Baked Mozzarella Sticks
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Baked Mozzarella Sticks are gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside. String cheese sticks are coated with a parmesan breadcrumb mixture and make the perfect cheesy appetizer, snack, or side dish. Enjoy these guilt-free since they are baked, not fried!
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Baked Mozzarella Sticks
You can enjoy Mozzarella Sticks without all the grease and extra fat that comes along because our version is baked and just as good. We roll string cheese in a flavorful cheesy breadcrumb coating then bake until crispy, bubbly, and gooey.
Mozzarella Sticks always remind me of being young with friends and indulging in the greasiest foods that always tasted good but didn’t make you feel so great. Did anyone else also feel the same way about Bagel Bites and Chicken Nuggets?!
These sticks are easy to make ahead and store well in the freezer so you can always have some stashed and ready to heat.
We love eating mozzarella sticks with our favorite dipping sauce, warmed marinara sauce but you can use any of your favorites. Some other great sauce options are spaghetti sauce, ranch dressing, pesto, or plain just as they are.
I promise, they are just as crunchy, crispy, gooey, and flavorful as the fried ones so you won’t even miss them and will satisfy your fried cheese craving. Serve these at your next party, kids will love these at sleepovers, after school snacks, appetizers, or even a side dish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Baked not fried! You don’t need any special deep frying equipment or hot oil. These are even better than deep-friend mozzarella sticks and have the same flavors and crispy texture and loaded with gooey cheese in the inside that the whole family will love.
Easy to whip up: Made with basic ingredients and take less than 10 minutes of prep time, 10 minutes of freeze time, and bake for 10 minutes in the oven so you can have this easy appetizer ready in about 30 minutes.
Perfect for: Parties, game day, gatherings, holidays, and easy to feed a large crowd.
Crunchy and gooey: These mozzarella cheese sticks are coated with a parmesan breadcrumb coating that makes these extra crispy and loaded with gooeyness.
Key Ingredients
- Mozzarella sticks: String cheese makes these recipe extra easy. Use either whole-skim or part-skim string cheese sticks.
- Breadcrumbs: I love the combination of panko crumbs and Italian flavored breadcrumbs. You can also use plain regular bread crumbs, but the Italian seasoned has more flavor. We use equal amounts of panko breadcrumbs and Italian breadcrumbs to create a perfect crispy texture.
- Parmesan cheese: You can use either grated or finely shredded. I always prefer grating or shredding my own.
- Seasonings: Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning is what we use. You can also add black pepper if you want.
- Eggs: Helps coat the parmesan bread crumb cheese mixture.
How To Make Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Prepare baking sheet: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet or baking pan with parchment paper.
Add ingredient to bowls: Before you begin you’ll need 3 separate shallow bowls. For the first shallow bowl, add panko bread crumbs, Italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning and mix together. In the second bowl, beat eggs and milk together. In the third bowl, add flour.
Coat string cheese halves: Roll each mozzarella stick half in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then in the parmesan bread crumb mixture. Scrape any excess mixture on the side of the bowl and be sure to coat each side of each mozzarella stick.
Freeze: Place cheese sticks on a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer for 10-30 minutes or just until firm.
Bake: Spray the tops of the mozzarella sticks with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until a light golden brown. Let sit for a few minutes to cool, then serve. Enjoy with warmed marinara sauce or any of your favorite dipping sauces.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Extra healthy Mozzarella sticks: Use low-fat or fat-free string cheese sticks (or part-skim) instead of the regular sticks, swap the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour and only use 1/2 cup of bread crumbs.
- Mozzarella cheese: I wouldn’t try to use any other cheese except for mozzarella because other cheeses have a higher fat content and may not bake as well.
- Dipping sauce: Warmed marinara sauce, spaghetti sauce, ranch dressing, pesto, pizza sauce, ketchup, or any of your favorites are perfect. You can simply just enjoy them just as they are on there own.
What to Serve with Mozzarella Sticks?
Enjoy Baked Mozzarella Sticks as a side dish as part of a complete dinner. They are delicious alongside Cheesy Chicken Pasta, Stuffed Pasta Shells, and Baked Gnocchi.
If your hosting a party or looking for a variety of appetizers to make these Mozzarella Sticks will be a hit along with my Pizza Roll Ups, Italian Pin Wheels, Healthy French Onion Dip, Pizza Dip, Antipasto Skewers, and Crab Stuffed Mushrooms.
Leftovers & Storage
Store leftover cooked Mozzarella Sticks in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. I recommend reheating them in the oven at 350 degrees F on a wire rack for the crispiest, yummiest leftovers. You could also reheat leftovers in an air fryer for a few minutes.
Freezing Method
Follow recipe steps 1 through 5. Once the sticks are coated, place them in the freezer to flash freeze for 30 minutes, then transfer them to a heavy-duty ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, thaw completely or bake frozen. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake according to recipe instructions.
Make Ahead
These are great to prepare ahead of time and keep in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to enjoy. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 day uncooked, then bake when ready.
Transfer to a ziplock freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then just follow the remainder of the recipe when you’re ready to bake and serve!
How Long To Bake Frozen Mozzarella Sticks?
Bake frozen mozzarella sticks for 12-15 minutes. They will need additional time since they are being baked frozen.
Other Easy Appetizers
- Baked Zucchini Sticks
- Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Bruschetta Cheese Ball
- Parmesan Roasted Squash
- Antipasto Skewers
- Baked Parmesan Hearts
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Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Ingredients
- 9 mozzarella string cheese sticks cut in half
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet or baking pan with parchment paper. Before you begin you'll need 3 separate shallow bowls. For the first shallow bowl, add panko bread crumbs, Italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning and mix together.
- In the second bowl, beat eggs and milk together.
- In the third bowl, add flour.
- Roll each mozzarella stick half in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then in the parmesan bread crumb mixture. Scrape any access mixture on the side of the bowl and be sure to coat each side of each mozzarella stick.
- Place mozzarella sticks in the freezer for 10 minutes or just until firm.
- Spray the tops of the mozzarella sticks with cooking spray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until a light golden brown. Let sit for a few minutes to cool, then serve. Enjoy with warmed marinara sauce or any of your favorite dipping sauces.
I love mozzarella sticks but have never tried baking them before. They came out perfectly and were really delicious!
I’ve been loving making anything that’s usually fried in the oven. Partially because I’m scared of deep frying but also to keep things healthier. These were delicious and I didn’t feel as heavy after eating them as I would if they were fried!
My kids and I love mozzarella sticks so we tried out hand at making our own. These were so good – doubt we will ever buy another pack of frozen mozzarella sticks ever again!
I tried making them, and they turned out to be the perfect crispy and cheesy treat!
These mozzarella sticks were so fun to make and they turned out great. The whole family loved them.
I hadn’t had mozzarella sticks in years so I got up and made these immediately! They bring me back to my childhood. So, so good! Thanks a ton. Loved them.
These are so much better than the ones at the restaurant! My kid was SO happy with these! We’re all so excited to have them again. 😀
Good cheese sticks. Easy and tasty.
Your post reminds me of my school days, almost every other day I would ask my mum to make these Mozzarella sticks. We made it again but this time baked them, they were so good and perfect.
Wow, these Baked Mozzarella Sticks are a game-changer! I couldn’t believe how easy they were to make, and the taste was absolutely phenomenal.