Have you ever wanted to make fresh, creamy cheese in your own kitchen? Well, now you can! By combining whole milk with citric acid, rennet, and a touch of salt, you’ll be able to craft a soft, stretchy cheese that’s perfect for snacking, melting on pizza, or layering in lasagna. I love it for a Caprese salad or my Spicy Caprese Baguettes! This recipe will make almost a pound of mozzarella, about 14 ounces.
What Is Mozzarella?
Mozzarella is a soft, white cheese that started in southern Italy around the 12th century. It was originally made from water buffalo milk but is now usually made from cow’s milk. It got its name from ‘mozza’ or ‘mozzare’, meaning ‘to cut’. This is because the cheese is made by cutting the curds and then stretching and kneading them. Over time, mozzarella became popular all over the world, especially on pizza!
Key Ingredients For Making Homemade Mozzarella
- Cold Water: Cold water is used to dissolve the citric acid and rennet separately before they are added to the milk. The water must be cold to slowly and evenly mix the ingredients when added to the milk. It can’t be hot, or the milk will turn into cheese too soon!
- Citric Acid: Citric acid is a powder that comes from fruits like lemons and limes. (But, you should not substitute lemon or lime juice for the powder; it will give you inconsistent results!) You can usually find it in the baking or canning sections of the grocery store. This helps the milk form curds when the rennet is added.
- Rennet: Rennet is a special ingredient that comes from animals or plants and helps milk turn into cheese. It does this by making the milk thicken and separate into curds (the solid part) and whey (the liquid part). Without rennet, it would be hard to make many types of cheese. You can use a liquid rennet or a crushed rennet tablet.
- Milk: Whole milk is the base ingredient for mozzarella. Traditionally, the cheese was made from the milk of water buffalos. Now, cow’s milk is more commonly used. You can use skim, 1%, or 2% milk, but the cheese might not be as creamy and rich as it would be with whole milk. Whole milk has more fat, which helps make the cheese smooth and tasty. Goat’s milk would also work!
- Salt: Salt makes the mozzarella taste better and helps keep it fresh by pulling out some moisture. It also improves the texture of the cheese. Even though you don’t have to use it, salt is often added to make the cheese taste just right.
Tools You Need To Make Homemade Mozzarella
Even if you have never tried making homemade cheese, it’s doable, especially with this recipe! Before you get started, here are the tools you need:
- Small bowls
- Large non-reactive pot
- Candy thermometer
- Long knife
- Colander
- Cheesecloth
- Large bowl
- Slotted spoon
- Bowl of ice water
Tasty Ways To Use Homemade Mozzarella
Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy homemade mozzarella:
- All Things Caprese! (chicken Caprese salad, easy chicken Caprese sandwich, Caprese hasselback chicken, and more!)
- Pizza! Top your favorite pizza dough (I have an easy pizza crust you will love) with homemade mozzarella, tomato sauce, and your favorite toppings.
- Easy Lasagna (I also have Lasagna Soup you may want to try!)
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Five Cheese Zucchini Roll-Ups
- Pasta Dishes like Tuscan Stuffed Shells
- Crispy Chicken Parmesan
Mozzarella vs. Burrata Cheese
Mozzarella is a firm cheese with a mild flavor, often used in cooking like on pizza. Burrata, on the other hand, has a soft, creamy center inside a mozzarella shell, making it richer and creamier. Burrata is usually served fresh, often in salads or on bread, while mozzarella is more commonly used in cooked dishes.
How To Store Fresh Mozzarella
Fresh mozzarella is best enjoyed fresh, the day it is made. But, you can store it in the refrigerator for a few days. When storing it in the refrigerator, keep the mozzarella in an airtight container, submerged in water or olive oil. I suggested replacing the water each day the cheese is stored in the refrigerator. It will last up to 5 days.
Can I Freeze Mozzarella?
Yes, you can freeze mozzarella, but it will change the consistency of the cheese–it won’t be as smooth and creamy. (I don’t really recommend it.) If you are freezing the cheese, first, wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Then, store it in a freezer-safe container or bag. It will last up to 3 months.
Homemade Mozzarella
Ingredients
- ½ cup cold water, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons citric acid
- ¼ teaspoon single-strength liquid rennet, or ¼ rennet tablet, crushed
- 1 gallon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, optional, for flavor
Instructions
- To a small bowl, add ¼ cup cold water. Dissolve the citric acid in the water. Set aside.
- In another ¼ cup of cold water, dilute rennet. Set aside.
- To a large non-reactive stainless steel or glass pot, add milk.
- Add the dissolved citric acid solution to the milk and stir gently.
- Heat the milk over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 90°F (32°C) on a candy thermometer. You may notice the milk beginning to curdle slightly.
- Once the milk reaches 90°F, remove the pot from heat.
- Stir in the diluted rennet solution using an up-and-down motion for about 30 seconds.
- Cover the pot. Let it sit undisturbed for 8-10 minutes, or until the milk has set into a gel-like consistency and you can see a clear separation between the curds and whey.
- Once the curd is set, use a long knife to cut it into a 1-inch grid pattern. Make sure to cut all the way to the bottom of the pot.
- Return the pot to the stove over medium heat and warm the curds to 105°F (40.5°C).
- Maintain the temperature of 105°F for 5-10 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. The curds will shrink and firm up during this process.
- Turn off the heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Place a large colander lined with 2 large layers of cheesecloth over a large bowl. (The cheesecloth should drape over the edges of the bowl.) You could also use a fine-mesh strainer.
- Carefully pour the curds into the cheesecloth, allowing the liquid (whey) to drain into the bowl. Set cheese curds aside.
- Heat the reserved whey over medium heat to 185°F (85°C). Maintain this temperature until you are done making the cheese. This will be used to heat and stretch the curds.
- Using a slotted spoon, dip the curds that are in the cheesecloth into the hot whey for a few seconds.
- Knead and fold the curds (they will be hot) to create a cohesive piece of cheese.
- Continue to dip the curds back into the hot whey for about 10 seconds each time, as needed to reheat the cheese, draining off the excess liquid each time. Continue kneading and stretching the cheese until it becomes smooth, shiny, and stretchy. (We dipped and kneaded about 8 times.)
- Sprinkle the salt over the cheese and knead to incorporate.
- Stretch and fold the curds into a smooth ball. You can form multiple smaller balls if you prefer.
- Place the formed mozzarella in a bowl of ice water for 5-10 minutes to firm up.
- Serve immediately. Or, store it in an airtight container, covered in water, in the refrigerator.
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Homemade mozzarella is amazing! The texture is so creamy and smooth compared to store-bought. It’s a bit of a process, but totally worth it.
Elizabeth
Wow! I can't believe how great this cheese turned out! It looks so fresh and the texture is super creamy!
Annabelle
This is perfect for someone who likes fresh mozzarella, and it is actually easier than you would think!
Bella
Making mozzarella from scratch was a fun experience! The cheese turned out really fresh and soft.
Selena
Homemade mozzarella is fantastic! It’s a bit time-consuming, but the end result is so worth it. The cheese is creamy and melts beautifully. It’s a great addition to any dish that needs that fresh cheese touch.
This is how we made it growing up with my Italian grandparents. There are a few steps but none of them are hard. And once you’ve made it once or twice you’ll soon become a pro! And once you taste it you’ll never go back to packaged again! I use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, cut grape tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and an aged balsamic glaze on our appetizer tray with some garlic crostini. Pure heaven!
Yes!!! Love that. It is definitely heavenly!
Where do you find rennet. I have never heard of this and want to try this recipe.
Here is what I wrote in the blog post:
Rennet: Rennet is a special ingredient that comes from animals or plants and helps milk turn into cheese. It does this by making the milk thicken and separate into curds (the solid part) and whey (the liquid part). Without rennet, it would be hard to make many types of cheese. You can use a liquid rennet or a crushed rennet tablet.
You can buy it here: https://amzn.to/46D5N5x