
- Blend well until smooth. Then serve and enjoy!
Notes
- To make it sweeter: add an extra tablespoon of maple syrup.
- To make it more bitter: add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Store this in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 7 days.
Amber
How much does this end up making? Enough for two layers/filling on a cake?
Erin Carter
It yields just over 1 1/2 cups (I haven't actually measured but based on the raw ingredients I think that's what it works out too).