Homemade mozzarella sticks air fryer or Ninja Foodi style are so good and easy to make! Lightly breaded mozzarella fried without oil is the way to go. We shared how to cook air fryer frozen mozzarella sticks but from scratch better and healthier too.
Ready for a homemade mozzarella sticks recipe for some weekend finger foods fun? I kid you not, when you make these from scratch with cheese sticks you’ll never buy them frozen again! Just one of our favorite breaded air fryer recipes on our site.
Homemade Mozzarella Sticks Recipe
These babies are a quick protein packed bite that always satisfies us between meals. With just a bit of seasonings and breading you can transform them into something amazing, but way healthier than if you deep fried them (with the same crunch you want).
You can make these in any brand of machine you have. Some are larger than others to fit more into your batches but work the same. If you have kids at home I bet you already have a bunch of string cheese in that little drawer in your fridge.
Ninja Foodi Option
Tips: My Favorite models are the Cosori or making Ninja Foodi recipes with the lid that is attached.
It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. This is how to preheat air fryer first before adding your food so it becomes as crispy as possible. For best results, here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
Ingredient Notes
Refrigerated cheese sticks is the main star of the show here. They’ve always been a staple in our house with 3 girls, I even eat them now and then. They do sell cheddar versions but the most common are mozzarella. This is what you want. Frigo is probably the most commonly found in most grocery store, I do not buy low fat because that changes the texture I think.
Egg will help the breading to stick but if you need an egg-free option you can brush on mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt instead. you will want a shallow bowl to whisk this and another for your dry breading as well.
Flour coats the outside to dry out any remaining moisture so it gets as crispy as possible + Panko breadcrumbs and Italian breadcrumbs are the breading mixture we used with some seasonings like garlic powder and Italian seasoning. You could use pork rinds like with our air fryer fried pickles too though actually.
There’s NO need for deep frying these to get the outsides nice and crispy, olive oil cooking spray works great to get them to a deep golden brown in your air fryer basket. That way you can eliminate the overall fat content since you’re just using hot circulating air to cook them.
Can you use a block of mozzarella cheese?
If you prefer to slice a block into bite size pieces that would work too. Just make sure that each one is the same thickness or the cook time won’t work well with some getting done before others.
Tips
Cutting these standard size sticks in half is what is recommended, but each could be cut into fourths. For that I would decrease the time just a bit and keep an eye on them so you don’t cause the cheese to melt out. You always want to preheat the air fryer before adding food.
Make sure each one is in a single layer and not overlapping or bread crumbs will fall off and the air can’t rotate properly. Smaller pieces like these air fryer cheese curds can be made too and served on a charcuterie board for guests.
How to Make Mozzarella Sticks Without Breadcrumbs
You could just season flour in a bowl, dip into whisked egg and then into that. Spray with olive oil and use that instead. As far as air fryer appetizers are concerned, these are probably on the top of kids’ lists of favorites. You could even make them smaller, and more bite sized for little fingers.
What happens if you don’t freeze mozzarella sticks before frying?
That’s right, you’ll need to put these babies on a baking sheet and freeze them solid before air frying them. What if you don’t? Well…you’ll have a mess on your hands and if you’re hungry you won’t be happy. Make sure you take this step seriously and into account when figuring out how long these take to make from start to finish.
Homemade Mozzarella Sticks Air Fryer Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
- 2 shallow bowls
Ingredients
- 12 mozzarella sticks, pre cut and packaged individual sticks
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Unwrap mozzarella sticks from packages. Lay on paper towels to remove any moisture on outsides. Cut each piece in half.
- Put parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Use 3 shallow dishes, one with flour, one with whisked egg, and the other combine the breadcrumbs and seasonings.
- One at a time dip each stick in flour, then egg, then coat with breadcrumbs and set on baking sheet.
- When all are coated place baking sheet in the freezer for at least 3 hours, or overnight until completely frozen.
- Preheat air fryer to 370 F for 4 minutes. Spray with non stick spray and lay in one layer without overlapping.
- Air fry for about 6 minutes or until lightly golden brown on outside.
- Serve with bowl of ranch or marinara sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What sauces go with mozzarella sticks
I mean you can use just about anything but marinara sauce is a given when serving fried or air fryer mozzarella sticks in general. Serve up a big dip bar next to it with all sort of other options both sweet and savory like; this is How to make fry sauce we make ourselves, Bang bang shrimp sauce is oh so fun, ranch dressing is a fave around here too. Honey mustard dip works or make Sriracha mayo for some heat
What is the best way to reheat homemade mozzarella sticks?
In the air fryer or Foodi of course!! If there are leftovers let them come to room temperature. Then wrap in foil and in the fridge for up to 2 days. Take out, and immediately put into a preheated Cosori for about 2 minutes.
Spray tops with olive oil if you want the outside to become even crispier. Just check often so the insides don’t ooze out since they would be going in not frozen this time which doesn’t work quite as well.
Nutritional information is above but is calculated by the card so unsure of accuracy. Uses all ingredients listed below and every brand of cheese is slightly different so refer to package you have.
