Homemade Fried Cheese Sticks are a delicious appetizer the whole family will love! Battered in our homemade batter and fried crispy to perfection!
Our family loves cheese sticks, but some of the store-bought ones use questionable ingredients, so it’s usually easier (not to mention much healthier) if we just make our own at home. Once you try making your own cheese sticks from scratch, you’ll never want to buy them from the store or a restaurant again!
You won’t believe how easy these are to make. These cheese sticks are fried to crispy perfection in our special batter and perfect for snacking, a party appetizer or any time you get the urge for something savory. I like to dip mine in marinara sauce but you can dip them in practically any sauce you’d like. Enjoy!
Tips for Making Homemade Cheese Sticks
- Another cheese alternative to use is a block of mozzarella or any kind of cheese. You can slice it into sticks, coat and fry it just the same.
- Don’t skip the freezer step! You want to make sure you have a firm cheese stick in order to prevent the cheese from leaking out into the oil.
- Cheese sticks are usually dipped in marinara sauce but you can also dip it into your favorite dipping sauce such as hot sauce, ranch, buffalo, pizza sauce, etc.
- Add some kick to the flavor by sprinkling in some red pepper flakes to the flour mix.
- Keep an eye on the cheese sticks while cooking in hot oil to avoid burning.
Cheese Sticks Ingredients
Makes 10-20, depending if cut in half
10 cheese sticks, can cut in half
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 cup panko-style bread crumbs
2 teaspoons mustard powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil for frying
How to Make Fried Cheese Sticks
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cheese sticks in single rows on the baking sheet.
In a shallow dish add milk and egg. Mix until combined and set aside.
In a separate shallow dish add flour, bread crumbs, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Mix until combined and adjust to taste if needed.
Set up an assembly line by placing the two shallow bowls next to each other; milk and egg mixture first then flour mixture second.
Dip each cheese stick into the milk and egg mixture and then into the flour mixture, turning to coat completely.
Place each breaded cheese sticks on the baking sheet and repeat until there are no more cheese sticks.
Place baking sheet with breaded cheese sticks on it in the freezer for 20 minutes.
In a skillet, heat your oil until it reaches 375F degrees.
Remove the cheese sticks from the freezer and carefully place in heated oil and fry in batches, turning once to ensure both sides are completely golden brown (usually about 1-2 minutes).
Line a plate with a paper towel. Remove the fried cheese sticks to a paper-lined plate and repeat with all cheese sticks.
Serve with marinara sauce.
Storing and Reheating
- Storing: Store any leftover fried cheese sticks in an airtight container (allow to cool first) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: To reheat, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place cheese sticks on a baking sheet and heat until warmed (about 5-10 minutes).
Recipe
Homemade Fried Cheese Sticks
Ingredients
- 10 cheese sticks can cut in half
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup panko-style bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cheese sticks in single rows on the baking sheet.
- In a shallow dish add milk and egg. Mix until combined and set aside.
- In a separate shallow dish add flour, bread crumbs, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Mix until combined and adjust to taste if needed.
- Set up an assembly line by placing the two shallow bowls next to each other; milk and egg mixture first then flour mixture second.
- Dip each cheese stick into the milk and egg mixture and then into the flour mixture, turning to coat completely.
- Place each breaded cheese sticks on the baking sheet and repeat until there are no more cheese sticks.
- Place baking sheet with breaded cheese sticks on it in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- In a skillet, heat your oil until it reaches 375F degrees.
- Remove the cheese sticks from the freezer and carefully place in heated oil and fry in batches, turning once to ensure both sides are completely golden brown (usually about 1-2 minutes).
- Line a plate with a paper towel. Remove the fried cheese sticks to a paper-lined plate and repeat with all cheese sticks.
- Serve with marinara sauce.
Notes
Storing and Reheating
- Storing: Store any leftover fried cheese sticks in an airtight container (allow to cool first) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: To reheat, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place cheese sticks on a baking sheet and heat until warmed (about 5-10 minutes).
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Leave a Reply