Mozzarella is a fresh Italian stretched-curd cheese (pasta filata) traditionally made from Italian buffalo milk or, more commonly today, cow's milk. It is one of the world's most consumed cheeses — the essential topping of pizza, the heart of Caprese salad, and a major ingredient in lasagne, calzones and countless other dishes. Nutritionally, mozzarella provides exceptional high-quality protein (28g/100g — comparable to chicken breast), meaningful calcium, and virtually zero carbohydrate. Its mild, milky flavour and distinctive stretch when melted make it uniquely versatile. Adjust the slider for your serving size.
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Serving size:80g
224Calories (kcal)
1.8Carbs (g)
22.4Protein (g)
0.0Fibre (g)
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📊 Full nutrition facts — per 100g
Nutrient
Amount
% Daily value
Level
Calories
280 kcal
14%
Carbohydrates
2.2g
<1%
Protein
28.0g
56%
Total fat
17.0g
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Saturated fat
10.9g
—
GI
~0 — Zero
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Calcium
505mg
51%
Vitamin B12
0.7µg
29%
Phosphorus
354mg
35%
Zinc
2.9mg
24%
Selenium
14.5µg
26%
Sodium
373mg
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Based on Australian NRV. Source: FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database.
📈 Glycaemic index (GI)
0
Glycaemic IndexLow GIMozzarella has a GI of approximately 0 — effectively zero. Like all aged and fresh cheeses, mozzarella contains virtually no carbohydrate. The small residual lactose from production is consumed by lactic acid bacteria during manufacturing. Mozzarella has no meaningful blood sugar impact.
0 · Low (<55)Medium (56–69)High (70+) · 100
💊 Key vitamins & minerals
Protein
28g / 100g
Comparable to chicken breast
Calcium
505mg
51% RDI per 100g
GI
~0
Zero carbohydrate
Vitamin B12
0.7µg
29% RDI per 100g
Phosphorus
354mg
35% RDI per 100g
Zinc
2.9mg
24% RDI per 100g
✅ Health benefits
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Exceptional protein — 28g per 100g, same as chicken breast
Mozzarella provides 28g of complete protein per 100g — one of the highest protein concentrations of any dairy food, exceeding even cottage cheese (11g) and Greek yoghurt (10g). A standard 80g pizza serving provides 22g of protein. The protein is primarily casein with high bioavailability and all nine essential amino acids in good proportions. This makes mozzarella an outstanding protein-dense ingredient for athletes and people with high protein requirements.
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Calcium density — 505mg per 100g, over half the daily requirement
Mozzarella provides 505mg of calcium per 100g — 51% of the daily requirement in a single 100g serving. This is among the highest calcium concentrations of any commonly eaten food. Calcium bioavailability from dairy is high due to the presence of vitamin D, phosphorus and protein that support intestinal calcium absorption. The phosphorus content (354mg, 35% RDI) works synergistically with calcium for bone mineralisation.
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Zero GI — ideal for low-carbohydrate, diabetic and ketogenic diets
Mozzarella contains only 2.2g of carbohydrate per 100g — virtually zero glycaemic impact. For people following low-carbohydrate, ketogenic or Type 2 diabetes dietary approaches, mozzarella is one of the most valuable high-protein, high-fat, zero-carbohydrate foods available. It adds significant protein and flavour to meals without any blood glucose consequences.
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Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) — the beneficial dairy fat
Mozzarella made from grass-fed milk contains meaningful conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) — a naturally occurring trans-fat with anti-inflammatory and potential body composition benefits in research studies. Traditional buffalo mozzarella (Mozzarella di Bufala) from Italian buffalo raised on pasture contains higher CLA than commercial cow's milk versions. The fat profile of mozzarella also includes oleic acid (similar to olive oil) alongside saturated fats.
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⚠️ Who should limit or avoid
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Saturated fat — 10.9g per 100g
Mozzarella contains 10.9g of saturated fat per 100g — significant but lower than cheddar (21g). An 80g serving provides 8.7g of saturated fat (43% of daily limit). For people with cardiovascular disease or familial hypercholesterolaemia, portion control is recommended. Part-skim mozzarella (widely available) reduces fat by approximately 40% while maintaining most of the protein and calcium.
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Sodium — 373mg per 100g
Fresh mozzarella contains 373mg of sodium per 100g. This is moderate by cheese standards (cheddar has 621mg) but still meaningful for people managing sodium intake. Fresh buffalo mozzarella (packaged in brine) can be rinsed before use to reduce sodium content by 20–30%.
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Lactose intolerance — fresh mozzarella has some lactose
Fresh mozzarella contains small amounts of lactose (approximately 1g/100g) — more than aged cheese but much less than fresh milk. Many people with mild lactose intolerance tolerate mozzarella well. Low-moisture aged mozzarella has even less lactose than fresh. Those with severe lactose intolerance should choose aged mozzarella or lactose-free alternatives.
✅ For most healthy adults, mozzarella is an excellent high-protein, high-calcium dairy food with zero glycaemic impact. Its lower fat content compared to cheddar and distinctive melt properties make it versatile across cooking applications.
⚕️ General nutritional information only — not a substitute for professional medical or dietary advice.
🛒 How to select & buy mozzarella
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Fresh vs low-moisture vs buffalo — the key differences
Fresh mozzarella (fior di latte): soft, wet, milky — packaged in water or whey. Best eaten within days of production. For Caprese salads, fresh pasta dishes, eaten as-is. Low-moisture mozzarella: firmer, drier, longer shelf life — the standard pizza cheese. Shreds well, melts with excellent stretch. Buffalo mozzarella (Mozzarella di Bufala DOP): richest flavour, higher fat, more complex — traditional Italian style. Imported or made by Australian buffalo dairies. Part-skim mozzarella: lower fat version of low-moisture — suitable for calorie-conscious cooking with similar melt properties.
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Quality indicators for fresh mozzarella
Fresh mozzarella should have: clean white to ivory colour (not yellowing), a mild, milky, slightly tangy smell (not sour or sharp), a slightly elastic texture that bounces back when pressed, and the liquid it's packed in should be clear to slightly milky (not slimy or discoloured). For pizza use, low-moisture blocks shred cleanly without being crumbly and melt to a smooth, stretchy consistency.
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Australian mozzarella options
Pauls and Bega produce widely available block mozzarella for pizza. La Vera (Melbourne) makes fresh fior di latte style. Vannella Cheese (Brisbane) and Cravero (Melbourne) produce excellent fresh buffalo-style mozzarella. Major supermarkets stock both fresh balls (in water) and block mozzarella in the deli and dairy sections. Aldi's Specially Selected fresh mozzarella offers excellent value. Bocconcini — small fresh mozzarella balls — are widely available and excellent for salads.
🇦🇺 Australian tip: Australia has a well-established Italian-Australian cheesemaking community producing quality fresh mozzarella. The La Vera brand (Melbourne, est. 1975) and Vannella Cheese (Brisbane) are among the most respected Australian producers of fresh-style mozzarella and bocconcini. ALDI, Coles and Woolworths all carry both fresh mozzarella balls (in whey) and block mozzarella for pizza. Fresh mozzarella from Italian delis in Melbourne's Lygon Street and Carlton precinct, and Sydney's Leichhardt, is made fresh weekly. Buffalo mozzarella from Australian buffalo herds is produced by a small number of specialist dairies in Victoria and Queensland at a significant premium.
🧊 Storage tips & shelf life
Refrigerator (fresh)
3–5 days in its liquid
Keep submerged in the packing liquid
Store fresh mozzarella submerged in the whey or brine it came in, in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Do NOT drain the liquid — mozzarella dries and toughens rapidly without it. If the liquid is discarded, make fresh light saltwater (1 tsp salt per cup of water) to keep the cheese moist. Use within 5 days of opening.
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Freezer (block/shredded)
Up to 6 months
Shred or slice before freezing; use only in cooking
Low-moisture block mozzarella freezes well — shred it first for the most convenient form. Use directly from frozen for pizza and pasta baking without thawing. Texture becomes slightly crumbly after freezing, making it unsuitable for eating as-is but excellent for melting. Fresh mozzarella balls do not freeze well — the texture becomes waterlogged and rubbery.
Mozzarella is one of the world's oldest documented cheese styles — references to a similar fresh stretched-curd cheese appear in 12th-century records from the Benedictine monastery of San Lorenzo in Capua, Campania. The word 'mozzarella' derives from the Italian verb 'mozzare' (to cut off), referring to the hand-cutting technique used to separate portions of the stretched curd during production. Traditional mozzarella was made exclusively from the milk of domestic water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) — animals brought to the Italian region of Campania during the 6th–7th centuries CE, possibly by the Lombards or earlier migrations. Buffalo milk is richer in fat, protein and calcium than cow's milk, producing a more flavourful, richer cheese. The pasta filata (stretched curd) technique that gives mozzarella its distinctive elasticity and melt properties is unique among cheese styles — the curd is heated in hot water and repeatedly stretched and folded until smooth and elastic before being formed into balls.
Mozzarella's transformation from an Italian regional specialty to a global phenomenon is almost entirely attributable to pizza. As Neapolitan immigrants brought pizza to the United States, South America and Australia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, demand for the stretchy, melting cheese that topped authentic Neapolitan pizza grew exponentially. Industrial production of low-moisture mozzarella — a drier, longer-lasting version developed in the US — democratised pizza production and made mozzarella the most produced cheese in the world by volume. Australia's significant Italian-Australian community (particularly in Melbourne and Sydney) maintained both traditional fresh mozzarella consumption and pizza culture, creating the market foundation for Australia's thriving contemporary Italian restaurant industry. Today, Australia is one of the highest per-capita pizza-consuming countries in the world, with mozzarella the overwhelmingly dominant topping cheese.
Mozzarella is the most produced cheese in the world by volume — almost entirely because of pizza
The invention of commercially scalable low-moisture mozzarella in the United States (developed by James Kraft and others in the early 20th century) enabled industrial pizza production and transformed the global dairy industry. Today, approximately 25–30% of all cheese produced globally is mozzarella — more than cheddar, gouda or any other style. The US produces approximately 1.2 million tonnes of mozzarella annually, primarily for pizza. Italy's PDO-protected Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (from water buffalo milk) represents a premium fraction of total production. Australia's mozzarella market tracks the growth of pizza consumption, which has grown significantly since the 1980s with the rise of pizza chain restaurants.
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Traditional Mozzarella di Bufala is made from water buffalo milk — a different species from dairy cattle with milk twice as rich in fat and protein
The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) that produce traditional Campanian mozzarella are not related to North American bison — they are Asian animals domesticated approximately 5,000 years ago and brought to southern Italy during the early medieval period. Buffalo milk contains approximately 8% fat (vs 3.5–4% for cow's milk) and 4.5–5% protein (vs 3.2–3.5%), producing a richer, more flavourful cheese with a distinctive creamy bite and slightly more acidic, complex flavour profile. Mozzarella di Bufala Campana received DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) status from the EU in 1996 — only mozzarella produced from buffalo raised in specific provinces of Campania, Lazio, Apulia and Molise may carry the designation.
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The 'pasta filata' (stretched curd) technique that gives mozzarella its stretch is a unique cheesemaking process found in only a handful of cheese styles globally
Pasta filata (Italian for 'spun paste' or 'stretched curd') is the defining technical feature of mozzarella production. After the milk is curdled and the whey drained, the curd is heated in hot water (75–90°C) until it becomes plastic and elastic. The cheesemaker then stretches, folds and works the curd repeatedly — similar to pulling taffy — until it becomes smooth, shiny and uniform. This alignment of the protein (casein) molecules into long parallel chains is what creates mozzarella's characteristic stretch when melted. Other pasta filata cheeses include provolone, scamorza, caciocavallo, and string cheese. The same technique applied to different curds at different temperatures and maturation levels produces cheeses with dramatically different textures and flavours.
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Australia's Italian-Australian community has been making fresh mozzarella and bocconcini since the 1950s — decades before pizza became mainstream
Italian immigrants to Australia — concentrated in Melbourne's Carlton, Sydney's Leichhardt and Adelaide's markets — brought traditional cheesemaking knowledge including fresh mozzarella and ricotta production from the 1950s onwards. The La Vera brand (established by the Borrello family in Melbourne in 1975) was among the earliest commercial fresh mozzarella producers in Australia. The growth of pizza restaurant chains in the 1980s and 1990s created massive commercial demand for low-moisture mozzarella, triggering Australian dairy processors to scale industrial mozzarella production. Today, Bega Cheese, Saputo and several smaller producers manufacture block mozzarella at scale for the food service industry, while Italian-Australian artisan producers continue making fresh-style products.
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Caprese salad — the world's most famous mozzarella dish — was created in the 1950s on the island of Capri and represents the colours of the Italian flag
The insalata Caprese (salad from Capri) — fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes and basil dressed with olive oil and salt — is named after the island of Capri in the Bay of Naples. The most commonly cited origin story traces it to Hotel Quisisana on Capri in the 1950s, though variants of the simple combination were eaten in Campania long before. The salad was allegedly designed to represent the colours of the Italian flag: red (tomato), white (mozzarella) and green (basil). Caprese salad's perfection depends entirely on three ingredient qualities: properly ripe tomatoes, freshly made mozzarella (not refrigerator-cold), and genuine fresh basil. The combination is deceptively simple — poor ingredients immediately reveal themselves in a dish with nowhere to hide.