Best Cheese for Pizza! Ultimate Guide | Everything You Need To Know

The best cheese for pizza brings your pizza to life, melting enticingly, tasting sensational and smelling delectable – bringing Italy’s most famous dish to life! 

Here’s our ultimate guide to cheese for your pizza, from different types of cheese to what toppings work best together to even how to make your own cheese at home.

Best Cheese for Pizza! Ultimate Guide _ Everything You Need To Know

Everything You Need to Know About the Best Cheese for Pizza!

Best Cheese For Pizza

Pizza is one of the world’s most popular foods, with the secrets behind famous pizza recipes being passed down through the generations to create century-long rivalries between different styles and even different cities.

But one thing every pizza professional can agree on is that creating the perfect pizza is all about using the best cheese for pizza. 

We’ve researched this topic relentlessly to give you the ultimate guide to cheese for pizza – the one and only resource you’ll need to choose the right cheese, make your own cheese, create the perfect array of toppings, and ultimately, enjoy the perfect pizza!

Mozzarella Best Cheese For Pizza

Mozzarella one of the most popular cheeses around the world used in pizza

Legend has it that mozzarella cheese was created by accident when a cheesemaker accidentally tipped curds into hot water. True or not, this process resulted in one of the most popular cheeses around the world.

Created in Naples, Italy, from rich buffalo milk, this cheese is soft, moist, milky and spongy in texture.

While it’s often used in salads and sandwiches, it truly comes to life when you use it in cooking because it develops that wonderfully stringy and gooey texture when melted.

There are many different brands of mozzarella, but we’ll focus on the two most important types of this cheese – high moisture and low moisture mozzarella.

High moisture mozzarella is very fresh and has to be used quickly because it has a very short shelf-life. It tends to be more subtle and creamy in flavor and the wetter texture isn’t always the best for pizzas. 

The best mozzarella cheese for a pizza is low moisture mozzarella. It has more flavor, is saltier and melts faster in the oven.

Mozzarella is the best cheese for pizza if you want that traditional Italian touch

You can use it on its own or as part of a blend of different cheeses, and it goes well with any topping combination.

You can add it to your pizza before it goes into the oven for classic melted appeal or add it on as it comes out for a fresh and tasty take. 

Mozzarella is the best cheese for pizza if you want that traditional Italian touch!

Here’s a recipe on how to make mozzarella cheese at home.

Cheddar Cheese on Pizza

Cheddar works very well in pizzas and is often added into cheese combinations

Once a regional specialty in south-west England, this pantry staple has found in almost every home across the world.

Dating back to the 12th century, cheddar cheese was one of the first to be mass produced and exported around the world.

Cheddar cheeses come in a wide range of flavor profiles, from mild and crumbly versions to sharper, aged cheddars, so there’s a type of cheddar to suit every taste.

This cheese works very well in pizzas and is often added into cheese combinations because it has limited (small) elasticity and doesn’t blister as easily as other types of cheese in intense heat. 

Cheddar Cheese Toppings on Pizza

Cheddar is the best cheese for pizza when you want something that will appeal to everyone

This versatile cheese is well-suited to different toppings and sharper varieties perform especially well against strong flavors like peperoni, sausage, chili and pineapple.

Many people agree that this is the best cheese for pizza especially when combined with a more elastic, subtly flavored cheese like mozzarella.

It’s the best cheese for pizza when you want something that will appeal to everyone!

Want to make your own cheddar? Here’s a farmhouse cheddar recipe for you to try at home.

Ricotta Cheese on Pizza

Ricotta is one of the most versatile types of cheese for cooking pizza

A light and fluffy soft cheese, ricotta is loved all over the world for its cloud-like texture and fresh flavor.

It’s also one of the most versatile types of cheese, as you can make it from cow, goat, sheep, or water buffalo milk. Ricotta is unusual because it’s a whey cheese, which means that it’s made mostly from the leftover whey and a little of the curds after making another cheese.

It’s a very fresh, tangy and very moist cheese that’s similar to cream cheese in many ways.

Ricotta Cheese Toppings on Pizza

The best way to use ricotta on a pizza is to blend it with mozzarella and a strong cheese like blue cheese, gorgonzola or gruyere to make a white sauce that you can then use as a base sauce for your pizza instead of the traditional tomato base.

It tastes wonderful topped with seafood, chicken, broccoli, rocket, pears or pancetta.

It’s easy to make at home too, using our ricotta cheese recipe.

Gouda Cheese on Pizza

Gouda makes the best cheese for pizza list and is especially good with toppings
Source: Kowalskis

This Dutch cheese is one of the softer hard cheeses, well-known for its typical bright red wax seal and sweet, smooth texture. With a rich flavor that is widely appealing, this cheese is ideal for everyday pizzas, melting well in the oven.

Made from cow’s milk, this creamy cheese has a mild and sweet, nutty taste that matures into a sharper flavor profile and crumbly texture as it matures. It’s similar to cheddar in many ways and is also very versatile, but overall has a softer, more buttery flavor.

Gouda Cheese Toppings on Pizza

As an all-round favorite, it makes the best cheese for pizza list and is especially good with toppings like pulled pork, BBQ chicken, roasted peppers, bacon and smoked sausage.

Try your hand at making your own gouda at home with our gouda cheese recipe.

Parmesan Cheese on Pizza

Parmesan works well with many different pizza toppings

Parmesan cheese is an aged Italian hard cheese dating back to Roman times that is usually finely grated or shaved before getting added to a variety of dishes, including pasta and salads. It’s also great on pizza but only if you add it correctly!

Because parmesan cheese is a delicate and dry cheese, it should never be added to your pizza before you cook it. This destroys the flavor profile and umami of the cheese. Instead, garnish your pizza generously with shaved or grated parmesan just before serving.

It works well with many different toppings, but parmesan is especially delicious on plainer pizzas where it adds depth of flavor, making it one of the best cheeses for pizza.

Parmesan Cheese Toppings on Pizza

This includes cheese pizzas, garlic pizzas, and pizzas with toppings like prosciutto, arugula, fresh tomato and rocket.

It’s the best cheese for pizza if you’re using a blend of cheeses and want to add salty umami flavors to the finished result.

You can even make your own parmesan at home using this parmesan cheese recipe.

Chevre Cheese on Pizza

Chevre is a great option for people who are lactose intolerant who wants to eat pizza

Chevre is a French cheese made using goats’ milk. Rindless, soft, white and creamy with a strong, tart flavor, goat cheese is not traditionally used on pizza.

However, pizza is such a versatile food that many people have adapted recipes to showcase this more unusual cheese and keep their pizza fresh and exciting. It’s also low in lactic acid, which makes it a great option for people who are lactose intolerant.

Unlike mozzarella or even cheddar, goat cheese doesn’t melt in the oven, it just gets a little softer. For this reason, it’s recommended that you break up your chevre into small chunks that you can dot evenly over your pizza base before cooking.

Chevre Cheese Toppings on Pizza

Because of its tangy taste (which is more intense the more mature the cheese is), chevre pairs well with some unusual toppings.

Like sweet caramelized onions, figs and peppers, as well as peppery rocket and roasted butternut. It’s the best cheese for pizza if you like tangy flavors and are a bit adventurous!

Chevre is easy to make, making it a great cheese for beginners. Here’s a chevre recipe to make your own cheese at home.

Gruyere Cheese on Pizza

Gruyere adds a rich and savory flavor to your pizza and doesn’t blister easily
Source: Foodsogoodmall

Gruyere is a Swiss cheese well-known for its complexity. It is an aged cheese that changes from a dense cheese to a flakier and more granular cheese as it matures. With an initial full-bodied and fruity flavor, this cheese quickly deepens into nutty and earthy tones and a soft finish. 

Made with cow’s milk, the flavors of this cheese are a challenge to recreate outside of the Gruyere region, as the cows forage on unique pastures in this area. But is it the best cheese for pizza? We’d have to say it is!

It melts well, adds a rich and savory flavor to your pizza and doesn’t blister easily. It’s a strong flavor all on its own, so don’t overwhelm your pizza with a lot of additional toppings.

Gruyere Cheese Toppings on Pizza

Instead, lightly sprinkle your base with smoked sausage, peppers, smoked ham or even sliced potatoes. It’s the best cheese for pizza when you want something rich, flavorful and complex.

Up for a challenge? Try make your own at home with our Gruyere cheese recipe!

Camembert Cheese on Pizza

Camembert is the best cheese for pizza when you want something different
Source: Kowalskis

Camembert is the most popular white mold cheese on the market, offering a mild flavor that’s more adventurous than the usual cheese but not as intimidating as blue cheese or gorgonzola.

A soft French cheese that originates in Normandy, it is creamy, white cheese that is usually paired with breads and crackers along with wine and fruit – not pizza!

Despite this, it’s become a favorite for more non-traditional pizzas where people want to do something a little exciting and different.

Camembert Cheese Toppings on Pizza

To use camembert on a pizza, you simply brush the base with olive oil and add generous slices of the cheese – no tomato base needed.

It tastes deliciously rich when melted and can be topped with garlic, cherry tomatoes, rocket, prosciutto, caramelized onions or even nuts, honey and cranberries.

It’s the best cheese for pizza when you want something different.

You can also make your own camembert at home using our tried-and-tested camembert cheese recipe.

Wrapping Up The Best Cheese For Pizza Guide

Please leave a comment of your favourite cheese and toppings for pizza below or on our forum.

We hope you enjoyed our guide to the best cheeses for pizza and how to make them!

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