Mascarpone is a rich, creamy dairy product often called a cheese, but does it actually meet the definition? Using the four essential cheese criteria, let’s evaluate whether Mascarpone qualifies as real cheese or if it belongs in a different category.
SEE ALSO: How some of your favourite foods score on our Cheese Definition Test →
How is Cheese Defined?
Now this is a hotly debated topic even amongst cheese professionals. And you will be hard-pressed to find an accurate definition of what makes a product cheese. The main reason for this is how complex and varied cheeses can be.
However, we wanted to give this a go. After prolonged deliberations, we’ve come up with these essential characteristics:
- Criterion 1: Milk or milk-derived ingredient
- Criterion 2: Allowed, but optional ingredients (click here for list)
- Criterion 3: Coagulation of milk (or milk-derived product)
- Criterion 4: Separation of curds and whey (syneresis)
You can read more about our Official Cheese Definition test by clicking here.
What is Mascarpone?
Mascarpone is an Italian dairy product made by curdling heavy cream with acid, such as citric or tartaric acid. Unlike aged cheeses, it requires no rennet or bacterial cultures, and it’s ready to use as soon as it cools and firms up. It has an ultra-smooth texture, high fat content (usually around 60–75%), and a mild, slightly sweet flavour.
Does Mascarpone Meet The Definition of Cheese?
Let’s analyse Mascarpone against the key criteria of what makes a cheese:
Criterion 1: Milk or milk-derived ingredient
For something to be considered cheese, it must be made from milk or a milk-derived ingredient.
Mascarpone is made entirely from cream, which is a milk-derived product. Since cream is separated from milk but still originates from it, it meets this criterion. Many cheeses, such as Brillat-Savarin and other triple-crème cheeses, also contain extra cream.
✅ Passes – Mascarpone is made from a milk-derived ingredient (cream).
Criterion 2: Allowed (but optional) ingredients
Cheesemaking allows for certain additional ingredients, including salt, rennet, cultures and acids. However, these must be used within the framework of traditional cheese production.
Mascarpone is made by adding an acid (like citric or tartaric acid) to heavy cream. Acid-based coagulation is a legitimate cheesemaking process, used in Ricotta and some fresh cheeses. Since the use of acid aligns with traditional cheesemaking methods, Mascarpone does not introduce any disallowed ingredients.
✅ Passes – Mascarpone uses acid, an allowed ingredient in cheese-making.
Criterion 3: Coagulation of milk (or milk-derived product)
Cheese must be made by coagulating proteins in milk or a milk-derived product. This is what separates cheese from other dairy products like yogurt or sour cream.
Mascarpone undergoes acid coagulation, which thickens the cream by denaturing proteins. However, traditional cheese-making primarily relies on the coagulation of casein, the main milk protein. Because Mascarpone is made from cream rather than milk, it contains very little casein. Instead, the acid destabilizes the whey proteins and butterfat, creating a thick, spreadable consistency.
While this is a form of coagulation, it differs from the curd formation seen in most cheeses. However, Ricotta is also made primarily from whey proteins rather than casein, and it is still considered a cheese.
⚠ Partially passes – Coagulation occurs, but it is not primarily casein-based.
Criterion 4: Separation of curds and whey (syneresis)
One of the defining steps in cheese-making is separating the curds from the whey. Even fresh cheeses like Cottage Cheese and Queso Fresco undergo whey drainage to create a solid or semi-solid structure.
Mascarpone does not undergo whey separation. Instead, the acid thickens the cream into a smooth, homogenous mixture, with no curds forming and no liquid whey draining away. This is where Mascarpone differs the most from traditional cheeses.
❌ Fails – There is no curd formation or whey separation.
Final Verdict: Is Mascarpone Real Cheese?
| Criterion | Mascarpone Verdict |
|---|---|
| 1: Milk or milk-derived ingredient | ✅ Passes (made from cream, a milk-derived ingredient) |
| 2: Allowed (but optional) ingredients | ✅ Passes (uses acid, an acceptable cheese-making ingredient) |
| 3: Coagulation of milk (or milk-derived product) | ⚠ Partially passes (coagulation occurs, but it’s mainly whey proteins, not casein) |
| 4: Separation of curds and whey | ❌ Fails (no curd formation or whey separation) |
Mascarpone passes two criteria, partially meets one and fails one. While it shares some characteristics with fresh cheeses, its lack of curds and whey separation makes it questionably a cheese.
Why Do People Think Mascarpone is Cheese?
- Marketing and tradition – Italian culinary tradition often refers to Mascarpone as a cheese, likely because it is made from dairy and thickened using acid. However, this is more of a cultural classification than a technical one.
- Supermarket labelling – Many grocery stores and brands label Mascarpone as cheese because it is sold in the same section as fresh cheeses.
- Confusion with Cream Cheese – Mascarpone is sometimes mistaken for Cream Cheese, which is a true fresh cheese because it contains curds and undergoes whey drainage.
Does it Matter Whether Mascarpone is Cheese or Not?
For most people, probably not. Whether you spread it on a tart or mix it into tiramisu, Mascarpone will still taste delicious. But for dairy purists, cheesemakers and scientists, classification matters.
Mislabelling dairy products can create confusion about how they are made, stored and used in cooking.
The Final Answer: Mascarpone is a Cream Product
It fits within an expanded definition of cheese, similar to Ricotta, but it does not meet all four criteria. If you follow a strict definition, Mascarpone is not a true cheese. If you allow for some flexibility (as with Ricotta), it could be considered a fresh cheese-like cream product.
So, is Mascarpone cheese? It depends who you ask!
Cheese lover. Scientist. Created a website and a Youtube channel about cheese science because he could not find answers to his questions online.
