The Best Mozzarella Sticks
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Mozzarella Sticks have to be the most special appetizer out there. I do love Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Wings (Buffalo and Barbecue are my favourite!)… I think you see a pattern! These are crispy, juicy, and full of flavour!
But there’s something about mozzarella sticks that always get me so excited. Not only is there that awesome crispy golden brown crust, but enveloped in there is stringy cheese! Cheese, there’s never too much cheese! I’ll take any cheesy appetizer! I love to dip my mozzarella sticks in sauce and then enjoy an insane cheese pull! I never want my experience with mozzarella sticks to end, and seriously, I could probably just have a meal with a ton of mozzarella sticks if I really wanted to!
I’ve been trying to master the homemade mozzarella stick for quite some time. For some reason, I would always mess them up, which was really disappointing! From bursting to lack of cheese pulls to not nailing the right colour, I’ve been through all the woes of making mozzarella sticks at home! But now I’ve finally achieved the perfect crispy mozzarella sticks that will hold their shape and when you tear them apart… produce an insane cheese pull!
It’s so easy to make these awesome fried mozzarella sticks and you’ll want to make them all the time when you’ve got a craving! Let’s get to the recipe!
Why you’ll love these mozzarella sticks!
My dream has always been to perfect mozzarella sticks! They were oddly tricky to nail! With this recipe you’ll definitely get the best results with your mozzarella sticks! What’s not to love about them? Let’s see why this recipe works!
Simple to make! All you need to do is cut, bread, and fry! Three steps to these mozzarella sticks and no need to freeze your sticks before you fry (unless you want to).
Flavourful! Not only are these mozzarella sticks centred on cheesy goodness, but the crust itself tastes so good! We’ll use an awesome blend of spices to season our breading mixture!
Make-ahead friendly! You can easily prep your mozzarella sticks so you can have a ton on hand and ready to fry when you’ve got an afternoon snack craving, or you want a ton ready to go for Game Day!
Fool proof! No bursting, no cold centre, and a perfect golden brown colour! Learn exactly what it takes to achieve mozzarella stick perfection with this easy to follow step by step recipe for mozzarella sticks!
Tips for the best mozzarella sticks
Ensure your sticks are cut evenly so that they all cook the same
Generously season your breading mixture so the exterior is perfectly crispy and full of flavour!
Double coat your mozzarella sticks to ensure no breading comes off and the sticks burst when frying
Make sure your oil is hot enough but not too hot, or else you’ll have uneven cooking. I recommend having a thermometer to check the oil temperature.
Do a test stick to make sure everything is all good!
Keep your mozzarella sticks warm in the oven so they’ll stay crisp and hot on the inside if you’re making a large batch
Ingredients for The best mozzarella sticks
Let’s go over the ingredients we need to make awesome Mozzarella Sticks at home! Keep in mind that all measurements can be found in the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD at the bottom of this post, so be sure to scroll to the end and save it for later! You can easily scale the quantities of the ingredients based on how many mozzarella sticks you want to make!
Part-skim mozzarella cheese: I’m using part-skimmed mozzarella in a block, and I’ve cut them into 3-4 inch rectangles. I haven’t tried with full fat mozzarella, so I can’t guarantee that the results would be the same if you used full fat cheese. I’ve noticed with other recipes that it doesn’t melt and produce the same stringiness as part skimmed mozzarella.
All-Purpose Flour: Dredging the mozzarella pieces in flour helps create a sticky layer for the breadcrumbs once dipped in the egg. The flour is seasoned for add flavour both inside and outside the crispy crust.
Eggs: This is our sticking agent, which works with the flour to get on the crispy breadcrumbs.
Milk: This is the key to not having your mozzarella sticks burst! This is the one thing I changed from my other mozzarella stick trials in the past, and this really made a difference! Add milk to your whisked eggs.
Panko Breadcrumbs: These breadcrumbs originate from Japan and make for the crispiest crusts. I would recommend you use this instead of regular bread crumbs if a “big crunch” is what you and your family is after!
Seasonings: In this recipe I’m seasoning the breading mixture with smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder.We will also add salt and pepper to taste.
Oil: For frying.
how to make homemade mozzarella sticks
Make the Sticks
Cut the Mozzarella sticks into matchsticks, about 1/2 inch thick and 3-4 inches wide.
Bread the Sticks
Measure out flour, egg & milk, and breadcrumb in different plates/large bowls. Season flour with salt and pepper, lightly whisk the egg and milk and sprinkle oregano, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder on the breadcrumbs.
Working with one mozzarella stick at a time, dredge the cheese in flour, shake off excess. Dip the mozzarella in the eggs and evenly coat each side.
Let excess drip off and coat the mozzarella stick in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to press the breadcrumbs on the mozzarella on the sides and edges as well to ensure an even coat.
Double coat it by again dipping the mozzarella in the eggs and evenly coat each side. Let excess drip off and coat the mozzarella stick in the breadcrumbs on each side. Repeat the same with the remaining mozzarella portions
Fry the Sticks!
Heat the peanut oil in a large wok/pot to about 350 F (180 C). If you don't have a thermometer, fry a test portion of mozza stick and adjust the temperature by either increasing the heat or adding more oil or turning off the heat to cool down.
Fry the mozzarella sticks for 1 1/2 to 3 minutes or until it is rich golden brown all over. If you breaded it well, you would see none or minimal cheese leaking out.
Serve right away and enjoy the pulls with my no-cook tomato sauce.
Troubleshooting common mistakes!
Why Did my Mozzarella Stick Burst?
Honestly this happens to me more often than not! This is because you didn’t totally coat your mozzarella stick with your breadcrumbs. To be totally transparent, I find it very hard to see the spots that weren’t completely covered, which is why my tend to burst. It’s not the end of the world, just a little bit will seep out. You can hide the evidence if you’re serving for a crowd by snacking on those little cheesy bits ;)
Why did my breading turn dark and not golden brown?
This is because your oil was too hot, and your sticks cooked very quickly! You want to have your oil at a lower temperature, right around 350 F (180 C) so that they can slowly cook and not instantly turn dark brown!
Why is the Inside of my Mozzarella Stick Firm & Cold?
Again, this is because of the oil temperature. You may have noticed that this mistake goes hand in hand with the previous one. Your oil was too hot, so the outside cooked super fast, but your mozzarella didn’t get hot enough on the inside to get nice and gooey.
Answering Other Questions!
Can I make mozzarella sticks ahead of time?
I think mozzarella sticks are best enjoyed fresh! However, if there are leftovers for whatever reason (I really don’t know how it would be possible not to clean the plate!), that’s no problem at all! You could store your cooked mozzarella sticks in an airtight container for about two days.
What I would recommend you do save some time is to prep a ton of mozzarella sticks by cutting them and breading them, then freeze them! To freeze your mozzarella sticks, transfer them to a freezer bag. Mozzarella sticks can be frozen for about three months. You can defrost your mozzarella sticks the night before you’re ready to fry.
How Can I Keep the mozzarella sticks warm if I’m making a big batch? How can I reheat the mozzarella sticks?
If you’ve got extra mozzarella sticks, you can reheat them either in the oven or in an air fryer if you have one.
To reheat in the oven, preheat your oven to 350 F. Place your mozzarella sticks on a wire rack and bake for 5-10 minutes.
To reheat in the air fryer, place the sticks in the basket of your air fryer and cook at 350 F for about 3-4 minutes, until the mozzarella sticks are entirely warmed through.
If you have an air fryer, I think this would be the best method to reheat the mozzarella sticks since the air fryer acts as a convection oven, and you’ll achieve that amazing crispiness outside and warm on the inside!
Can I Use String Cheese instead of Mozzarella?
I don’t see why not! I’ve seen recipes that use string cheese. I’ve never done it before, but there shouldn’t be any changes to the actual recipe. However, because string cheese is more processed, you may not get awesome cheese pulls when you break it apart, and the actual taste will probably be a bit different!
What Oil Should I use to Deep Fry?
For this recipe, I’m using peanut oil. You could also use vegetable oil, canola oil or grapeseed oil. You basically want a neutral oil so that there won’t be additional unwanted flavours in your mozzarella sticks, and you want to ensure that the oil has a high smoke point.
What Temperature should the oil be?
You want your oil to be about 180 degrees Celsius or 350 Fahrenheits. The perfect oil temperature will give your breading the perfect golden brown colour and crunch, and cook the mozzarella inside just the right amount so you’ll get some epic cheese pulls!
Can I save my deep frying oil?
If your oil isn’t too dark and this is your first fry, you can certainly reuse the oil. You can use it to deep fry more foods. For instance, after I tested out these mozzarella sticks, I then made a Chicken Parmesan Sandwich for a complete and satisfying dinner! If you plan on frying soon, you can just leave the oil in your wok or pan and you’ll save a step when you’re frying next!
Believe it or not, you could even use your leftover oil for baking! Fun fact: When I made my Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes, I used the leftover oil from making North Indian Potato Samosas! I didn’t have any vegetable oil on hand, but I did have all this leftover oil from frying, and my recipe needs a neutral oil. Perfect!
All you need to do is strain out the excess breadcrumbs that are in the oil, and go ahead and use it in any recipe that needs that kind of oil! To filter out the breadcrumbs, first transfer the oil from the wok or pan into a large bowl, with a sieve on top to remove the excess breadcrumbs. Then, you can add the oil back directly into your wok or pan or you could even transfer it into squeeze bottle if you’re going to use the oil at a later date!
How do I Dispose of Oil?
When you can no longer reuse the oil, allow the oil to completely cool after cooking. If I’m cooking in the evening, I like to just leave it until the next morning. In my experience, the best method to dispose of your oil is to throw it in a wrapped garbage bag. I double bag it because sometimes garbage bags are thing and/or they have holes in them, and the oil can leak through. That won’t be pleasant! If you’ve saved your bottle, you can also pour the oil back into the bottle and then throw it in the garbage.
Don’t throw your oil down the drain because it’s very thick and your drain will clog!
Do I have to Use Panko Breadcrumbs?
No really, in fact my next plan is to compare which breadcrumbs are the best for mozzarella sticks, regular or panko. You can try it before me and let me know what you like more!
How to Enjoy Mozzarella Sticks!
I love to dip my mozzarella sticks! While they’re so good on their own, I have to admit I’m a sucker for sauces, and I love trying new sauces! Here are my recommendations for how you can enjoy your mozzarella sticks!
Classic Italian Marinara: I think this is the essential sauce for dipping! If you’ve got extra sauce from making Spaghetti & Meatballs, then transfer it into a ramekin and make your mozzarella sticks a wonderful appetizer!
Italian No-Cook Pizza Sauce: I love this sauce for pizzas or Pizza Bagels, but you could certainly use it as a dipping sauce! This can get ready in under 5 minutes and it’s so delicious!
Spicy Aioli: A nice cool and tangy take on your mozzarella sticks!
Classic Basil Pesto: I’ve never tried this but I’m sure this would be so delicious and a very different option!
Really the possibilities are endless! I’m not a ranch fan, but that seems to be a very popular dip for mozzarella sticks!
More Appetizer Recipes!
Love Mozzarella Sticks? I’m sure you’ll love these other tasty appetizers perfect for Game Day or any family gathering!
Watch How to Make the best mozzarella sticks Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!