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Top view sliced mozzarella cheese.

Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

Learn how to make homemade mozzarella cheese with raw or store-bought milk. Step-by-step guide, perfectly stretchy every time!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Making Cheese 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Appetizer, cheese, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Farmhouse Kitchen, Homestead Kitchen, Italian
Servings 12
Calories 191 kcal

Equipment

  • Large pot or dutch oven
  • slotted spoon
  • thermometer
  • heat-safe rubber gloves
  • large bowl of ice water
  • pH meter optional

Ingredients
  

  • 1 gallon whole milk raw or store-bought, NOT ultra-pasteurized
  • 1½ teaspoon citric acid dissolved in ½ cup cool water
  • ½ teaspoon liquid rennet
  • ¼ cup cheese salt or other non-iodized salt

Instructions
 

  1. Pour 1 gallon of milk into a large pot or Dutch oven. Place it on the stove and clip on your thermometer.
  2. Slowly heat the milk to 55°F, stirring gently. Add the citric acid solution while stirring in an up-and-down motion. Don’t over-mix. Continue heating slowly. 
  3. At 88°F, stir in the rennet mixture with the same gentle up-and-down motion. Continue heating until the milk reaches 105°F, then cover the pot and let it sit for 5–10 minutes. Check the curd formation. You should see a firm curd that gives a clean break when cut.
  4. Use a long knife to cut the curd into 1-inch cubes. Let them rest for 5 minutes to firm up.
  5. Return the pot to the stove, and the salt and gently heat until the curds and whey reach about 150 - 170°F—hot enough for stretching but not boiling.
  6. With gloved hands or a slotted spoon, lift curds directly from the hot whey and begin stretching and folding them back on themselves. Dip them back into the hot whey often to keep them pliable and glossy. Continue until the cheese becomes smooth, elastic, and shiny. See troubleshooting below if your cheese isn't stretching.
  7. Sprinkle in an additional 1 teaspoon of cheese salt (or more to taste) and knead it in as you stretch. Keep dipping into the hot whey so the curds stay flexible.
  8. Shape the fresh mozzarella cheese into balls or logs. Dunk each mozzarella ball into a bowl of ice water for a few minutes to set the shape and cool it down.

Notes

Storage Suggestions
  • Fresh balls: Store the fresh cheese in the fridge in brine or tightly wrapped, and use within 3–5 days.
  • Grated mozzarella: My favorite method besides simply eating it fresh! Grate immediately, spread on a baking sheet in a single layer, freeze, then bag up the frozen shreds for easy use straight from the freezer. 
  • Long-term: Frozen shredded mozzarella keeps for 3–4 months without losing texture or flavor, but once it starts to get old, you will lose the gooey cheese pull and end up with more of a stiff topping when baked.
  • Don’t toss the whey! Save it for baking bread, feeding to animals, or making a decadent batch of whey caramel.

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 10gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 2478mgPotassium: 474mgSugar: 15gVitamin A: 511IUCalcium: 389mgIron: 0.02mg
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