Learn how to make easy and delicious homemade mozzarella cheese. This mozzarella recipe only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish, and it is super delicious. Creamy, salty, all the best things when it comes to cheese.
Our dairy cow June is about one year past freshening, and she is still producing more milk that we can just drink. As the milk jars keep piling up, we want to do something with all that milk.
Homemade mozzarella cheese is one of the easiest cheeses to make, and it can be done all in one day. Thirty minutes to be exact!
I used raw, skimmed milk to make this recipe. As in, cream is skimmed off the top. So, not only are you left with cheese, but also the whey that can be used in a variety of ways (like smoothies, soups, ferments, or just to feed the pigs), as well as cream to make butter.
Nothing goes to waste here.
I know many people don’t have a dairy cow in the backyard, but thankfully with this recipe, you can also used store-bought milk. It’s so simple to make mozzarella at home, and it is delicious on pizzas, salads, focaccia…you name it.
Why you will love this recipe:
Quick: It takes about 30 minutes to make from start to finish. It is one of the fastest homemade cheeses you can make.
Delicious: Creamy mozzarella cheese melted on homemade pizza…or gooey sourdough grilled cheese. Is there anything more delicious?
Great way to use a lot of extra milk: If you have a dairy cow and just have oodles of milk in the fridge or you find a great deal on milk and stock up, it is a great way to use up all that milk.
Nothing goes to waste: The cream skimmed off can be made into butter, the milk solids made into cheese, and the whey can be used in soups, smoothies, or be fed to the pigs or chickens (for non-homogenized milk).
Mozzarella Cheese Making Tips:
- Fresher milk seems to make the cheese a little prettier when heating and cutting the curds, whereas slightly older milk will work just fine (not spoiled), but looks a little funny in the pot.
- I like to heat my milk to around 100 degrees to help keep some of the beneficial things in the raw milk intact. Heating it too high will kill all the glories of raw milk.
- Do not mix the milk too much after the rennet is added. You want to bring the spoon up and down rather than mixing in a circle.
- You can pour the citric acid and the liquid animal rennet right into the milk, but I find it easier to work with if it is already dissolved.
- This recipe easily doubles. I will just use two separate pots.
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Ingredients:
Milk: I use raw milk with the cream skimmed off the top from our dairy cow. You can also use store-bought whole or 2% milk. Pasteurized milk is fine, but don’t use ultram-pasteurized milk.
Citric acid: This raises the acidity of the milk, which helps separate the curds and whey and makes it stretchy. You can also use lemon juice or vinegar. Citric acid tends to give a more consistent result.
Animal rennet: This ingredient helps solidify the proteins naturally found in milk. It can be found in a liquid and a tablet.
Salt: Preferably sea salt or pink Himalayan. Salt adds so much delicious flavor.
Tools Needed:
Thermometer: This is for bringing the milk up to a specific temperature without it being too hot. We don’t want to scald the milk or kill off all the good stuff (if using raw).
Large pot: For making the cheese and during the stretching and folding stage.
Measuring spoons: To measure out the citric acid and rennet.
Colander: For draining the curds from the whey.
Knife: To cut the curds.
Cheese cloth: This is optional, but can be helpful when straining the curds and pressing.
Large spoon: To mix the milk together and for stirring the curds.
Rubber gloves: Another optional tool, but many people find it necessary for stretching and folding the hot cheese.
How To Make Mozzarella Cheese
Prepare the citric acid and rennet mixtures
In a small bowl, add the citric acid to water and mix.
In a separate small bowl, mix together water and rennet. Set aside.
Pour the citric acid mixture into the pot.
Add milk to the pot and heat to 100 degrees using a digital thermometer.
Once it hits 100 degrees, remove from the heat.
Add the Rennet
Mix the animal rennet with water, then add into the pot of milk.
Mix well, making sure to get it all the way to the bottom of the pot, while not agitating it too much.
Stir the milk and add a lid. Allow it to sit for ten minutes.
Cut the Curds
Cut the curds using a large knife, while making sure to get all the way down to the bottom of the pot. Cut in a grid shape.
Pour the curds and whey into a colander over a pot, straining off the whey. If you aren’t planning to use the whey for anything, you’ll want to save a little bit of the whey for storing the cheese.
I like to run my fingers through the curds and whey in the colander to help separate and help the whey strain.
Press the Curds
Press out any excess whey with your hands.
Continue pressing until all the of the whey is out of the cheese.
Once the ball of cheese forms and the whey is pressed out, dip the cheese back into hot water and stretch it. (You could also heat it up in a microwave.) I usually dunk the cheese into the hot water and stretch, continuing to do this until the cheese because firm and shiny.
Stretch it a few more times and add salt to taste. I like to hold the cheese with one hand and then sprinkle over the salt in another hand. Fold the cheese over, stretch a few times and add more salt.
Roll into balls and use it right away or store for later.
Storing Homemade Mozzarella
Store in an air-tight container with some of the leftover whey for up to a week. Freeze for up to six months.
How To Use Fresh Mozzarella
- Salads
- Pizza: Sourdough is our go-to, but also love making this einkorn pizza crust.
- Caprese salad
- Brushetta
- Sourdough skillets
- Carnitas
- Soups like cheeseburger, tomato, chicken corn chowder, and more.
- Grilled cheese
- Garlic cheese bread
- Lasagna
- Top homemade pasta
- Sausage and apple stuffed acorn squash
- Sausage Zucchini Boats
- Pesto Gnocchi
- Meatball Subs
- Sourdough breakfast strata
- Stuffed Bell Peppers
FAQ:
Is it cheaper to make mozzarella at home?
This will obviously be dependent on the type and quality of milk. Store-bought milk can range from $2-7 a gallon, depending on stores, whether it’s grass-fed, organic, etc.
Raw milk is anywhere from $8-22 a gallon.
Can I use vinegar instead of rennet to make mozzarella cheese?
No. If you want to make the real deal stretchy mozzarella, then you will need to use rennet. Substituting white vinegar for rennet will leave you with more of a farmers cheese. There is a way to make it somewhat like mozzarella, but it will be more crumbly and not stretchy.
How long does it take to make mozzarella cheese?
It takes about 30 minutes from start to finish to make this recipe. It is super easy and a great way to use up extra milk.
Find More Recipes From Our Farmhouse:
- Sourdough Vanilla Cake
- Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Recipe
- Sourdough Biscotti
- One Skillet Creamy Peach Chicken
- Brioche French Toast Recipe
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Homemade Mozzarella Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 teaspoons citric acid
- 1/4 teaspoon animal rennet
- 1/2 cup water, divided
- 1 gallon whole milk
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the citric acid and 1/4 cup of the water. Stir to dissolve.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the remaining 1/4 cup of water and rennet. Set aside.
- Pour the citric acid mixture into a large pot.
- Add the milk to the pot and heat over medium, stirring constantly to incorporate the citric acid.
- Once the milk and citric acid mixture reaches 100° F, using a digital thermometer, remove the pot from the heat. If you are using a gas stove, it is fine to leave the pot on the burner as long as the flame is off.
- Add the rennet/water mixture into the pot of milk. Mix well, making sure to get it all the way to the bottom of the pot, while not agitating it too much. Sometimes I stir clockwise and then quickly switch to counter-clockwise to still the milk. You want the milk to be pretty still for the next step.
- Put a lid on the pot and allow it to sit for ten minutes, or until the curds have set. If tak off the lid and it looks like the milk is still pretty watery, you can return the lid and do some other tasks around the kitchen.
- Once the curds have set, cut them using a large knife, while making sure to get all the way down to the bottom of the pot. Cut in a grid shape.
- Pour the curds and whey into a colander over a pot, straining off the whey. If you aren’t planning to use the whey for anything, you’ll want to save a little bit of the whey for storing the cheese.
- Press out any excess whey with your hands.
- Continue pressing until all the of the whey is out of the cheese.
- Once the ball of cheese forms and the whey is pressed out, dip the cheese back into hot water and stretch it. (You could also heat it up in a microwave.) I usually dunk the cheese into the hot water and stretch, continuing to do this until the cheese because firm and shiny.
- Stretch it a few more times and add salt to taste. I like to hold the cheese with one hand and then sprinkle over the salt in another hand. Fold the cheese over, stretch a few times and add more salt.
- Roll into balls and use it right away or store for later.
Notes
- Fresher milk seems to make the cheese a little prettier when heating and cutting the curds, whereas slightly older milk will work just fine (not spoiled), but looks a little funny in the pot.
- I like to heat my milk to around 100 degrees to help keep some of the beneficial things in the raw milk intact. Heating it too high will kill all the glories of raw milk.
- Do not mix the milk too much after the rennet is added. You want to bring the spoon up and down rather than mixing in a circle.
- You can pour the citric acid and the liquid animal rennet right into the milk, but I find it easier to work with if it is already dissolved.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How many oz of cheese do you end up with, about?
About 16 oz.
Where do you buy your rennet?
I usually buy it from Cultures for Health.
I followed everything step but step had good separation, cut into a grid and then I poured it into my cheesecloth covered Callander and it all fell apart into just liquid. Did I not let it sit long enough? And how do I salvage this so I don’t waste and entire gallon of milk.
Sounds like it may not have set long enough.
Can this recipe be used to make string cheese?
I’ve learned that citric acid used to be made from citrus now it is made from aspergillus niger a mutant black mold. I am afraid this is dangerous to people. I’ve been detoxing black mold for a year now. I hope you will look into this.
Love your website and recipes and watching your family grow.
Kit
This turned out perfectly for me! I made it with my kids. They really lived squishing the curds together. I had fresh rennet and fresh citric acid and raw dairy milk.
So glad! Thanks for sharing!
Why does no matter what I do my cheese stays rubbery?
It may be due to overheating the mixture.
How long will the cheese keep in the fridge ?
Typically around two weeks, but it can last longer.
Can you use lemon juice instead of citric acid
I have never tried it to know for certain.
Can you use pasteurized goats milk.
I have never tried it. Looks like, according to google, it is possible.
Where does someone get animal rennet and citrus acid?
You can get them on Amazon. In the ingredient section on the blog, you’ll find links to both. Hope that helps!
Hi, Lisa!
How hot is the water that you use to heat the cheese in before stretching? How long is the curd in the water for? I tried this recipe today and it seemed to be going really well until this step. Once I put it in the hot water, the cheese became like hard rubber and had not stretch quality about it. I was handling it a lot trying to get it to stretch, and I ended up working with it in the hot water for a long time (maybe 20 minutes?) with no success.
I didn’t want to waste it, so I stored the rubbery bits in whey. I will try to shred it into pizza or something.
Thanks in advance!
I think your water wasn’t hot enough to melt it and make it stretch.
Mine was rubbery at first as well…I was stretching mine too much, and the water was not hot enough. Make sure your hot water is at least 135 degrees F and only stretch it on itself 2-3 times. The more you stretch the more it will be rubbery.