Homemade fried mozzarella balls are bite-sized fried cheese bites made from fresh mozzarella. Dip in marinara sauce or ranch dressing for a tasty italian appetizer or game day snack.
There are few things better than fried mozzarella cheese. It's salty, it's gooey, it's downright delicious!
Making fried cheese balls at home is super easy. All you need is a bit of time to prep, and the result is absolutely delicious. The cheese melts beautifully and in is ready to enjoy seconds.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Whole ingredients Store bought frozen mozzarella balls or restaurant mozzarella sticks are delicious, but they can be full of preservatives and stabilizers. This homemade version contains only whole ingredients.
- One Bite Super easy and fun to just pop in your mouth. Kids will love them!
- Fresh Taste Fresh mozzarella gives a light, fresh taste to these fried mozzarella bites. Even though they are deep fried, they don't feel heavy.
Ingredients
- fresh mozzarella balls Either bocconcini or ciliegine, any small mozzarella balls will work.
- all purpose flour
- milk
- egg
- breadcrumbs
- italian seasoning
- salt
- pepper
How to Make Fried Mozzarella Balls
Start by draining the excess brine and patting the mozzarella balls dry with a paper towel.
Gather three separate shallow bowls. In the first bowl combine flour, italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. In the second bowl, crack and beat egg, and combine with the milk. In the third bowl, place breadcrumbs.
Working in batches, coat the mozzarella balls by first rolling around in the flour bowl, next dipping them in the egg mixture, and finally coating in the breadcrumbs and setting aside.
Once all of the mozzarella bites are coated, place on a baking sheet and freeze for 30-60 minutes, making sure to keep level.
Add oil to a medium sized pot or skillet and place over high heat. Once hot and working in batches, fry the mozzarella balls that have been dredged, moving frequently with a slotted spoon. Once mozzarella balls have a golden brown crust, use slotted spoon to remove from the oil, shaking off excess oil.
Transfer to a paper toilet lined plate to cool.
Recipe Tips
- Freezing the mozzarella cheese balls before frying is my #1 tip. This really helps during the frying process as it keeps the cheese from melting too fast and makes the bites easier to handle.
- Try double coating your cheese balls for an extra crispy coating. Dip the cheese again into the beaten eggs and coat it with breadcrumbs for a second time.
- Some of the mozzarella may ooze out, that's ok! It will still be delicious. To help minimize this, work quickly, and in batches. This helps the oil stay hot so they brown quickly.
What to serve with fried mozzarella
Serve these fried mini mozzarella balls on their own with marinara sauce or ranch dressing for dipping.
Serve them as an appetizer for chicken parmesan or other pasta dishes.
Or have them as a part of an appetizer spread with jalapeno popper wontons, buffalo chicken dip, and stuffed mushrooms.
Storage
This fried mozzarella balls recipe is best enjoyed fresh. If you want, you can freeze the mozzarella balls on a tray and then transfer them to a baggie to freeze for a more extended time prior to frying.
More fresh mozzarella recipes
Recipe FAQs
Fresh mozzarella has a unique taste and a light and fluffy texture that melts really well. However, string cheese or block mozzarella can also be used.
Yes. Simply cut string cheese up into 1-inch pieces and repeat the other steps as normal.
By freezing the mozzarella bites first, you make them easier to handle and the cheese won't melt as quickly when being deep fried. This helps the crust to brown more evenly and prevents too much cheese from oozing out.
Yes they can. Spray frozen breaded mozzarella bites with a bit of oil and air fry at 390 for 5-6 minutes.
Did you enjoy these Fried Mozzarella Balls? I would love for you to let me know by leaving a comment and star rating. I can't wait to hear from you!
Fried Mozzarella Balls
Ingredients
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella balls ciliengine
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ½ tbsp. italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Start by draining the excess brine and patting the mozzarella balls dry with a paper towel.
- Gather three separate shallow bowls. In the first bowl combine flour, italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. In the second bowl, crack and beat egg, and combine with the milk. In the third bowl, place breadcrumbs.
- Working in batches, coat the mozzarella balls by first rolling around in the flour bowl, next dipping them in the egg mixture, and finally coating in the breadcrumbs and setting aside.
- Once all of the mozzarella bites are coated, place on a baking sheet and freeze for 30-60 minutes, making sure to keep level.
- Add oil to a medium sized pot or skillet and place over high heat. Once hot and working in batches, fry the mozzarella balls that have been dredged, moving frequently with a slotted spoon. Once mozzarella balls have a golden brown crust, use slotted spoon to remove from the oil, shaking off excess oil.
- Transfer to a paper toilet lined plate to cool.
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