Marinated mozzarella balls are tender, creamy bites of cheese wrapped in a bright blend of garlic, herbs, and silky oil. Each little ball soaks up fresh flavor and becomes a simple, beautiful appetizer that looks fancy without any fuss.
The texture is soft and smooth, the herbs add garden freshness, and the gentle tang from citrus makes every bite lively. Set a jar of these on the table with crusty no-knead artisan bread or homemade crackers, and you have an instant crowd pleaser.
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Quick Look at This Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Marinated Mozzarella Balls
- 🕒 Ready In: 5 minutes plus marinating time
- 👪 Yield: About 8 servings
- 🍽 Calories: Approximately 120 per serving
- 🥄 Tools: Mason jar, knife, zester
- 📖 Dietary Info: Gluten-free, low-carb
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Fresh flavor with almost no effort
- 👩🍳 Tip: Let olive oil warm to room temperature before serving if it has solidified
What Makes This Recipe Unique
If you are raising a dairy cow, you probably already make homemade mozzarella cheese. We had a dairy cow for years, and it was wonderful! Don’t worry if your homesteading skills haven’t mastered traditional cheesemaking. This recipe works great with store-bought cheese, too.
Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Minimal Effort – Ready in about five minutes of hands-on time.
- Versatile – Customizable recipe that’s perfect for everyday snacks, potlucks, or holiday gatherings. Pair marinated mozzarella balls with red pepper garlic jelly and cream cheese, bacon-wrapped asparagus or pickled asparagus, hot spinach & artichoke dip, 5-minute homemade crackers, and various fresh fruits, nuts and cured meats for an impressive charcuterie board.
- From-Scratch Goodness – Made with simple, real food ingredients.
- Simple Storage – Stores beautifully in the refrigerator.
Key Ingredients:
A full ingredients list, including measurements, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cheese – Fresh mozzarella is ideal for marinated mozzarella balls, but refer to the below recipe substitutions for more options.
- Oil – Choose a mild oil that stays liquid in the fridge, such as avocado, grapeseed, or sunflower. Olive oil is delicious but will firm up when chilled, so you will need to allow the jar to sit at room temperature before serving.
- Garlic – Start with one to two cloves, and increase for those who are true garlic lovers.
- Herbs – Use fresh or dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill, or sage.
Recipe Substitutions
Marinated mozzarella balls are wonderfully forgiving. If you do not have the exact ingredients above, try these variations.
- Alternative Cheeses – Goat cheese, feta, farmer’s cheese, or cream cheese also work beautifully. Roll these soft cheeses into small balls, or you can even try cubed mild cheddar.
- Acid – Acid, such as lemon juice, will balance the oil’s richness. Try swapping lemon for lime, or use a splash of apple cider vinegar for variety.
- Herbs – Any fresh garden herb can replace another, so use what is thriving outside your door. Even roasted garlic can stand in for raw if you prefer a mellow flavor, and a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes adds pleasant heat.
How to Make Marinated Mozzarella Balls
Step 1: Roll about one tablespoon of mozzarella or other soft cheese into small balls with clean hands. If using firmer cheese, cut into one-inch cubes.
Step 2: Place the cheese into a clean mason jar, leaving about two inches of space at the top so the flavors can circulate.
Step 3: Add lemon zest, minced garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper over the cheese.
Step 4: Pour oil into the jar until the cheese is fully covered by about half an inch.
Step 5: Secure the lid and gently shake to swirl the herbs through the oil.
Step 6: Refrigerate for several hours, ideally overnight, so the flavors can mingle.
Recipe Tips
- Do not pack the cheese tightly in the jar. The oil and herbs need room to surround each piece so every bite becomes flavorful.
- If you choose olive oil and it turns cloudy or firm in the fridge, simply set the jar on the counter for 20 minutes before serving.
- Taste the marinade after a few hours and add more salt or herbs if desired.
Serving Suggestions
Here are plenty of delicious, practical ways to serve marinated mozzarella balls so they shine at any meal or gathering:
- Tuck them onto a charcuterie board with cured meats, olives, crusty bread, and sliced apples.
- Skewer with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil for easy caprese bites.
- Toss into warm pasta with honey balsamic Brussels sprouts for a simple supper
- Scatter over homemade pizza just before serving.
- Use them in this roasted beet salad with goat cheese.
- Fold into a cold pasta salad with olives and sun-dried tomatoes
- Add to a Mediterranean platter with hummus and flatbread
- Spoon a few balls into homemade tomato soup for a creamy garnish
Storage Instructions
Keep the jar in the refrigerator with the cheese fully submerged in oil. The flavor improves over time and can safely marinate for up to a month. Always use a clean utensil when removing cheese so the jar stays fresh.
FAQ’s
Marinated mozzarella balls taste best after at least four hours, but letting them rest overnight gives the herbs and garlic time to really soak in.
The liquid in mozzarella balls is a simple marinade made from oil, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and a splash of lemon juice for brightness.
When kept fully submerged in oil in a sealed jar, marinated mozzarella balls will stay fresh and flavorful in the fridge for up to one month.
Freezing is not recommended because the texture of mozzarella changes and becomes crumbly once thawed.
Did you make these marinated mozzarella balls? If so, please leave a star ⭐ rating in the recipe card below (this really helps me out)… then, snap a photo and tag me on social media @melissaknorris so I can see! I love getting a glimpse of what you all make in your kitchens.
Marinated Mozzarella Balls with Garlic & Herbs
Equipment
- 1 pint sized Mason jar
Ingredients
- 8 oz soft cheese Or chevre, farmer's cheese, or cream cheese.
- 1/2 cup sunflower oil Or avocado or grapeseed oil. Olive oil will solidify when chilled, so it will need to be brought to room temperature before serving.
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest or lime zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice Or use lime juice or ACV.
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt I love Redmond Real Salt. Use code "Pioneering" to receive 15% off.
- black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried herbs Use about 1/2 teaspoon of individual herbs if using combinations (sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil and dill are all favorites over here).
Instructions
- Take approximately 1 Tablespoon of cheese and roll it into a ball with your hands (we know you washed your hands first). Place it into the jar and keep on rolling.
- When jar is about two inches from the top (aka being full) place your zest, raw garlic, herbs, salt and pepper on top. Don’t pack the cheese balls tightly, we want all the flavors to surround them!
- Pour your sunflower oil over top of the herbs and cheese balls until they’re fully submerged by about a 1/2 inch of oil.
- Place a lid on and shake it up a bit so the oil and herbs get all swirled around in there. Doesn’t it look pretty?
- Put it in the fridge and let it marinate for at least 2 days if possible, but up to a month for a stronger flavor.
Notes
- Do not pack the cheese tightly in the jar. The oil and herbs need room to surround each piece so every bite becomes flavorful.
- If you choose olive oil and it turns cloudy or firm in the fridge, simply set the jar on the counter for 20 minutes before serving.
- Taste the marinade after a few hours and add more salt or herbs if desired.
- Tuck them onto a charcuterie board with cured meats, olives, crusty bread, and sliced apples.
- Skewer with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil for easy caprese bites.
- Toss into warm pasta with honey balsamic Brussels sprouts for a simple supper
- Scatter over homemade pizza just before serving.
- Use them in this roasted beet salad with goat cheese.
- Fold into a cold pasta salad with olives and sun-dried tomatoes
- Add to a Mediterranean platter with hummus and flatbread
- Spoon a few balls into homemade tomato soup for a creamy garnish
These marinated mozzarella balls are so easy and flavorful that I want to keep a jar in the fridge at all times for quick snacks and effortless entertaining.
Looks delicious! I have a question – in the recipe and separate directions you list lemon or lime zest. In the separate ingredients list, you mention both zest and lemon or lime juice. Do you use both, or either juice or zest? Thanks much!
I prefer both, the zest and the juice
Hi is it safe to reuse the oil by adding another batch of cheese balls after the first batch is finished ? If yes how many times can it be reused? Thanks
Melissa, are these fresh herbs or dried, or does it even matter. Sounds delicious!
We used fresh, but dried is fine, you might want to cut back slightly with dried but personally I like a strong herb flavor.