Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks (Homemade, Gluten-Free Option)

Is there anything better than a cheesy, crispy mozzarella stick? Cooking homemade mozzarella sticks in the air fryer is the ultimate way to get gooey, deliciously-seasoned mozzarella sticks with a perfectly crunchy crust. We even included the recipe for an amazing gluten-free version!

🧀 Why This Recipe Is So Good

• If you’re looking for mozzarella sticks that are 1) super crispy, 2) ooey gooey, 3) wonderfully seasoned, and 4) can be kept in the freezer for future snack emergencies, then look no further! These air fryer mozzarella sticks are exactly what you’ve been searching for.
• The air fryer is absolutely the best option for delightfully crisp foods, especially if you don’t want to use heavy oils. It cooks the cheese sticks through perfectly, so you don’t end up biting into cold spots or scraping off burnt bits. And, unlike baking them in the oven, this method actually gets the breading nice and crunchy. No more soggy breadcrumbs encasing moderately warm cheese.
• This whole recipe is SO simple. It might look like a lot of steps, but I promise you, it’s really not. One thing I really love about it is that you can pause the entire process about halfway through and turn these into a freezer stash. YUP. Instead of buying frozen cheese sticks at the store, you can make your own with your favorite ingredients, and then stock your freezer with them for a straight-into-the-air-fryer snack later on.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• Gluten-free breadcrumbs should be available at most grocery stores, especially stores with a solid selection of products for alternate diets. If you can’t find gluten-free breadcrumbs, though, don’t fret! You can make your own with some gluten-free bread.
• Worried about a cheese explosion in your air fryer? The double-freeze approach, combined with the double-breading, helps prevent that exact thing! There’s nothing worse than biting into a cheese stick just to end up with a hollow tube. By freezing them twice, the breading is much more likely to stick to the string cheese, keeping it from sliding off in the air fryer.
• Sure, we’re making air fryer mozzarella sticks here… but you don’t have to! Feel free to swap out the mozzarella sticks for any type of cheese you like best. Gouda is incredible in something like this, and pepper jack and cheddar also work really well. You’re also welcome to change up the seasoning you use with the breadcrumbs – maybe ranch or taco seasoning or cajun seasoning sound more fun?

🥘 More Easy Recipes You’ll Love

• Easy Tuna Salad
• Air Fryer Chicken Legs
• Mango Habanero Wings
• Easy 10-Minute Vegan Garlic Bread
• Crockpot Marry Me Chicken
• Mexican Stuffed Peppers
• Tuna Tostadas
• Vegetarian Chickpea Tikka Masala

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For more delicious recipes, visit our sister sites, 40 Aprons and Easy Cheap Recipes.

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks (Gluten Free Option)

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 10 minutes minutes

Freeze: 1 hour hour

Total: 1 hour hour 21 minutes minutes

Whether you're gluten free or not, this recipe gives you perfectly light and crispy homemade mozzarella sticks without deep frying.

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2 servings

Ingredients

For Traditional Mozzarella Sticks

• ▢ 6 sticks mozzarella string cheese whole or reduced-fat
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder

For Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks

• ▢ 6 sticks mozzarella string cheese whole or reduced-fat
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum
• ▢ ½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs store-bought or homemade
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

• ▢ finely chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ finely grated fresh parmesan
• ▢ marinara sauce
• ▢ ranch dressing

Get Recipe Ingredients

Equipment

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Freezer
• 3 medium-sized shallow bowls
• whisk
• Air Fryer
• Cooking spray safe for air fryers

Instructions 

To Prepare the Mozzarella Sticks

• Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Lay 6 mozzarella sticks side-by-side on cutting board. Use sharp knife to carefully cut mozzarella sticks in half horizontally, creating 12 short mozzarella sticks.
• Transfer short mozzarella sticks to prepared baking sheet. Place baking sheet in freezer and let cheese set up at least 30 minutes.
• Just before removing mozzarella sticks from freezer, crack egg directly into 1 shallow bowl. Whisk egg vigorously until mixture is pale in color and no longer streaky. Set bowl aside.
• Fill second shallow bowl with flour and set aside.
• Fill third shallow bowl with breadcrumbs, salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning (if gluten-free). Quickly mix ingredients with hand to combine spices and breadcrumbs. Set bowl aside.
• Remove baking sheet from freezer.

To Bread the Mozzarella Sticks

• Working one by one, dip mozzarella stick in whisked egg, coating cheese completely. Allow excess egg to drip off cheese stick and back into bowl.
• Place cheese stick in flour. Lightly coat cheese stick in flour on all sides, then shake any excess flour back into bowl.
• After coating mozzarella stick in flour, return cheese to egg wash. Coat cheese completely in egg, allow excess egg to drip back into bowl, then transfer cheese stick to breadcrumb mixture.
• Lightly coat cheese stick in breadcrumb mixture on all sides, covering completely. Gently press mozzarella stick into breadcrumbs to ensure crumb coating sticks. Shake excess breadcrumbs back into bowl, then place breaded cheese stick back on baking sheet.
• Repeat with remaining mozzarella sticks until all have been breaded.
• Once all mozzarella sticks have been breaded and placed on baking sheet, return baking sheet to freezer. Allow mozzarella sticks to set up in freezer at least 30 minutes.
• Freeze for Later (Optional): If desired, stop here and transfer frozen, breaded cheese sticks to sealable freezer bag or other airtight container. Keep cheese sticks in freezer up to 3 months. Continue with cooking process below when ready to enjoy. Do not defrost cheese sticks first.

To Air Fry the Mozzarella Sticks

• Just before removing baking sheet from freezer, preheat air fryer to 370° Fahrenheit.
• Once air fryer is preheated, remove baking sheet from freezer. Lightly spray air fryer basket with cooking spray that's safe for air fryers.
• Place frozen mozzarella sticks in air fryer basket, working in batches as needed to ensure cheese sticks don't stack, overlap, or touch at all.
• Return basket to air fryer. Air fry mozzarella sticks 3 minutes, then pause air fryer and remove basket. Use tongs to quickly and carefully flip mozzarella sticks over.
• Return basket to air fryer and air fryer mozzarella sticks 3 minutes more, or until breading is crisp and lightly golden, and cheese is warmed through.
• Remove basket from air fryer and transfer mozzarella sticks to plate or bowl. Repeat cooking process with any remaining mozzarella sticks.
• Serve cheese sticks warm with marinara or ranch dressing if desired.

Notes

• For store-bought frozen cheese sticks in the air fryer, check out our post here!
• For gluten-free mozzarella sticks that are fried on the stovetop, we’ve got a perfect recipe over here!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving (6 short mozzarella sticks) | Calories: 393kcal | Protein: 25g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Total Carbs: 26g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Net Carbs: 25g | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Cholesterol: 153mg | Sodium: 1418mg | Potassium: 95mg | Calcium: 705mg | Iron: 2mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik