homemade mozzarella

Mozzarella is one of the easiest cheeses to make! I answer every question you could have about how to make Homemade Mozzarella.

Homemade Mozzarella

citric acid

(2 fl oz/60 ml) plus ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) water

liquid animal rennet

salt

In a small bowl, combine the citric acid with ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) water and stir until combined. Set aside.

In another small bowl, combine the rennet with the remaining ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) water. Stir until combined, then set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the milk and citric acid mixture and stir for 30 seconds until completely mixed.

Using a thermometer, and stirring the milk frequently, heat to 90°F (32°C). This should take about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the rennet mixture for a full 30 seconds. Be sure to stir the milk from the bottom to the top so that it is completely and evenly mixed in.

Put a lid on the pot and don’t disturb it for 5 minutes.

Check to see if the curd has formed by slipping a knife between the milk and the side of the pot. If it comes away slightly, move on to the next step. If not, leave for another 5 minutes.

Using a large knife, cut the curd all the way to the bottom in roughly 1-inch (2½-cm) strips. Then cut in the opposite direction to make a grid pattern.

Return the pot to the stove and warm over low heat to 105°F (40°C) for about 5 minutes. Gently agitate the liquid without breaking up the curd to ensure even heating.

Once again, remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes.

While the curd is resting, place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and line the sieve with cheesecloth.

Using a slotted spoon, lift the curd out of the pot and place it on the cheesecloth to drain.

Firmly press on the curds to squeeze out as much whey as possible, using the cheesecloth to help squeeze.

Stir 3 teaspoons of salt into the liquid (whey) in the pot, then remove 4 cups (32 fl oz/260 ml) whey to a medium bowl. Heat the remaining whey to 175° F (80°C).

Place the curd into the hot whey for about 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, and then stretch and fold the curd a few times using gloves to protect your hands from the heat.

Return the curd to the whey for another 10 seconds, then remove, and this time, stretch the curd and sprinkle on the remaining teaspoon of salt. Fold and stretch a few times, then return to the whey when it cools down.

Continue this process 2 or 3 more times until the curds start to look like smooth, silky, shiny mozzarella.

When you are done, create a smooth ball, tucking the edges underneath. Place this mozzarella ball into the hot water to seal the shape, then place it in the reserved cool whey to let it set for 15 minutes. Serve or use immediately.

Fresh mozzarella is one of the quickest and easiest cheeses to make! It only takes about half an hour and you can eat it right away!

Homemade Fresh Mozzarella In Under 30 Minutes

milk

¼ teaspoon of liquid rennet

kosher salt

Mix 1 ½ teaspoons of citric acid with...

Mix 1 ½ teaspoons of citric acid with one cup of lukewarm water, stir until dissolved, and set aside.

Mix ¼ teaspoon of liquid rennet or crushed...

Mix ¼ teaspoon of liquid rennet or crushed rennet tablet with ¼ cup of tepid water and set aside.

Pour the gallon of milk into the stockpot...

Pour the gallon of milk into the stockpot and add the citric acid mixture. Stir well and heat over med-low heat. Stir gently every few minutes until the milk reaches 90 degrees. Remove the milk from the heat.

Add in the rennet mixture and stir gently...

Add in the rennet mixture and stir gently for 30 seconds. Cover the milk and let the rennet do its magic for five minutes.

After five minutes, curd should form. You can...

After five minutes, curd should form. You can test by slipping the wooden spoon in at the edge of the pot. The curd should pull away from the side, kind of like milk gelatin. If it’s still a liquid, cover the pot again and let it sit for another five minutes.

Once your curd is set, take your knife...

Once your curd is set, take your knife or spatula and make slices, all the way to the bottom of the curd in a cross-hatch pattern.

Place the pot back over the heat, set...

Place the pot back over the heat, set to low, and bring the curds up to 105 degrees. You want to stir them occasionally being very gentle. Try not to break up the curds.

Remove the pot from the heat and let...

Remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for about 5-10 minutes. Put a sieve or strainer over a bowl and using the large slotted spoon scoop out the curds and into the sieve. Gently press the curds down to squeeze out the whey. Once you’ve removed all of the curds to the strainer, let them drain for about 10 minutes. At this point, the curds will mostly be in one large mass. Remove the curd to a clean cutting board and cut into two or three similar-sized masses.

While you’re waiting, put the pot with the...

While you’re waiting, put the pot with the whey in it back on the stove and add the tablespoon of salt. Heat over medium heat to 180 degrees. Pour some of the hot whey into a bowl and add one of the curd blobs. Put your gloves on and get ready to stretch some cheese!

Pick up the curd mass and check the...

Pick up the curd mass and check the temperature when it reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees begin to pull the cheese. Slowly pull your hands apart and let gravity do the work. Try not to tear the cheese; it should be smooth, silky and elastic. Between 3 to 5 stretches should do the trick.

Wrap the cheese curd in on itself, forming...

Wrap the cheese curd in on itself, forming a ball and tucking the edges up under the bottom.

To set your cheese, you can place it...

To set your cheese, you can place it in a bowl of ice water for 2-3 minutes or put it in a bowl of room-temperature salted whey for 10-15 minutes.

Pat dry and enjoy!

Once you learn how to make mozzarella cheese using leftover milk and white vinegar, it&#039;s time to say goodbye to store-bought mozzarella.

How to Make Mozzarella Cheese (2 ingredients: Milk and Vinegar)

1500 g whole milk

80 g white distilled vinegar

Pour the milk into a large pot. Heat the milk over medium heat, stirring gently to prevent scorching, until it reaches about 50°C/122℉. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature.

Once the milk reaches 50°C/122℉, quickly add the white vinegar to the hot milk, remove the pot from the heat. Stir gently for about 10 seconds, you will observe curds forming and separating from the whey .

Cover the pot with its lid, let it sit undisturbed for about 10 minutes.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the mixture into the strainer to drain the whey. (You can save the whey for making breads, pancakes, and cakes.)

Use a spoon or spatula to gently press the cheese in the strainer to remove excess whey.

Transfer the cheese into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it on high heat for 1 minute.

Remove the bowl from microwave, drain any released whey; the cheese should be too hot to handle at this point. Use a spatula or spoon to stir and fold the cheese, working towards a smooth texture. When the cheese cools slightly and is manageable, wear food handling gloves and use your hands to stretch it until it becomes smooth and stretchy

When the cheese becomes too hard to stretch, microwave it on high for an additional 30 seconds to soften it and restore its pliability. Continue stretching the cheese until it can be shaped into a smooth ball.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and add ice cubes to make an ice bath. Place your homemade mozzarella cheese ball into the ice bath. Make sure that the cheese pieces are fully submerged in the ice water.

After the cheese has completely cooled down (in about 15 minutes), remove it from the ice water bath. Use kitchen paper to tap dry the cheese&#39;s surface. You can now enjoy this homemade mozzarella cheese immediately or use it in your favorite recipes.

To store homemade mozzarella cheese, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1698346295/eithsz4ii52iskhymnga.mp4

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through the magical process of turning leftover milk and white vinegar into fresh and tender mozzarella cheese. This homemade cheese can be enjoyed instantly, paired with salads, or melted to perfection atop a pizza.

How to Make Mozzarella Cheese

This homemade mozzarella cheese recipe will leave you with a ready-to-use mozzarella cheese in 30 minutes! Learn how to make mozzarella cheese at home and never have to buy it again! Perfect for homemade lasagna, homemade pizza, and more!

Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

tbsp white vinegar ((or lemon juice))

Heat

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, bring the milk to 115°F.

Curdle

Once the milk has reached the desired temperature, turn the heat off and add the acid of your choice. Stir gently for 2-3 minutes until the curds have fully separated from the whey. You&#39;ll be able to see the golden whey and the curds very distinctly. If the whey is still white, add more acid 1 tbsp at a time and continue stirring until it&#39;s golden.

Remove

With a slotted spoon, lift out the curds from the milk and place them in a medium-sized bowl. If the curds are very solid or large, you can cut them into 1&quot; cubes with a sharp knife before lifting them out of the whey.

Squeeze

Once you have the curds removed, you want to start pressing out the whey. You can do this with your hands, or the back of a spoon, but apply pressure in some way to remove the whey.

Add the salt to the pot of whey and heat to 170°F. Once you have removed the whey and the cheese is pressed into a nice ball, lower the ball into a pot of hot whey for about 2-3 minutes to reheat it for stretching. You can also heat the cheese in a microwave for 20 seconds at a time until the cheese reaches a temperature of 170°F.

Stretch

Using a spoon or two, stretch the hot cheese until it&#39;s cool enough to manage with your hands. Stretch only until smooth, you don&#39;t want to overstretch or the cheese will be too hard.

Heat the cheese one last time and form into a smooth ball.

Chill

Use this homemade mozzarella right away. You can also wrap the finished cheese in cling wrap, or place in an air-tight container, and chill if desired.

Store

Store any leftovers for 1-2 weeks in the fridge. Whey can be portioned and frozen for later use in soups, smoothies, or as animal feed (our chickens love it!).

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Top 4 homemade mozzarella recipes from across the web

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The most viewed homemade mozzarella recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine