DIY: Homemade Mozzarella

in DIY

The last time we were buying supplies to brew beer, I spotted a mozzarella kit on the shelf. Homemade mozzarella? Yum! In 30 minute? No way!

It’s surprisingly easy to make if you can find the right milk. While straight-from-the-dairy milk is recommended, not everyone has access to such a luxury. Pasteurized milk works fine, ultra-pasteurized milk does not. And other than trial and error, there doesn’t seem to be a way to tell the difference. Borden, Hill Country Fare, and HEB brand have not worked for me. Kroger brand milk has worked fine.

We usually buy handmade mozzarella at HEB for 9.99/lb. It’s cheaper at Costco but The Foodie Groom thinks that cheese tastes “off.” So for the price of a gallon of milk and less than a dollar per batch of other supplies, you get super fresh, heavenly mozzarella cheese. In about 30 minutes.

I picked up this kit and followed these instructions. (You actually don’t need a kit if you can find citric acid and rennet tablets.)

We have never gone through so much milk in such a short period of time. But it’s tomato season, and grilled pizza season, and slice a chunk of cheese off of the log and eat it plain season. Did I mention that it only takes 30 minutes to make?

25 comments… add one
  • Oh my gosh…I’ve been thinking about making this but I’m so intimidated by it! :\

  • I had to throw away some old fresh mozzarella yesterday. 🙁 But now I’m inspired to bring some mozzarella back into the house! Your margherita looks so good! And we just bought some fresh tomatoes from the farmers market this morning!

  • Joy! Homemade mozzarella is fantastic. My fiancée and I actually had success several months ago with HEB milk, citric acid powder from Sun Harvest and rennet tablets we’d picked up at a cheese-making shop while home in WI [http://squirrelbread.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/whole-milk-mozzarella/]. I’m glad to see more people blogging about this, b/c it truly isn’t that difficult, and well worth the effort.

    Cheers,

    *Heather*

  • Whoa that is awesome! Thirty minutes! Really?

  • home made mozzarella I am really impressed!!! where can I get that kit?

  • Beautiful!

  • Danielle

    Have you tried homemade ricotta? I am seeking to perfect that.

  • Joy

    Wow..good job on the mozzerella.

  • Allie

    In the instructions that you posted, the pictures look like she is adding just a 1/4 tsp of rennet, but it in written instructions it says to dilute it in a 1/4 cup water. Do you add the entire 1/4 cup water/rennet mix, or just a 1/4 tsp of the water/rennet mix?

    Same issue with the citric acid- 1 cup of citric acid/water mix or 1 1/2 tablespoons of the citric acid/water mix?

    I hope that makes sense! Thank you 🙂

    • Allie – It makes sense 🙂 You add the whole mixture. That’s probably liquid rennet in the picture, in which case there’s nothing to dissolve.

  • So, how was it? Was it the best thing you ever tasted?? This mozzarella has got me really curious, but it looks out of this world!

  • Oooh, homemade mozzarella! This is definitely something I’ll have to look into, thanks for sharing! : )

  • I want to try this! You had me at 30 minutes!

  • I’ve always wanted to do this! thanks for the heads up. didn’t know there was a kit! beautiful pics.

  • I got turned onto this after reading Barbara Kingsolver’s latest ( Animal, Vegetable, Miracle). We love to make it with our nieces and nephews to show them cheese can come not wrapped in plastic!

  • The idea of making my own cheese is one that has also had interest for me. But it just seemed so complicated that I never have actually tried it.

  • Fabulous post. I love mozarella. Will have to try making my own too, thanks for sharing.

  • Can I ask for a clarification–did you say that ultra-pastuerized milk from Kroger did work? And you were not able to find pasturized? I’ve been looking for pasturized (not ultra) after reading Animal Vegetable Miracle and can’t find it anywhere.

    • It didn’t say ultra-pasteurized on the label, but the milk I bought at Kroger did get me a strong enough curd for mozzarella. Both the Kroger brand and Springdale brand have worked. Good luck!

  • Rand

    I tried using HEB milk today, and it didn’t work. The citric acid curdled the milk a bit, but addition of the rennet did absolutely nothing. Any advice on buying milk in Houston?

    • I didn’t have any luck with HEB milk either. Kroger and Springdale brands have worked for us. Good luck!

  • that’s awesome!

  • wendy

    Can I use cultured buttermilk? Will it produce a better product?

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