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You asked for it! Rich, creamy homemade mascarpone is so ridiculously easy, you have no excuse not to make it!
Never underestimate the power of social media. Oh sure, Twitter, Facebook and the like can lead to the dissipation of our time and energy in unproductive pursuits. I myself have fallen down a few social media rabbit holes, only to emerge hours later, bleary-eyed and with no recollection of how the day passed. But those times are few and far between, and I generally feel my time on social sharing channels has been well spent. After years of strenuously resisting it, I am a convert. It is without question the best way to promote my work on All Day I Dream About Food. I can’t imagine writing a blog and getting anyone other than my own family to read it if I didn’t use social media.
Even as a convert, I am always a little slow to adopt the newest, latest and greatest things in social media. Case in point: Instagram. I’ve only just really started using it with any sense of purpose and even that is rather spotty. When it first became available for Android last year, I signed up right away, took a few fun shots of my kids, played with the filters a bit, and forgot about it. I certainly didn’t think to take pictures of all the food I was making and eating – it simply didn’t occur to me. I don’t have many followers on there and I don’t even really know how to grow my audience. For me, Instagram was simply a fun way to make lousy camera shots of my kids look all cool and vintage-y.
And then a few weeks ago, I happened to post a quick shot of some homemade mascarpone. I linked it to my Facebook and Twitter accounts and I was floored by the response. Everybody and their dog was asking how to make homemade mascarpone. Huh, maybe there is something to this “food on Instagram” thing after all! And of course, I am more than happy to oblige with the recipe. Having made my own homemade cream cheese, I knew that homemade mascarpone was possible. I came across a number of instructions online, all of which were almost identical. In the end I followed the instructions from London Bakes, who got hers from A Pastry Affair, who got hers from a bunch of instructions on the internet, all of which were almost identical. It seems that there is one accepted way to make mascarpone and everybody’s doing it. Now you can too, because it’s ridiculously easy. Even easier than making your own cream cheese. And it’s ridiculously good. I can’t see ever buying storebought again.
Even though I don’t use it to advantage, I really do love Instagram. It’s so fun to play with, I find I don’t even care if anyone else is paying attention or not. It’s a great way to jazz up pictures of my kids, and the filters can really make a difference to a grainy, blurry camera photo. It’s convenient too. I almost always have my phone on me, whereas my big, heavy dSLR sits at home. With my kids growing so fast, I don’t want to forget those spontaneous moments when we’re all having a great time. And just because I feel like it, I am going to share a few of my favorite Instagram shots. If you’re on Instagram too, I’d love to connect!
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Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
Homemade mascarpone cheese is so easy, there is no reason to ever buy it again!
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Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream not ultra-pasteurized
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
In a large saucepan, heat cream over over medium heat to a low simmer, until it reaches about 190F (I found I had to go to about 195F to get a gentle simmer going).
Stir in lemon juice and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, keeping it right at about 190F. You may have to turn your burner up and down to keep the temperature constant. Mixture will thicken to the consistency of gravy.
Remove from heat and let cool. Mixture will continue to thicken.
Line a sieve with a clean tea towel or several layers of cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Pour cream mixture into sieve and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
Transfer to an airtight container and press plastic wrap flush to the surface. Can be stored in fridge for about a week.
Notes
Serves 8. Each serving has about 1 g of carbs.
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Mascarpone Cheese
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 0
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip
My Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip was a Denny family favorite long before anyone heard of Ranch Dressing! And this family favorite Ranch Dip is a delicious low-carb and keto dip recipe and in my family this makes an appearance at every holiday gathering!
PIN Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip to try it later!
My Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip is one of my favorite memories from childhood! As early as I can remember, my Grandma Denny made a fantastic dip that she served with carrots and celery as an appetizer at every family gathering. In those days we called Grandma’s homemade ranch dip just *Vegetable Dip* as if there was only one kind of dip that could possibly be served with veggies.
This was long before the introduction of Ranch Dressing to the American culinary scene, and obviously my Grandma Denny was ahead of her time, because now people all over the country are eating Ranch Dip with veggies. And in my own extended family, there would never be a holiday gathering without this delicious homemade Ranch Dip on the table.
Of course there’s nothing wrong with making Ranch-Style Vegetable Dip using a package mix if that time-saver works for you. But my grandma’s Homemade Ranch Dip is a bit fresher tasting as well as being low in carbs, and if you usually use the mix but don’t have a package on hand I bet you’ll love my Grandma’s recipe.
Grandma Denny always used full-fat mayo and sour cream, but for anyone wanting lower fat you can obviously make this with reduced-fat products if you prefer. Or if you don’t like mayo, you might prefer the variation below for Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip, made with Greek yogurt and blended cottage cheese for a higher protein, lower-fat dip.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
Can you make this dip with onion powder?
I love the flavor the grated onion gives to my Grandma Denny’s homemade ranch dip. But if you prefer or want to save time, just use 1 tsp. onion powder.
Can you make this homemade ranch dip with Greek Yogurt?
I sometimes make a variation of this that I call Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip that’s lower in fat and higher in protein. For that variation follow this recipe but replace the sour cream with one cup of cottage that’s blended in the food processor until it’s nearly smooth and replace the mayo with one cup fat-free Greek Yogurt. (This is the version I would make when I was strictly following the original South Beach Diet.)
Want a version of ranch dip with more texture?
You can make a variation of this homemade ranch dip recipe with a little chopped red onion, finely diced cucumber, and finely diced red pepper if you’d like a chunkier dip. I would use about 2 T of each.
How to Make Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- My Grandma always used Bon Appetit Seasoning Salt as the secret seasoning in her vegetable dip, but it’s no longer being made (sob!) If you still have Bon Appetit, use it, but now I use Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link). If you’re in Europe you can also use Trocomare Seasoning. (affiliate link)
- Grate a small amount of raw onion into a bowl. (I use the large side of a box grater; don’t use a microplane grater which just turns the onion to liquid.)
- Add mayo and sour cream to bowl.
- Then add Beau Monde Seasoning and dried dill weed (affiliate link).
- Mix all ingredients together well with a whisk. You can use a food processor as well, but the whisk is quicker.
- Let the dip chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two for best flavor.
- Serve with raw vegetables like celery, sugar snap peas, bell pepper strips, jicama, radishes, broccoli, or cauliflower.
- This is also good with carrots or as a dip for baked sweet potato fries for those who don’t mind more carbs.
- I tested this out on my friend Robin and she gave it two thumbs up!
More Tasty Vegetable Dips You Might Like:
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream (see notes)
- 1 cup mayo (see notes)
- 1 tsp. grated onion
- 2 tsp. dried dill weed
- 2 tsp. Beau Monde Seasoning (see notes)
Instructions
- Grate onion into a bowl, using the large side of a box grater or flat grater (not a microplane grater.)
- Add all other ingredients to the bowl and stir together with a whisk (or you can use a food processor, but it’s not necessary.)
- Chill an hour or so before serving.
Notes
I only use Daisy full-fat sour cream and full-fat mayo for this recipe but if you prefer to make a lower-fat version of the recipe you can definitely use reduced fat sour cream and mayo.
My Grandma always used Bon Appetit Seasoning for this. When that was discontinued I started making it with Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link), which is almost identical in flavor.
This will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. Nutritional information doesn’t include vegetables and is calculated on 1/4 cup serving size.
Recipe from my Grandma Denny, who was a wonderful cook!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 245Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 564mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Did you make this recipe?
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip is great for low-carb diets.Eat with low-carb vegetables like celery, sugar snap peas, jicama, bell pepper strips, radishes, broccoli, or cauliflower for low-carb diets. If you’re making this for the original South Beach Diet the Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip variation above is better for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Appetizers to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Kalyn was making this dip recipe long before the existence of the internet, and it was first posted on this site in 2005 (probably without a single photo in those days.) The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.
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Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
- Calories N/A
- Total Fat N/A
- Saturated Fat N/A
- Cholesterol N/A
- Sodium N/A
- Total Carbohydrates N/A
- Protein N/A
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