Keto mozzarella sticks are an easy kid friendly low carb snack or appetizer. Keep some of these gluten free cheese sticks in the freezer for a quick bite any time.
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I’ve been working on creating more keto recipes for kids to encourage my whole family to eat healthier. Luckily, we have no special dietary needs to worry about which makes it easier.
My kids have always enjoyed fried breaded cheese sticks. But I have an issue with the high carb coating loaded with wheat flour. So I set out for a low carb alternative.
It took me a few tries to get the recipe just right. But, I believe I nailed these keto mozzarella sticks after the third try. And the reaction from my kids was enough for me to call it a success.
How To Make Keto Mozzarella Sticks
It’s super easy to make low carb cheese sticks at home. You just coat string cheese in a gluten free flour breading and fry until crisp. Of course, the flour you use will need to be keto friendly as well.
Here’s what I use for my coating:
- Almond flour
- Parmesan cheese
- Coconut flour
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
To coat the cheese, it’s dipped in a beaten egg first so the coating has something to stick to. However, you’ll want to double coat each piece for the best results.
The keto cheese sticks are then cooked in hot oil or an air fryer. They can also be put in the oven on a baking sheet, but I find the outside isn’t as crispy.
How to Prevent the Cheese from Melting Through the Coating
The problem I had in making these cheesy treats is that they kept melting when cooked.
It helps to freeze them for at least an hour first, but you may still ended up with a gooey cheese mess.
It was a conversation with one of my coworkers that finally led to solving the issue with how I was cooking the keto mozzarella sticks.
Apparently, I needed to make sure the temperature of the oil was just right.
On my first try, I used my deep fryer. The first couple sticks browned up nicely quick, but the centers were cold. The next few frozen sticks just melted in the oil.
After some thought, I figured the oil must have been too hot. So, I decided to try baking them in the oven for the next experiment.
Baking the Keto Cheese Sticks
I chose to bake the frozen low carb gluten free mozzarella sticks at 400°F for a few minutes on each side. Although the cheese didn’t melt like in the oil, the outside did not get golden and crispy.
Perhaps for baking, you’ll need to reduce the oven temperature and place under the broil to brown. However, I ended up going back to the frying method.
Getting the Right Oil Temperature for Frying
Then I remembered what my coworker said about oil temperature. So I decided I would heat up my oil in a small pan on the stove.
I set my electric stove burner to medium high and grabbed my meat thermometer.
When the oil got hot, I dunked a frozen prepared mozzarella stick in. It sizzled nicely, but looked to be getting brown too quick. So, I turned down the heat to the burner just a touch.
I threw a few more of the frozen keto mozzarella sticks into the pan with the hot oil. They were cooking nicely without any cheese oozing through.
I flipped each stick so that both sides got nice and golden brown. And, to my surprise, none of the cheese melted through the low carb breading. Success!
Since the sticks were cooking nicely at the current oil temperature, I grabbed my trusty meat thermometer. The temperature was about 375°F which is on the high end of the recommended oil temperature for frying.
The rest of the cooking went smooth. I cooked all of the keto cheese sticks in the hot oil with no cheese melting through. And, the cheese was melted inside with a nice crisp golden outside.
So, if you’ve ever had issues with making your own homemade low carb mozzarella sticks, check the temperature of your oil. If the oil gets too hot, it could result in the cheese turning into a melted gooey mess.
Notes on the Recipe
The great thing about this recipe is that you can make up a whole bunch in advance. Just bread the cheese sticks and keep them in the freezer until you are ready to serve them.
I made the keto mozzarella sticks in the photos the day before cooking them. And they came out beautiful going right from the freezer to the hot oil.
This cheesy finger food makes a convenient keto snack that you can make quickly any time you want a quick bite.
How to Serve Low Carb Mozzarella Sticks
I love to serve these with low carb marinara sauce. They also go well with my bacon wrapped chicken tenders. Both are quick and easy finger foods that are low in carbs.
For more keto snack ideas, check out my low carb appetizers collection. Or take a look at some of my favorites:
Keto Mozzarella Sticks Recipe
My 4 year old daughter helped me make this batch of low carb gluten free mozzarella sticks.
You can see her doing the breading part of the recipe in the video below:
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Low Carb Mozzarella Sticks
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Ingredients
- 6 pieces string cheese
- 1 large eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese the powdered kind in a can
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt coarse Kosher salt works best
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Instructions
- Cut string cheese in half crosswise.
- Beat 1 egg in small bowl. Set aside.
- Place almond flour, Parmesan cheese, coconut flour, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt in zipper sandwich bag. Shake bag to blend.
- Dip each piece of mozzarella into the beaten egg and then coat by shaking in the sandwich bag. Freeze for at least one hour.
- Heat oil in small frying pan to at least half inch high. Temperature of oil should be about 325-375°F. Higher temperatures tend to brown too quickly with cheese melting out. Air frying works too using a temperature of about 370 to 400°F for about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Cook each coated piece of mozzarella in the hot oil until browned on all sides. Enjoy!
Notes
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Nutrition
Additional Info
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Lisa MarcAurele has been creating keto friendly recipes since 2010. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites!
Patricia Gregory says
Very Good! Thank you 🙂
Wendy Marshall says
I would like to try this recipe, but need some measurements or amounts of the ingredients in the coating mix. Also what oil do you use? Can I use olive oil? Waiting for your reply. Thankswendy
Lisa MarcAurele says
The amounts are listed in the ingredient list. I use a small amount of avocado oil or coconut oil for frying. But any high temp oil should work.
David says
Nowhere do I see mention of the type of oil you are using to generate the resultant nutritional data.
Lisa MarcAurele says
I use a thin layer coconut oil for frying.
Catherine says
The video of your daughter making the cheese sticks is adorable 🙂 thanks for the great recipe!
Lisa MarcAurele says
Thanks Catherine! My daughter really loves making these mozzarella sticks. It’s her favorite appetizer.
Becky says
Is there any way these can be baked?
Lisa MarcAurele says
They can be baked but you’ll need to keep an eye on them so they don’t turn into melted cheese globs. I found frying was easier to watch and made a crispier outside.
Marilynn says
What type of oil did you use? Did not see a quantity or type listed. How did these turn our in the Air Fryer?
Lisa MarcAurele says
I used a thin layer of avocado oil. When using an air fryer, you need to experiment with the time/temp so they don’t turn into melted cheese blobs. I set my fryer to 360°F and checked after a 4-5 minutes.
Renee says
These are great! I’ve been a big fan of mozzarella sticks but shied away from them when I was on a low fat diet for years, and then had to avoid them once I started keto. I’m glad I tried this recipe.
However, I find there is SOOOO much breading left over if I only make 6 string pieces as the recipe calls for. So, I instead make at least 12 string pieces, prep them, and just leave them in the freezer until I’m ready to fry them. Easy! And actually, there’s still a considerable amount of the breading left, so I could probably use the recipe amount to make ~18 string pieces. (I only coat in the breading once.)
Lisa MarcAurele says
I actually like to double coat the pieces, but you can make more cheese sticks too.
Jennifer Coward says
Can this recipe be frozen longer than a few hours? I have a son who doesn’t like to cook. He needs to lose a significant amount of weight. I need recipes that freeze well. Please include specific information in your recipes on how to package items for deep freezer and how long you think it will keep. I would love this info for keto friendly “junk food ” items such as mini pizza, egg rolls, pizza rolls, etc. I am new to low carb, and I really need to help him.!! I need to replace all his convenience foods with low carb, so I need to make ahead…We need help!
Thanks so much!
Lisa MarcAurele says
These can be kept frozen for months.
Jennifer says
Hello I failed horribly with my air fryer😩. Any tips for air fryer use? I tried lower temp and time but they just melted and made a huge mess . Thanks so much
Lisa MarcAurele says
The air fryer and oven are a bit tricky when doing homemade mozzarella sticks. Maybe try a higher temp and shorter time and make sure they go in frozen.
Mark Hensley says
Just tried the recipe. It worked great and tasted great.
Thank you!
Karen Babnaw says
Omg! This is my go to breading for everything now! It’s so good on chicken, thin steak, veggies and more! You should market this breading! Yum,yum,yum! Btw- great for cheese sticks too!?
Lisa MarcAurele says
Thanks for that! I’ll try it with chicken nuggets as my daughter really likes these mozzarella sticks.
KC Kelly says
I got up one morning hungry for fried cheese! These did the trick for sure. I ended up tripling the recipe because I was going to double the amount of cheese sticks, but in the end didn’t have enough bread mixture to do that. I used 8 cheese sticks and added onion powder, ground pepper, an extra tablespoon of coconut flour and a tsp. of paprika to the breading mixture. I chose to dip them three times for fear of them leaking during the fry process. I also froze them for 2 hours prior to frying them in canola oil. Made some homemade marinara sauce from my garden tomatoes and was set for a nice low carb lunch!
Debbie says
What type of oil did u use to fry?
Lisa MarcAurele says
I prefer tallow, lard, or coconut oil. But cheaper oils like peanut oil can be used.
Queenie says
Looks easy but big time failure!!
I frozen the mozzarella sticks for hours and cooked them in airfryer, everything melt like a snowman! Urh!
Lisa MarcAurele says
I usually fry them in oil. The air fryer will work, but you may need to adjust the temperature and or time down to get them right.
Rachel says
Sounds yum will try it. Allergic to almond AND cocnut! Can i use flax meal or sunflower meal?
Lisa MarcAurele says
Those should work. Just use a similar total amount.
Heather says
Thanks for some great frying tips on making these! I almost always have cheese blow outs when I fry these!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
Oh my goodness i love that these are low carb!! Mozza sticks are my weakness. These look amazing! Your video is adorable too, by the way!
Linda says
I love snacking on mozzarella sticks. So comforting and addictive. Glad you shared the tip on how to keep it in one-piece.
Jean says
This was my favorite growing up and I love that you made a GF and low carb version! Cannot wait to try this.
paleoglutenfreeguy says
Whoa. Cheese wrapped in cheese and then fried? Heaven. This is so great!
ChihYu says
Deliciously addictive! Crispy, cheesy goodness!
Raia Todd says
I looooove mozzarella sticks! These look perfect – exactly like a restaurant!
Debbie says
Can you use the packaged string cheese?
Lisa MarcAurele says
The packaged string cheese is exactly what I use for the recipe.
jennifer says
lol, years ago in college when the dorm didn’t serve dinner on Sunday . .I would sustain myself on an entire order of fried cheese from this place called Spanky’s — it was probably an entire pound of cheese and your healthier recipe is making me nostalgic. 🙂
Sarah Miller says
Recipe sounds great! However, in the explanation you say to fry at 325 and in the recipe itself you say 400. Big difference!
Lisa MarcAurele says
It should be fixed now. I found about 375°F was a good cooking oil temperature.
Karen says
In the instructions you said to fry at 325. In the recipe it says just under 400. Which is correct?
Lisa MarcAurele says
It’s best to stick to the lower temp so it doesn’t brown too quickly and start melting out.
Lisa MarcAurele says
It should have said 375°F which is the high end for frying oil.
Kathy says
Does it not work to use regular solid mozzarella cheese cut into sections? Does it only work with actual string cheese?
Lisa MarcAurele says
It should work with any mozzarella as long as you freeze the coated pieces before frying. Just be careful that the oil isn’t too hot.
Joni Gomes says
Two thumbs up from me and my 3-year old niece who made these together and it was a success! I true comfort food made healthier!
Lorie Burton says
Thank you. I can’t wait to try them
Megan says
Wow, I didn’t even know it was possible to make these homemade and so easily. Thank you, I look forward to making them! SO yummy!
Michael Green says
Is there a substitute for coconut flour? We have an allergy to coconut. They look good. We could not make them because of the coconut flour. Thank you
Lisa MarcAurele says
You can sub it out with more almond flour or parmesan cheese or a mix of them.
Zee says
I am very interested in trying…what kind of oil did you use?
There also is a misspelling of the word food in your bio.
Lisa MarcAurele says
I used avocado but you can use a cheaper oil if you’d rather. And you don’t need to use too much oil. Thanks for letting me know about the typo!
Janel says
These were amazing! I did not have a thermometer that could track the temp so I just watched it closely, no oozing of the cheese. They came out perfect and so delicious! Thank you!! I need to buy way more string cheese to make these often!
Lisa says
Can you make these without the almond flower and just use coconut flour? I have a nut allergy.
Lisa MarcAurele says
You can, but it’s a lot drier. I’d recommend using less and and try using a little more egg on each piece.
Sandi says
Could these be deep fried?
Lisa MarcAurele says
They can, but I find it’s difficult to keep the cheese from melting out. An air fryer or frying in a skillet works better.
Tomekia says
Made these last night and put them in the freezer, just put them in my air fryer and I probably didn’t cook them right but they still tasted REALLY good! Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa MarcAurele says
Maybe try different temps and times on the Air Fryer. I found the air frying to work better (and less messy) than pan frying.
Janice says
What type of oil did you use?
Lisa MarcAurele says
I use either a little coconut oil or avocado oil. And lately, I just use a little coconut oil in the air fryer.
Ruthann says
Curious if anyone has attempted these in an air fryer?
Lisa MarcAurele says
I have and it works well and it only takes like 6 minutes.
Michele says
What temp did you use for air frying? Also how did you use oil in the air fryer? I have a nuwave and I’m trying to figure that out with this air fryer.
Lisa MarcAurele says
I usually set it for 360°F and cook for about 6 minutes. I rub a little coconut oil in the basket.
Shae says
Hey I am making these tonight and I’m just curious how you would calculate the macros with all the excess flour and what not so I can calculate mine with the ingredients I used! I can’t wait to try them thank you for the recipe!
Lisa MarcAurele says
You can try putting in different amounts into a recipe calculator like the one at MyFitnessPal.com
Sarah N says
I am guessing these are Keto friendly? I’m new to the Keto plan. Still learning.
Lisa MarcAurele says
Yes! These are very low carb and perfect for keto.
Tim Wasson says
Ok, these were AMAZING. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease 4 years ago (in my early 30’s), and I have not found a store bought mozzarell stick I like. Then someone posted the link to this article on Facebook. Oh my GOODNESS. They are really amazing. I did have some blowout with the cheese, but that may have had to do with the fact that I used reduced fat string cheese. I also had some of the breading left over and I had some thawed chicken breasts, so I breaded them up and made some KILLER GF chicken nuggets! Way better than the store-bought ones. Now I think I need to get an air fryer to do all of these because I’m having on to this recipe FOREVER. Thank you so much for this, you have no idea.
Lisa MarcAurele says
Good to know this breading works well for chicken nuggets too. A little blowout of the cheese is normal. I just remove them from the heat before too much cheese oozes out.
Tim Wasson says
Yeah, I just wasn’t prepared for how fast they’d cook. I’ll be ready next time. And yeah, I dusted the nuggets with some of the coconut flour before going into the egg, but everything else was the same.
Jennifer says
I think I’ll try these, but add some crushed pork rind crumbs to this. Then go with the air fryer
Lisa MarcAurele says
I’ve made them in the air fryer and they do work out well.
Rick says
Curious why the pork rinds?
Mabelyn M says
Pork rinds are keto friendly and easy to get a hold of. I thought of them first before flour.
Chelsea says
I have no idea how this tastes good or comes out good for anyone. This came out horrible. I did it in the air fryer. The breading looks nothing even close to mozzarella sticks. I follow the instructions exactly. Don’t even get me started on the taste ?
Lisa says
I’ve made these in the air fryer without issue. Are you coating well with egg then covering well with the flour/cheese mix?
Tim Wasson says
You’re not doing it right then.
Maria says
Do you leave the mozzarella sticks in the bag and put them right in the freezer or do you take out and freeze on parchment paper?
Lisa says
I freeze them on a tray or baking pan so the coating doesn’t come off and then place in a bag.
Carl says
I make a huge bag of them and keep them in the freezer. Great quick snack. I cook mine in a Air Fryer and you cut out the oil this way and they even taste better.
Ebonie says
Hello. I just made these. 400 degrees in my air fryer for 5 minutes. They ended up oozing. Is the breading supposed to crisp up? Mine didn’t. The coating taste great but what can I do to make them look like yours? (I also put them in the freezer a little over an hour)
Lisa says
The key is to have them well frozen. You may not have had them in the freezer long enough. When I did them in the air fryer, they did ooze a bit, but not a lot.
Samantha says
Hi! Do these freeze for later use?
Lisa says
Yes. You can make them and keep them in the freezer to cook later.
Dalia says
Can I make this without using coconut flour?
Lisa says
You can try subbing in something else like a little almond flour.
Janel says
I left the coconut flour out and just used the 1/4 almond flour and it was delicious!
Jenny says
Did you post the recipe for the marinara dipping sauce? I didn’t catch it…
Lisa says
It’s on the post at https://lowcarbyum.com/perfect-marinara-sauce/
Gigi says
Could you bake these instead of frying them like regular cheese sticks?
Lisa says
You can, but you need to watch them as the cheese can ooze out quickly. I’ve had success making them in the air fryer, though.
Cake says
Could I bake these in the oven instead of frying?
Also I wouldn’t be using the coconut flour. I couldn’t find it in the market.
Lisa says
You can, but you have to keep a good eye on them as the cheese can easily melt in the oven. I find the quick fry method works and tastes much better. I have used an air fryer which is similar to a convection oven with good results.
Patricia merica says
Can u use olive oil for frying?
Lisa says
It’s not the best as it has a lower smoke point. It’s better to use one that smokes at a higher temperature.
Julia says
Is there a specific reason for the coconut flour? Would the recipe work without it? I have all the ingredients on hand except for that one.
Lisa says
You can probably replace it with almond flour. I just find that the breading holds better with a little bit of coconut flour.
Erin says
I wondered the same thing. I have everything else. Gonna give it a shot. Did you?
Patty says
Has anyone tried this recipe in an air fryer? If so, how did they come out?
Lisa says
I need to get an air fryer to test it out. I don’t have one.
Wendy says
You say string cheese? Is that mozzarella? Not sure I’ve seen that type of mozzarella iny local store (Qld Australia here)
Lisa says
It’s a mozzarella cheese stick. They call it string cheese here because it’s typically eaten by pulling apart strands like string.
Naomi Fron says
Would Coconut oil work, it is supposed to be used for higher temperatures? Can’t wait to try these
Lisa says
The smoke point for coconut oil is like 350°F so I wouldn’t use it.
Yvonne says
What kind of oil did you use?
Lisa says
I used avocado oil. It’s smoke point is 520°F. I maintained the temperature at 400°F and filter the oil to reuse for frying.
Jess says
How about an avocado/sunflower mixture?
Lisa says
For the oil? Any oil is okay but I avoid seed oils.