Making cheese with goat milk can be tricky. Learn how to make your own goat milk mozzarella that works!

The first time I made mozzarella from our goat milk I ended up with crumbly, dry curds that wouldn’t stretch and ended up being pretty useless for any sort of cooking or eating.

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I’ve learned a thing or 2 since that first batch and now we are getting pretty good curds that stretch nicely, taste like real mozzarella and grate beautifully for pizza!

If you have made mozzarella before you will be familiar with the “30-minute mozzarella” process. This goat milk mozzarella recipe follows that process with a few tweaks.

 

successful goat milk mozzarella 2 fresh cheese blocks

 

How to Make Goat Milk Mozzarella Cheese

 

The first, and probably most important, part of the recipe is the milk. In most cheese-making, yogurt-making, etc you want to use the freshest milk possible, but when it comes to goat milk mozzarella you want to make sure your milk is about 3 days old.

We get about 1/2 to 3/4 gallon of milk per day, so we just set that jar aside in the fridge for 3 days. We have used a mixture of 4-2 day old milk if we needed a larger batch and still had good success.

 

Here’s what you will need to make goat milk mozzarella:

1/2 gallon goat milk (raw, pasteurized- just not ultra pasteurized)

1/4 tsp citric acid

1/4 tsp liquid rennet

~1/2 tsp cheese salt (or to your taste)

Non-chlorinated water for dissolving

optional: ~1/8 tsp lipase powder

 

Here’s the process:

Start by dissolving 1/4 tsp of citric acid in 1/4 cup cool water.

Pour the citric acid water into a large pot and pour the goat milk over top and give it a quick stir.

Over medium to medium-low heat bring the milk to about 88 F

 

 

While the milk is heating go ahead and prepare your rennet and lipase if you are using it: dissolve 1/4 tsp rennet in 2 T cool water, and 1/8 tsp lipase in 1/4 cup cool water.

When the milk comes to temperature gently stir in the lipase followed by the rennet. Mix well using up and down strokes.

Place a lid on the pot and set it aside for about 30 minutes- or until the curd forms a clean break.

 

bowl of mozzarella cheese curds draining in a lined colander

 

Once the 30 minutes is up, cut the curds into about 1 inch cubes and transfer to a colander placed over a bowl. Drain off as much of the whey as you can.

In a pot large enough to hold your colander, heat up water to 140 F.

Cut or tear any curds that are too big into to smaller 1-2 inch pieces. Dip these drained curds into the hot water. We submerge them for about 30 seconds the first time and start testing if they are ready to stretch.

 

stretching mozzarella

 

When the curds are sufficiently warmed, sprinkle them with cheese salt and start to stretch and pull the curds.

You want to stretch it like taffy until it is smooth and glossy. You may have to reheat the curds by dipping for 10 seconds or so throughout the process.

You can pull off small bits to check the flavor and add more salt if desired.

Shape the cheese into a ball and run under cool water for a few minutes. Wrap tightly and place in the fridge for at least a few hours before using.

 

If you like this recipe, check out it and 24 other fabulous goat milk recipes in my Goat Milk Recipe e-Book! With recipes for cheeses, yogurt, kefir and treats like ice cream and fudge!

 

Tips for Making Goat Milk Mozzarella:

 

Remember to use 3 day old milk!! This addition alone to your old recipes can help to make all the difference.

Try not to let the curds get above 150F. Aim for 140 F and you should be good.

A good thermometer is a must-one you can clasp on the side of your pot and keep a constant eye on the temperature

Be sure to start with a clean work surface and clean tools

Don’t over stretch or knead the curds

Milk can be fickle and a lot depends on the pH. If you still get dry crumbly curds, consider reducing the citric acid a bit to see if that helps.

You can double/triple this recipe. For our family pizza nights we make 3 large pizzas and that takes mozzarella made from about 1 1/2 gallons of milk (I think we weighed it last time at about 1 lb 2 oz of cheese)

 

goat milk mozzarella finished product

 

Good luck! Let me know if it works for you!

 

You May Also Like These Goat Milk Recipes:

How to Make Cajeta

How to Make Goat Milk Yogurt

 

goat milk mozzarella finished product

Goat Milk Mozzarella

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Make homemade mozzarella cheese using goat milk!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 gallon goat milk (raw, pasteurized- just not ultra pasteurized)
  • 1/4 tsp citric acid
  • 1/4 tsp liquid rennet
  • ~1/2 tsp cheese salt (or to your taste)
  • Non-chlorinated water for dissolving
  • optional: ~1/8 tsp lipase powder
  • Supplies: colander, thermometer, slotted spoon

Instructions

  1. Start by dissolving 1/4 tsp of citric acid in 1/4 cup cool water.
  2. Pour the citric acid water into a large pot and pour the goat milk over top and give it a quick stir.
  3. Over medium to medium-low heat bring the milk to about 88 F
  4. While the milk is heating, prepare your rennet and lipase: dissolve 1/4 tsp rennet in 2 T cool water, and 1/8 tsp lipase in 1/4 cup cool water.
  5. When the milk comes to temperature gently stir in the lipase followed by the rennet. Mix well using up and down strokes.
  6. Place a lid on the pot and set it aside for about 30 minutes- or until the curd forms a clean break.
  7. Once the 30 minutes is up, cut the curds into about 1 inch cubes and transfer to a colander placed over a bowl. Drain off as much of the whey as you can.
  8. In a pot large enough to hold your colander, heat up water to 140 F.
  9. Cut or tear any curds that are too big into to smaller 1-2 inch pieces. Dip these drained curds into the hot water. We submerge them for about 30 seconds the first time and start testing if they are ready to stretch.
  10. When the curds are sufficiently warmed, sprinkle them with cheese salt and start to stretch and pull the curds. You want to stretch it like taffy until it is smooth and glossy. You may have to reheat the curds by dipping for 10 seconds or so throughout the process. You can pull off small bits to check the flavor and add more salt if desired.
  11. Shape the cheese into a ball and run under cool water for a few minutes. Wrap tightly and place in the fridge for at least a few hours before using.
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