Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks are our favourite quick & easy cheese lovers snack.
Crispy Mozzarella Cheese Sticks are the perfect hors d’oeuvre to serve at the Super Bowl or birthday parties alongside jalapeno poppers, fried pickles, nachos and wings.
It takes less than 10 minutes to cook frozen mozzarella sticks in an air fryer so it’s a great last minute snack. Serve the crispy melted cheese treats dipped in warm marinara tomato sauce.
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What Are Mozzarella Cheese Sticks?
Mozzarella Sticks are elongated pieces of battered or breaded cheese, usually served as an hors d’oeuvre or snack.
The history of frying cheese in a batter dates back to the 1390’s in Medieval France, when a recipe for fried cheese sticks appeared in Le Ménagier de Paris.
Modern Mozzarella Sticks have their origins in the United States during the 1970s, through a combination of two factors, according to culinary historian Joel Jensen, “the increasing availability of mass-produced mozzarella cheese beginning in the 1960s and the development of new efficient frying technologies to be used in fast-paced food-serving businesses, such as bowling alleys and sports bars.”
In Canada and the US crispy mozzarella sticks can be found at casual restaurants, sports bars and pubs on the appetizer menu beside antojitos, nachos, jalapeno poppers, cheesy queso dip, pierogies, potato skins, and poutine.
Mozzarella sticks are prepared by coating cheese strings in breadcrumbs or batter. Most quick service restaurants purchase frozen mozzarella sticks from food suppliers that they can quickly cook in a deep fryer.
Mozzarella sticks are usually served with tomato sauce or marinara sauce. However, they may be served with other dipping sauces such as plum sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, honey mustard, or ranch dressing.
Best Frozen Mozzarella Sticks
Take a stroll down your grocery store freezer aisle and you’ll find many brands offering frozen mozzarella cheese sticks to cook at home in your air fryer.
In the US and Canada popular frozen cheese sticks brands include Costco, Petite Cuisine, Publix, Market Pantry, TGI Friday’s, Great Value, Trader Joe’s, Farm Rich and Party On!
If you’re looking for specialty frozen mozzarella sticks be sure to visit the health food aisle in your grocery store where you’ll find gluten free, organic, keto friendly, and vegan options.
Best Air Fryers
An air fryer is a small countertop convection oven designed to simulate deep frying without submerging the food in oil. A fan circulates hot air at high speed, producing a crisp layer via browning reactions.
In 2010, Philips introduced the Airfryer brand of convection oven at a consumer electronics fair in Berlin. It used the patented Rapid Air technology, though the term air fryer is now used generically.
Early air fryers were barrel-shaped, though more recently, many have come to resemble toaster ovens and pressure cookers, offering additional functions like toasting, baking, dehydrating and rotisserie.
A decade after their launch, Air Fryers are now one of the trendiest kitchen appliance. They are particularly popular with gourmands living in condos or apartments in big cities like Toronto as they reduce the number of appliances taking up space in your kitchen.
- Hamilton Beach: I tested this recipe with a Hamilton Beach toaster oven-style air fryer. They are an excellent option for those looking for an affordable air fryer and I particularly like mine as it allowed me to replace my toaster, dehydrator and rotisserie. It’s also easier to spread food out and make it crispy by using a baking tray rather than a basket.
- Instant Vortex: This popular air fryer is brought to you by the inventors of the popular Instant Pot. It’s 6 quart capacity features an easy to clean tray that air frys, roasts and bakes.
- COSORI: This 5.8 quart air fryer is an 11-in-1 cooker featuring a nonstick basket and helpful shake reminder setting.
- Ninja: This premium brand is the perfect option for those looking to invest in a heavy duty stainless steel air fryer. The product has been designed to look similar to an Instant Pot, with the top of the air fryer flipping backwards so you can easily lower a basket filled with food.
- NuWave: This sleek digital air fryer features a traditional removable basket and reaches temperatures up to 390 F.
My Family Loves Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks
My family loves eating crispy fried pub snacks and can put together an enviable cheese board so it’s no wonder we crave Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks on the regular.
When I was a kid my dad would often take the family to sports bars and pubs to watch hockey or baseball. My sister and I would always want to share a few dishes off the appetizer menu. Our favourites were potato skins, honey garlic chicken wings and crispy mozzarella sticks.
Now that we’ve upgraded our kitchen with the trendiest new gadget we love making Frozen Mozzarella Sticks in an Air Fryer.
Cooking Frozen Mozzarella Cheese Sticks is a modern day marvel for home cooks who have a penchant for deep fried snacks. Air Fryers cook cheese sticks quickly and significantly reduce the calories and fat in the dish as they are not submerged in oil. Air Frying is a healthier way to cook your favourite pub snacks and ensures your favourite mozzarella sticks are crispy and crunchy on the outside and bursting with melted stringy cheese!
How To Make Easy Frozen Mozzarella Sticks In Air Fryer
Our air fryer recipe is so easy to make you’ll have it ready to serve in under 10 minutes!
There are two methods to cooking frozen mozzarella cheese sticks in an air fryer, which depend on the style of device you are using.
- Traditional Basket: air fryers with a removable basket are still the most common. In order to make Air Fryer frozen mozzarella sticks in these machines, simply lower them into the basket. Shake the basket to ensure the breaded cheese sticks aren’t crowded or touching. This will ensure they are crispy and not soggy.
- Toaster Oven Tray: modern air fryers featuring a glass door and tray configuration make it easy to prepare frozen mozzarella sticks in an air fryer at home. Simply place the sticks on the tray and watch them brown and get crispy through the glass door. Keep an eye on them as once the melted cheese bursts through the breading it’s time eat!
Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks Cooking Tips
- Place the frozen mozzarella sticks in a single layer in the air fryer basket without any overlap or touching, otherwise you’ll end up with an unevenly cooked and potentially soggy product.
- You can lightly mist the cheese sticks with cooking spray to ensure they are extra crispy.
- We love serving frozen mozzarella sticks at Super Bowl parties, birthday parties or as an hors d’oeuvre at family gatherings. We suggest serving them on a buffet with dips and sauces alongside chicken wings, jalapeno poppers and nachos.
- We like to air fry cheese sticks until they are extra crunchy. We usually wait for the cheese to start bursting out of the breading to remove them as we love snacking on the melted cheese.
- If you’re passing the mozzarella sticks around the room decorate the plate with fresh parsley. Serve warm marinara sauce in a ramekin so guests can easily dip the crispy cheese snacks.
Dips For Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
We love serving crispy mozzarella sticks as a quick & easy snack or hors d’oeuvre on game night or at birthday parties.
You can play things simple by enjoying them on their own, or offer guests a variety of dips such as:
- Marinara Tomato Sauce
- Sweet & Sour Sauce
- Plum Sauce
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- Aioli
- Barbecue Sauce
- Mustard
- Ranch Dressing
- Hot Sauce
- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
What To Serve With Crispy Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks are a quick & easy snack to prepare last minute and can be simply enjoyed alone or with a warm bowl of marinara tomato sauce for dipping. They’re the perfect Midnight Munchie Stoner Snack Food.
If you’re hosting a snack party cheese sticks pair well with other traditional deep fried appetizers like french fries, onion rings, and chicken fingers.
They can also be served as a side dish for entrees like burgers, pizza and sandwiches. Here are some of our favourite main courses to serve with frozen mozzarella sticks cooked in an air fryer:
- Crispy Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich
- Prime Rib French Dip Sandwich
- Brandy Caramelized Onion French Burger
- Thai Red Curry Prawn Burger
- Pineapple Plantain Jamaican Jerk Chicken Burger
- Crispy Gruyere Grilled Cheese
- Fresh Fig Prosciutto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
You May Also Enjoy These Air Fryer Recipes…
- Air Fryer Pierogies Recipe (Fresh or Frozen)
- Spiced Vegan Air Fryer Parsnips Recipe
- Breakfast Sausage in Air Fryer
- Healthy Vegan Roasted Garlic in Air Fryer
- Cheesy Bacon Air Fryer Potato Skins
- Easy Crispy Air Fried Cornish Hen
- Viral TikTok Air Fryer Pasta Chips
- Smoky BBQ Bone In Air Fryer Pork Ribs
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
- Easy Seasoned Air Fryer Bone In Pork Chops
- Air Fryer Pizza Rolls Recipe
- Frozen Sweet Potato Fries In Air Fryer Recipe
- Frozen Chicken Fingers Tenders & Strips In Air Fryer
- Easy Frozen Onion Rings In Air Fryer Recipe
- Easy Frozen Burgers In Air Fryer Recipe
- Frozen Eggo Waffles In Air Fryer
- Homemade Air Fryer Nachos
- Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread In Air Fryer
- Homemade Air Fryer Popcorn”
How To Make Easy Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks
Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Tongs or Spatula Flipper
Ingredients
- 1 lb Frozen Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 F.
- Place the frozen mozzarella sticks in the air fryer basket and spread out evenly in a single layer.
- Air Fry for 5 minutes. Remove the basket and flip over the mozzarella sticks so they brown evenly. Continue to Air Fry for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the cheese nearly starts to ooze out.
- Serve crispy air fried mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce.
Nutrition
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