What Cheese Goes Best on Pizza?

The perfect pizza cheese comes down to melt, stretch, and flavor balance. Mozzarella remains the classic choice - particularly the low-moisture kind that creates that satisfying pull without making your crust soggy.

Did you know that the world’s best pizzerias often use a blend of four different cheeses to achieve the perfect balance? 

While Italian’s might insist on fresh buffalo mozzarella for authentic Neapolitan pizza, experimenting with combinations of provolone for tang, cheddar for richness, and parmesan for depth can increase your homemade pizza from ordinary to extraordinary.

 

Popular Cheese Varieties for Pizza

Cheese makes pizza what it is, with each type adding its own flavor and texture. Mozzarella stands as the top choice because it stretches nicely and has a mild taste that works with everything.

For more interesting pizzas, many chefs add Parmesan for nuttiness, provolone for smokiness, cheddar for boldness, or Gouda for sweetness.

These cheeses work great alone, but they really shine when combined thoughtfully. Example would be, the famous Quattro Formaggi (four-cheese pizza), that shows how mixing cheeses can turn a basic pizza into something special.

1. Mozzarella

Mozzarella is the best cheese for pizza. Wisconsin cheesemakers produce nearly 1 billion pounds yearly to meet America’s demand for this stretchy, mild cheese.

We recommend choosing low-moisture mozzarella instead of pre-shredded options, as pre-shredded contains anti-caking agents that prevent proper melting.

Fresh, white balls in brine, offer a premium experience but require patting dry before use to avoid soggy crusts. We’ve found Galbani’s fresh mozzarella offers ideal moisture and meltability. 

TIP: Try mixing mozzarella with provolone in a 70/30 ratio. This will give you the perfect combination of stretch and flavor depth.

2. Parmesan: For a Nutty Kick

Parmesan adds a nutty, intense flavor that makes your pizza extraordinary. We recommend using about 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (the authentic Italian version) on your pizza for the best flavor.

This cheese works well in any pizza you make. It blends perfectly with mozzarella and provolone.

If you need a plant-based option, you can make vegan Parmesan using cashews, nutritional yeast, and Italian seasoning - just process them together to create that granular texture.

What makes Parmesan special is how it enhances both classic and creative toppings with its crystalline texture and savory umami notes.

We find it creates a depth of flavor that other cheeses simply can’t provide.

3. Provolone: The Perfect Blend

Provolone balances flavor and meltability while it maintains its structure when cooled.

Unlike mozzarella that can solidify into a single mass, provolone keeps its form and offers complexity that deepens with age—ranging from mild to sharp.

Its semi-hard texture and bold character work well with milder cheeses. In our experience, a 70/30 mix of mozzarella and provolone gives you that ideal stretch when pulled, plus a depth of flavor that mozzarella alone can’t provide.

TIP: If you’re feeling adventurous, add aged provolone.

4. Cheddar: Bold and Tangy

Unlike mozzarella’s stretchiness, cheddar creates rich pockets of intense flavor in each bite.It will bring a sharp, bold personality to your pizza.

For best results, we recommend combining cheddar with a base layer of mozzarella.

Cheddar works exceptionally well on:

• BBQ chicken pizzas
• Hamburger-inspired pies

Cheddar Type	Aging Period	Best Pizza Pairing
Mild	2-3 months	BBQ Chicken
Medium	3-6 months	Hamburger
Sharp	6-12 months	Buffalo Chicken
Extra Sharp	12-18 months	Jalapeño Popper
Vintage	18+ months	Bacon & Apple

 

5. Gouda: Smoky and Sweet

Yes, Gouda cheese is both smoky and sweet. Its rich, caramel-like flavor will bring depth beyond traditional pizza cheese options.

Most chefs often pair it with fresh figs on flatbreads or mix it with other cheeses for more complexity.

We love gouda for innovative pizzas because it’s so versatile. It melts beautifully (just like in mac and cheese) creating a creamy texture while keeping its distinctive flavor.

Try to balance natural sweetness in Gouda with spicy elements like chipotle and smoked paprika.

his makes it perfect for your pizzas featuring cured meats or caramelized vegetables.

PIZZA TEST: For your next pizza, try using 4-6 ounces of smoked gouda alongside mozzarella, then finish with honey and fresh herbs to highlight the natural sweetness and smokiness. Let us know how it ends up.

6. Ricotta: Creamy and Delicate

Ricotta cheese offers a soft, creamy texture. You will find that this traditional Italian cheese will melt into a velvety layer that will add depth without overpowering your other toppings.

Its delicate flavor will serve as an excellent canvas for ingredients you might not expect, like transforming Brussels sprouts into something sophisticated.

Ricotta pairs wonderfully with caramelized onions and creates a sweet-savory combination especially good on flatbread pizzas.

When baked at high temperatures, the cheese will develop a slight golden color while remaining cloud-like underneath – giving your pizza a fantastic texture contrast.

TIP: For your best results, try enhancing store-bought ricotta with lemon juice, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes before spreading it on your base.

7. Goat Cheese: Tangy and Creamy

Goat cheese will bring a strong tanginess to your pizza. Unlike mozzarella, it doesn’t fully melt, which creates pockets of intense flavor in each bite.

It works with both traditional and unique toppings, though some people need time to appreciate its distinctive taste.

For a quick alternative, whip goat cheese with garlic, lemon, and herbs to create a spreadable base instead of traditional sauce.

TIP: Try pairing goat cheese with garlicky spinach on flatbread crusts.

8. Fontina: Buttery and Rich

Fontina is one of Italy’s most useful cheeses for pizza. We love it for its perfect balance of buttery flavor and how well it melts. When heated, it turns creamy and covers toppings beautifully without overwhelming them.

We’ve found fontina works wonderfully in Detroit-style pizzas with 'Nduja tomato sauce and stracciatella, creating a nice contrast between crispy crust and melted cheese.

Many of our favorite pizza combinations include fontina with fresh herbs like basil, chives, and dill that complement its butteriness. 

TIP: Try pairing fontina with caramelized leeks and spicy honey. We love it!

 

What Cheese Properties we pay attention to

Three key properties determine how cheese performs on your pizza:

• Melting characteristics affect how evenly the cheese spreads when heated.
  
• Stretchability and stringiness create that Instagram-worthy cheese pull that pizza lovers crave.
• Moisture content impacts both texture and browning. High-moisture cheeses like fresh mozzarella create wet spots, while low-moisture varieties provide more even coverage and controlled browning.

Melting

We believe good melting gives you that perfect cheese pull instead of a greasy mess.

Low-moisture mozzarella works best because it stretches well without making your crust soggy. We recommend avoiding pre-shredded cheese because it contains additives that prevent proper melting - you’ll get better results by grating block cheese yourself.

For cheese blends, we’ve found high-fat cheeses like cheddar add flavor but don’t stretch well, so use them sparingly.

Our favorite combination is equal parts mozzarella and provolone for the right balance of stretch and flavor. 

PRO TIP: We suggest adding harder cheeses like Parmesan after baking to enhance flavor without affecting how your base cheese melts.

Stretchability and Stringiness

Cheese that stretches well creates those satisfying long strings when you pull a pizza slice away. We’ve all seen those perfect cheese pulls in commercials, but your delivered pizza often fails to match these expectations.

Moisture is key to stretchiness. Traditional mozzarella often cools during delivery and becomes a solid mass rather than maintaining its stretch.

Professional pizza makers use special cheese formulations or blends to guarantee that stretchy quality in every bite. Try mixing mozzarella with stretchy alternatives like provolone or young Havarti to improve elasticity.

Moisture Content Impact

Moisture levels determine meltability, flavor distribution, and overall pizza quality.

Different cheeses release moisture at different rates when baked:

• High moisture cheeses like fresh mozzarella release substantial liquid, making them perfect for Neapolitan and margherita pizzas.
• Medium moisture options like low-moisture mozzarella offer controlled melting with minimal pooling
• Low moisture aged cheeses release almost no moisture

If your cheese falls off in one piece when cooled, you’re experiencing a common mozzarella moisture problem. Professional blends use specialized blends like mentioned above that balance moisture retention while properly sticking to the crust. Testing is key!

Cheese selection matters, but so does the way it melts. With our Glowen oven, you get even heat distribution, so your mozzarella stays stretchy, your parmesan crisps up beautifully, and your cheddar blends smoothly into every bite. No unexpected burning or uneven spots—just the right melt, every time.