Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

Air fryer mozzarella sticks are a perfect homemade snack or appetizer before a pasta dinner. These delicious bites bring the flavors of a pizzeria home to your kitchen. It is a great way to kick up your kids’ string cheese sticks and give them a reason to look forward to their afterschool snack.

What are Mozzarella Sticks?

Mozzarella sticks are traditionally breaded and deep fried sticks of mozzarella. Though many people associated them with Italy, they actually come from the United States when Italian immigrants started to make them in pizzarias. 

 

Why make Homemade Mozzarella sticks

Do you really need a reason to make homemade mozzarella sticks? They are a fantastic snack or appetizer. You can also add them to pizzas or strombolis to make super awesome variations of these dishes.

But, if you really want a reason, here are a few:

• They taste better than frozen ones
• You use less fat when you air fry them
• You can make some changes to the breading, like adding more spices and herbs, parm cheese, or other variations
• If you follow a vegetarian diet, you don’t need to worry about eggs being in the sticks

?Ingredients for Eggless Mozzarella Sticks

When you want to make vegetarian mozzarella sticks with no eggs, you’ll need:

• Mozzarella string cheese - You can use the ones you get for the kids.
• All purpose flour - You could use another flour, but we have not tested with other versions of flour.
• Milk - This helps to make a light batter for the sticks.
• Cornstarch - This helps to bind the flour and breadcrumbs to the cheese.
• Fine breadcrumbs - We find that fine bread crumbs stick to the cheese better.
• Seasonings - We use both Italian seasonings and garlic powder. If you prefer, you can skip these for a different flavor.
• Cooking oil spray - You can use your preferred variety or spritz on oil with a spray bottle.
• Salt and pepper - You can add these to taste.
• Marinara sauce - This is for dipping.

?How to make Mozzarella Sticks in Air Fryer

When you want to eat fresh, homemade mozzarella sticks from the air fryer, follow these steps:

• First, cut the mozzarella sticks in half.
• Next, gather 3 shallow bowls. 
  • In the first bowl, add the flour. 
  • Then, in the second, whisk the milk and cornstarch together. 
  • In the third, stir the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together.

 

• When ready, dip each mozzarella cheese stick into the flour to coat, then into the milk/cornstarch, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Makes sure to pat to coat the cheese stick.
• Next, place the sticks on a baking sheet and freeze at least 30 minutes or up to 2 months.
• Once well chilled, preheat the air fryer to 390°F.
• Next, generously spray the mozzarella sticks with oil or cooking spray and then place in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until crispy. 
• They should be golden brown and hot when they’re done.
• Finally, serve immediately with Marinara sauce

?Air Fry Frozen Mozzarella Sticks

When you make frozen mozzarella sticks, you can generally stick them in the air fryer still frozen.

If you get frozen sticks from the store, you should set your air fryer to 390 degrees. Once heated, place the sticks without touching each other in the basket and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, flipping halfway through.

?Pro tips and tricks

When you make mozzarella sticks at home, follow these easy tips to make them taste great:

• Make sure to space out the sticks so they don’t stick together and evenly cook on the outside.
• Don’t overcook the sticks, they will likely split open if cooked too long.
• Make sure to flip the sticks halfway through the cooking process for even cooking.

?How to serve

We love to serve mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce. You can also eat them on their own. Or you could use them to top a pizza or serve them as part of an appetizer platter at your next party.

How much time should I keep Mozzarella sticks in the Air Fryer

When we make them fresh, the mozzarella sticks only need about 5 to 7 minutes in the air fryer.

Frozen will take a few minutes longer.

Reheating refrigerated sticks will take about 3 minutes to recrisp them.

How much time should I keep Mozzarella sticks in the Oven

How long you keep them in the oven can vary based on how you cook them.

If you broil them, it takes about 5 minutes with a  quick flip halfway through.

If you bake them at 400, they need about 7 to 10 minutes. Again, you’ll need to flip them halfway through. 

In any case, they are ready when they are golden brown and hot.

What dipping sauces can I use for mozzarella sticks?

You can really use any dipping sauce you like. Some of our favorites include:

• Our Homemade Marinara sauce
• Pesto sauce
• Alfredo sauce

How to store

Once you make the sticks, allow them to cool and then place them in an airtight container for about 3 days in the refrigerator. 

To reheat, place them in the air fryer for about 3 minutes to re-crisp them and then serve the hot.

?Can I freeze Mozzarella Sticks?

Yes! You can freeze breaded, uncooked mozzarella sticks for up to 6 months. They should go straight from the freezer to the air fryer without thawing just like you would store bought sticks!

How do you keep mozzarella sticks from exploding in the air fryer

To help keep the from exploding, avoid cooking them for longer than about 7 minutes. Once they start to brown, they are ready to take out and eat. If you keep them in much longer, they will split open.

?What seasoning can I use for Mozzarella sticks?

When we make these seasonings, we use garlic powder and Italian seasoning blend. But you could either skip them or add in your own variations, such as:

• Only garlic powder
• Add in a pinch of onion powder
• Mix in a bit of parm cheese to the batter

Do I need to use egg for making Mozzarella sticks?

No, you can use cornstarch instead of egg in order to help keep the batter together without eggs. 

Other Air Fryer Recipes

If you like trying things in the air fryer, you would like making these super easy air fryer recipes ! Do try them out and let us know how they turned out.

• Air Fryer Pickles
• Air fryer Garlic Bread
• Brussel sprouts in Air fryer
• Air Fryer Okra
• Air fryer Pasta chips
• Broccoli Air Fryer
• Air fryer Stuffed Mushrooms
• Air Fryer Asparagus
• Sweet Potatoes Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters
• Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
• Kale chips
• Air fryer Cauliflower steaks
• Air fryer cabbage steaks

Let us know what you think

If you make this delicious recipe, let us know how it went! When you make this, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!