This marinated cheese recipe is made from mozzarella, goat, feta or cream cheese plus garden herbs and is ready in five minutes. It’s tasty and easy, a combination I love!
I love this easy marinated cheese recipe you can make at home with fresh garden herbs and garlic in less than five minutes. Making it in a mason jar makes it even better, and it’s a fraction of the cost of store-bought marinated cheese.
Why I Love Marinated Cheese
There are significant differences between commercial and ancestral methods of cheesemaking. Marinated cheese is one of my favorite ways to make natural cheese at home.
When I smoke cheese at home and marinate it, wow, the added layer of flavor is amazing! If you’ve ever purchased marinated cheese from the store, you know how expensive it can be.
If you have a dairy cow, everything you need to know about raising a milk cow will get you started making mozzarella cheese in 30 minutes, homemade yogurt that’s thick and creamy, and learning how to preserve dairy safely. We had a dairy cow for years, and it was wonderful!
Another reason I love this recipe is the option to use all homegrown ingredients. When we had our dairy cow, I would make this cheese using my fresh garden herbs and homegrown garlic!
For holiday parties and events, I like simple appetizers like bacon wrapped asparagus, red pepper garlic jelly with homemade crackers, spinach & artichoke dip, or this recipe for fabulous and simple marinated cheese balls.
What Is Marinated Cheese
The base for marinated cheese can be a variety of soft cheeses cubed or rolled into cute little balls. Oil, herbs (fresh or dried) and an acidic ingredient like vinegar or lemon juice make up the marinade. When you combine the cheese and the marinade, then let it ruminate to absorb all the flavors, it creates a delicious snack or topping for homemade crackers, baguettes or charcuterie.
Cheeses for Marinated Cheese
Soft cheeses are my preference and work best to make those darling little balls of cheese. You can cut mild cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar or white cheddar into chunky one-inch cubes. I have some cheese options for my hard-core, homestead and from-scratch foodies!
- Chevre – Chevre cheese is made from goat’s milk. It is an excellent option for those who cannot have cow’s milk.
- Farmer’s Cheese – This soft, creamy cheese is from cow’s milk and is one of my favorites!
- Cream Cheese – This will have a slightly tangy flavor, but still pretty mild-tasting. Cream cheese is made with cow’s milk and heavy cream.
- Mozzarella – Fresh mozzarella cheese is soft, silky and mild in flavor, made predominantly from cow’s milk.
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Supplies Needed
- Vessel – 1 to 2 pint-sized glass Mason jars with lids work well, and you can see the marinated cheese in the jar taunting you!
- Knife – If using a hard cheese, a large, sharp knife to cut the cheese into 1” cubes makes quick work of this job.
- Cutting Board – Use a cutting board of choice to cut cheese into uniform sizes.
- Tablespoon – Scooping the soft cheese for those cute little cheese balls works well when measured with a tablespoon (or a melon baller).
- Refrigerator – Soft cheese is a dairy product that needs refrigeration.
Ingredients Needed
- Cheese – Approximately 8 ounces of cheese; try different kinds for different flavors and textures.
- Oil – ½ to ¾ cups of oil that doesn’t solidify in the fridge. I don’t use Canola or vegetable oil in our home because they contain GMO ingredients, and there are much healthier fats to use. Mild-flavored grapeseed, sunflower, and avocado oil are good choices. Pro Tip: You can use olive oil, but know olive oil will solidify in the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature before serving until the olive oil returns to liquid.
- Garlic – 1 to 2 cloves finely minced garlic. Who are we kidding? More is better when it comes to garlic, so feel free to double it up!
- Lemon or Lime – The zest and a teaspoon of lemon or lime juice give the marinade a fresh flavor and the acidic properties it needs.
- Sea Salt – Salt adds flavor; add ¼ teaspoon of good sea salt to taste. I love Redmond Real Salt (use that link and code “Pioneering” for 15% off your order).
- Black Pepper – ⅛ teaspoon of ground black pepper, or to taste.
- Herbs – I use ½ teaspoon of dried or ½ tablespoon each of fresh herbs. I enjoy rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill and sage. Mix it up, choose the ones you like and add to taste. Pro Tip: If you like a little heat, add some red pepper flakes, but just a pinch; the heat builds over time.
How to Make Marinated Cheese
- Roll approximately one tablespoon of cheese into a ball with your clean hands. When you’re using cubes of cheese, place the cheese cube or ball into the jar and keep on rolling and cubing! Pro Tip: Don’t pack the cheese balls or cubes tightly; we want all the flavors to surround them!
- Fill the jar with cheesy goodness to about two inches from the top, and place your zest, raw garlic, herbs, salt and pepper on top.
- Pour the oil over the herbs and cheese balls or cubes until they are fully submerged by about ½ inch of oil.
- Place a lid on it and gently shake it up so the oil and herbs get all swirled around in there.
- Put it in the fridge and let it marinate for a few hours, ideally overnight. For a more robust flavor, this recipe can be marinated for up to a month.
There you have it, my friends, how to make homemade marinated cheese in less than 5 minutes! Now you don’t have to hide your marinated cheese in the fridge because it’s so quick and easy to make, Enjoy!
FAQs
How long does marinated cheese last?
Marinated cheese will last for weeks in the fridge. I never have an opportunity to see how long it will last because, hello, it’s marinated cheese, and we eat it up too fast. You can go up to four weeks without issue for a nice, strong flavor.
Do I have to store marinated cheese in the fridge?
Yes, you do. It’s dairy, and dairy needs to be kept cold. Plus, when using raw garlic in oil, you can develop botulism if it’s left out at room temperature for too long.
Other Articles You May Enjoy
- Natural Cheese Making with Robyn Jackson
- How to Make Homemade Mozzarella in 30 Minutes
- How to Smoke Cheese at Home
- Dairy Cow 101 – Everything You Need to Know
- How to Preserve Meat, Eggs, & Dairy
- How to Make Homemade Yogurt That’s Thick and Creamy
- How to Make Real Buttermilk (Cultured Buttermilk Recipe)
Homemade Marinated Cheese Balls Recipe- in Less than 5 Minutes
Equipment
- 1 pint sized Mason jar
Ingredients
- 8 oz soft cheese chevre, farmer’s cheese, or cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sunflower oil see note on other oil choices below
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest or lime zest
- 2 cloves finely minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons herbs of choice 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.
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.