Buzz
Talking about cheese without mentioning its spherical forms—large, moist, white balls—is tough. While mozzarella may not be the simplest cheese to craft, it’s a common starting point for many. In the cheese world, you have those who appreciate the solid staples: cheddar, muenster, and a bold Swiss. Then, there are the aficionados who gravitate towards softer, more pungent varieties like Stilton and Brie. Mozzarella, however, is a universal favorite. Almost everyone enjoys it, and many love the idea of making it themselves.
The problem is, mozzarella isn't as simple to make as some might claim, even with all those online videos featuring Italian grandfathers and grandmothers suggesting otherwise. (Don’t be fooled, those Italian grandmothers are well aware of how tricky it is!).
With that in mind, I recommend starting with something easier, like ricotta or feta. But, most of you will probably ignore this advice (I know I would) and fantasize about impressing your friends with homemade cheese during pizza night. So, we’ll go for a quicker mozzarella recipe, which involves about 43 fewer steps than the traditional one, but comes with a much shorter shelf-life. Be ready to eat it within a day or two—sorry about that. (Interested in making burrata? We’ve got an easy guide for that too.)
Simple Mozzarella
Ingredients List:
1 gallon of milk (avoid ultra-pasteurized; pasteurized, VAT pasteurized, or raw milk are all fine)
1 ½ teaspoons of citric acid, dissolved in ¼ cup of distilled water
½ teaspoon of rennet, dissolved in ¼ cup of distilled water
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of ricotta (for making burrata)
Required Equipment (Refer to our equipment guide for recommendations):
A 6-quart or larger stockpot
A 3-quart saucepan
A stainless steel colander
Cheesecloth
Measuring spoons
A thermometer
pH strips or a pH meter
A microwave-safe bowl
A microwave
Heat-resistant gloves
Prepare Your Workspace
As with all cheese-making processes, cleanliness is essential. Ensure that your pot, counter, utensils—everything from measuring spoons to the thermometer—along with the faucet and sink are all properly cleaned and sanitized with white vinegar or another disinfecting solution. Keep your spray bottle of vinegar and clean towels close by.
Boil water in a pot on the stove, then dip your cheesecloth into the water for at least a minute. Use sanitized tongs to remove it, and carefully stretch it over your colander before proceeding.
Once you begin, avoid washing dishes or doing anything else in the kitchen, as it may introduce contaminants to your cheese through water droplets. If you're fermenting anything, make sure to cover or move them to prevent cross-contamination with your cheese. A sterile environment is essential.
Warm the Milk
We’ll create a double boiler setup, so use a large sauté pan with a few inches of water beneath the pot that will hold your milk. Attach a thermometer to the pot. Pour in your milk (shake the bottles well first to ensure you get all the cream). Set the stove to medium heat and stir the milk constantly until it reaches 55℉.
Once the milk reaches the target temperature, give it one last stir, then add the citric acid and keep stirring for at least a minute. Now, we’ll allow the temperature to rise to 90℉ while continuing to stir. The milk might curdle during this process, which is completely normal, but if it doesn’t, that’s fine too.
When the milk reaches 90℉, turn off the heat. Take a small sample of the milk and use the pH strips to check the level. It should fall between 5 and 5.3. Don’t proceed until the pH is correct. If it’s off, keep stirring at the same heat and retest in ten minutes.
Add rennet to form curds
When the milk hits 90℉ and the pH is between 5 and 5.3, it’s time to add the rennet. Stir the milk to create a whirlpool, then pour in the rennet. Stir for 60 seconds using a figure-eight motion. After a minute, stop stirring and let the milk settle by holding the spoon still. Cover the pot and step away for a while.
After ten minutes, remove the lid and use your curd cutting knife to test for a clean break. The knife should cut through the curd smoothly, with the curd maintaining its shape and edge once the knife is removed. If it’s a clean break, proceed. If not, cover the pot again, wait another ten minutes, and try the test once more.
Once you achieve a clean break, it’s time to cut the curd into one-inch columns. Start by cutting straight down and across the curd in one-inch sections, then rotate the pot 90 degrees and make perpendicular cuts to the ones you’ve already made. There's no need to make any horizontal cuts.
Reheat and Stretch the Curds
Turn the heat back on and gradually raise the curd temperature to 105℉ over the course of five minutes, stirring constantly. Instead of stirring in a circular motion, lift the spoon from the bottom to the top of the milk, gently lifting the curds and repeating the motion. The goal here is to expel as much whey as possible.
As you continue stirring, the curds will break apart into smaller pieces. Once you reach 105℉, check the whey. If it’s clear, you’re on track. If it’s still cloudy, something may have gone wrong. You can keep going, but be aware it might affect your cheese’s stretchability. In cheese-making, mistakes often can’t be fixed, and sometimes you’ll need to start fresh. (Womp womp.)
At this stage, transfer the curds into the colander lined with cheesecloth. Since you don’t need to save the whey for this recipe, it’s fine to do this over the sink. Allow the curds to drain for about 10 minutes.
Microwave and Stretch the Curds
Place the curds into a microwave-safe bowl and heat them on high for one minute, uncovered. This will release even more whey. Carefully pour it off, and wearing gloves, fold the curds in on themselves eight times, rotating the bowl by 90 degrees with each fold. There's no exact science to this step; we're just checking how the curds melt together. Whether they melt quickly or remain firm doesn't matter.
Microwave the bowl of curds for another thirty seconds. You'll repeat this process, and the curds will become even more melted. Try pulling a small piece—does it come away easily, or is it stringy? We're aiming for a long, shiny strand.
Give the curds one final 30-second microwave session. Afterward, remove the bowl, drain the whey, and sprinkle salt over the curds.
Stretch the curds
With your gloved hands, take a handful of curd—about a cup's worth—and stretch the cheese by pulling it apart and then bringing it back together. You’re aiming for smooth, glossy strings without any grittiness. When rejoining the curds, make sure to fold them in on themselves, leaving one side smooth, and the other with gathered curds. Repeat this process 10-15 times. On your last fold, position the folded side in your palm with the smooth side facing out. Squeeze the folded end to make the smooth side stretch and expand slightly. Once stretched, pinch off the mozzarella and place it into a bowl of room-temperature water.
Continue this process with the remaining curds. After an hour, cover the bowl and move it to the fridge. The mozzarella should be consumed within 24 hours.
Bonus round: Burrata
Burrata is the indulgent cousin of mozzarella. It’s essentially fresh mozzarella with a creamy ricotta or cream center. When you cut into it, the creamy filling oozes out in a way that could be described as undeniably alluring.
To try your hand at making it, have your ricotta or cream ready (I suggest starting with ricotta). As you stretch the curds, instead of forming a ball, shape it into a pouch. While folding, use your thumb to create a space for the ricotta, rather than sealing the curds into a ball. Fill the cavity with ricotta, then fold the edges to close it and follow the rest of the process as usual. Just like mozzarella, this burrata should be eaten within a couple of days—but I doubt that will be an issue.
