Homemade mozzarella sticks are easy to make! String cheese sticks are coated in batter and deep fried to golden, melted cheesy perfection. I've also included my favorite small batch marinara sauce recipe for dipping.
Working with one piece of cheese at a time, dredge each piece of string cheese in flour mixture, shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture, then coat in bread crumb mixture and press to ensure it sticks.
12 mozzarella string cheese sticks
Repeat this process again for each stick, then transfer to prepared baking sheet.
Transfer baking sheet to freezer and let freeze for at least 1 hour.
Fill a large pot with about 2" oil over medium heat until a thermometer inserted in the oil temperature reaches 350°F.
Vegetable oil
Working in batches of no more than 4, carefully drop sticks into hot oil and turn occasionally until they are golden brown and crisp (about 2 minutes).
Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, and sprinkle with a little salt if desired.
Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce (try my small batch marinara sauce recipe below) and enjoy!
Easy Small Batch Marinara Sauce
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, then add garlic and saute until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1-2 cloves garlic
Add tomatoes, basil, oregano and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add red pepper (if using), stir and let simmer another 1 minute.
8 ounces crushed tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, Large pinch of salt, Pinch of crushed red pepper
Transfer to serving dish and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Italian seasoning: If you don't have the individual spices (basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, garlic), you can substitute for 2 1/2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning mix (next time, stock up and make your own Italian seasoning mix).
Marinara sauce can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Note: Nutrition info is just for mozzarella sticks and does not include marinara sauce.
Make ahead instructions: Mozzarella sticks are best served immediately after being fried, but they can be breaded up to 2 months ahead of time and kept frozen until ready to fry.
Freezing before frying: After you've breaded each cheese stick and put them in the freezer for the hour as indicated around Step #6, you can transfer them to a freezer safe bag or other freezer safe container and keep them frozen up for to 2 months. When you're ready to fry them, you'll do the same thing you see in the recipe card, but you just might need to add a minute or two to the frying time.
Freezing after frying: Full disclosure, I actually haven't done that myself yet so I can't speak to the results personally - but others have told me they've done it with success by storing the fried sticks in a freezer safe bag, and then baking them at 350°F for 10 minutes.
Air fryer: You're going to follow all the step preparation steps as you would for frying them in oil, but the steps to cook them will be different. Set the air fryer temperature to 390°F, spray the basket with nonstick spray, and cook for 7-9 minutes or until the mozzarella sticks are golden and crisp. See the body of the blog post for more details about air frying.