Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks – best method!

What stands out: Unbelievably crispy, these air fryer mozzarella sticks are everything you want from a gooey mozzarella stick without all the oil!

How long it takes: 20 minutes hands on, 2 hours freezing
Equipment you’ll need: air fryer
Servings: 6

Crispy, Gooey, and Totally Irresistible

We love our Instant Pot (just look at our Instant Pot recipes for proof!), but we've fallen completely head-over-heels for our air fryer. And boy, oh boy, we love to use our air fryer to make these mozzarella sticks. They are memorable! They get just as crispy as deep-fried mozzarella sticks, which is something a regular oven is not capable of achieving. (Have you tried our fried goat cheese? It’s so good, too.)

Dipped in marinara or ranch, fried mozzarella sticks are the reliable party food or snack when you’re craving something cheesy.

What makes them special:

• Reliable with dips: Serve with marinara, ranch, or your favorite sauce.
• Air fryer magic: Crispy mozzarella sticks without deep frying or excess oil.
• Double-breading trick: It’s an extra step, but it ensures the cheese stays inside while getting evenly golden.
• Speedy prep for parties or snacks: Straightforward, impressive, and crowd-pleasing.

Love the air fryer? This nifty appliance is also great for air fryer chicken nuggets, and air fryer falafel, plus it makes awesomely crispy Brussels sprouts.

Testing Notes

When we tested these, we tried a few different methods. Our goal is always to figure out the tastiest, most effective and straightforward way to make recipes so you don’t have to. Our findings: A standby way to make a standby mozzarella sticks was to bread them twice.

1. First, freeze cheese stick halves until they’re solid, about an hour.
2. Then, the cheese sticks are breaded (a triple dip in flour, beaten egg, seasoned breadcrumbs). Back into the freezer they go.
3. Once they’re frozen again, you’ll bread them again. And yup, you guessed it, back into the freezer!

Why the freezing? When the mozzarella sticks are frozen, the breading has time to crisp up and get golden brown before the cheese starts to melt and ooze out of the breading. This will still happen occasionally and in small amounts, but if you skip the freezing steps, you’ll lose a lot more cheese. No one wants that!

Yates Fam Said:

“Our first experiment with air frying – we had no idea from-scratch cheese sticks could be this good. We had to race to the table to grab some before they were all devoured!!”

See More Reader Reviews

Before you start

Do you need to preheat the air fryer? Not for all recipes, but for this one, it works best to start with a hot air fryer. If you start with a cold air fryer, the mozzarella sticks will warm up slower, causing more cheese to melt out of the breading. You don’t want to lose any of that tasty cheese!

Do you have to bread them twice? We tested them both ways. They’re way better double-breaded. Yes, it’s more work. Yes, they turn out okay if you only bread them once. But if you want memorable mozzarella sticks, take the time to double coat them.

Do we have to freeze them three times? Yes, you do. Seriously, it’s worth it.

What to Pair with mozzarella sticks

The real question is, what DOESN’T go with mozzarella sticks?? Truthfully, we like to stick to either ranch (try this from-scratch ranch) or marinara/pizza sauce.

But the world is your oyster and you are free to do whatever makes you happy! Wanna dip them in BBQ sauce? From-scratch fry sauce? Hot honey? Chimichurri? Pesto? Alfredo sauce? Applesauce? How about Chick-Fil-A sauce or bang bang sauce? Maybe yum yum sauce!

Make-Ahead Ideas

If you make extras (just go ahead and make a triple batch, you’ll be glad!), you can transfer the breaded mozzarella sticks (after the second breading) to a freezer safe bag or container, and freeze them for up to three months.

Then all you have to do is preheat the air fryer, cook them (might take 1 to 2 minutes longer), and you’ll be burning your fingers and mouth on the most rich mozzarella sticks in less than fifteen minutes.

• Yield: 6
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 5 minutes
• Total: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 ounces mozzarella string cheese ( 6 cheese sticks)
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat or all-purpose flour
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs, divided
• ⅓ cup panko or bread crumbs
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• olive oil spray (see note)
• marinara or ranch, or for dipping

Method

1. Cut each cheese stick in half crosswise to make 12 short cheese sticks. Place cut mozzarella sticks in a zip-top bag and freeze until frozen, at least 1 hour.
2. Set out three small shallow bowls. In the first bowl, place flour, salt, and pepper; mix lightly.
3. In the second bowl, add 1 egg and beat lightly.
4. In the third bowl, combine panko, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
5. One at a time, coat mozzarella pieces in the flour mixture, then dip into the beaten egg, and finally coat with the panko mixture, pressing lightly to help the coating adhere.
6. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze again for 30 minutes.
7. RESERVE bread crumbs. In a small shallow bowl, beat the second egg.
8. Remove mozzarella sticks from freezer and dip in egg and then coat again in bread crumb mixture.
9. Return to freezer for 30 more minutes (see note).
10. Heat air fryer to 400ºF. Place breaded mozzarella sticks in a single layer and spray with olive oil spray. (You might need to do them in batches – don’t stack them up or crowd the basket!)
11. Air fry to 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

Cooking spray: You may use nonstick cooking spray instead of olive oil spray if that’s all you have.

Freezing instructions: Breaded mozzarella sticks can be frozen for up to 3 months before air frying, if desired. Place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Air fry as instructed, without thawing.