Mozzarella Sticks

Everyone is obsessed with these gooey homemade Mozzarella Sticks, breaded with a flavorful coating and fried to golden perfection.

If you’re like me and love ordering Mozzarella Sticks and Marinara when you go out to eat, you will be blown away by this homemade recipe! It’s a great appetizer for parties, and if you prefer something more bite-sized, try our Mozzarella Bites!

Mozzarella sticks on a platter with marinara dipping sauce.

Who loves mozzarella sticks?!

This next appetizer happens to be a family favorite. Whether we’re making them at home, or ordering them at a restaurant, the kids especially love Mozzarella Sticks!

I admit I may have bought frozen Mozzarella Sticks a time or two, and more often than not, they’re kind of a disappointment.

They either come out soggy, the breading doesn’t have much flavor, or the cheese is rubbery. Yuck!

I decided that was enough of that, and finally learned how to make fried Mozzarella Sticks homemade. I’m so glad I did, because they’re actually pretty quick and easy, and taste WAY BETTER than frozen!

Serve them up with Marinara Sauce or some Homemade Ranch Dressing.

All the ingredients for breading the cheese sticks and making homemade mozzarella sticks.

How to make mozzarella sticks

Believe it or not, homemade Mozzarella Sticks only take about 35-40 minutes from start to finish, and that’s including 20 minutes in the freezer. Not too bad for a tasty little snack!

PREP. Unwrap cheese sticks and cut them in half.

Prepare breading stations. In bag #1, toss the flour, paprika, and salt. In bag #2, mix the panko, parsley, and oregano. And in a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together.

COAT. Now coat your cheese sticks.

  1. Toss 5 or 6 in your milk bowl for a good soaking.
  2. Throw them in the flour bag and shake, shake, shake.
  3. Put them back in the milk bowl, making sure to coat every side.
  4. Finally, toss them around in the panko bag for your second coating.

FREEZE. Place them on a cookie sheet and freeze for 20-30 min.

FRY. Heat a few inches of your canola or vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Place sticks, in batches, in the oil and fry until golden brown on all sides (about 30-60 seconds).

SERVE. Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel. Serve immediately with Marinara Sauce or some Homemade Ranch Dressing.

Air fryer directions

PREP. Prepare the Mozzarella Sticks as directed in the recipe.

FRY. Once they are frozen, fry them up in the air fryer. Place the mozzarella sticks in the basket and spray with cooking spray. Set the temperature to 390°F. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the exterior is golden and crispy. 

Fried mozzarella sticks draining on paper towels.

Pro tips + TRICKS

Cheese. Unwrap your cheese sticks while still connected and the wrappers will all come off at once. I use string cheese for ease, but you can also cut a block of Mozzarella Cheese into sticks.

Breading. You can use bowls for the breading process, but I think using plastic bags are less messy and much quicker. In fact, I always keep these storage bags on hand because they can be used for so many things!

Double coating them helps the cheese stay inside the coating and not melt out while frying.

Freeze! It’s super important that they are frozen before you fry them, otherwise, the cheese will ooze out of the coating.

Oil. When frying, choose an oil with a high smoking point such as vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. The ideal temperature for frying is about 350°-375° F.

Fry basket. A fry basket is handy because you can cook up several at a time. If you don’t have a fry basket, be cautious about adding too many cheese sticks to the oil. If you’re too slow in taking them out of the oil, the cheese will start oozing out.

Variations

  • Seasoning. Flavor the crumb mixture with garlic powder, pepper, paprika, or Italian seasoning.
  • Bread crumbs. I like using panko crumbs because they stay nice and crisp. If you wish, you can replace the panko with breadcrumbs. Prepare the bread crumb mixture in the same manner.
A homemade mozzarella stick being dipped in marinara.

Storing info

Make ahead of time. Bread your cheese sticks ahead of time and pop them in the freezer.

Once they’re frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Then you have a whole batch on hand ready to fry up whenever you like!

Serve immediately. I would definitely make sure to serve this Mozzarella Sticks Recipe right after making them. That’s when they taste the best, and the cheese just strings all over the place (you know what I’m talking about, right?!)

STORE. Keep leftover sticks in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for a couple of months.

Easy mozzarella sticks on a serving platter with dipping sauce.

Serve mozzarella sticks with these other appetizers:

Mozzarella Sticks Recipe

5 from 16 votes
Everyone is obsessed with these gooey homemade Mozzarella Sticks, breaded with a flavorful coating and fried to golden perfection.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Freeze 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 24 sticks
Calories 72 kcal
Author Lil’ Luna

Ingredients

  • 12 string cheese sticks
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • teaspoon paprika
  • teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • vegetable oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • Unwrap cheese sticks and cut them in half crosswise.
  • Combine flour, paprika and salt in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. In a second bag, mix panko, parsley and oregano. In a bowl, beat eggs and milk together.
  • Add 5 or 6 cheese sticks to the bowl with eggs and milk and toss around to coat. Transfer sticks to the flour bag and shake around, then return them to the milk bowl, making sure to coat every side. Finally, add sticks to the panko bag and toss to coat. Place panko-coated sticks on a baking sheet. Repeat to coat all the remaining cheese sticks.
  • Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 20–30 minutes. This will ensure that the cheese does not ooze out of the coating while frying.
  • Heat a few inches of vegetable oil in a large frying pan to 350–375 degrees F.
  • Working in batches, fry sticks in the oil until golden brown on all sides, 30–60 seconds.
  • Drain on a paper towel–lined plate. Serve immediately with marinara sauce or ranch dressing.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead: Bread your cheese sticks ahead of time and pop them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or resealable plastic freezer bag. Store for up to 1 month before frying as instructed above.

Recipe adapted from: Noshing with the Nolands

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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    These are so addicting!! They are crispy & crunchy, which I love & super cheesy!! They are seriously so good!!

  2. 5 stars
    Made these and I had to come back and leave a review because THEY WERE AWESOME! my family ate them all AND THEY WERE PRETTY EASY MAKE. EXCITED TO MAKE THEM AGAIN!

  3. 5 stars
    We like mozzarella sticks as much as fried zucchini. We like the cheesy gooiness in these little sticks. Not hard to make.

  4. Can you put THese in the air fryer like your cream cheese stuffed JALAPENOS? Just made those and they are awesome!

    1. They sure can! You can set your air fryer to 390°F. Spray the air fryer basket and the mozzarella sticks with a nonstick cooking spray. Then you can air fry the mozzarella sticks for 6 to 8 minutes until the exterior is crispy. You can do this in batches if needed. Hope this helps!

    1. I haven’t tried them in the air fryer, but they should be able to!! I’d guess maybe 390 or so for about 5 minutes?