These Marinated Mozzarella Balls are easy, simple, and perfect for any time of the year! You can use both fresh and dried herbs and change up the flavors to your liking. It's a great appetizer for both fancy parties and small gatherings! Easy to make ahead and always a crowd favorite!
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Why You'll Love These Mozzarella Balls
Packed with flavor - Olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and lots of herbs give these little bocconcini a ton of flavor. Once you finish the mozzarella, I highly recommend using the marinade for pasta, cooking eggs, sandwiches, or anything else. It's so good!
The perfect appetizer - Marinating these mini mozzarella balls in olive oil and spices requires minimal effort but they're a hit every time! It's one of the easiest appetizers you can make and everyone loves them. Serve them with plain crostini or crackers along with other finger foods.
Quick and simple - This is one of those appetizers you can whip up in a matter of a few minutes to add a little something extra to your spread. All you need are mozzarella balls, olive oil, vinegar, and a few herbs and spices. It's super simple and failproof!
Ingredients
- Mozzarella balls - You'll need mini mozzarella balls which are called bocconcini. You can also use Perlini which are even smaller and easy to serve with toothpicks at a party. They're harder to find so I opted for bocconcini.
- Extra virgin olive oil - This provides a lot of the flavor so choose a good olive oil you like!
- Red wine vinegar - I find red wine vinegar works the best in this recipe but white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar also works. You can also use lemon juice but vinegar will make the marinade last longer.
- Garlic - I like using thinly sliced garlic but minced garlic also works and will provide a stronger garlic flavor.
- Fresh and dried herbs - The recipe calls for a mix of fresh and dried herbs but you can use either or. I like using fresh parsley because it has more flavor than dried and adds color along with fresh thyme. I used dried oregano because it's less common to have it fresh on hand.
- Red pepper flakes - This one is optional but to add a bit of heat, I used crushed red pepper flakes.
- Sea salt - Salt is necessary to balance out all the flavors. I like using fine sea salt because it dissolves quickly. Himalayan pink salt is my second favorite.
Variations and Substitutions
- Only dried herbs - It's recommended to use a 3:1 ratio when switching from fresh herbs to dried herbs. If a recipe calls for 3 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, use 1 tablespoon dried herbs. You'll need about 3 teaspoon of dried herbs in this recipe if you're not using any fresh herbs. I recommend using a mix of parsley, oregano, and thyme. Rosemary or any mixed herbs also work if you want to change up the flavors a little bit!
- Different cheese - You could also do this with feta and use it in salads or add it to your charcuterie board!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add the mozzarella balls to a medium bowl with all the other ingredients.
- Toss all the ingredients together until everything is well mixed. If you want to avoid the marinade separating, whisk everything in the bowl first before adding the mozzarella as if you were making vinaigrette.
- Transfer the mozzarella to an airtight jar and cover with the marinade.
- If the mozzarella isn’t completely submerged, top it up with more olive oil.
- You can serve it immediately but it tastes best after marinating for at least 30 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Whisk the marinade first - The marinade naturally separates in the fridge. I don't worry about this too much and just shake the jar to mix it all together. If you want to avoid it separating, whisk everything together as if you were making vinaigrette before adding the mozzarella.
- Let it come to room temperature first - If you're making this recipe ahead of time, take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving it. Olive oil naturally hardens in the fridge and the marinade will separate. This is ok, just keep the jar on your counter for 30 minutes, shake it well, and serve the mozzarella and marinade in a bowl with toothpicks or bamboo skewers.
- Save the marinade - Once you eat the mozzarella, save the marinade for pasta, eggs, sandwiches, or anything else. It stores well in the fridge for a week.
Serving Suggestions
The easiest way to serve these is in a bowl with the marinade along with toothpicks or little bamboo sticks so everyone can easily grab a bite.
I like serving them with either toasted baguette slices (crostini) or crackers.
Toasted baguette: Slice up a baguette and toast it in the oven at 375F for 10 minutes with a light drizzle of avocado oil. As soon as you take the baguette out of the oven, brush each slice with a clove of garlic. This adds a ton of flavor to the bread and the residual heat cooks the garlic a little bit so it's not as strong.
Storing and Make Ahead Options
I recommend making these a day or two ahead of time or at least 30 minutes before you're planning to eat them so the mozzarella has time to soak up all the flavors.
Store any leftovers in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 5 days and always make sure the mozzarella is submerged in the oil. You can store the marinade for a few more days to use it for cooking eggs, pasta, salads, sandwiches, or anything else!
FAQs
Yes, bocconcini are a smaller version of fresh mozzarella. Perlini are even smaller.
Yes, always make sure the mozzarella balls are submerged in oil (the marinade) to avoid them drying out and becoming too chewy. I don't like to cut them in half because I find this makes them rubbery as well. You can cut them in half to create more servings if you're gonna eat them within 1-2 days.
No, I don't recommend freezing any part of this recipe, it's best made fresh.
Other Mozzarella Recipes
If you're looking for more recipes made with mozzarella, both mini and regular, check out the four recipes below! To see more appetizers, head over to Appetizers for the latest ones!
📖 Recipe
Marinated Mozzarella Balls
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These tried and true Marinated Mozzarella Balls are easy, simple, and perfect for any time of the year! They are best made 1-2 days ahead and everyone's favorite!
Ingredients
- 7-8 oz mozzarella balls (200g), drained and rinsed
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, stems removed
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add the mozzarella balls to a medium bowl along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Toss everything together until it's well mixed.
- Transfer the mozzarella to an airtight jar and cover with the marinade. If the mozzarella isn’t completely submerged, top it up with more olive oil.
- You can serve it immediately but it tastes best after marinating for at least 30 minutes.
Notes
The nutritional info is only an estimate. I only included 3 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar in it because you'll have most of the marinade leftover. I recommend using it for pasta, eggs, sandwiches, chicken, meats, or fish.
Storing and serving: Store the mozzarella balls in a jar with the marinade in the fridge for up to 5 days. Make sure the mozzarella is always submerged. The olive oil naturally hardens in the fridge. Take the jar out of the fridge 30 minutes before you want to serve them. If the marinade separates, shake the jar well before serving.
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