Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Fried mozzarella cheese sticks are all the cozy comfort you dream up wrapped up in the perfect crispy crust. Perfect for freezing until you’re ready to fry–get all the easy steps!
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Frying feels so…bad. But I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s not. Not when you use good oils and dive in to a recipe that soothes your soul like these fried cheese sticks do.
It’s certainly an occasional indulgence but oh–they won’t fail you.
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Cheese sticks step by step
Step 1: Prepare three bowls for the dredge. One with flour (gluten free is fine), one with eggs beaten with a little water, and one with breadcrumbs that have been seasoned.
Step 2: Cut 1 pound of low moisture mozzarella cheese in to 4″x 1/2″ thick sticks. My cheese was round so I cut it in half then cut those halves in to sticks.
Step 3: Dip each stick into the flour, then the eggs, and into the bread crumbs pressing well to make sure the breading sticks to all sides. The egg may need to soak a few seconds on each stick so it adheres well.
Step 4: Transfer the sticks to a cookie sheet and freeze until solid. 2 to 4 hours. Once they are frozen, you can transfer them to an airtight container and bake when you’re ready.
Step 5: Preheat a 9″ skillet over medium high heat with 2 cups of refined coconut oil or your choice of high heat oil. Bake in batches of two or three at a time until deeply golden.
This will happen very quickly–about 2 minutes per side or so. Fry just until you see a little of the cheese starting to ooze and then transfer them to a cooling rack to firm.
Serve warm with your favorite marinara sauce. You won’t be disappointed!
How to make your own bread crumbs
Bread crumbs are an essential part of these fried mozzarella cheese sticks. If you don’t have any on hand it’s easy to make your own. Take any kind of bread and run it through a food processor until you get fine crumbs.
To make 1 1/2 cups you’ll probably need to use about 4 slices of bread.
Transfer the crumbs to a cookie sheet and bake in a 300 degree oven and bake, tossing every 3 or 4 minutes until the crumbs are dry and golden brown. About 10 to 12 minutes.
Learn how to make bread crumbs here.
Can these cheese sticks be baked?
I knew you would ask, so I tested it just in case.
That’s a big fat no.
It’s super hard to get any kind of crust to hold together in the oven and you end up with puddles of cheese with soggy crust on the outside. I wasn’t impressed and no matter how you spin it you won’t be either.
Here’s what they looked like. You can decide if this is what you’d want to serve:
Can I make these cheese sticks in an air fryer?
Air fryers are glorified convection ovens so I suspicion you are going to end up with a result much like the baked version but if you want to try it, go for it.
More cheesy recipes to love
Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 cup flour gluten free works
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 pound low moisture mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups refined coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- Gather three medium bowls. In the first add the flour and set aside. To the second add the egg and water and beat well. Set aside.
- To the third add the bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
- Slice the cheese in to 4" by 1/2" slices. Working with one or two at a time, place them first into the flour, then the egg then the breadcrumbs pressing firmly.
- Transfer the breaded sticks to a cookie sheet and freeze 2 1/2 hours or overnight if desired.
- When ready to fry, heat the coconut oil in a 9" heavy skillet over medium high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Add one or two cheesesticks at a time. They will fry fast so keep an eye on them.
- Fry 2 minutes on each side then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm with your favorite marinara sauce.
About the Author
Rachel Ballard, RN, BSN brings more than 20 years of professional nursing expertise to Feast and Farm. With a love for nutrient dense foods that support wellness, she works to distill complex health information and current trends into recipes that fuel the best version of yourself. Read more about Rachel here.