Creamy, lush, and easy to make, this Vegan Mascarpone is a vegan take on a traditional Italian classic. Used in recipes such as my vegan Tiramisu, this easy vegan cheese is great as an ingredient, but also great just as a snack eaten savory or sweet.
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Hey Internet, I just published my vegan Tiramisu recipe and I figured I’d publish this easy vegan mascarpone too.
Mascarpone is a soft and creamy Italian cheese used in both sweet and savory dishes. One of the most popular uses of course is Tiramisu.
This recipe is for vegan mascarpone so it is a bit different. I still think it tastes awesome so that’s why I’m sharing it with you today.
Vegan mascarpone can be used of course with tiramisu, but I can think of a few other applications.
I have a vegan ricotta pasta recipe that would be great with this cheese too. Also, it’d be great in vegan lasagna (coming soon!), on toast, with fruit, as a healthy frosting--use it however you’d like!
And, if you don’t know by now, I like to make nut-free vegan cheese, so there are no cashews in this vegan mascarpone.
But what IS in it? Keep reading.
What You’ll Need
Mascarpone is supposed to be rich, so I’ve made a vegan version high in healthy fats. I will give a few ideas in the Substitutions section on how to make it lower fat, though.
The base of this vegan mascarpone is sunflower seeds. I’ve mixed them with a little bit of tofu too for a great rich and thick soft cheese.
The flavor of vegan mascarpone is subtle and a little tangy. So all I’ve added is fresh lemon juice, some maple syrup to mellow out the seeds and lemon, and the tiniest pinch of salt.
Depending on how you intend to use it, you could customize it any way you like, including more salt and other spices (like garlic and onion powder) for a savory flavor or more sweetener (and possibly some vanilla or other flavoring) for a sweeter flavor.
Finally, unsweetened non-dairy milk is needed to make it smooth and well blended.
Totally optional part: to make mine thicker, I added just a bit of agar powder which is like a vegan gelatin. Blending this into my mixture made it firm up a bit in the fridge. I used this so my Tiramisu would hold up well, though it is entirely optional.
What Substitutions Can I Make?
Sunflower Seeds
Instead of sunflower seeds, you could easily use soaked cashews.
Looking to lower the fat? Use the full 16 oz block of tofu and reduce the seeds by half or even more--just blend until you get the consistency you like.
Tofu
Any style tofu should work with this. If not using medium or firm, you may need to add less liquid to get it to blend.
Can’t have soy? Omit the tofu, and just add a little bit more non-dairy milk if you need it to blend.
Maple Syrup
Especially if you’re using this in Tiramisu, I really think this cheese needs a bit of sweetness. Instead of maple syrup, you could use agave or a non-liquid sweetener like organic cane sugar or coconut sugar.
Lemon Juice
If you don’t have any fresh or bottled lemon juice, you can use any neutral vinegar like white vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar. However, I’d highly recommend using the lemon juice as it provides so much brightness to the mascarpone.
Tips for Making Vegan Mascarpone
Add all your ingredients except the agar powder (if using) and give it a good blend in the blender or food processor until completely smooth.
Taste and adjust flavors if needed and blend again. Taste again to make sure it’s how you like it.
Now, if using, add the agar powder and blend for at least 30 seconds.
Refrigerate the vegan mascarpone mixture in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If using agar powder, allow at least 2 hours for the mixture to firm up.
More Vegan Cheese
I don’t blame you. Vegan cheese is awesome! Did you know I have a whole section on vegan cheese on my site?!
And here’s my FAVORITE nut-free vegan cheese recipes.
Nut-Free Vegan Cheddar Cheese - This one’s a fan favorite as well!
- Vegan Brie
- Vegan Feta
- Stretchy, Melty Mozzarella
- Vegan Camembert
- Stretchy, Melty Cheddar Sauce
- Vegan Goat Cheese Crumbles
- Nut-free Soy-free Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Ricotta
- Queso (part of a nacho fries recipe, but you could just scroll down to the sauce section!)
Teaser: I have a thing for vegan cheese and I come out with new recipes all the time. If you’d like to sign up for my free newsletter so you don’t miss any cheese recipes, please fill out the below form!
Anything Else?
As always, I hope you love this recipe--I know I do, and Mr. Zardyplants does too.
This vegan mascarpone is:
- Light
- Tangy
- Fresh
- Satisfying
- And great in any dessert, pasta dish or as a spread, dip, or topping!
Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)
Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!
<3 Liz
Save this for later on Pinterest!
Vegan Mascarpone (Nut-Free)
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Creamy, lush, and easy to make, this Vegan Mascarpone is a vegan take on a traditional Italian classic. Used in my vegan Tiramisu.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds (see note 1)
- ½ a 16-oz block (8 oz or ~198g) firm or medium tofu (see note 2)
- ½ cup water
- Juice of 2 small-medium lemons (see note 3)
- 3-4 tablespoon maple syrup (or agave)
- ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
- 1 tsp agar powder, optional (see note 4)
Instructions
- Blend: Add all your ingredients *except* the agar powder (if using) and give it a good blend in the blender or food processor until completely smooth.
- Adjust: Taste and adjust flavors if needed and blend again. Taste again to make sure it’s how you like it.
- Thicken (optional): Now, if using, add the agar powder and blend for at least 30 seconds.
- Chill out: Refrigerate the vegan mascarpone mixture in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If using agar powder, allow at least 2 hours for the mixture to firm up.
Notes
- Note 1: Instead of sunflower seeds, you could easily use soaked cashews. Looking to lower the fat? Use the full 16 oz block of tofu and reduce the seeds by half or even more--just blend until you get the consistency you like.
- Note 2: Any style tofu should work with this. If not using medium or firm, you may need to add less liquid to get it to blend. Can’t have soy? Omit the tofu, and just add a little bit more non-dairy milk if you need it to blend.
- Note 3: If you don’t have any fresh or bottled lemon juice, you can use any neutral vinegar like white vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar. However, I’d highly recommend using the lemon juice as it provides so much brightness to the mascarpone.
- Note 4: If using agar powder to thicken, add it into the mixture and blend. Cook the mixture for around 10 minutes on medium-high heat until thick. Add the mixture to a container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Ingredient
- Method: Food Processor, Blender
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Soukaina
Do you think silken tofu would work as well? It's the only kind of tofu available where I live. Thank you.
💚 Liz
Yes it should!
Soukaina
Thank you, I'm going to give it a try!
Vahram
Hi,
Doesn’t agar require heating to activate? usually it needs to be cooked for 10 minutes.
Thank you
💚 Liz
So sorry. The last note disappeared. Here it is now:
If using agar powder to thicken, add it into the mixture and blend. Cook the mixture for around 10 minutes on medium-high heat until thick. Add the mixture to a container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Robbie
Do the sunflower seeds need soaking?
💚 Liz
You should if you have a lower powered blender.