Best Cheese For Homemade Pizza    

Cheese is an undeniably important ingredient in one of the world’s most-loved comfort food, pizza.

So you need to choose the right one from the best cheese for homemade pizza.

 The thing about pizza is that it is a very versatile type of recipe. You can put almost anything on it, and it will taste great as it combines the flavors of the ingredients to create a pleasing taste. 

 That is why you can also choose many different types of cheeses for your homemade pizza. Aside from the pizza sauce, cheese also helps in combining the flavors into one unique taste. 

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It is not that hard to get cheese and put it in your pizza, but the hard part is getting confused. There are many options, so it might be hard to choose a single one.

Here, we have listed down the best types of cheeses to use when making your pizza at home. You can choose any of them and make the perfect pizza for your family. 

Making pizza at home also gives you a satisfying feeling as you accomplish the task. You can also get any ingredients you want and put them in your pizza for a familiar taste.

1. Mozzarella Cheese

 If you are wondering what kind of cheese commonly goes with pizza, it is mozzarella cheese, and you can even see it on Pizza Hut pizzas. If you look for other lists on the internet, you will always find mozzarella on them, and this is why… 

Mozzarella cheese is a type of cheese that has one of the best consistencies on any cheese. You might also wonder what kind of cheese gives a very straightforward flavor with its salty and buttery taste and mozzarella is that cheese too.

 Unlike most cheeses, mozzarella is relatively fresh, or at least it is not processed that much. That gives it a great flavor and a light and creamy texture that goes well with pizzas.

 

 

Low-Moisture Or High Moisture?

 There are two main types of mozzarella cheese that you can choose from. Depending on the pizza that you are making, you can choose between the high and low-moisture mozzarella.

 High-moisture mozzarella is a fresher choice especially if made and used on the same day. It has a very short shelf life, so you need to use it on the first day.

 Low-moisture mozzarella has a longer shelf life and produces a saltier flavor. It also gives off a denser texture, making it better if you want your cheese to melt all over the pizza toppings.

 

What Pizza Is It Best Used On? 

Making pizzas involves keeping the pizza crust as dry as possible for it to become crispy. So it is only right that you should almost always use low-moisture mozzarella cheese on your pizza. 

It is a great base for Margherita pizza and Neapolitan pizzas because of its creamy texture and salty taste. You can also go with high-moisture mozzarella for less saltiness, but it will be quite risky.

 You need to make sure that the high moisture in mozzarella drains out, so it does not ruin the consistency of the thin crust. Blend it with other cheese to get the best combination of flavors.

If you want to make a vegan pizza with mozzarella, there are brands of mozzarella like Emborg that sell vegan versions of this cheese as well as pre-shredded ones for pizza toppings or shredded garnishes on other foods.

Kraft is also a great brand of mozzarella cheese if you are wondering where to buy one. There are other brands of mozzarella like Belgioioso, Sargento, and more,

My personal favorite brand of mozzarella is the Wisconsin Cheese Mart version if I want a quick pizza at home. It has a really mild flavor that blends really well with almost any pizza topping.

2. Cheddar Cheese

What kind of cheese is another favorite for most pizza-makers because of its unique and pleasing flavor? Cheddar Cheese! You can get the regular one or find vegan versions for your vegan pizza.

It has one of the sharpest tastes on any cheese, which makes it great for a three-cheese blend pizza.

It is usually not the main cheese for pizzas, but it is a great addition to the mix of flavors.

Because of its sharp taste, you will need something to tone it down slightly in the pizza.

 Cheddar cheese does not stretch, which gives it less blistering effects when cooked.

That means that it does not melt as quickly and as easily as mozzarella, so it maintains consistency.

Not only does it add flavors to the pizza, but it also adds color. If you choose to go with sharper-tasting cheddar cheese, you will have a deeper orange color in your pizza toppings.

 

Using It On Your Pizza

Cheddar cheese is a versatile type of cheese, and you can use it in any type of pizza you are cooking.

It goes well with toppings such as ham and pineapple, pepperoni, and bacon.

It also adds a lot of flavors to chicken toppings since chicken meat is relatively bland.

So you can be creative and put it on your pizza or even on your burgers and side dishes for the pizza.

3. Parmesan Cheese

 This is another go-to cheese for pizzas in many different pizzerias because of its unique texture.

It is a hard type of cheese usually used as part of the garnish on the pizza. 

It is shredded or sprinkled on top of freshly-baked pizzas to get a bit of a saltier taste along with the pizza toppings. This shredded cheese is very delicate, which makes it a topping.

When baked, parmesan cheese can easily burn and melt into bitter-tasting brown cheese.

Heat also ruins the cheese’s umami taste, so you should just allow it to top the pizza.

 Think of parmesan cheese as a garnish on your pizza to enhance the flavor. It will be better as it melts a little bit from the pizza’s steam.

Using It On Your Pizza 

Parmesan cheese goes well with any type of pizza. Still, if you want specifics, then we figured that parmesan cheese would go better with Hawaiian pizza, Margherita pizza, and the thin Sicilian pizza.

Just use it as a garnish on your pizza, and the toppings will have a better taste.

The flavors on the pizza will be accentuated and freshen up the overall taste of your pizza.

4. Provolone Cheese

Provolone cheese is an Italian cheese that is slightly softer than Parmesan cheese but harder than mozzarella.

It is a popular choice mainly because of its buttery texture and flavor.

This type of cheese is a semi-hard cheese that is popular for mixing with other types of cheese.

You can make the perfect flavor just by blending the right type of cheese with Provolone cheese.

 There are many flavors that you can get from Provolone cheese.

The flavors vary according to the time spent for it to age which gives it versatility in terms of flavor and recipes to use it on.

 A provolone cheese aged for a shorter time will have a slightly sweeter and more buttery flavor.

The longer it ages, the sharper and dryer the taste will be.

 

Using It On Your Pizza

 There is no specific type of pizza to use the provolone cheese on.

You can mix it with other types of cheese on any type of pizza as it can give more flavors to your pizza toppings.

You can even mix it in your pizza sauce to give it a unique, salty, or slightly sweet taste.

It goes well with Italian tomato, chicken pesto, and other pizzas that have a slightly minty flavor in them.

5. Parmigiano Reggiano

 If you want your pizza to have a strong cheesy pizza flavor, then Parmigiano Reggiano is the best cheese to get. It is one of the best cheeses to put on your pizza because of its aging process.

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is aged for up to 3 years to give it a very strong taste.

Not only that, but it also gives off a strong but pleasing aroma which makes your pizza even better. 

This type of cheese comes from cows raised in a specific area.

The cows are found in the northern part of Italy near the river Po and fed with specific types of grass.

Because of the unique climate that helps grow plants and grass as food for the cows, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese gives off a unique hazelnut taste with a hint of saltiness in it.

 

Using It On Your Pizza

Another unique feature of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is that you can put it on your pizza in any way you want.

It goes well with pizza, whether as a topping or garnish, because of this.

This type of cheese tastes perfect whether melted or grated as a garnish on top of your pizza.

The strong buttery flavor and light saltiness of this cheese make it great for any pizza.

 

6. Goat Cheese 

A cheese that does not melt, the goat cheese will give your pizza a unique texture and flavor.

This cheese might not appeal to other people because of its different taste and texture.

Goat cheese is a great type of cheese to keep your pizzas unique and exciting.

The unique tanginess and tart flavor of this cheese makes it great with vegetable toppings and pepperoni.

 The taste of goat cheese usually stays on the palate, and the longer you let it stay there, the more you will get to appreciate the tanginess of the flavor that almost refreshes your mouth.

It is also a perfect blend to the other types of cheese that you usually use on your pizza.

Goat cheese is a great addition to your recipe if you want to accentuate the taste of cheese on pizza.

 

Using It On Your Pizza

If you love putting light herbs on your pizza, then you should try putting goat cheese on it.

It will give your healthy pizza a light, refreshing taste, so you do not get tired of the flavors.

To give your pizza a little bit of a twist, or if you want to try another flavor, you can use goat cheese to replace the common cheese that you use. It goes well with meat toppings as well.

7. Ricotta

Ricotta cheese is not for the main pizza base for the cheesy pizza taste on your pie, but it goes so well with other types of cheese. This cheese enhances the flavor of the base cheese. 

It is perfect for mixing, usually with mozzarella cheese, fontina, or gorgonzola cheese.

It also adds to the texture of the pizza and makes the overall texture creamier and, of course, cheesier.

If you want your pizza to have a satisfying and savory flavor, you should add some ricotta cheese.

That way, you can easily adjust the flavor and texture of the pizza.

Ricotta has a fine and slightly moist texture which gives it its savory taste. 

It is also processed from goat, sheep, or cow to choose the best one for the pizza you want to make.

Using It On Your Pizza

 Ricotta cheese is the common cheese used for white sauce pizzas.

It goes well with pesto pizza and gives it a countering flavor with a little bit of saltiness and creamy texture.

If you are trying out ricotta for the first time, I recommend using it on white sauce pizzas and topping the pizza with chicken or seafood toppings such as shrimp and some broccoli on top.

8. Gorgonzola Cheese

This type of cheese is perfect for your homemade pizza. Not only will it give your pizza a creamy and intricate flavor, but it will also fill your kitchen with an aromatic and delicious smell.

This cheese comes from milk from cows raised in the northern parts of Italy. It is also processed the same way as other cheeses, but it has a unique blue marbling surface.

It has a sharp taste with some hints of hazelnuts. When you mix gorgonzola cheese with other types of cheeses, you will get a light flavor in your mouth that slowly intensifies the longer you let it stay. 

Despite this, the flavor of this cheese does not become too strong inside the mouth.

It just stays on the right spot and gives you a milder taste than other cheeses with sharp flavors.

 

Using It On Your Pizza

This type of cheese melts easily and evenly on your pizza.

The slightly crumbly and soft texture of the cheese will go well with the common pizza toppings such as on your pepperoni pizza and vegetables.

You can also adjust the strength of the flavor of this cheese depending on the age.

The longer the cheese ages, the stronger it will taste to choose the flavor you want.

 

Honorable Mentions

 

9. Gouda

 This one is a type of Dutch cheese that has a smooth and rich flavor.

This is the perfect cheese for pizzas with a slight barbecue flavor or something with grilled toppings on them. 

You can also choose the type of gouda cheese you want.

You can buy it as straight cheese or smoked, so you can select the type of cheese that will help enhance your pizza’s flavors.

 

10. Pecorino Romano

This is a type of cheese that is closely related to Parmigiano Reggiano.

It is an Italian cheese made using milk from sheep raised near Lazio for that unique taste and texture. 

What makes this cheese unique is that it has a slightly spicy flavor.

It also has that beautiful hazelnut flavor that you usually get from cheeses made from that part of the country.

This type of cheese is usually aged for eight months up to a year to give it its hard texture and crystalized salt within the cheese. You can use this as a replacement for Parmigiano Reggiano.

 

11. Gruyere

This type of cheese melts easily, and so it is perfect for any type of pizza.

It gives off a savory flavor that blends well with meat toppings such as sausages, pepperoni, and chicken meat.

If your pizza has toppings that are already seasoned lightly, then this cheese is perfect.

It gives off a slightly sweet flavor, and if you leave it in your mouth long enough, it gives off a nutty flavor.

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