Instant Pot Homemade Mozzarella made fresh, warm, and flavorful in your very own home in about 30 minutes! Not only is it delicious, but it’s an absolute blast to make as well!
Today is the beginning of a week long series I’m callin’ Yogurt Button Lovin’! I know everyone is completely obsessed over the Instant Pot nowadays, and I wanted to make sure you are using it to it’s full potential. One of the features I find priceless with the Instant Pot is that incredible Yogurt button. Of course it makes insanely good yogurt, but you just wait and see what else it can do!
Now let’s get to it, today is Day 1 of Yogurt Button Lovin’, and I’m insanely happy to finally introduce you to Instant Pot Homemade Mozzarella!
I’ve never been completely sold on mozzarella cheese. In fact, more often than not I substitute it with something more flavorful. So this is a pretty big day for me, because I am completely a mozzarella fan now that I’ve discovered Instant Pot Homemade Mozzarella. It’s soft, FLAVORFUL, melty, and easy to make!
The thoughts of making mozzarella had never even entered my mind until a neighbor of mine causally mentioned that she’d been using her new Instant Pot to make mozzarella. Like there is anything causal about that! I shamelessly hounded her for the recipe and called, texted, and emailed her every time I failed to execute the recipe correctly. Thanks Dixie, for your patience with me!
Finally after making it roughly 25 times (no exaggeration, my freezer has a section dedicated to my mozzarella attempts), I have for you my favorite mozzarella of all time. No boring, flavorless cheese here. Nope this cheese is completely worth your belly space and is quite simple, and oh so fun to make. My kids have joined me on many cheese stretching competitions. Hot mozzarella will stretch for days!
Couple things before you jump in
MILK BRAND
Brand of milk matters here and it took me a lot of fails to realize that. Make sure the milk you use is not ultra pasteurized. What I learned in this process was that some milk brands aren’t labeled “ultra pasteurized” but have still been heated too high for this recipe to work. If your curds are turning out delicate and more like cottage cheese after being heated, I would suspect it’s your milk. See this list of optimal milk brands to find one near you that will work best.
RENNET
I’ve used both animal rennet and vegetable rennet and I seem to get the best results with animal.
LIPASE
Lipase is an optional ingredient. I feel like it gives it more flavor and helps keep it softer, especially after it has been refrigerated. But if you don’t have it and want to try it with out it, just skip past those steps in the recipe.
IT’S NOT STORE BOUGHT
When baked in an oven like on top of pizza or lasagna, the top of the mozzarella browns more so and quicker than store-bought mozzarella. Don’t expect the exact texture that you get with store-bought. It behaves slightly different, but is magical in its uniqueness.
CUTTING THE CURD
In case the Directions below don’t describe this step very well, here is a visual of how it should look after you cut it.
EURO CUISINE YOGURT STRAINER
I love having the Euro Cuisine Yogurt Strainer for scooping my curds into. It makes it a lot easier to get as much whey off as possible. But if you don’t already have one (from yogurt making) just use a strainer.
USE GLOVES
Mozzarella needs to be nice and hot to knead and stretch. I personally can’t do those steps without gloves which is why I’m sporting these periwinkle beauties.
DON’T OVER KNEAD YOUR MOZZARELLA
Over kneading will make your final product more dry. After the last heating cycle in the microwave, knead and stretch until it becomes shiny and smooth and doesn’t break when you stretch it.
PS: if you’re wondering where this high-end, fancy bracelet came from, I’ve got 2 words for you, Rich Lum – do you know him? I adore this kind, IP master from Hawaii! He rocked my kid’s worlds by sending them each a light up version of this bracelet for trick or treating. If you don’t know Rich, join the Instant Pot Facebook Community and it won’t be long before you know and love him!
SHAPING YOUR MOZZ BALLS
Once your mozzarella is shiny and stretchy, move quickly to shape your balls before it starts to cool and isn’t as formable. I like to have plastic wrap pieces torn and ready next to my bowl for firmly wrapping my mozzarella balls. This will help them keep a nice round shape. You don’t have to wrap them, it’s only for shaping purposes. You can also try dipping them in ice water to help them hold their shape, but I feel like the plastic wrap does a better job at this.
FRESH IS BEST
Fresh mozzarella is always better right after it’s made and still warm or room temperature. This is the perfect time to slice it up and serve it fresh like on this tomato, basil, EVOO, and balsamic vinegar tray.
STORAGE
Store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. I’ve read about storing mozzarella in some of the left over whey (with a pinch of salt). This worked well for me for about 24 hours, but after that it gave the outside of the cheese a strange slimy texture. I’ve also read of wrapping mozzarella with paper towels to draw out the moisture to make it a harder, more shreddable cheese. I haven’t personally tried that one though.
LIVE ON THE WILD SIDE – FREEZE IT
It’s possible I’m committing a major mozzarella sin here, but for whatever reason, after being frozen and thawed, my mozzarella seemed to create a more melty, creamy effect in paninis and on top of pizza. I discovered this as a result of having way to much mozzarella so I froze it and hoped for the best. I was pleasantly surprised! If you want to shred it, it also shreds much better partially frozen.
EASY RECIPE
Once you’ve made you mozzarella (and hopefully didn’t eat it all minutes after it was made) make this incredible panini. Pan Roasted Tomatoes + Fresh Homemade Mozzarella + Pesto = lots and lots of happy tears 😂😂
That should cover it! Homemade Mozzarella is fun, different, and delicious. You’re gonna love it!
Now for the Question of the Day: What is your favorite type of cheese? Leave your answer in the comments below to be entered into the Instant Pot giveaway.
This giveaway is now over
Check out the other recipe from this Yogurt Button Lovin’ Series: Burrata, Yogurt, Skyr, Crusty Bread, Ricotta.
*This post contains affiliate links. Thank you!
Instant Pot Homemade Mozzarella
Warm, soft, flavorful mozzarella made in your favorite appliance, the Instant Pot!
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 mozzarella balls
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole or 2% milk (see notes about milk brands to use)
- 3/4 cup water (divided)
- 1/4 teaspoon lipase (optional, see note)
- 2 teaspoons citric acid
- 1/4 teaspoon single strength liquid animal rennet
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- To 3 small cups, add 1/4 cup of coolish water to each. In 1 of the cups add the lipase and stir to combine (it won’t dissolve completely). To another cup add citric acid and stir to combine. To the final cup, add the animal rennet and stir to combine.
- Pour milk into the pot of the Instant Pot and clip a thermometer on to the side (or have one close by so you can closely watch the milk temperatures). Press yogurt and adjust until it says “boil”.
- Warm milk to 55°F.
- When milk reaches 55° F, use a whisk and stir while pouring in lipase mixture. Continue to whisk briskly while pouring in citric acid mixture
- Continue to heat milk until it reaches 88°F; press cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.
- Gently stir in rennet mixture using a slow up and down motion with the whisk, about 30 seconds. Place a lid on the pot for 5-10 minutes, until there is a clear separation of the whey, otherwise known as a “clean break”. The whey should be clear and yellow. If it is still whitish or milky looking, put the lid on and wait another 5 minutes.
- Using a long knife, spatula, or off set icing spatula (basically something long enough to reach to the end of the pot) Cut the curds by making 4 or 5 vertical cuts from the top to the bottom of the pot. Then repeat this process on the other side to make a checkered pattern on the top.
- Press yogurt, adjust to “boil”, and lightly stir the curds until the temperature reaches 105°F. The temperature will vary slightly depending on where your thermometer is in the curds and whey, so just move your thermometer around and take the pot off the heat once it reaches an average of 105°F. Cover the pot and let sit 1 minute.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop large curds into a strainer (the Euro Cuisine yogurt strainers work great for this) and press lightly to remove some whey. Tear 3 pieces of plastic wrap (large enough to wrap 3 balls of your final mozzarella) and set them to the side (don’t stack them on to of each other!)
- Transfer curds to a microwave safe pyrex bowl and microwave curds for 1 minute.
- Tip: This next step will need some food safe gloves because the cheese is about to get quite hot!
- Gently fold the the cheese over and over then drain the released whey. Microwave for another 35 seconds, gently fold cheese over and over, drain released whey. One last time – microwave for another 35 seconds, drain excess whey, sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and continue to fold and knead until cheese becomes smooth, shiny, and stretches like taffy (this is my favorite part!).
- Working quickly so the cheese doesn’t cool and become unstretchable, break cheese into 3 pieces and create a tight, smooth ball shape with each.
- You can eat it hot at this point (so good!) or shape it and chill it for later. It will store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
- Tip: While the cheese is hot, it will not maintain the shape very well. I like to wrap it tightly in a piece of plastic wrap and twist the plastic wrap to create a tight ball. Once the mozzarella cools, it will maintain this round shape. You can also try dipping the hot mozzarella in ice water for a 10 seconds, but I feel like the plastic wrap works better.
Notes
- The mozzarella is the best when eaten warm right after it’s made. Chilling the mozzarella will change its texture a bit, but it is still delicious! Cube it up for skewers, slice it up for topping pizza or grilled cheese sandwiches, or partially freeze it, then shred it. If you have extra, I have frozen the cheese successfully. In fact, I insist that it melts and oozes better after it has been frozen and thawed!
- As I mentioned above, lipase is optional. I feel like it makes a softer more flavorful cheese, but you can definitely make it without.
There’s a smoked cheddar I get from Costco that I can’t keep in the fridge! We love it so much!
I like Halvarti cheese. Your mozzarella looks awesome! I can’t wait to try out your recipe, but I have to get all the ingredients first.
My favorite cheese is cream cheese in a cheesecake!!
Havarti and fresh Mozzarella!!
My Italian roots steer me to motzarella and scamorza cheese.
Triple cream Brie. Soooo yummy!
Smoked Mozz. I love to cook for my family with this.
Favorite kind of cheese is a Dutch cheese with cumin in it, or with nettles in them
I know this does not sound sophisticated but, I love those flavored spread cheeses by Boursin (garlic and fine herbs). We use it as a sandwich spread and with crackers when we tailgate before a concert. I keep them in my refrigerator as an easy entertainment go to.
My favorite cheese is a melt-in-your-mouth provolone.
I enjoy all cheese! I’m a big fan right now of Dubliner Cheese and mozzarella.
Your yogurt button theme is fabulous! I’d love to see this with all the IP buttons. There is so much the IP can do, so much more goodness to learn.
My favorite cheese with crackers is cheddar.
I adore Feta!!!
I’m a huge fan of asiago!
I love havarti! I made mozzarella back in the 90s after seeing Martha Stewart make it on her show. My brother-in-law tracked down curds from New York in a 25lb bag. 👀. My girlfriends and I got together to make it. Needless to say it was a lot of work and the result wasn’t very exciting. Can’t wait to try your version.
All cheeses for different uses
I love Parmesan cheese – on pasta, in salads, in soups, or just eat it by itself.
I’m a sharp cheddar kind of girl. This mozzarella looks fabulous, though!
I love cheese, but generally only once it’s melted. This means that my favorite cheese are the ones that melt beautifully, with Swiss at the top of the list.
My favorite cheese has always been fresh curds. The kind that squeaks when you bite or chew it. Yum!
What a tough question. I love them all though if I could only choose one for the rest of forever it would be Mozzarella or Cheddar.
My favorite cheese is extra sharp New York or Vermont cheddar.
Thanks for the recipe! My favorite Cheese is a good sharp cheddar. Extra sharp, please!
Would this work with Fairlife milk? I did’nt see it listed on the website. My stomach can’t tolerate any lactose. I REALLY MISS FRESH MOZZARELLA! 😢
Linda, that’s an interesting thought! I can’t find anywhere that Fairlife is ultra pasteurized so maybe it could work. If I give it a go, I’ll let you know how it turns out!
ALL cheeses! I like anything that is not extremely sharp!!
I love feta! Also Gruyere on French onion soup!!
Shut the front door!!!! I CANNOT WAIT to try this!!! Soooooo excited! I love to make from scratch pizza but now I can actually make 100% from scratch pizza!!!! So happy! Thanks for making my day! 🙂
I love Dubliner cheese by Kerrygold. MMmmmmm! (They also happen to make the best butter on the planet, just sayin’.)
Brandy, Agreed, best butter on the planet. How have I never heard of this cheese though!
My favorite cheese is sharp cheddar or real Parmesano Reggiano (which I can never spell correctly).
I love smoked Gouda!
Smoked cheddar
I like many types of cheese but would say colby is my favorite.
Oh that mozzarella sounds so good, but I don’t have a micro so what can I do? Is there any way I could make it without the micro?
I love all cheeses and Costco had a new German cheese that I’m crazy for called Butterkase. So creamy and melt in your mouth. My all time fav is blue cheese…. I could eat it all the time.
Amen to the blue cheese! If you haven’t tried the blue cheese cheesecake on my blog, you need to! You would Love it!
I have seen recipes where they basically bathe the curds in really hot water. I’ve never tried it that way though so I’m not sure of all the details.
I’ve seen recipes where the curd takes a bath in very warm water or whey. Research that a bit. You probably could still do that step with the Instant Pot
We are total cheese hounds at my house – we love it all!! I have special love for Asiago and blue cheese though. 🙂
Maybe it’s boring, but pepperjack is my all time favorite!
Sharp cheddar is my favorite cheese.
Utah State University in Logan, Utah makes a smoky cheese called Old Ephraim. Best.Cheese.Ever.
Gail, how have I never heard of this! I’m hunting this down asap!
My favorite cheese is Haloumi.
Favourite cheese is sharp cheddar.
Do you think this would work with Organic raw milk? We buy it directly from a dairy and my husband makes the most amazing yogurt with it in the instant pot every week. Would love to try to make your mozzarella cheese with it. I love so many different cheeses, but I think Italian cheeses are my favorite.
Sottocennare al tartufo is an amazing truffle chees, and burrata, omg… speaking of burrata, any ideas of how to make that?
Great video, Marci! I can’t wait to try this.
My FAVORITE type of cheese has got to be gorgonzola, but after reading your how-to for fresh mozzarella, I think I’ve developed a craving for it!
My favorite? That would be hard to say! I love all the types of cheese that I’ve tried so far, except for bleu cheese..I tend to go for mild cheese! My mom used to make homemade cheese (soft n spreadable), n cottage cheese, (love store bought better).
I found a bacon cheddar that I like to use in mac and cheese. But definitely mozzarella and also
ricotta which I’ve made in my IP.
So many to love. Grueyer and Pavé d’Affinois are 2 of my favorites.
I love all cheese but there are several I have not tried. This fresh mozzarella looks wonderful. Might take some time to make but I think the results would be worth it!!
I love Pepper Jack. However, we are always finding new kinds at the cheese bistro in our local grocery store!
My favorite type of cheese is probably Queso Fresco. I use it to upgrade any classic dish from tacos to beans to enchiladas
I really like Havarti.
Thanks for sharing this. Can’t wait to try it, with my 10 yr old son.
My favorite cheese is an extra sharp cheddar, but goat cheese comes in as a close second.
★★★★★
Jennifer, Goat Cheese ❤️❤️❤️
My family loves all kinds of cheese……we grew up having only hoop cheese…we still love it, but now we have learned there are other kinds of cheeses. We love mozzarella cheese I tried to make some on the cooktop…..and it was okay but really want to try it in an instant pot!
★★★★★
As a child I live near and Italian mkt. that sold fresh mozzarella. I really miss fresh cheese and would love to make this. Unfortunately I’m not in an area where I can purchase raw milk. Is there something else I can do?
Since we vacation in Wisconsin, I must say CHEESE CURDS – the squeakier the better!
Barbara, Haha! I never have liked cheese curds but it reminds me of my dad that passed away when I was little so while I still don’t eat them, they make me happy just to hear the word 🙂
I feel like a cheese newb…I like cheddar I guess…and any cheese that comes pre grated😄
Leah, hahahahahah! That was hilarious!
Love the tomato slices and fresh mozzarella!
Well, since I was born and raised in the great dairy state of Wisconsin, I love all cheese–ripe, sharps, milds, pots, softs and aged. All time favorite though? Would have to be Bleu cheese. Keep the fantastic recipe coming–I adore them and make them all!
Karen, You’re the best! Thank you! If we ever meet, we’ll have a full bleu cheese spread!
I absolutely love smoked gouda for snacking on! It’s the best!
★★★★★
My favorite is Colby jack. I wait to try making mozzarella.
I love Feta in my salad or omelet!
Blue cheese, brie, goat cheese, havarti, Gouda
I love cheddar cheese!
This is amazing! All of all cheeses except for the types like Swiss. My overall favorite is halloumi cheese which is a cheese I fell in love with in the Middle East. I call it squeaky teeth cheese because as you eat it, it makes your teeth squeak. It is a semi-hard, unripened, brined cheese made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk, and sometimes also cow’s milk. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled.
★★★★★
I love so many different cheeses depending on what I am making/using it for. We lived in England for a little while and it was so interesting to me that their cheese seemed so much more flavorful. I miss it! I can’t wait to try your recipe!
★★
Cheese is like chocolate, you can’t go wrong no matter the kind. I love a great mozzarella, so excited to try your recipe.
★★★★★
This is really hard, but I love a good gouda. I will be making this mozzarella though. So many good uses…
So many cheeses I like, but parmesan is definitely near the top of the list.
There is no way I can pick a favorite cheese. Ha! I’ll go with the first that popped in my mind after the panini pic…Gouda.
I’m not a cheese expert, but want to travel someday to taste cheeses. I love cheeses that have a little tang/funk to them. So far from what I’ve tasted, blue cheese and goat cheese are my two favorites.
That’s a difficult question! I would say I use mild cheddar cheese the most, but also love a good mozzarella.
Wow…this looks like a fun thing to try making! I love cheese! White cheddar, Blue Cheese, Romano. Parmesan. But, I think that my favorite to just use on everything every day would be Jack cheese!
Hands down, fresh mozzarella served with a summer ripe tomato. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Feta cheese made with sheep’s milk served with watermelon!
I love your yogurt button series. I always look forward to new recipes from you. I’m learning a lot of the use of my Instant Pot!
Thank you Monica! I love the feta watermelon idea. That would make an amazing salad. Maybe with some cucumber over some type of meat for the pressure cooker….now you’ve got me thinking!
We love cheddar in our house. Being from the East Coast, I miss the wonderful VT & NY varieties.
A simple mild cheddar cheese is my favorite. 🙂
Goat cheese for sure. Hard or soft. My daughter and I love sharing half a large log of soft goat cheese with a nice drizzle of honey and garlic or everything crackers. Hard goat cheese is not so easy to find around our parts, but when we can get ti from our fave Italian market, we do!
Two years ago I fell in love with Manchego Cheese. It is a delicious Spanish cheese, a little bit pricey, but I so good!!
Depends on the situation, but mozzarella is always good. Gouda, feta, Muenster, Parmesan, and Asiago are other favorites.
My favorite is Muenster, but I like everything except Blue Cheese.
★★★★★
Favorite cheese – that’s a tough one. I don’t have a favorite. I don’t think I’ve ever met a cheese I didn’t like.
How would you make this vegetarian? What would you use instead of the rennet?
Monika, You can actually use vegetable rennet instead of the animal to make it vegetarian. It works great!
I tried your recipe, without the lipase. Started out great but I think I over kneaded it as it is dry and rubbery. Not much flavor to it.
Would leaving out the lipase cause this.
Oh, I also used vegetable rennet because that’s what I had.
I would like to try this again and any tips you can give me would be appreciated.
Penny, I felt like the texture was pretty similar with both the animal and vegetable rennet, but I’ve noticed that if I over work it, it really does dry it out. And while lipase isn’t completely necessary for making mozzarella, I definitely think it improves both taste and the softness of the cheese. You didn’t forget the salt did you?
I’m super excited to try this recipe! Where might I buy citric acid? Is there a substitute for it?
Sarah, that one is actually pretty easy to find in a grocery store. It’s usually next to pectin.
Thanks for the recipe, it is delicious! And dangerous 😁
Definitely it will be a matter of trial an error on the folds, I think I over did it in spite your advice not to do so. Perfect excuse to try again.
I used smoke sea salt instead of the kosher salt, I live the smokey taste it packs.
★★★★★
Enrique, smoked sea salt sounds amazing! It took me several times to get the feel of the folds for sure!
I tried to make the mozzarella. Failed. It never stretched. Consistency was mare like a dry ricotta. Where did I go wrong? I’d like to give it another try.
Franca, this was my experience time and time again when I was first experimenting and I fixed it by getting a different brand of milk. Check out the link with the lists of milk and see if you can find a good one for where you live. If the milk has been pasteurized at too high of heat, it won’t work. The milk I was using in the beginning didn’t say ultra pasteurized but apparently was still pasteurized beyond what would work.
Can you do this without the use of a microwave?
vforba, There is a way to do it with a hot pot of the whey, but I’ve never tried it that way so I’m not completely sure how that goes. I watched a youtube video about it several months ago though so you could do a google search on it and figure it out pretty quick I bet
I know it specifically says whole or 2% milk but would non-fat milk work and just have a less creamy result, or would it end up not curding up at all?
Erin, I’m not quite sure. I actually prefer the 2% to the whole milk. I’m curious what would happen if you used skim. If you try it let me know. I’ve made ricotta with fat free milk and it’s not as good, but for using in a lasagna or manicotti it still worked great.
Where do you buy lipase & animal rennet?
Kristine, I buy it from Amazon (there’s a link above in the post) or there is a local kitchen store in my town that also carries it. They were both about the same price.
cheesemaking.com has everything you need to make all kinds of cheese. They ship quickly, I think new customers get a percentage off the first order, and they often have percentage off or free shipping sales.
Karen, thanks for the info!
Thank you!! The taste was great though mine didn’t get stretchy. Can’t wait to make more!
Bernadette, Mine stretches best with a particular brand of milk, but I’m glad it tasted great for you!
Just made this recipe with fresh milk from my Nigerian Dwarf goats. Oh. My. God. It is so good my husband and I wolfed down 1/3 of it still warm. Cooling, it’s all stringy like string cheese 😊. I had tried making mozzarella last year from both the “30 Minute” and a regular recipe from cheesemaking.com, and they just didn’t come out for me. Pretty much no flavor and poor texture. I don’t know what I did wrong. But THIS recipe came out perfect! I didn’t have dishwashing type rubber gloves so I wore two exam-style gloves on each hand and that was plenty enough protection. I can’t see a way to add a photo, or I would. Thanks for this recipe!
★★★★★
Karen! Thanks for letting me know! The cheese is insanely good while it’s still warm, I totally understand you eating 1/3 of it from the get go! That’s the type of gloves I use as well. Doubling up is a great idea. I’m so excited you loved it and am very jealous of your Nigerian Dwarf Goat milk 🙂
One gallon of fresh, raw milk with about 5.5% butterfat yielded one pound of mozzarella. I did make it exactly as given, including the lipase. I didn’t have time to make bread or I would have used the whey in it, but it went to some young pigs I’m raising for the freezer and they sucked it right down. I just also made yogurt in the IP (my FAVORITE feature) but I’ll try your Skyr recipe soon.