Use this wonderful recipe to learn how to make mozzarella cheese from scratch! Try making bigger, smaller, or twisted and knotted balls, or any other shape you like. Place in the fridge to store.
| Prep Time: | 45 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 5 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 3 balls |
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cool water, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet
- 1 ½ teaspoons citric acid
- 1 gallon raw milk
- 1 teaspoon salt (Optional)
Instructions
- Combine 1/4 cup water and rennet in a small bowl; mix well.
- Combine remaining 1/2 cup water and citric acid in another small bowl; mix until dissolved.
- Pour milk into a large pot set over medium heat. Stir in citric acid mixture.
- Heat milk, stirring occasionally, until it registers 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Remove milk from heat and stir in rennet mixture in a figure-8 motion for 30 seconds. Stir counterclockwise for 30 seconds to still the milk. Let stand, covered, until milk sets into curd, 5 to 10 minutes. Press edge of curd gently with a palette knife or the back of a spoon to check for firmness.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Slice vertically into the pot to cut curd into 3/4-inch cubes with a palette knife. Stir curds gently, but leave cubes mostly intact.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Return pot to the heat; cook over medium heat, stirring curds gently, until temperature reaches 109 degrees F (43 degrees C), about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Ladle curds into a colander set over a large bowl using a slotted spoon. Press curds gently to extract liquid whey. Pour drained whey back into the pot.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Heat whey to 185 degrees F (85 degrees C), about 5 minutes. Wearing gloves, tear off a piece of curd and place on a slotted spoon. Dip curd into hot whey for 5 to 10 seconds. Stretch, fold, and knead curd. Repeat until mozzarella is smooth and elastic. Knead in salt and form curd into a ball. Repeat dipping and kneading process with remaining curd.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Allow mozzarella to cool. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator.
- Enjoy!
- DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
- Do not use ultra-high temperature processed (UHT) milk. Regular pasteurized milk will work, but raw milk is best.
- At the end of step 7, you may place your curds in a plastic bag and store both the curds and the whey in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days before continuing the process. If you want a softer-textured, moist mozzarella, do not let the curd get as firm and work less when stretching and kneading. You can speed up the cooling process in step 9 by placing mozzarella balls in an ice-water bath.
Reviews
I made no changes. Taste great!
Really did not set up. Maybe 1 ball out of it. Followed directions. Why would that be. Mainly cottage cheese
I finally did it!!! The curds were a little loose but I worked them and woohoo, Mozarrella Cheese!
very good
This is easier to make than buying at the grocery store and so much cheaper too
I’ve tried other mozzarella recipes in the past and never been happy with the results. This one came out perfect first try. The process was really fascinating, especially the last step where you work the curds into mozzarella. I did find that for me, it was slightly easier to work the cheese if I raised the temp of the whey to the 190 to 195 degree range. We also had a lot of fun working different seasonings, like habañero salt, into the cheese just before setting it. I’m looking forward to making this again. Thanks for posting it!
Interesting fun
Good recipe. This was my 2nd mozzarella recipe to try. The first one was a disaster! Not only was this recipe easy to follow , but it was really fun to make. I was ready to make make another batch as soon as I finished the first. – I used the mozzarella in a cabrese salad, I took the leftover whey to make ricotta cheese.
Perfect! Thank you,
I did not change anything. It was delicious and perfect in the recipes that called for mozzarella! Thank you for sharing. -Paula Akbari
I make cheese every week, but rarely do I make Mozzarella because the numerous recipes a I have tried were not that impressive. This turned out perfectly and I will be making it often.
Need to add 1 step please. Should put balls in an ice bath after forming so they hold there shape. Other than that all good! Also I find it better to do all in once 🙂
It took a couple of tries to get it right, but now I have the hang of it and the mozzarella turned out great – it’s not easy, but don’t give up! I used raw milk, it didn’t work with whole milk for me
Tastes fine. Wish I would have read the reviews before I tried to make it. I would have realized that it forgot to mention when to add the citric acid mixture and how much renet to use.
I am giving this four stars because the ingredients and procedure are very similar to how I usually make mozzarella. The problems with the recipe are that there is no measurement for the rennet and it fails to mention when to add the citric acid.