Easy Fried Cheese Bites (2024)

These crunchy and gooey Easy Fried Cheese Bites are the ultimate answer to your snack and appetizer needs!

Fried Mozzarella Bites

If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite appetizers of all-time is mozzarella sticks. Which is where these easy Fried Cheese Bites came from!

With a golden crispy crunch on the outside and molten gooey goodness on the inside, you can’t go wrong!

These Fried Cheese Bites make an excellent appetizer for a party or after school snack for the kids. The trick is making sure to serve them when they are hot so that you can get all of that delicious melted cheesiness when it’s at its best.

The thing that makes this vegetarian recipe the easiest is that you can buy a bag of mozzarella string cheese (which you may have in the house already!) and make them whenever you’d like. I don’t tend to deep fry things in my home because I don’t have a deep fryer (although I’ve had my eye on this one), but I find that you can pan fry just as easily – if not more easily based on the food item.

Depending on your audience and palate, you may want to add a little spice to the mix of this recipe. If you do, throw a few shakes of cayenne pepper into the bread crumbs for a bit of an extra kick.

Looking for another easy appetizer option? Try my Cheddar and Sour Cream Ranch Dip or my Easy Stuffed Mushrooms! Each has only 3 ingredients!

Cheese Balls Recipe

Ingredients:
10 oz mozzarella string cheese (or 10 sticks)
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Cayenne pepper (optional)
Vegetable oil (for frying)

Take out a cutting board and cut your string cheese sticks into bite sized pieces. This should get you four or five bites per stick.

In a medium sized bowl, add your eggs and whisk to break them up. Add the milk and whisk again to incorporate the two ingredients.

Set aside two additional bowls. Fill one with your flour and the next with your bread crumbs. Place the bowl with your eggs and milk mixture in the middle of that line, so that you now have three bowls in a row (flour, eggs, bread crumbs).

*If you want to add a little spice to your cheese balls, put a few shakes of cayenne pepper into the bread crumbs and mix it well with a small spoon to incorporate.

Take one piece of mozzarella. Dip it in the flour, then immediately dredge it in the egg mixture. Now, roll your cheese bite around in the bread crumbs. Continue to do this until you have all the pieces of cheese breaded. You can place each finished piece on a plate once they are completed.

In a medium sized skillet, heat your vegetable oil (about 2 inches high) to 350 degrees. If you aren’t sure what temperature your oil is at, you can use a candy thermometer or stick the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If bubbles collect around the handle and start moving around, your oil is ready.

Pull out a plate and line it with a paper towel. You may want a second lined plate as well if you are making the entire package of mozzarella sticks at once.

Add 5-7 pieces into the oil for about 30 seconds. Make sure that you keep them separated so that they don’t bond together! We love the gooeyness, but we’re looking for individual pieces here.

Fry your mozzarella bites until they are golden brown (which should be at that 30 second mark). Using a slotted spoon, remove your pieces from the oil and place them on the paper towels.

Repeat this process with different batches until all of your bites are fried.

Serve immediately to preserve the soft meltiness of each of the bites. Serve with pasta sauce or just eat them by themselves!

Gorilla Grip Original Oversized Cutting Board, 3 Piece, BPA Free, Dishwasher Safe, Juice Grooves, Larger Thicker Boards, Easy Grip Handle, Non Porous, Extra Large, Kitchen, Set of 3, BlackCarrollar Flexible Plastic Cutting Board Mats, Colored Mats With Food Icons, BPA-Free, Non-Porous, Gripped Back and Dishwasher Safe, Set of 4Set of 3 Multi-Color Silicone whisks with stainless steel handles. Milk & Egg Beater Balloon Metal Whisk for Blending, Whisking, Beating and Stirring. Whisks for cooking by Dragonn. (Multi Color)Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece)Rachael Ray 87631-T Cucina Hard Anodized Nonstick Frying Pan / Fry Pan / Hard Anodized Skillet with Helper Handle – 14 Inch, Gray with Red HandlesHiware Solid Stainless Steel Spider Strainer Skimmer Ladle, 5.4 Inch