Air Fryer Mozzarella Balls are the crispiest appetizer without all the frying and extra oil! Kids love these bite-size cheese balls covered in a crispy seasoned breadcrumb coating.
My favourite appetizer when I am out at a restaurant is Mozzarella Sticks! Having a delicious sweet dip on the side, they are a tasty, and ideal appetizer for many! I had never thought about making my own until recently, and I for sure thought when I decided to make this recipe up that they’d be way too hard for me actually to pull off. I decided on Mozzarella Balls instead of sticks, as they’d be a great app and small enough for little kids’ hands!
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These are full of flavor and easy to make. Plus, kids love them, and they are crispy and have a great crunch to them with a sweet soft cheesy filling! Pull out some deliciousness at your next get together or potluck! Take fresh, not frozen and be sure to make it known they were whipped up at home and fried in the air fryer — I bet your guests will be pleasantly surprised and pleased!
Ingredients
- Mozzarella: A lot of recipes I had seen people whip up Mozza sticks with cheese strings. I am not a big fan of cheese strings, so I knew I didn’t want to go that route. To me, when it comes to cooking and baking – fresh is best!
- Eggs: To get the best mozzarella balls, you’ll want to use an egg wash. It helps keep all the gooey cheese inside and keeps the breadcrumbs stuck to the sides.
- Italian breadcrumbs: For the best mozzarella bites, you need seasoned breadcrumbs, too! I mix mine with some Italian seasoning for extra flavor.
- Garlic powder: I love the sweetness of garlic powder versus raw garlic. I put it in almost everything!
- Parmesan: I know these are mozzarella balls, but who doesn’t love Parmesan cheese, too? I add some to the mozzarella mixture, but you can sprinkle some on top, too!
What I Used For This Recipe
- Air fryer: I have also been trying to stay away from fried foods. Although delicious, it’s just not as healthy as I’d prefer, and the grease can do a number on my tummy. This air fryer is a life saver! Not only do the foods turn out crispy, but they are just a much better tasting food in my opinion than frying in oil!
- Mixing bowls: You’ll need a few different bowls for this recipe. Luckily, this set comes with 3 different sizes that nestle into each other for easy storage.
- Parchment paper: You don’t have to use parchment paper in the air fryer. However, I recommend using it when partially freezing the mozzarella balls to keep them from freezing to the baking sheet.
How To Make It
- First, mix the shredded mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, cornstarch, and water in a large bowl.
- Then, roll the cheese mixture into bite-size balls, and spread them out on a parchment covered baking sheet. Freeze until firm but not frozen solid.
- Now, add the beaten eggs to a small bowl. In a second small bowl, stir together breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and a little salt.
- To coat the mozzarella balls, dip the solid cheese balls in the eggs. Then, roll the dipped balls in breadcrumbs. Freeze for 20 minutes, then repeat the egg wash and breading steps.
- Now, preheat your air fryer and add raw mozzarella balls to the basket. Be sure to shake the basket every few minutes to keep them from sticking! I like to serve mine with a simple marinara sauce.
This is a great make ahead party food or afternoon snack. You can freeze these and make them the same day, or freeze them up to a week before air frying and they’ll still be just as delicious!
How Do You Keep Mozzarella Sticks from Exploding in an Air Fryer?
There’s nothing worse than finding all your mozzarella sticks leaked during cooking! Luckily, this recipe is made to help keep that from happening.
A good double breading should keep the cheese on the inside and the golden brown crust on the outside. Make sure you get egg wash and crumbs on all parts of the mozzarella ball for every dip.
Make sure to shake your basket every few minutes, too. This both helps them cook evenly and lets you check their doneness before an explosion strikes.
How to Store Mozzarella Balls
No one wants soggy mozzarella balls! Unfortunately, leftovers don’t keep very well in the fridge. You can refrigerate them for up to 4 days, but the breading can get soggy fast.
To help prevent this, keep them in a closed paper bag, or put a paper towel in the airtight container. This helps draw the moisture out of the air and into the paper!
You can also stop at the freezing steps and cook these prepped mozzarella bites later! No need to thaw — just toss the frozen balls into the basket.
What To Serve With This
Keep the oven off for your next tailgate party and make these chicken wings in the air fryer instead! They’re covered in a garlic, lemon pepper, and Parmesan blend for the best, crispy wings ever.
These olive cheese balls are the perfect salty, cheesy appetizer with a kick! These baked cheese balls with a cheddar dough are a little crispy on the outside with a tangy green olive on the inside for the best finger food on your Christmas party spread.
I guarantee you if you make these Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts, they will not last long. I almost ate this entire batch myself. It’s the type of recipe where you cannot just have one. I eat one and I’m in for it. I have to eat them ALL!
Deviled eggs are great — but these bacon ranch deviled eggs are even better. You’ll love this savory twist on the classic.
More Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Pizza Buns
- Garlic Cheese Stuffed Crescent Rolls in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Chocolate Croissants
- Air Fryer Cauliflower Bites
- Air Fried Oreos
- Air Fryer Potato Chips
- Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
- Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp
- Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
- Air Fryer Corn Ribs
- Air Fryer Bisquick Sausage Balls
Do you have any amazing make-ahead appetizer recipes? I’m always looking for more recipes to try! Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, on Facebook at Simply Stacie, and on Pinterest @SimplyStacie and let me know how you liked this and my other recipes!
Air Fryer Mozzarella Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups mozzarella shredded
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add mozzarella, Parmesan, cornstarch and water to a large bowl. Mix well.
- Roll mixture into bite sized balls (about 1 inch) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour.
- Add beaten eggs to a small bowl. In another bowl, stir together breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt.
- Dip cheeseballs in eggs to coat. Roll in breadcrumb mixture to cover completely and place back on the baking sheet. Put back in freezer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from freezer and dip cheeseballs in egg mixture and roll in breadcrumbs again.
- Preheat air fryer to 360°F. Once preheated, add cheeseballs to air fryer basket.
- Shake the air fryer every couple minutes to brown evenly. Serve with pizza or marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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