If you’re anything like me, you know that cheese tastes amazing when it’s deep fried, coated in bread crumbs, oozing with gooey cheese, and dunked in your favorite marinara sauce.
How American of me.
Sure, there’s definitely a healthier option for me to snack on, but they’re just so good.
At Mortadella Head, we make the most massive mozzarella cheese sticks you’ve ever seen. Seriously, we sell tons of big fat mozzarella sticks each and every day.
They make for a tasty snack, the best appetizer for game nights, the perfect idea for feeding a crowd, and starting off your entree.
But I’m not kidding you when I say: these guys are big.
If you eat them all before your meal comes out, you may not be able to eat your actual meal.
Which is why many people opt to take the rest of them home, to finish them later.
The problem is, mozzarella sticks are the best when eaten right after they come out of the deep fryer.
They’re nice and crispy, the cheese is perfectly melted, and every part of the mozzarella stick is equal parts chewy, crunchy, warm, and delicious.
It’s so hard to heat them up to perfection at home, nearly impossible.
Right?
Not necessarily.
Introducing the air fryer.
An air fryer works very similarly to a convection oven. The hot air traps the food from every angle, making it as crispy as possible.
Does this not sound like the perfect tool for mozzarella sticks?
I had to put it to the test to see if it worked.
I bought some frozen mozzarella sticks from Costco, and loaded them up into the air fryer.
And honestly? They came out perfectly.
They were fried to crispy perfection, just as if they had come straight out of a frialator, and were dripping with melty cheese.
I’d call that a win in my book.
Who knew that you could air fry mozzarella sticks, and make your leftover mozzarella sticks perfect for the second time.
I’m about to show you a hack that works just about every time. This is the best way to reheat mozzarella sticks to make them amazing again.
HERE ARE THE INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED
Mozzarella sticks: You can find these frozen in just about any grocery store there is. You can also use leftover refrigerated mozzarella sticks, if you’d like. Just make sure you freeze them solid in a freezer bag or an airtight container beforehand.
Olive oil: Use a good one, and don’t use olive oil spray! It doesn’t have to be the nicest, but make sure it’s one that you don’t mind tasting. Try not to use too much extra oil, this may cause them to get soggy.
Salt/Pepper: Believe it or not, these are key in making sure that the mozzarella stick flavor stands out and packs a punch in every bite after reheating.
Dipping sauce: Arguably more important than the mozzarella sticks themselves. You can dip these in tomato sauce, ranch dressing, or any other dip that you would like. Have you tried them with our signature marinara sauce?
HOW TO COOK MOZZARELLA STICKS IN THE AIR FRYER
Make sure your mozzarella sticks are frozen solid before beginning. Whatever you do, the most important thing is to not thaw!
Once ready, place the frozen cheese sticks in a single layer over the bottom of the air fryer basket on the wire rack. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder if you like.
Air fry at about 375° for 3-4 minutes. For best results, take out the basket, shake them around, and then fry them a second time, at the same heat and same time frame, or until cheese begins to ooze out.
Make sure you check your mozzarella sticks periodically to make sure that you do not overcook.
Let them cool on a paper towel for a few minutes before serving.
Dunk in your favorite dipping sauce, but not before snapping a pic of your epic cheese pull.
*Note: Test out a single mozzarella stick before eating. If the cheese doesn’t pull or doesn’t appear to be melted, you might want to throw them back in the air fryer for a few more minutes.
AIR FRYER FROZEN MOZZARELLA STICKS FAQS
Q: How come my mozzarella sticks burned?
A: Though the temperature of your air fryer might be set to 375°, the heat may be incorrectly calibrated. Try decreasing it by 25° and seeing if that helps.
Another reason your mozzarella sticks may have burned in the air fryer may be because you put too many in. Remember to only put as many as will fit at the bottom of the basket!
Q: I don’t have an air fryer. What’s another way I can heat these up?
A: If you have a convection oven, use that. You’ll have nearly identical results. If you don’t have that either, a toaster oven would be a perfect option for you. Line a pan with aluminum foil and cook at 375°, periodically shaking and checking the pan to see if the cheese is melting.
Q: What are some sauces that these would taste good with?
A: Sauce is a mozzarella stick’s best friend. Marinara sauce is always my go to, but you certainly don’t have to use that. Vodka sauce would be wonderful with this, and so would ranch dressing and sriracha dipping sauce. Give them a try!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH AIR FRYER MOZZARELLA STICKS
Aside from being the #1 quick snack, mozzarella sticks are the most delicious appetizer, and go well with just about anything.
For starters, you can show off your air frying skills and serve these alongside some air fryer french fries or fried pickles. You can also buy both of these frozen from the supermarket, and cook them in the basket at 375°. They’ll probably be ready a lot faster than mozzarella sticks will be, so keep an eye on them.
A wonderful main course that you can also make in the air fryer are Italian Frozen Wings. Mortadella Head owner Chuck Sillari tested these out, and they came out great!
Of course, if you don’t feel like cooking for a crowd (and we wouldn’t blame you!), you can order everyone a few pizzas and calzones. They’ll taste amazing with your freshly crispy mozzarella sticks!
Have your own easy recipe for homemade air fryer mozzarella sticks? Let me know in the comment section!
Print
Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
6 Frozen mozzarella sticks
Olive oil to taste
Salt/pepper
Marinara sauce (optional)
Instructions
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Make sure your mozzarella sticks are frozen solid before beginning
-
Place the frozen cheese sticks in a single layer over the bottom of the air fryer basket on the wire rack. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder if you like.
-
Air fry at about 375° for 3-4 minutes. For best results, take out the basket, shake them around, and then fry them a second time, at the same heat and same time frame, or until cheese begins to ooze out.
-
Make sure you check your mozzarella sticks periodically to make sure that you do not overcook.
-
Cool for 3 minutes before serving.
-
Dunk in your favorite dipping sauce, but not before snapping a pic of your epic cheese pull.
Notes
Test out a single mozzarella stick before eating. If the cheese doesn’t pull or doesn’t appear to be melted, you might want to throw them back in the air fryer for a few more minutes.
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Air Fryer Recipes
- Method: Air frying
