🧀 Mascarpone
Also known as: mascarpone cheese
Italian soft spreadable cheese made from cream coagulated with acid at 85–95 °C; unripened and the base of tiramisu.
Mascarpone is an Italian soft spreadable cheese made from milk cream. It is not aged: the cream is heated to 85–95 °C and coagulated with acid. Its mild flavour and creamy consistency have made this cheese the base of tiramisu and other desserts, both homemade and industrial.
Mascarpone was once made by farmers in some northern Italian regions and eaten immediately after production. Today artisanal mascarpone (mascarpone artigianale) appears on Lombardy's 2025 list of traditional agri-food products, with the Po Valley, especially the province of Lodi, as its territory. Growing demand also brought the cheese into industrial production. The name does not appear in eAmbrosia, the EU register of geographical indications.
The raw materials are cream, with about 80% lipids and 2.8–6% protein in dry weight, and an acidifying substance: acetic, citric, tartaric or lactic acid, vinegar or lemon juice. The acid goes in during heating, with constant stirring, and the final pH is 5.7–6.6. The mass is then drained for about 20 hours. Strong heat denatures the whey proteins, which stick to casein micelles and fat globule membranes, so some of them stay in the cheese. That gives mascarpone its typical texture and flavour.
Labels in the USDA FoodData Central database usually show 36–50 g of fat and 360–430 kcal per 100 g. This cheese is high in moisture and low in protein, and cold matters for it. In 1996, eight young people in Italy fell ill with botulism after eating mascarpone or tiramisu, in which the cheese is not cooked; one person died. Investigators named a break in the cold chain at retail as the likely cause. In an experiment at 28 °C, bacteria in mascarpone began to grow and form toxin within 3–4 days.
Why it matters to you. Buy mascarpone from a chilled cabinet and keep it cold at home. Do not freeze it: in a study at −18 °C the cheese cracked and turned brittle, and tiramisu foam made from it held up less well, while at 4 °C these changes did not appear. Check the ingredients and fat content, because the name is not protected at EU level and says nothing about origin by itself. The NHS lists pasteurised mascarpone among cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy.
Facts
| Raw material | Milk cream and an acidifier: acetic, citric, tartaric or lactic acid, vinegar or lemon juice 1 |
|---|---|
| Country | Italy 1 |
| Region | Northern Italy 1; artisanal type — Po Valley, especially the province of Lodi 2 |
| Temperature | Cream is heated to 85–95 °C 1; the cheese freezes at about −2 °C 6 |
| Duration | Drained for about 20 hours 1 |
| Taste | Mild flavour, creamy consistency 1 |
What it includes
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Mascarpone → similar → 🧀 Ricotta → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from
- 🥛 Cream
- Part of
- 🥛 Fresh cheeses, 🇮🇹 Italian cheeses
- Similar and different
- 🧀 Cream cheese, 🧀 Ricotta
Frequently asked questions
What is mascarpone made of?
Milk cream and an acidifying substance: citric, tartaric, acetic or lactic acid, vinegar or lemon juice. The cream is heated to 85–95 °C and the mass is drained for about 20 hours.
Is mascarpone an aged cheese?
No. It is an unripened soft spreadable cheese: it is not aged, and it was once eaten immediately after production.
How should I store mascarpone, and can I freeze it?
Keep it in the fridge: a break in the cold chain was linked to a botulism outbreak in 1996. Avoid freezing: researchers concluded that it harms the texture and functionality of the cheese, including in tiramisu.
Can I eat mascarpone when pregnant?
Pasteurised mascarpone, yes: the NHS lists it among pasteurised soft cheeses that are safe in pregnancy. Check the label to see that the cheese is made with pasteurised ingredients.
Is it true that mascarpone is a protected EU name, like Parmigiano Reggiano?
No. The name does not appear in the EU's eAmbrosia register. Artisanal mascarpone is on Lombardy's list of traditional products, but that regional list does not protect the name, which is why mascarpone is also made outside Italy.
What to read next
- 🧀 Ricotta — “Boiled a second time”: a fresh product made from whey whose proteins are coagulated by heat; often with a little milk added.
- 🧀 Cream cheese — A soft fresh cheese made from milk and cream; the US standard requires at least 33 % milkfat and no more than 55 % moisture.
Similar
🧀 Stracciatella · 🧀 Burrata · 🧀 Stracchino · 🧀 Bundz · 🧀 Jāņi cheese · 🧀 Minas cheese
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.
Sources
- Capozzi V. et al. — Unveiling the Molecular Basis of Mascarpone Cheese Aroma (Molecules 2020, 25(5), 1242)
- Regione Lombardia — Prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, elenco 2025 («Mascarpone artigianale»)
- European Commission — eAmbrosia, register of geographical indications
- Aureli P. et al. — An outbreak in Italy of botulism associated with a dessert made with mascarpone cream cheese (Eur J Epidemiol, 2000)
- Franciosa G. et al. — Clostridium botulinum spores and toxin in mascarpone cheese and other milk products (J Food Prot, 1999)
- Jiménez-Maroto L. A. et al. — Frozen storage is detrimental to the functionality of cream cheese and mascarpone (J Dairy Sci, 2026)
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy — cheese, milk and other dairy
- USDA FoodData Central — Mascarpone cheese, label data (FDC 2595456)
- USDA FoodData Central — Mascarpone cheese, label data (FDC 1850847)