Marinated Mozzarella Balls

These mouth-watering Marinated Mozzarella Balls are THE crowd pleasing cheese appetizer of the holiday season. Fresh herbs, earthy garlic, and the subtle sweetness of sundried tomatoes absorb into the fresh cheese, creating the perfect savoury bite.

For everyday snacking and special occasions, nothing beats the versatility of cheese. I love slathering incredibly addictive Pimento Cheese on a cracker (or burger!) or serving up a platter of Mushroom Goat Cheese Filo Parcels to dinner party guests.

Marinated Mozzarella Balls

Attention cheese lovers…this Marinated Mozzarella Balls recipe is one of those low effort, exceptionally flavourful cheese recipes. It’s amazing how much flavour fresh mozzarella balls, or bocconcini, can soak up… it’s like they were made to marinate!

The combination of herbs, garlic, and sundried tomatoes, along with extra virgin olive oil really elevates these fresh cheese bites to another level. And yes, this is THE RECIPE where you need to bring out the good olive oil and use fresh basil. As with most low ingredient recipes, the quality of ingredients plays a huge part in the final flavour of the dish. 

What I love is that this appetizer recipe is not set in stone. Like most of my recipes, it serves as a guide to flavour, and you are the mayor of flavour town. This means, you can change the flavours of most of my recipes to suit your taste preferences. Although everyone says they love the garlic, herb, dried tomato combination and I hope you do too.

Finally, this recipe requires no special tools, skills, or ingredients because it’s incredibly easy to make and it comes together in minutes. At the bare minimum, you’ll need two hours of marinating time. However, an overnight marinade will allow the cheese to achieve maximum flavour absorption.

For best flavour, remove these hors d’oeuvres from the fridge and bring up to room temperature before serving. Serve them on a cheese or charcuterie board, along with crackers or little buttered garlic toasts.

Ingredients for Marinated Mozzarella Balls

Friends, this simple olive oil mozzarella balls recipe contains only ten ingredients, including salt and freshly ground black pepper. It’s up to you if you want to keep it as written or change it up.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Mozzarella Balls
• Garlic
• Parsley
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Oregano
• Sun-dried Tomatoes
• Basil
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper

First and foremost, this is the time to break out the good stuff, the extra virgin olive oils that you use for finishing a dish or salad dressing. I highly recommend investing in a special EVOO to use in this recipe.

Next, choose high-quality, fresh mozzarella balls, like bocconcini or ciliegine, as they will absorb the marinade better. Of the several sizes available, ‘cherry’ bocconcini are the perfect size for this one bite appetizer.

Fresh basil and parsley add vibrant flavor, so avoid using dried herbs as substitutes (other than the dried oregano). Mix the flavour up by adding a pinch of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, or some lemon zest and lemon juice for a citrusy twist instead of balsamic vinegar.

Oil marinated dried tomatoes or sun dried tomatoes without oil will both work in this recipe. Note that you can use the oil from the jar for extra flavour and that the dry tomatoes will rehydrate slightly during the marinating time.

How to Make Marinated Bocconcini

Before you start mixing the marinade, strain the packaging liquid from the container of Mozzarella balls and discard. You won’t need it for this recipe.

Next, combine the olive oil, minced garlic, chopped sundried tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, chopped fresh parsley, dried oregano, black pepper, salt, and balsamic vinegar in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well.

Add fresh bocconcini to the marinade, gently tossing them to ensure they are evenly coated with marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the mozzarella balls to a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Refrigerate for at minimum of 2 hours and preferably overnight, to allow the flavours to meld and absorb into the cheese.

Before serving, remove cheese from the fridge at least an hour, maybe two to allow oil marinated mozzarella balls to reach room temperature before serving. Serve this delicious appetizer on cocktail skewers, with crusty bread, crackers, or as part of an antipasto platter.

Storage and Leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Note that the herbs (especially the fresh basil) will become wilted and dark in colour. The olive oil will also solidify at fridge temperature but will quickly return to liquid form as the marinated mozzarella balls come to room temperature.

Do not throw out the marinade! Once the cheese is gone, reuse this zesty marinade for chicken, shrimp, other vegetables (like mushrooms), or as a salad dressing. It’s also a delicious bread dip so you can serve two easy appetizers in one!

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I am the sole recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

If you make this Marinated Mozzarella Balls recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in a recipe rating. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!