Everyone is obsessed with these ooey gooey homemade mozzarella sticks, breaded with a flavorful coating and fried to a golden perfection.
If you’re like me and love ordering mozzarella sticks 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!
Who loves mozz 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, or the breading doesn’t have much flavor, or the cheese is rubbery… You know what I’m talking about.
Well, I decided that was enough of that, and finally learned how to make them homemade. I’m so glad I did, because they’re actually pretty quick and easy, and taste WAY BETTER than frozen (and sometimes even better than the restaurant’s)!
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!
COAT. Unwrap cheese sticks and cut them in half.
Prepare a “station” for breading your mozzarella sticks. In bag/bowl #1, toss the flour, paprika and salt. In bag/bowl #2, mix the panko, parsley and oregano. Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl.
Now coat your cheese sticks, working with 5-6 at a time. First give them a good soaking in the milk. Next, throw them in the flour bag and shake, shake, shake. Put them back in the milk bowl, making sure to coat every side. Finally, toss them around in the panko bag for your final coat.
FREEZE. Place them on a cookie sheet and freeze for 20-30 min, or until they’re pretty much frozen.
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 60 seconds). Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Serve immediately with marinara sauce or some homemade ranch.
Pro tips + TRICKS
- Unwrap your cheese sticks while they are are still connected and the wrappers will all come off at once.
- You can use bowls for the breading process, but I think using the plastic bags (without a zipper) 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 will help the cheese to stay inside the coating and not melt out while they’re frying.
- It’s super important that they are frozen before you fry them, otherwise the cheese will ooze out of the coating.
- The ideal temperature for frying is about 350°-375° F.
Take note of these tips and tricks for crunchy and delicious mozz sticks!
A few more tips…
You can bread your cheese sticks ahead of time and pop them in the freezer, then 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!
I would definitely make sure to serve these guys right after making them because that’s when they taste the best, and that’s when the cheese just strings all over the place (you know what I’m talking about, right?!)
Using this recipe, you’ll be able to have a super cheesy and crunchy appetizer that’s a hit at all the parties or get togethers. Serve the cheese sticks up with Marinara Sauce or ranch and they’ll be gone in minutes!!
Serve mozz sticks with these other appetizers:
- Crockpot Meatballs
- Boneless Buffalo Wings
- Veggie Tray
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Mozzarella Bites
- Onion Dip
Mozzarella Sticks Recipe
Ingredients
- 12-16 String Cheese Sticks
- ½ cup flour
- ⅛ tsp paprika
- ⅛ tsp Lawrys Seasoning Salt
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ½ cup panko crumbs
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp oregano
- Vegetable Oil for frying
Instructions
- Unwrap cheese sticks and cut them in half. (tip: unwrap while cheese stick wrappers are still connected and they will all come off at once).
- You can use bowls for this next step, but I think using the plastic bags (without a zipper) are less messy and much quicker. (SUGGESTED TIP: I keep a box of these storage bags, without a zipper, on hand at all times. You can use them for so many things!!). In bag #1, toss the flour, paprika and salt. In bag #2, mix the panko, parsley and oregano. In a bowl, beat the eggs and milk together.
- Now coat your cheese sticks by first tossing 5 or 6 in your milk bowl for a good soaking. Next, throw them in the flour bag and shake, shake, shake. Put them back in the milk bowl, making sure to coat every side. Finally, toss them around in the panko bag for your final coat.
- Place them on a cookie sheet and freeze for 20-30 min.
- 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). Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel. Serve immediately with marinara sauce or ranch.
Video
Recipe adapted from: Noshing with the Nolands
These look so good, Kristyn! Mozzarella sticks are a total weakness for me. I can’t wait to make these at home!
SAME!! Not sure how you CAN’T like cheese being deep fried! 😉
Do you coat them in flour twice or once in flour once in panko?
Once in the flour, but twice in the milk. Once in the panko. Hope you like them!
I could totally live on these – YUM!
Same, Gina! They’re a favorite for sure!! Hope you guys have a great New Year!!
Really simple and the flavor is wonderful!
Love your site. Thank you so much for sharing!
Awe, thank you!! I am happy you do 🙂 You’ve made my day!
These are so addicting!! They are crispy & crunchy, which I love & super cheesy!! They are seriously so good!!
This recipe is a family favorite for sure! No need to go out for a good appetizer.
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!
Aren’t they so addicting?! I am happy you tried them!!
these are so good! I love how easy they were to make, and they were loved by all at our tailgate.
This was so great! So much easier to make then I thought!
We like mozzarella sticks as much as fried zucchini. We like the cheesy gooiness in these little sticks. Not hard to make.
Using cheese sticks is a great idea! The recipe was easy and delicious.
Can you put THese in the air fryer like your cream cheese stuffed JALAPENOS? Just made those and they are awesome!
I haven’t tried, but I don’t see why not! That’s a great idea!
Can we bake these instead? If so, how long at ehat temp?
I would like to try these. Can they be adapted for the air fryer? Thanks, Wendy
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!