Fried mozzarella bites are delicious, easy and the perfect party appetizer when served with marinara. Everyone loves this bite-sized snack!
These bite-sized version of one of our favorite appetizers, Mozzarella Sticks, are absolutely divine dipped in homemade Marinara or Ranch.
Easy, Cheesy Appetizer
Have I mentioned how much we love appetizers in my family?? 😉 This next recipe is one my sister, Kellyn, tried out. For years she’s always been the one to make Mozzarella Sticks, but she wanted to change things up and decided to make some Fried Mozzarella Bites instead.
Sticks? Bites? We weren’t complaining. We’re a family that loves cheese, so we knew they would be a hit! And they were!
Best of all, these fried Mozzarella bites were super easy to make. My sister made them just like we make our Fried Zucchini, but they can also be baked.
There are a few different types of mozzarella you can use. The recipe card states to use mozzarella sticks and all you need to do is cut them into bite size pieces. You can also use marinated mozzarella balls or mozzarella pearls. The latter are a bit smaller, but they turn out great and are so delicious.
How to Make Them
PREP. Cut string cheese into 1″ pieces. Prepare coating process by pouring milk in a bowl and setting aside. Put 1 cup flour in a plastic bag and in another bag add 2 cups panko, mixed with seasonings.
COAT. Place cheese in milk, one handful at a time. Toss into your flour bag and shake well. Put cheese back into your milk bowl and coat completely. Toss in panko bag and shake until evenly coated.
FREEZE. Place mozzarella bites on a plate or in a bag and freeze for at least 2 hours.
(Freeze Ahead of Time: Don’t skip the freeze time otherwise the cheese will ooze right out before the frying time is done. If you don’t want to pause for 2 hours in the middle of making them, you can prep and freeze them ahead of time. Once they have been breaded, place them in a single layer in a container. You can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months until you’re ready to fry them up.)
FRY. Heat up oil on medium heat. Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Be sure to take them out of the oil before they get too hot or cheese will ooze out of breading.
Dipping: Our favorite sauce to dip these in is marinara. It’s hard to beat that combination! For some other delicious combinations try pairing these bites with:
more Cooking Methods + storing
How to bake: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the coated cheese bites on the sheet. Lightly spray them with cooking oil. Bake for 4-6 minutes or until heated and soft. One indicator is to wait for 1-2 bites to ooze a bit of cheese. Remove and let cool just a bit before serving.
Air Fryer: You can easily air fry these cheese bites. It’s a little healthier than frying them in oil and you still get a warm crips bite. Preheat the airfryer to 400°F. Spray the basket with cooking spray. Place the bites in a single layer. Spray the top of the bites with cooking spray and then fry for 6-8 minutes or until warm and gooey. You may need to fry in batches. Keep the remaining bites in the fridge or freezer while the others are being fired.
Leftovers: These bites are best when eaten right away. However, if you do end up with leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat: preheat the oven to 400°F and then bake until warm and crips, about 5 minutes.
For more mozzarella recipes, check out:
- Mozzarella Penne
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Salad
- Tomato Mozzarella Salad
- Penne Tomato Mozzarella Salad
Mozzarella Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 package package string cheese
- 2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- Marinara Sauce (homemade or store bought)
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut string cheese into 1" pieces
- Prepare coating process by pouring milk in a bowl and setting aside. Put 1 cup flour in a plastic bag and in another bag add 2 cups panko, mixed with seasonings.
- Place cheese in milk, one handful at a time.
- Toss into your flour bag and shake well.
- Put cheese back into your milk bowl and coat completely.
- Toss in panko bag and shake until evenly coated.
- Place mozzarella bites on a plate or in a bag and freeze for at least 2 hours.
- Heat up oil on medium heat. Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Be sure to take them out of the oil before they get too hot or cheese will ooze out of breading.
- Serve warm with marinara sauce. ENJOY!
Ummm – yeah – I’ll be right over!!!!! I have a serious love for appetizers like this- fried stuff with cheese- move over because I’m not sharing. WOW these look so good. I know what I’m making every single weekend – even if there isn’t football on 🙂 Thank you!!
You’re so sweet, Gina! I would LOVE it if you were actually close enough to come right over. Wouldn’t that be awesome?! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!!
These look delicious, tasty and super easy. Great idea to freeze them before frying!
I think you’ll LOVE them!! Let me know if you try them out. 🙂
These are looking quite mouth watering, Kristyn! I actually already have all of the ingredients on hand… so looks like we’re going to make these for a Friday night kind of snack! (=
So adorable, so poppable, and I bet so good! pinned
Awesome recipe girly! Will definitely make for a game day one of these days!
Thank you!! They are so good – you’ll love them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I froze mine for 2 hours and then tried to fry them and they all melted!
These look wonderful! Can’t wait to try them.
Do you see any problem with freezing them overnight? I was thinking of making these this weekend for a Super Bowl gathering, but would really like to have the bulk of the work done ahead of time.
I love this recipe the only thing I did different was deep fry them in a dryer set to 360 degrees for about 90seconds-2minutes perfect!!
Glad you liked them!! Deep frying is a great idea. 😉
Kia – what is a “dryer”?
Lexi- Was obviously a typo. Dryer should be fryer
oh my goodness, Kristyn…this is the best recipe site I have ever seen…just wish I could save the recipes…but I am not very good on the computer…I am so hungry now…and only looked at the soups and the appetizers…lol…you are doing an awesome job…just hope I can find your site again….Keep up the good work, you are doing great…and this is coming from a 50 something year old woman !!!
Awe, you are so sweet!! Thanks so much for saying that! You can PIN the recipes, if you have pintrest, that way you can save them or print them & make your collection of recipes to try 🙂 I hope you like the ones you try!
I read recipe – I have “?”
listed in ingredients… 2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs -but- in instructions… stated 1 cup panko
What happened to the other cup?
Oops, sorry! Will need to fix that. Just keep it the 2 cups. Really, it doesn’t need to be exact. The more the better for me 🙂 Hope that helps!
So tasty! I tried this recipe yesterday for my family and It has been appreciated! Thanks KRISTYN!! I will try other recipes you shared on your blog 🙂
You are so welcome!! I’d love to know what you think of other ones you try 🙂 Thank you so much!
I am IN LOVE with your website. All of your recipes are so clearly explained and so delicious. i’ve tried quite a few of them and my family has yet to be disappointed. you are “the bomb” when it comes to COOKING AND SHARING YOUR RECIPES
Awe!! That is so nice of you!! Thank you so much for saying that! I am so happy you think that!!
These were so good! Loved the breading on the outside!
10 out of 10 love them and so easy
My daughter is going to love these!!!!
If you are going to bake instead of fry do you still freeze them before baking? And if you do freeze them is the cooking time still 4-6 minutes or longer? Thanks!
If you are going to bake, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the coated cheese bites on the sheet. Lightly spray them with cooking oil. Bake for 4-6 minutes or until heated and soft. One indicator is to wait for 1-2 bites to ooze a bit of cheese. Remove and let cool just a bit before serving.
These are extremely tasty, but even after freezing them and cooking them according to directions, my cheese melted and everything ended up as one big pile stuck together!
Sorry to hear! Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!