Homemade Cheese Sticks are one of the crispy finger foods I crave the most (along with Oven Baked Potato Skins)! The first bite begins with a deliciously crispy outer coating followed closely with a surprisingly soft, gooey and cheesy middle. Serve them with homemade marinara sauce for an appetizer the whole family will love!
Be sure you’re using cheese strings (and not cheese sticks) for this recipe. It melts better and helps keep the cheese from leaking out.
How To Make Cheese Sticks
Making homemade cheese sticks could not be easier! It is important to purchase cheese strings and not just mozzarella as the cheese strings will not melt as quickly as regular cheese will. The cornstarch mixture is a bit messy and can feel like a lot but this really keeps the cheese inside.
- Peel open the cheese strings, cut them in half and freeze.
- Dredge the cheese strings first in beaten egg, then a flour/cornstarch mixture, back into the egg and finally in the bread crumbs.
- The flour mixture will be a thick coating and sometimes needs to be rolled a bit to get the egg to soak into the flour mixture.
- Press the breadcrumbs into each cheese string to ensure even coating.
- Be sure to follow the order of – Egg – Flour Mix – Egg – Bread Crumbs –
- Freeze for later or place each in hot oil and cook until just browned. Serve immediately.
How to Cook Cheese Sticks
These Cheese Sticks will have the best results deep fried, it makes them crispy and delicious. They can be baked in the oven or cooked in the air fryer but the best results come from frying! When baking or air frying, a bit of the cheese may leak out, this is normal and they’ll still be delish!
- To Bake Cheese Sticks: Spray cheese sticks with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake 9-11 minutes or until crumbs are crisp and cheese is melted.
- To Cook Cheese Sticks in the Air Fryer: Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Cook cheese sticks in small batches for 4-6 minutes or until crumbs are crisp and cheese is melted.
Cheese Stick Do’s & Don’ts
- Cheese: Purchase cheese strings and not just mozzarella as they melt differently.
- Freeze: Completely freeze your cheese before you begin, this keeps it from leaking out during cooking.
- Crumbs: Take extra care to press the breadcrumbs into each cheese stick. You want the oil to get at the breadcrumbs, not the cheese inside!
- Cook Time: Do not overcook your cheese sticks, you just want the breading to get crispy. If they cook too long, the cheese will melt and begin to ooze out.
WARNING: If the cheese is not fully coated (or you use cheese sticks and not strings) the cheese can leak out of the coating causing hot oil to splatter.
What dipping sauces go well with crispy fried Cheese Sticks?
Many people enjoy a classic marinara sauce with their cheese sticks, but you could use a bolognese sauce for a meatier option. Another delicious dipper is homemade ranch.
I love to eat cheese sticks as an appetizer along with ‘pub grub’ food like loaded nachos, chicken wings, potato skins, sausage balls or Ham and Cheese Sliders! I also enjoy these crispy cheesy bites as a side dish with a tomato soup for a fun lunch or dinner!
More Snack Recipes
- Crispy Zucchini Fries (oven baked) – healthy and delicious!
- Pizza Grilled Cheese – comfort food HEAVEN
- Pigs in a Blanket – 2 ingredient finger food!
- Honey Garlic Chicken Wings Recipe (Oven Baked) – so crispy
- Baked Buffalo Wings – hot and spicy!
- Jalapeno Poppers – Party Favorite!
Gooey Cheese Sticks (Fried or Baked)
Ingredients
- 16 Mozzarella string cheese sticks must be string cheese
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Open the cheese strings and cut each in half. Cover and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours or until completely frozen.
- Combine flour and cornstarch in a small bowl. Combine the Italian and Panko bread crumbs in a separate shallow dish. In third small bowl, whisk eggs and olive oil until well combined.
- Dip each cheese stick half into the egg mixture and then gently roll into the flour mixture.
- Put back into the egg mixture and roll until coated. Finally, place into the bread crumbs pressing the crumbs on each piece of cheese to make sure it's coated all around so the cheese doesn't leak out.
- Place in the freezer while the oil preheats. Preheat oil to 350°F. It should be hot enough that a few crumbs dropped into the oil will bubble.
- In small batches, place breaded cheese sticks into the hot oil for about 2 minutes or just until browned. Do not overcook or the cheese will leak out.
- Serve hot with warm pasta sauce.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer
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I want this recipe in frying form with i
Mujhe fry wala dikhaye
I made these with my 3 year old today. We had fun making them and now we have a tasty snack!
Why are there no baking directions.?
Hi Mary, the baking directions can be found in the writing right above the recipe. To bake cheese sticks: Spray cheese sticks with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake 9-11 minutes or until crumbs are crisp and cheese is melted. Enjoy!
Does it matter what kind of oil you fry them in? Do they get a different taste from different kinds of oils?
Hi Daniel, you will get a slightly different taste depending on what oil you use. You will want to choose something with a high smoke point and a neutral flavor. Vegetable oil is the most common!
Another dip I love with the fried cheese is Mayo with ground horseradish (buy a jar at the grocery store) mixed in. That’s the way I first had it at a restaurant many moons ago…
That sounds yummy, Vickie! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Holly, I am preparing to make there right now; my question is , can I use Polly O block cheese?
I haven’t tried these with Polly O cheese so I can’t say for sure how it would work. Let us know how it goes!
MY QUESTION 1 :
can we add only 1 kind of bread crumbs?
MY QUESTION 2 :
does it have to be those exact types of bread crumbs? or we can use any other?
I use a combination of seasoned bread crumbs and Panko. You can use any kind of breadcrumbs you’d like.
Seasoned bread crumbs have seasoning (and salt) so if you swap these out, you might like to add seasonings to the crumb mixutre. Panko add a nice crunch to the recipe.
Definitely NEED Simplicity with an outrageously picky 10 yr old girl…❣️✌️
I didn’t like the Panko so I only used the breadcrumbs. I would suggest seasoning the breadcrumbs; garlic salt, onion powder and pepper. It turned out ok… Although I love to cook at home I think mozzarella sticks is a treat I’ll eat out
The panko does provide this recipe with a crispier exterior than breadcrumbs. But you can definitely add additional seasonings to your preference. :)
How do you make the sauce ?
I use a tomato sauce or marinara sauce for cheese sticks.
What are cheese strings or cheese sticks? I only know string cheese that comes in a stick form
String cheese is the same and will work in this recipe.
Can you make these and have them still be good in the morning?
Hi Daniel, we have never tried but if making these the night before you will just want to make sure to reheat them in the oven or air fryer to keep them crispy. Let us know how they turn out!
Holly, I like all your recipes.
Thank you so much Katalin!
looks delicious
Thanks so much Maryam!
can you use something other than bread crumbs to roll in?
can you bake these instead of frying? And if so at what temp and for how long?
Thanks
what four mixture? Do you combined the flour with the corn starch? It doesn’t say what to do with the corn starch.
Yes, combine flour and cornstarch.
What kind of flour?
Regular all purpose flour.