Mascarpone cheese is a staple in any baker’s kitchen. Most non-bakers would look at Mascarpone and wonder what cheese has to do with baking? Well, a whole lot.
Invented in Italy, Mascarpone is not a cheese but a very specific result of pulling cream from milk and using a range of additives during the separation process (aka thick skimmed milk).
The final structure and acidity that Mascarpone develops as a result of this process is what helps to make cheesecakes smooth and stable and pasta sauces thick but creamy.
However, as Mascarpone is a dairy product, it is not at all suitable for vegans. Vegan chefs and bakers have found several solid alternatives to Mascarpone that are vegan-friendly.
Our 3 Vegan Substitutes for Mascarpone
Due to the specific additives used to make Mascarpone, such as vinegar or lemon juice, there is a sour bitterness to Mascarpone that counteracts perfectly with overly sweet bakes. Though Mascarpone’s general flavour is mild, there is also a clear sweetness.
This thick but creamy texture is an integral part of Mascarpone’s structure and what makes it so important in baking recipes.
Here are our top 3 vegan substitutes for Mascarpone:
1) Vegan Cream Cheese
Vegan cream cheese is an easy go-to for any soft cheese fan who happens to be vegan. Cream cheese manufacturers have not been making commercial vegan cream cheese for long, but what they have developed is near identical to dairy cream cheese.
Mascarpone may not be cream cheese exactly. But the light, airy texture of both the cheese and the results of using it in a bake is what makes Mascarpone comparable to cream cheese in the first place.
Vegan cream cheese is already being used in various vegan-friendly no-bake cheesecake recipes. It has popped up in other baking recipes all over the interest. So you will not have to worry about the lack of dairy ruining your bake if you use it to replace Mascarpone.
Coconut oil provides the base of most vegan cream cheeses. Typically, coconut oil turns into a liquid when warm and solid when cold.
However, because it has been combined with a range of protein-rich nuts, it is as structurally stable as a Mascarpone substitute needs to be.
Is There a Nut-Free Vegan Cream Cheese?
You should always check the label of any commercially produced product if you have a nut allergy, but some vegan companies do make nut-free cream cheese. They just use a different oil and another plant-based protein.
2) Soft Tofu and Vegan Cream Cheese
If you do not have a lot of vegan cream cheese left in your fridge or only want to use a little to save yourself some money, you could always use soft tofu as the base for your vegan Mascarpone and add vegan cream cheese as a secondary ingredient.
When soft tofu is blended, it will create a thick but very creamy paste, though it will not have much flavour. That is why you need vegan cream cheese to thin out the mixture and also provide the sweet bitterness that is similar to Mascarpone.
Pick the Right Tofu
Soft tofu can be used as a base for vegan Mascarpone, but silken soft tofu will create the smoothest texture.
3) Coconut Cream and Lemon Juice
An odd combination in any other instance, coconut cream and lemon juice – when used in the correct ratio – can create a suitable vegan Mascarpone replacement.
The main base of this combination is the coconut cream which is often used as a vegan-friendly alternative for bakes that need a creamy consistency. It is very close in texture to cow’s milk and will thicken up if mixed together for long enough to create a more comparable texture to Mascarpone.
Lemon juice, when used in moderation, will provide the subtle but essentially bitterness of Mascarpone while adding a citrusy twist to your recipe.
Coconut Cream to Lemon Juice Ratio
The key when making this combination at home is to not be too generous with the lemon juice. For every cup of coconut cream, only use 1/2 – 1 tsp of lemon juice, depending on your own personal tastes.
Other Vegan Substitutes for Mascarpone
If you are not a fan of coconut cream or coconut in general, there are some other plant-based milks you can use as the base for your vegan Mascarpone. Though you will need to use cashew butter to thicken up the mixture.
- Almond Milk and Cashew Butter – While almond milk is nowhere near as bitter as raw almonds, there is still enough bitterness in the milk, similar to Mascarpone. Although almond milk is pretty watered down, so you will need to use a fair amount of cashew butter.
- Soy Milk and Cashew Butter – The taste of unsweetened soy milk is not the nicest to use in a bake. But sweetened soy milk combined with the natural sweetness of cashew butter can make a suitable vegan Mascarpone substitute.
Summary
Like any key baking ingredient, finding a vegan substitute for Mascarpone that can provide the same structure in a bake is difficult. Luckily, many food manufacturers have started exploring vegan alternatives to their products.
Mascarpone is already very similar to cream cheese, so vegan cream cheese makes the best vegan Mascarpone substitute.