The Best Cheese For Pizza

With so many different types of cheese, have you ever wondered what is the best cheese for pizza?

I sure have!

In this article i’m going to go through a number of popular cheeses that can be used on your next pizza.

First of all you will learn 3 things you need to think about when picking the cheese for your pizza. Knowing these will help you pick the right cheese to get the best results!

I did a survey on a Pizza Facebook group. I wanted to find out what cheese people think are the best for pizza. And then share the results with you!

Don’t forget to see the results below, they are really interesting!

Finally, I’ll go into a bit of detail on the different cheeses and advice on adding these to your pizza.

Types Of Cheese For Pizza – Survey Results

Would you like to find out what other people’s favourite cheese is on their pizza? Recently I did a poll in a pizza facebook group and the results I got back were very interesting.

The winner was Mozzarella. There were however some interesting alternatives. Some of these I am going to try!

3 Things To Consider When Choosing The Best Cheese For Pizza

You want to make the best pizza possible right? Whether that’s just for you to enjoy or for friends and family.

One of the things that can make a big difference to the final outcome of the pizza is the cheese.

You want to think about the following 3 things when deciding on what cheese to use on your pizza.

Melting

One of the best things about pizza is that melted cheese. Seriously, does anything taste better than melted cheese?!?

If you were to ask anyone, the most common cheese on pizza is Mozzarella. There is a good reason for that.

You see Mozzarella melts incredibly well. Unlike some cheese it doesn’t become oily. There are others such as feta, haloumi and gouda. Mozzarella does melt a lot better than these.

Taste

Mozzarella does have a very mild flavour. Sometimes I have found it a bit bland to be honest! I do like strong cheese though…

I find that taste wise you want a nice cheddar. Combining that with some Mozzarella can give you a great flavour as well as the right melt. Add a bit of Parmesan to give it that extra depth!

If you are wanting something a little extra with a bit more of a kick. Try Provolone, goats cheese or a nice blue cheese.

Colour

The third and final thing to think about when picking the best cheese for pizza is the colour. You want that golden brown colour when cooked…

The best cheese in terms of colouring has to be Mozzarella. It takes very little time for it to turn a nice golden colour. Although I do like the look of melted goats cheese on pizza.

Hopefully this gave you some ideas on what cheese to use, or even combinations. Combining a couple of cheeses can have amazing results…

So, you know what to consider and what other people think. Now i’m going to go into the different types of cheese for your pizza. I’ll also give some suggestions on the best way to use them on your pizza.

Mozzarella

I have put Mozzarella at the top of the list. Mainly because it’s one of the most popular cheeses. Fresh, light, and creamy. What more do you want out of cheese right?

One of the best cheeses for melting on pizza. When cooked it goes a lovely colour.

High Moisture Vs Low Moisture

As you would expect one is wetter than the other. A high moisture mozzarella does go out of date quicker than a low one. You should use it the same day you open it.

Did you know there are two different types of Mozzarella? I sure didn’t…

The low moisture mozzarella has a more dense flavour. It also melts faster. This makes it perfect for pizza.

Adding Mozzarella To Your Pizza

Mozzarella is a great cheese to have on its own. Perfect with tomatoes and basil. I also think it tastes great with pepperoni.

For other types of pizzas, you can also blend it up with other cheeses. It’s amazing with a nice cheddar. You get the colour and the melted cheese from the mozzarella but the great cheese flavour from the cheddar. A match made in heaven!

Provolone Cheese

I’ll be honest I had never heard of Provolone cheese until I started making pizza. (And I have enjoyed many cheese tastings!)

It does however make a great cheese for pizza. As well as a good alternative to Mozzarella. It’s a Semi-Hard italian cheese that melts very well. Which is why it’s great on pizza.

Provolone is one of those cheeses that blends very well. Combining it with Parmigiano-Reggiano and Mozzarella is amazing. Although combining with Cheddar also works very well.

Interestingly, the flavour of the cheese changes depending on the age. If it’s not aged very long it’s normally sweeter and creamier. As it ages it becomes sharper and more dry in texture. (Both can really take the flavour of your pizza to the next level)

Adding Provolone Cheese to Your Pizza

Provolone goes well with all different types of Pizza. You can either add it alone grated on the pizza. (Chicken, Tomato or even Pepperoni is a great choice.)

I would recommend blending with other cheeses. Try an aged Provolone with a nice nutty cheddar. Or even a young creamier Provolone with some Mozzarella. Yummy!

Cheddar Cheese

I probably shouldn’t say this but Cheddar is my go to cheese for pizza. I just find it has so much more flavour.

Mozzarella is a bit bland in my opinion. A nice Cheddar normally has a bite to it and can be a bit sharp. This makes it a great cheese to blend other cheeses with.

You want to make sure you use a cheese that melts. Cheddar is a great choice as it does melt on pizza. It doesn’t blister like Mozzarella. You can also find sharper cheddars that are more orange in colour. (This can make your pizza look amazing!)

Adding Cheddar Cheese To Your Pizza

As I said I think Cheddar cheese can be used on most pizza. Even more so if you blend it with others.

My favourite to have it with would be pepperoni, ham and pineapple, and 4 cheese. I have also been testing out a cheeseburger pizza. Cheddar tastes amazing with that one!

Parmesan Cheese

Parmesan is a delicate Italian hard cheese. Its aged for additional flavour. (I love it, I could just eat a block on its own…Dont tell my wife but its not mice nibbling at it in the fridge!)

A mistake many people do is that they blend Parmesan with other cheeses to try and get this great flavour into their pizza.

You see when you heat up parmesan it ruins the flavour. It should only ever be added to a cooked pizza.

Adding Parmesan to Your Pizza

If you want to enhance your pizza and take the flavour up a level. Parmesan will help you do that! It should however be used as a garnish.

Shave or shred your Parmesan and sprinkle it onto the top of your pizza to garnish once it’s been cooked. I find it really works well with Margherita, pepperoni and Hawaiian.

Other Types of Cheese For Your Pizza

As already mentioned Mozzarella, Provolone, Cheddar and Parmesan make great blends as well as used on their own. These are afterall the most common cheese types for your pizza.

There are however some other cheeses that I would recommend giving ago. These go really well with non traditional/speciality pizzas. (Such as the cheeseburger one I mentioned a moment ago)

Gouda

I have only had Gouda a couple of times and never really thought about using it on pizza. It adds a great flavour to your pizza.

It’s a semi-hard cheese and Gouda does melt really well. Less aged gouda does melt better, this is because it has more moisture.

I really like the smoked Gouda as it goes great with pulled pork, bacon and chicken. Give this cheese ago. I love it on a BBQ pizza.

Goats Cheese

Goats cheese is one of my favourite cheeses. I’m obsessed with it. It doesn’t melt like some of the other cheese but it does get nice and soft.

It has a rich flavour that gives a nice savory taste to your pizza. You don’t need much of it to really ramp up the flavour of your pizza.

I like to combine Goats cheese with caramelized onions or sun dried tomatoes. It does also go well with figs, peppers, walnut and rocket salad.

Gruyere

Looking for a cheese that melts and also has a nice savoury flavour? Gruyere is perfect. It can really add some nice flavours to your pizza. It has a nice sweetness but then a nutty finish.

Give it a go with peppers, ham, sausage or even a bit of pepperoni. Yummy!

Ricotta

Now Ricotta is a bit of a unique cheese on pizza, as you don’t typically use it on its own. If you are wanting a white pizza sauce, it will usually be made from Ricotta. It’s a cheese that is combined with mozzarella, gruyere or gorgonzola.

I’m not the biggest fan of white sauce pizzas. I know crazy right?

It does however go well with Broccoli, chicken, crab or even some cooked shrimp.

Brie

Brie is a very unique cheese when it comes to pizza, as its really only used on specialty pizza. It is a bit like goats cheese since it doesn’t melt as well as others but does go smooth. The mature flavour really adds to the taste though!

I always use Brie when I make bacon, brie and cranberry pizza. It’s such a good pizza, you MUST try it!

That’s why it does get an honorable mention on this list of best cheeses for pizza.

Tips on Choosing Cheese For Your Pizza

With so many amazing cheeses, it can be hard to know what to go for to get the most out of your pizza. It’s well worth testing lots of variations, imagine all the different types of pizza you can try!

Below are some tips to get the most out of your chosen cheese;

1. Don’t Use Pre-Grated Cheese

It can sometimes seem like a time saver to use pre-grated cheese. I have done it myself!

I would however recommend getting the blocks of cheese and grated yourself, instead of buying the pre-grated stuff. There are 3 reasons why;

It normally works out cheaper buying the block
Pre-Grated tends to not melt as well
The flavour and texture of pre-grated is not as good as the block of cheese

Get the most flavour out of your pizza by grating your own cheese.You wont regret it!

2. Use Cold Cheese

I would always recommend using cold cheese on your pizza. If the cheese is already warm or at room temperature there is a risk it could overcook and even burn. Get it straight out of the fridge and onto your pizza.

3. Think about the flavour Combinations

With such a wide range of cheeses, they all have their own unique flavours. Certain cheeses go really well with specific toppings. So think about what your toppings are going to be and match the cheese.

For example Goats cheese and onion goes great, it won’t however taste nice with pineapple. I might have to try it but I don’t think it sounds nice!

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, a guide on the best cheese for pizza as well as some tips on picking them and what to combine them with. I really hope you found it useful!

Looking at the survey results, you can see that Mozzarella is certainly the number 1 choice. It does of course depend on what toppings you do decide to use. I would usually try and aim for some kind of blend of cheese.

Now in all honesty, the cheese that is best on your pizza is whatever cheese you want. That is the great thing about pizza. It allows you to be as adventurous as you want!

Do let me know in the comments below, what your go to cheese is. If you have tried any new cheeses, please let me know!