The World's Easiest Mozzarella Cheese Recipe and Tutorial (2024)

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Have you been wanting to learn to make homemade mozzarella cheese from scratch, but are intimidated by the process? This is the easiest tutorial you will find and it consistently gives amazing results. Use it to make homemade string cheese, mozzarella cheese sticks, top a pizza, or just eat it straight.
The World's Easiest Mozzarella Cheese Recipe and Tutorial (1)

When I first started at looking how I could make more of our meals from scratch, making homemade mozzarella got added to my “learn to make” list. The problem was that every tutorial and recipe I came across (even ones claiming they took 30 minutes) were very intimidating.

Many of the methods for making quick mozzarella cheese also required the use of a microwave. For many years we didn’t own a microwave. We now have one, but prefer not to use it.

Finally, when we got a milk cow, I dove head-first into the world of cheese making. After learning the basics of cheesemaking with hard cheeses like cheddar and Colby, I decided to master mozzarella. After all, it was supposed to be the easy one!

After a few failed attempts and a ton of experimentation, I have learned to make amazing mozzarella cheese. The best part though is that I have simplified the process!

No gloves, microwaves, or complicated steps are needed for this method of making mozzarella cheese. You will be whipping up a fresh batch for your next family pizza night and your family and friends will be amazed.

If you would like to watch the process, I’ve included the video here. In this video, I also cover some frequently asked questions about getting and caring for a family milk cow.

* As an Amazon affiliate, I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through my links at no extra charge to you.

To make the world’s easiest mozzarella cheese you are going to need 1 – 4 gallons of milk. Raw milk or store-bought is fine, but either way, you are going to want a little butterfat in there. I sometimes will skim some of the cream off of our raw milk before making mozzarella. I’ve found though that a 1-inch cream line is what gives me the best consistency. If you are using store-bought, 2% or whole milk is fine.

You will also need citric acid, which you can find in the canning section of many stores, and rennet which is available from cheese-making supply stores.

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Begin by adding the milk to a large pot.

Then dissolve the citric acid in some cool water. You need 1 ½ tsp. citric acid and ½ cup of water per gallon of milk. So for 2 gallons, I’m doing 3 tsp. citric acid and 1 cup of water. Stir until well dissolved and then mix it into the milk. You can whisk it in, but I will say that a cheese-making spoon is very handy because it allows you to stir up and down in the pot and it’s going to make working with the curd easier too. Don’t worry if you don’t have though, just use a large spoon.

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Next, you are going to slowly heat up the milk to 100 degrees Fahrenheit over medium heat. Continue to stir every once in a while during this process and use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature.

While the milk is heating up you are going to prepare the rennet. This is the rennet I use, but no matter what you buy you will find instructions that tell you how much is needed to set up each gallon of milk on the bottle. The one I use says I need ½ tsp. per gallon of milk, so I’m going to use 1 tsp. for 2 gallons. Dissolve that rennet into 1/2 cup of cool water.

When the milk hits 100 degrees, turn off the heat, add the diluted rennet as evenly as possible, and spend a few minutes stirring in up and down motions

Then, cover the pot with a lid and set a timer for 15 minutes.

When the timer goes off, remove the lid. You should see that the milk has set up. Use a large knife to cut a grid pattern into the now-hardened curd. Aim for about 1” squares, but it definitely doesn’t have to be perfect. Then let it sit for another 5 minutes.

Towards the end of that 5 minutes, turn your sink water on hot to heat up.

After the 5 minutes is up you are going to use the spoon to gently stir the curds and cut the rest of it into 1-inch cubes. Again, don’t worry about perfection here.

Next, you are going to drain the whey off of the curds. You can set a colander on a pot to save the whey for other things or to give to your chickens.

Then, fill the pot with hot sink water until it covers the curds, gently stirring it with your hands to break the curds apart.

Dump the curds back into the colander a second time. This time you can just let the water go down the sink.

Now we are going to add a little salt. Sprinkle 1 tsp. per gallon of milk over the curds and mix it in. After it is mixed well, ball the curds together as best you can and place the ball back into the pot.

Let the pot fill up with hot water again until it covers the curds. Then, take that pot back to the stove.

Turn the stove back on to low heat. As the water heats up, the curds are going to more easily stick together and form a ball. If you have more than a gallon of milk that you started with, you may want to separate the large ball into two smaller ones.

Now it’s time for the fun part. Start picking up each ball with your hands and letting the cheese stretch down towards the water. Dip the whole ball back in, and repeat the process, this time grabbing another part of the ball. This is not an art, so don’t stress about technique here, you are simply dipping it in hot water and letting it stretch out. This is going to give you that mozzarella consistency.

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The water should now be too hot to put your hands in. Taking tongs or whatever kitchen tool that will do the job (a spoon works in a pinch) you are going to pick up the cheese ball and continue letting it stretch in the same way until it stretches easily without breaking and develops a glossy appearance. When you hit this point, you are done!

If you want to form your cheese into cheese sticks or use it fresh, it’s ready to work with at this point.

What I usually do to finish it off is press it into a ball, knead in a bit more salt, just to taste, and then form it into a ball to harden. I stretch out the top as I form my ball to get a nice shape and texture, and then I will place it into a bowl, cover it, and it will be ready to use.

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Yield: Varies

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

This simple recipe for homemade mozzarella cheese requires no fancy equipment, no microwave, and very little time. Best of all, it tastes amazing!

Ingredients

  • 2% or whole milk
  • Citric acid
  • Liquid rennet
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Add 1-4 gallons of milk to a large nonreactive pot.
  2. For every gallon of milk, dissolve 1-1/2 tsp. citric acid in 1/2 cup of water.
  3. Stir to combine. Then evenly add the dissolved citric acid to the milk.
  4. Stir the milk in an up-and-down motion to blend well.
  5. Turn the heat to med-low and slowly heat up the milk to 100 degrees F. Stir occasionally.
  6. While the milk is heating, prepare the rennet. Your rennet bottle should tell you how much rennet and water per gallon of milk. Mine says 1/2 tsp. of rennet per gallon of milk and I dilute this in 1/2 cup of cool water.
  7. When the milk comes to temperature, turn off the heat, add the diluted rennet, and stir in an up-and-down motion until the rennet has been evenly distributed.
  8. Cover the pot with a lid and set a timer for 15 minutes.
  9. When the timer goes off, remove the lid. The milk should now be set up. Use a large knife (I use a bread knife), to cut a grid pattern into the now-hardened curd. Aim for about 1” squares, but it definitely doesn’t have to be perfect. Then let it sit for another 5 minutes.
  10. Towards the end of that 5 minutes, turn your sink water on hot to heat up.
  11. After the 5 minutes is up you are going to use the spoon to gently stir the curds and cut the rest of it into 1-inch cubes. Again, don’t worry about perfection here.
  12. Next, you are going to drain the whey off of the curds. You can set a colander on a pot to save the whey for other things or to give to your chickens.
  13. Then, fill the pot with that hot water until it covers the curds, gently stirring it with your hands to break the curds apart.
  14. Dump the curds back into the colander a second time and this time you can just let the water go down the sink.
  15. Now we are going to add a little salt. Sprinkle 1 tsp. per gallon of milk over the curds and mix it in. After it is mixed well, ball the curds together as best you can and place the ball back into the pot.
  16. Let the pot fill up with hot water again until it covers the curds. Then take that pot back to the stove.
  17. Turn the stove back on to low heat. As the water heats up, the curds are going to more easily stick together and form a ball. If you have more than a gallon of milk that you started with, you may want to separate the large ball into two smaller ones.
  18. Now it’s time for the fun part. Start picking up each ball with your hands and letting the cheese stretch down towards the water. Dip the whole ball back in, and repeat the process, this time grabbing another part of the ball. This is not an art, so don’t stress about technique here, you are simply dipping it in hot water and letting it stretch out. This is going to give you that mozzarella consistency.
  19. The water should now be too hot to put your hands in. Taking tongs or whatever kitchen tool that will do the job, a spoon works in a pinch, you are going to pick up the cheese ball and continue letting it stretch in the same way until it stretches easily without breaking and develops a glossy appearance. When you hit this point, you are done!
  20. If you want to form it into cheese sticks or use it fresh, it’s ready to work with at this point. I usually add a little more salt to taste, stretch it into a tight ball (see video), cover, and refrigerate.

Notes

This cheese freezes well, but it is easiest to shred it first.

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Mozzarella cheese is so easy and fun to make, but my favorite part is how versatile it is. We like to use it on pizza, eat it as a snack, or mix it in with a variety of dishes.

If this just blew your mind how easy making mozzarella cheese is, let me know in the comments and tell me how you are going to use your first batch of this amazing homemade cheese.

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Citric acid

Rennet

Cheese spoon

The World's Easiest Mozzarella Cheese Recipe and Tutorial (2024)

FAQs

How is mozzarella made simple? ›

Steps in Making Homemade Fresh Mozzarella

You warm the milk with some citric acid (not as scary as it sounds), add the rennet to separate the milk into curds and whey, heat it again, knead stretch knead, and then you have mozzarella. It's basically magic. Don't be scared off by the citric acid and the rennet.

What are the steps in making mozzarella cheese? ›

A process of manufacturing a mozzarella (or mozzarella-like) cheese comprising the steps of a) pasteurizing cow's milk; b) acidifying the milk to convert it to a cheese milk; c) coagulating the cheese milk to obtain a coagulum comprised of curd and whey; d) cutting the coagulum and draining the whey therefrom, thereby ...

How much mozzarella from 1 gallon of milk? ›

One gallon of milk will make 1-1.25 lbs. of mozzarella. The following recipe is for one gallon (3.78 liters) of milk. Follow the usage rates for any ingredient you place into the milk listed on the ingredient.

What cheese is the fastest to make? ›

Between pressing, ripening and selecting one of the many molds and bacteria that are added to different cheeses to give each a unique flavor, cheesemaking can take a lifetime to master. Mozzarella, however, is one of the simplest, fastest cheeses to make, so it is great for first-time cheesemakers like me.

What is the common mistake in making mozzarella cheese? ›

When making mozzarella and you ended up with rice-like curds that won't knit together, this is often caused by improper temperatures during the milk heating process, heating the milk to quickly (from refrigerator temperature to 88°F should take at least 12 minutes), the use of ultra pasteurized milk, or your curds ...

What is authentic mozzarella made from? ›

Mozzarella di bufala is traditionally produced solely from the milk of the Italian Mediterranean buffalo. A whey starter is added from the previous batch that contains thermophilic bacteria, and the milk is left to ripen so the bacteria can multiply. Then, rennet is added to coagulate the milk.

Can you make fresh mozzarella at home? ›

A quick Google search for homemade mozzarella will give you an emphatic yes: There are countless recipes for fresh mozzarella and dozens of different DIY kits for sale, all of which promise better-than-store-bought results.

Where do I get rennet? ›

You can often find rennet at health food stores. If you don't have a health food store near you, or if you can't find one that carries it, you can also order your rennet online. The most common rennet brand is Junket. It's the one you are likely to find in stores.

Is homemade mozzarella cheese worth it? ›

Homemade mozzarella cheese is fresher and more flavorful than the stuff you buy in the store. It requires a few special materials and a bit of patience, but the end result is worth it.

Can you make mozzarella without citric acid? ›

White vinegar with an acidity level of 4-6% and lemon juice are commonly used for making mozzarella cheese. The acidity of lemon juice typically falls within the range of 4-6% citric acid too. Therefore, you can easily replace the white vinegar in this recipe with an equal amount of lemon juice.

How long does homemade mozzarella last? ›

With proper storage in a refrigerator, mozzarella cheese can last for up to one to two weeks. In a freezer, mozzarella cheese can last longer, up to approximately three months. If you find any change of shape, color, taste, and aroma of any part of the cheese, cut and throw away that part.

What is the hardest cheese to make? ›

While there is no one type of difficult cheese to make, the hardest cheeses to make are romano, gorgonzola, burrata, parmesan, provolone, etc. The reason being is because they require a longer aging period to ensure they reach their desired texture and require a specific type of culture.

What is the best cheese to use for homemade pizza? ›

The most commonly used cheese on pizza is mozzarella, because it melts beautifully without turning oily or lumpy. Cheeses such as feta, haloumi and aged gouda are tasty toppings, but they're a bit fancy for families and don't melt as well as mozzarella. Low-moisture mozzarella in particular has great melt and stretch.

What vegetable is rennet? ›

What is vegetable rennet? Vegetable rennet is made from plant enzymes that have coagulating properties. Vegetable rennet may be produced with plants such as thistle, artichokes, and nettles, but other plants like ground ivy, dried caper leaves, and fig juice have also been known to serve as coagulants.

Is mozzarella cheese natural or processed? ›

During the curd knitting stage, Provolone and Mozzarella cheeses are pulled and processed (these cheeses are then kneaded, drawn, shaped, and smoothed); a bean gum or some other type of gum is added to cream cheese to stabilize and stiffen it; and a creaming agent (cream and/or milk) is added to cottage cheese.

Is mozzarella with or without rennet? ›

If you're wondering does mozzarella cheese have Rennet, the answer is both yes and no. You can pick an animal-based or plant-based mozzarella. In contrast, rennet-free mozzarella cheese has a mild flavor and a soft texture ideal for creating panini or pizzas.

What makes mozzarella cheese different from other cheeses? ›

Compared to many other types of cheese, mozzarella has a higher moisture content and less total fat. It also has lower amounts of saturated fat than most types of cheese, although it has a considerable amount. Eating too much saturated fat might increase the risk of heart disease.

What is rennet simple? ›

Rennet is the general name for enzymes that act on proteins in milk. It's purpose in a ruminant's stomach is to curdle milk for easier digestion, the same way it curdled our shepherd's drink. Rennet serves the same purpose in cheesemaking: it triggers coagulation.

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