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Milk to Cheese Ratio Chart (2026 Yield Guide by Cheese Type)

Milk to Cheese Ratio Chart (2026 Yield Guide by Cheese Type) The milk to cheese ratio for most hard cheeses is roughly 1 gallon of whole milk per 1 pound of cheese — about 0.85 to 0.95 pounds of cheese per gallon — while soft cheeses range from 0.75 lb/gal for feta up to 1.50 lb/gal for ricotta. In weight terms, that is the classic "10 pounds of milk makes 1 pound of hard cheese" rule, because a gallon of whole milk weighs about 8.6 pounds. To turn a target weight into an exact milk order for your own batch, run it through our Cheese Making Calculator(/food/cheese-making-calculator). The first time I made mozzarella I bought a single $4 gallon of whole milk expecting a softball-sized ball, and pulled out exactly 13.6 ounces — 1 gallon times the 0.85 lb/gal mozzarella yield. A month later I scaled up for a cheddar...