Marinated Mozzarella Balls

Marinated Mozzarella Balls are an easy appetizer that only takes a few minutes to get hands on! Serve as an appetizer or on a cheese board.

Here’s a fun and easy appetizer recipe that only takes a few minutes: Marinated mozzarella balls! You’ll be surprised at how quickly it all comes together and how satisfying the flavors are for such a little effort. As with many Italian-style aperitifs, the genius lies in its simplicity. Marinate balls of fresh mozzarella in a mixture of olive oil, chopped herbs and red pepper flakes and the flavor is a powerful herbal blast. It is perfect as an antipasti or as part of a cheese board. We were pleasantly surprised from the first bite, and it has become one of our favorite ways to start a meal or to impress at a party.

Ingredients for marinated mozzarella balls

This Marinated Mozzarella Balls recipe only requires 7 ingredients and 5 minutes of manipulation. The hardest part? Wait the 30 minutes for the mozzarella to marinate! As with many Italian recipes, quality ingredients are the key to success. What you need for this easy appetizer:

• Cherry mozzarella balls
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Garlic
• Fresh oregano
• fresh parsley
• Kosher salt
• red pepper flakes

What is Cilegine?

Ciliegine are small balls of fresh mozzarella the size of a cherry. The word “ciliegine” comes from the Italian word for cherry, hence the name! We prefer the Cilegin size here: the Bocconcini is a bit too big. You can also use “Perlini” mozzarella, which are very small pearl-like balls.

Tips for marinated mozzarella balls

This marinated mozzarella balls recipe couldn’t be simpler: prepare the marinade, add the mozzarella balls and wait 30 minutes! The taste is pretty good right off the bat, but gets better with time. Here are some tips for preparing the recipe:

• Use fresh oregano (don’t be tempted to substitute). Fresh oregano here brings a crisp, lemony, herbal flavor that dried oregano can’t replicate. You can substitute dried ones if you must, but we recommend seeking fresh when possible.
• Marinate at room temperature. Olive oil sets when it’s cold, so keep it at room temperature when marinating.
• Serve immediately or store for up to 3 days for best flavor. Marinated mozzarella balls are best eaten immediately after marinating, but they are still delicious the next day. Just make sure you bring them to room temperature before serving, as the olive oil will solidify.

serving tips

Making marinated mozzarella for a party? We recommend making this a little ahead of time and letting it sit at room temperature while you prepare other feasts. It’s so easy to set up that you really don’t need to do it in advance. However, if you want to do an advanced preparation, you can always chop the herbs and garlic and refrigerate until ready to prepare.

What is the best way to eat marinated mozzarella balls? Here are a few ideas:

Always serve with toothpicks or small forks

Don’t forget to serve the marinated mozzarella balls with a toothpick or small fork. Since they’re marinated in olive oil, you’ll want to make sure the oil doesn’t drip onto your guests’ clothes!

Easier recipes for appetizers

Do you like to entertain and need snacks for the party? Here are some of our favorite easy appetizer recipes:

This Marinated Mozzarella Balls recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten free.