Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks

Crispy on the outside with melty gooey cheese on the inside, these Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks are perfection! With seasoned gluten-free breadcrumbs, they are super flavorful on their own but even better dipped in marinara sauce. Easy recipe is perfect for anytime snacking!

Gluten-free Mozzarella Sticks easy recipe
Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks

Easy Gluten-Free Recipe for Crispy + Gooey Mozzarella Sticks!

So excited for you to try these Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks!

Mozzarella sticks are not something you typically see on a gluten-free menu and while there are several tasty frozen options at the super market, once you see how easy and crazy delicious it is to make your own, you’ll want to make these all the time!

They are warm, crispy on the outside, gooey & cheesy with every bite, and with seasoned Italian gluten-free breadcrumbs, they are extra yummy!

Gluten-free Mozzarella Sticks easy recipe

And they are remarkably simple to make!

The mozzarella is breaded in gluten-free flour, gluten-free breadcrumbs, and lots of Italian spices, then fried to perfection!

And I provide two breadcrumb options. You can use:

  • pre-made gluten-free Italian Breadcrumbs, OR
  • gluten-free plain breadcrumbs and seasoning them on your own. This is our preference. We have been using the mix of seasonings from the Bon Appetit Mozzarella Sticks recipe for years and share that one here.

Here’s what you need:

a block of mozzarella (you could use the sticks but always prefer the texture of a block of mozzarella)

eggs

gluten-free all purpose flour (we use GFJules – affiliate link)

gluten-free breadcrumbs (plain or italian seasoned — we love Aleia’s Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs – Amazon affiliate link)

if using plain breadcrumbs:

onion powder

garlic powder

dried basil

dried oregano

dried parsley

salt & pepper

olive oil or oil of choice for frying

Gluten-free Mozzarella Sticks easy recipe

And while you can use any gluten-free all purpose flour you like in this recipe (it doesn’t matter as much as when you’re baking muffins or cookies for instance), you may have noticed that we are affiliate for GFJules.  To learn more about why we love GFJules flour and why we have used it for 10 years, click here.

Bonus: at the bottom of that post is a one-time use affiliate Discount Code.

And importantly, purchasing through an affiliate link does not change your cost at all. It generates a small percentage of the sale for me, and purchasing through an affiliate link helps me fund this website and all the recipes I share, so thank you!

Back to the Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks…

Gluten-free Mozzarella Sticks easy recipe

The first thing to do is bread the mozzarella sticks:

  • Cut the mozzarella block into 1/2 strips. I did this by slicing width-wise into 7 approximately 1/2 inch slices, then cut each slice into 3 so that you end up with 21 approximately 1/2 inch mozzarella sticks.
  • Set up an assembly line with 3 shallow bowls: one for flour, one for whisked egg, one for breadcrumbs (mixed with spices).
  • Dip the mozzarella sticks first in the flour, shaking off any excess, then the egg, letting the excess drip off, then move to the breadcrumbs and press the breadcrumbs into the mozzarella. It’s important that you really press them in so that they stick when your fry them.
  • REPEAT the entire process — the second coating is what give you that great crispy breading that doesn’t come off!

Place breaded mozzarella sticks on a baking tray and freeze for an hour.  This will make sure the breading sticks and cheese doesn’t break through when you fry them.

Gluten-free Mozzarella Sticks easy recipe

Then the it is time to fry them!

Heat olive oil in a deep fry pan to 350 degrees F (measured with a cooking thermometer). You can use any oil you love but being Italian, we always love the extra flavor olive oil imparts.

You want the oil to be hot enough so that the mozzarella sticks don’t absorb the oil but not so hot that the outside burns before the cheese is melted, so a thermometer is really helpful to make sure it’s a perfect temperature.

In batches, fry the chilled gluten-free mozzarella sticks for just 2 1/2 minutes, carefully turning once.

Then remove to a wire rack with paper towels underneath.

Alternatively, you could place on a plate lined with paper towels as you want to absorb any excess oil but we find laying on a wire rack keeps them crispiest.

Gluten-free Mozzarella Sticks easy recipe

Serve with marinara sauce of your choice and enjoy!

Make ahead option:

The mozzarella sticks can breaded and frozen for up to 1 week ahead (maybe longer but I haven’t tested!).

  • After chilling for one hour, transfer to a sealed container or bag and store in freezer.
  • When planning to fry them, remove from freezer 30 minutes before frying so that they are not so frozen in the center, and note that they may take a minute or two longer fry time to warm the cheese.

Reheating:

There are multiple ways to reheat but what I found worked best was heating the sticks in the microwave for one minute on defrost temperature to bring them to about room temperature. Then reheat in a saute pan for 2-3 minutes to warm and get crispy.

For more appetizers and snack foods, click here.

Other recipes you might enjoy:

Easy Soft Pretzels

Easy Vegetarian Taco Cups

Crispy Zucchini Fries

Garlic Knots

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Recipe

 

Gluten-free Mozzarella Sticks easy recipe
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Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks

Crispy on the outside with melty gooey cheese on the inside, these Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks are perfection! With seasoned gluten-free breadcrumbs, they are super flavorful on their own but even better dipped in marinara sauce. Easy recipe is perfect for anytime snacking.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Chill time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack, Game Day
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Gluten-free Vegetarian
Keyword: easy gluten-free appetizer, gluten-free game day food, gluten-free mozzarella sticks, esay gluten-free mozzarella sticks
Servings: 21 mozzarella sticks
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

  • 1 lb block low-moisture mozzarella cheese
  • ¾ cup gluten-free all purpose flour we use GFJules (affiliate link)
  • 2 cups gluten-free plain breadcrumbs or panko** ** You could use gluten-free Italian Breadcrumbs in place of using plain-breadcrumbs + spices but we love the flavor with this mix of spices from Bon Appetit.
  • 4 large eggs* *you may need up to 5 eggs, start with 4
  • teaspoons garlic powder
  • teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • olive oil or oil of choice for frying
  • marinara sauce of choice for dipping

Instructions

Prepare the mozzarella sticks

  • Cut the mozzarella block into 1/2 strips. I did this by slicing width-wise into 7 approximately 1/2 inch slices, then cut each slice into 3 so that you end up with 21 approximately 1/2 inch mozzarella sticks. (as the blocks are not always the same size sometimes we end up with 24 sticks!)
  • Set up an assembly line with 3 shallow bowls and a parchment lined baking sheet. Add the gluten-free flour to one bowl; to the next add the eggs and whisk well; and to the third bowl, add the breadcrumbs and spices, and mix to combine. Pro tip: I like to place a large piece of wax paper under the bowls so that it is easy to clean up any crumbs!
  • Dip mozzarella sticks into the flour, covering evenly with a thin coat and shaking off any excess. This will allow the breading to stick well. Then dip the flour-coated mozzarella into the whisked egg and again coat well allowing any excess drip off. Then move egg-coated mozzarella to the bowl with breadcrumbs and press breadcrumbs into mozzarella. Important to really press the breadcrumbs into the mozzarella all over so that they stay when cooked. REPEAT the entire process a second time for a second coating, then set aside on the parchment lined baking sheet.
  • When done coating the mozzarella, move the baking sheet to the freezer and chill for 1 hour.***

Fry the Mozzarella Sticks

  • When ready to fry the mozzarella sticks, heat olive oil to 350 degrees F in a deep sided fry pan, as measured by a cooking thermometer. We add enough oil so that the mozzarella sticks will be just covered when placed in the pan.
  • Working in batches, carefully place the chilled mozzarella sticks in the hot oil so that they are not touching and fry for 2 1/2 minutes, using tongs to flip once.
  • Using tongs, remove crispy mozzarella sticks from the oil and place on a wire baking rack (with paper towels underneath to absorb any excess oil). Alternatively, you could place on a paper towel-lined plate but we find they stay crispiest on a baking rack.
  • Serve with marinara sauce of choice and enjoy!

Notes

Make ahead option:
The mozzarella sticks can breaded and frozen for up to 1 week ahead (maybe longer but I haven't tested!).
  • After chilling for one hour, transfer to a sealed container or bag and store in freezer.
  • When planning to fry them, remove from freezer 30 minutes before frying so that they are not so frozen in the center, and note that they may take a minute or two longer fry time to warm the cheese.
Reheating:
There are multiple ways to reheat but what I found worked best was heating the sticks in the microwave for one minute on defrost temperature to bring them to about room temperature. Then reheat in a saute pan for 2-3 minutes to warm and get crispy.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

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