These homemade air fryer mozzarella sticks come out full of gooey, melty cheese and a nice, crispy shell. This homemade version is so much better than any mozzarella sticks you’ll find in the freezer section!
Mozzarella sticks have been a favorite of mine for my whole life. Unfortunately, their quality can be extremely variable even if you go pick them up at the same restaurant chain.
If you order them from a restaurant, some are AMAZING and others are a total waste of money. And let’s be real…they aren’t cheap! Fried cheese can be some of the most expensive appetizers at many restaurants.
The same is true for the frozen cheese sticks. They rarely come out good following packaging instructions and the only way I ever got them crispy start making air fryer frozen mozzarella sticks. But even then I just didn’t appreciate the gooey cheese in those as much as I do the homemade version!
The point is if you want OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD mozz sticks, you’re going to want to go homemade.
So melty, so cheesy, so crispy. These are perfect.
How to make mozzarella sticks in an air fryer:
- PREPARE THE BREADING: Grab three separate shallow dishes to dip the cheese into for breading. The first will have flour and salt; whisk the eggs until smooth. The last will have panko, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Also, get a sheet pan lined with wax paper and set aside.
- COVER THE CHEESE IN THE BREADING-Dip each of your cheese sticks in the flour, then egg, then panko. Place them on your sheet pan and freeze for a half hour. After removing the cheese from the freezer, dip it a second time and freeze for another half hour. Trust me – the double breading process is worth the time it takes!
- COOK THE MOZZ STICKS-Spritz the air fryer basket with oil or brush the oil onto the basket. Arrange the mozzarella sticks in a single layer in the basket. Spritz the sticks with vegetable oil. Cook at 360 degrees F for six minutes.
The best sauces for mozzarella sticks
There are very many dipping options for mozzarella sticks. If you ask me, there is no wrong answer. Think of all the things you have ever eaten with mozzarella cheese and each sauce in those recipes is an option. If you are having a sauce party, and have mozz sticks, any of these options will be a good idea!
- Ranch dressing
- Franks Hot Sauce
- Red french dressing
- Marinara sauce
- Alfredo sauce
- Country gravy
- Chipotle ranch or Southwest ranch dressing
- Cocktail sauce (not for me, but I have witnessed it)
- BBQ sauce
FAQ
When we made our cheese sticks you could see the cheese outside of some of the breading but there was so little that the air fryer basket was totally clean except for the oil we used!
In the recipe, there was a step put them in the freezer for a short period of time after breading them. Not long enough to freeze them, but enough to firm them up a bit. Don’t skip this step. If you didn’t skip this step and you still have this problem, it is possible that your cheese sticks are too large.
Yes, it won’t hurt anything as long as you cook them the same day. If they sit overnight or longer you will want to throw them away if you haven’t cooked them yet. If your goal is to save them for later, fully cook them per the recipe before freezing in an air tight container.
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Can you freeze these homemade mozzarella sticks for later?
Chances are that yes, these will freeze perfectly! That said, we haven’t tested it out ourselves. Once we start making these, there is no holding us back from eating the whole batch. 😉
To freeze, I would place the fully breaded mozzarella sticks on a sheet pan for one hour. After the hour is up, transfer these to a freezer safe zip top bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You’ll likely need to add an extra minute to your frozen mozzarella sticks when cooking, but keep an eye on them. As soon as you see cheese starting to peak out of the breading, they’re ready to come out of the air fryer.
More air fried snack recipes you might like:
- Frozen pizza rolls
- Air fryer pickles
- Barbecue bacon chicken bites
- Bacon wrapped dates
- Air fried blooming onion
Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 10 mozzarella cheese sticks
- Oil spray
Instructions
- Add the flour and salt to a shallow dish and whisk to combine.
- Add the eggs to a second shallow dish and whisk well until smooth.
- Add the panko, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to a third shallow dish and whisk to combine.
- Line a sheet pan with wax or parchment paper.
- Dip each cheese stick first into the flour, then egg, and then the Panko.
- Place the breaded cheese sticks onto the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Dip the frozen cheese sticks in the flour, egg, and Panko a second time and then freeze for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees. Spritz the basket with oil spray.
- Arrange the mozzarella sticks in an even layer in the basket with space between each. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Spritz the mozzarella sticks with oil spray and then cook for 6 minutes.
- Check the mozzarella sticks and continue cooking in 1 minute increments until the cheese just starts to leak out of the breading.
- Serve immediately with marinara or ranch dressing for dipping.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
malik says
These mozzarella sticks look incredible! I’ve tried the double-breading trick you mentioned, and it makes all the difference for that extra crunch. Pairing them with chipotle ranch sounds genius—I’ll have to try that next time!
On the topic of elevating homemade treats, I’ve recently been obsessed with crafting coffeehouse-style drinks at home. A crispy mozzarella stick and a creamy Half-Caff Coffee Cold Foam drink make the perfect afternoon combo. If you’re a coffee lover, I wrote a guide on nailing Starbucks-worthy cold foam with half-caff blends (great for cutting caffeine without sacrificing flavor!). Check it out here: Enjoy Half-Caff Coffee Cold Foam Drinks at Home.
Do you have a go-to drink or snack pairing for your air fryer creations? I’m always looking for new ideas!
CB says
Not a good recipe. Followed it to a T and the cheese sticks completely melted in the air fryer. Would not recommend.