These are the best Ninja Foodi air fryer cheese curds! Lightly breaded and crispy you can now enjoy this ooey gooey snack at home anytime you want. Kinda’ like air fryer frozen mozzarella sticks cooked in this machine except we made these from scratch.
Even if you aren’t from Wisconsin, you can still love some warm air fryer cheese curds! I mean who doesn’t love the ooey gooeyness of this bite of dairy??!! Just one of the best air fryer recipes here on The Typical Mom site. (affiliate links present)
Homemade Cheese Curds in Ninja Foodi
If you have a Foodi you can make these with the lid that is attached and the basket with the holes at the bottom. Breaded bites of goodness are made crispy and kinda ooze in your mouth. Dip in marinara sauce and they are the best snacks ever.
I mean we have made homemade mozzarella sticks in air fryer before and those were yummy. We used a ready made frozen type for that though so it was time to make something from scratch. At our local favorite burger joint they have these bites of heaven. Since we are obsessed with cooking everything in our Ninja Foodi I thought we could try them ourselves. HEAVEN I tell you!
Table of contents
If you love extra crispy food and quick recipes, here are some resources to start with:
- My Favorite models are this Cosori or for a dual machine, the Foodi.
- You can find more Ninja Foodi recipes here as well; bookmark them both!
- It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. this is how to preheat air fryer first.
- Here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
How Long to Cook Cheese Curds Air Fryer
You are going to need to stay close for these as larger pieces will take a bit longer than smaller bites of course, but 3 minutes is about right. They will expand and right before they ooze out of the breadcrumbs coating you want to pull the drawer out!!
If you look in the cheese section of your grocery store you will likely find a bag of these babies. They’re usually in a bag hanging next to the shredded cheeses. If you can’t find them you can use slices of string cheese. You can search for where to buy cheese curds here though.
These are better, more tender, and have a bit of a different flavor and texture but use what you can find. I do suggest asking for items I like buying. You usually fill out a form to request that they carry something.
It doesn’t always work but all they can say is no, you may be surprised to find out that others have requested it too. That will help push them into carrying it in their store.
How to Cook Air Fryer Cheese Curds Frozen
If you bought the Farm Fresh version of these that are already made you can make those too well. You need to preheat for 5 minutes at 400 degrees first. Then lay in a single layer for 8 minutes to start, shaking basket after minute 4. Check after that, if not warm enough add 1-2 more minutes. Beware because they may explode at the end but if you rotate more often it is more successful.
What are Cheese Curds?
They are fresh curds of cheese, normally cheddar. Instead of a firm block they have more of a springy rubbery texture. That doesn’t sound good but OH they are! More airy is I guess how I would explain it. Compare it to puffy Cheetos vs. the hard sticks, maybe that visual is something that makes more sense.
What are fried cheese curds made of?
You can use different things as the coating really. If you are deep frying them you could use something similar to our tempura batter. When you air fry them you must use a breadcrumb mixture with seasonings. Dipped in whisked egg and milk and then in the breading you’ll create the perfect crispy coating.
If you’ve had these at a restaurant they are surely deep fried. I mean a few of those are great but that method can make them rather heavy. I love air fried cheese so much better.
Air Fried Cheese Curds Ingredients
- Cheese curds can be bought in bags near the string cheese
- Milk, just a tad will dilute the egg to help the breading stick
- Egg is best for the outside to get crumbs to stick well
- Italian or Panko Bread crumbs mixture is the best but some just use all purpose flour dusted on outside
- Light spritz of olive oil spray gets them really crunchy
You can get the Italian style or add your own seasonings like garlic powder and cayenne pepper into the mix. Either way that is up to you. I just use it right out of the container and add a bit of salt and pepper when they are done. Dipping sauces are great with them too.
How to Bread Cheese Curds
Once you have your shallow bowls ready just create an assembly line to get every piece done. You can see how it’s well coated above, that is what you want. Set them on a piece of parchment paper until they are all prepared. Dunk one at a time into the egg, allow excess to drip off, then roll into the Panko breadcrumbs or Italian style until covered entirely. That is it!!
At the bottom of this post there are all the ingredient amounts and instructions. It is printable too if you want to keep it on hand or put it into your own recipe book. Lightly beat egg with milk in a bowl.
How to Cook Ninja Foodi Cheese Curds
- In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs garlic powder or any other seasonings you want, or leave it plain.
- Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees F and set timer for 5-7 minutes.
- Dip one curd at a time into egg wash and then coat with bread crumbs allowing any excess coating to fall off. Spray inside of basket with non stick spray.
- Place curds in your basket in a single layer
- Leave a bit of space in between them with curds in a single layer of your air fryer basket so they get really crispy on the outside all the way around.
- Cook for 2-4 minutes or longer depending on their size. Start with 2 min. and check. Remove when they are light brown crispy nuggets.
- Keep an eye on them so they don’t burst. Start with 2 minutes. If yours are larger they may take 4 but 3 was perfect for the size you see in the photo. No need after 2 minutes to flip them over.
Popping them in your mouth like air fryer popcorn chicken is good as is. If you like dipping sauces for all the things then try these:
Dipping Sauces
- Marinara sauce or homemade Instant Pot spaghetti sauce is simple and great
- Ketchup
- Bang bang sauce
- Ranch dressing is a fave
- Melted cheddar cheese or velveeta is an option
- Fry sauce is our go to
How Long do they last?
Since they are so fresh and texture is everything they don’t keep fresh for long. 21 days is typically the “life span” so make sure you make them quickly once purchased.
Copycat Culver’s Cheese Curds
This is one of our favorite places to grab a Butterburger and these babies. If you don’t want to leave the house I would make your own! Throw these together with frozen hamburgers in air fryer and pile on the toppings so you can serve them together for way cheaper than going out.
Prefer the other stick version? You can use the same idea but use string cheese sticks too, see which you prefer better. OR make both when people come over with a dip bar for even more fun.
If you just can’t get enough of this gooey dairy product, you should give Ninja Foodi grilled cheese a whirl too. Only takes a few minutes to make them for lunch.
Air Fryer Cheese Curds
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
- 2 shallow bowls
Ingredients
- 1.5 c cheese curds
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 c bread crumbs, Italian or add your own choice of seasonings
Instructions
- Beat egg with milk in a bowl. In another bowl pour in breadcrumbs. Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Dip one curd at a time into egg wash and then coat with bread crumbs well. Spray inside of basket with non stick spray.
- Place into air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 2-4 minutes until outside is golden brown.
- ** Keep an eye on them so they don't burst. Check after minute 2. If yours are larger they may take 4 but 3 was perfect for the size you see in the photo in this post.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
