Fontina vs Mozzarella Cheese: What Is the Difference?

If you were to make one country the king of cheese, what country would you choose? You may have said Switzerland or maybe France, but it would definitely be Italy if it were upon us!

Why? Well, there are more reasons, but the two main ones are, without a doubt, our two favorite kinds of cheese – fontina and mozzarella! 

And those two kinds of cheese are precisely what we’re going to be talking about today. Or, more specifically, about what makes these two differ.

So what is the difference between fontina and mozzarella cheese? The most significant difference between fontina and mozzarella cheese is that fontina ages for a little more extended, making it a semi-hard kind of cheese. Quite the contrary, mozzarella is one of the softest types of cheese around the globe.

But does the aging time affect those two kinds of cheese in any other ways, as well? And aren’t there some other fundamental differences? Keep reading, and you’ll know everything you need to!

Fontina vs Mozzarella CheesePin

What is the difference between fontina and mozzarella cheese?

Mozzarella is a soft Italian kind of cheese made primarily out of buffalo’s milk. It is mainly served fresh, but in some cases, it may be aged. The aging time for mozzarella is anywhere between two and four weeks.

Fontina is an Italian type of cheese as well, but it is semi-hard and also made strictly from cow’s milk. Fontina also has to be aged, usually for three months.

Fontina vs. mozzarella taste

As you’ve probably guessed, the differences in their aging time (fontina ages for a bit longer time than mozzarella) make these two kinds of cheese taste different.

Mozzarella has a pretty mild, fresh flavor that is most often described as milky. On the contrary, fontina’s has a bit richer taste with a slight nutty/fruity aftertaste that is common to aged cheese. 

Fontina vs. mozzarella fat

Fontina is a kind of cheese with pretty high-fat content – usually somewhere between thirty and forty percent. Quite the contrary, mozzarella most often doesn’t even contain more than twenty percent of fat.

Fontina vs. mozzarella melting

Due to the ways we like to use cheese, a lot of people are interested in different kinds of cheese is the way they melt. So how is with fontina and mozzarella regarding this?

There’s not too much to say, except that both fontina and mozzarella melt exceptionally well! In fact, many people consider precisely these two to be the absolute best melting kinds of cheese overall.

Fontina vs. mozzarella price

Even though nowadays you can get your hands on many cheaper kinds of fontina, overall, it can be considered one of the most expensive kinds of cheese. Mozzarella, on the other hand, falls under the cheaper cheese category.

Therefore, you would probably spend reasonably more on fontina than on mozzarella.

Fontina vs. mozzarella uses

Thanks to the already mentioned similar ways fontina and mozzarella act while being exposed to heat, the culinary uses of these two don’t differ a lot. The probably most popular use of both of these is making a pizza with them!

But to be fair, fontina isn’t used in matters like this as often as mozzarella. That’s not only because of its higher price we talked about above but also because of its a bit richer taste many people like to enjoy plainly.

Because fontina is a harder kind of cheese than mozzarella, it is also often used as a topping for pasta meals like spaghetti.

Fontina vs. mozzarella nutrition

Let’s now take a look at their nutrition values, shall we? To make it easy, we have prepared a little table here:

FontinaMozarella
Calories389300
Total fat31g22g
Carbohydrates1.6g2.2g
Protein26g22g
Cholesterol116mg79mg
Sodium799mg627mg

Is fontina similar to mozzarella?

Although all the differences between those two kinds of cheese we mentioned above, fontina is still similar to mozzarella in some aspects. Firstly, both of these types of cheese come from Italy.

Secondly, the stretch drying process used to make mozzarella is nearly the same as the one used while making fontina.

Which is better mozzarella, or fontina cheese?

As with every food, it is hard to say whether it is better mozzarella or fontina cheese. That’s because it depends only and only on you and your preferences.

With that in mind, though, it can be said that fontina is usually considered higher quality cheese than mozzarella. Nevertheless, many people still prefer the fresh and milky, milder flavor of mozzarella.

Can I substitute fontina for mozzarella and vice versa?

As we’ve explained above, fontina and mozzarella are two pretty different kinds of cheese. So shortly put, no, you cannot substitute fontina for mozzarella and vice versa.

However, both mozzarella and fontina have excellent melting abilities, and therefore, it is technically possible to substitute one for another, for instance, while making pizza. The reason this is not recommended, though, is the strongly different flavors of these two.

Which cheese is better for pizza, mozzarella or fontina?

In the last paragraph, we mentioned that it is plausible to use mozzarella and fontina while making pizza. Which one is better for it, though?

To put it simply, mozzarella can be generally considered a better choice for making pizza than fontina. But, to be fair, fontina melts just as well.

So even though mozzarella is traditionally the number one cheese for pizza, the choice depends only upon your tastebuds.

Can you mix fontina and mozzarella cheese?

We’ve already mentioned a hundred times that both fontina and mozzarella melt perfectly. Hence, you can mix fontina and mozzarella cheese. 

If you want to try this combination, we can recommend you try it out in a simple grilled cheese sandwich. Although it probably doesn’t sound too special, believe us, it is incredible!

Summary

Fontina and mozzarella are two of the most popular kinds of cheese that both come from Italy. However, they are definitely not the same.

And that’s although their melting abilities and even the drying process used while making them are pretty similar. The different ingredients, mainly the milk (mozzarella is usually made out of buffalo’s milk, while fontina from cow’s), and aging time simply do a lot.

In what way, do you wonder? Well, mainly in taste – mozzarella has a fresh, milky-like flavor that is reasonably mild. Fontina, on the other hand, comes with a stronger, nutty, and fruity taste.

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Image credits – Canva

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