Gluten-Free 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!

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

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…

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.

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.

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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