Mascarpone vs. Ricotta — What's the Difference?

Mascarpone (, US also , Italian: [maskarˈpoːne]) is a soft Italian acid-set cream cheese. It is recognized in Italy as a prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale (PAT) ("traditional agri-food product").Outside Italy, Mascarpone is sometimes mispronounced "marscapone", even by food professionals.

Ricotta (pronounced [riˈkɔtta] in Italian) is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the casein has been used to make cheese, notably albumin and globulin.

A fresh soft Italian cheese with a high butterfat content, made from light cream.

A soft, unripened and usually unsalted cheese made from whey, often used as a filling.

A soft, creamy Italian cheese that is not pressed or aged; often used in desserts.

A soft Italian unsalted whey cheese resembling cottage cheese.

Soft mild Italian cream cheese

Soft Italian cheese like cottage cheese