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We’re really into full swing for the holidays! If you’re searching for easy holiday appetizer recipes to serve a crowd, you’ve come to the right spot! I guarantee there won’t be any leftovers with these Fried Mini Mozzarella Balls!
Last year I shared my Mozzarella Sticks, which was a major check mark off of my bucket list! Almost a year later, I was frying up some McAloo Tikki Burgers, and just for fun while I was curious to see how a ball of fried mozzarella would be. As I was waiting for my potato patties to cool down, I quickly grated some mozzarella cheese, made some balls from that, and breaded them up. They were so easy to do and absolutely tasty! I just knew I had to share this recipe when the holidays rolled around because they’d be loved by everyone at a dinner party!
As you may have seen if you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel (and if you’re not already please do so and hit the bell button so you’re notified when the video recipes go live!), you know that the month of November has been focused on fried snacks. Where did this month go, it honestly just flew by and I have made so many exciting recipes! I just had to end it with a bang with these amazing Fried Mozzarella Balls that I’m sure you’re going to want to make for every special occasion or just a fun weekend snack! I cover more details in my free guide, Make Cooking Fun!!, how having a theme can inspire you to make plenty of exciting new creations you never would have thought of doing! Be sure to browse all of my tasty deep fried recipes for more inspiration!
If diving into a crispy, molten ball of cheese has been on your bucket list and you’re looking to share these over the holidays with your loved ones, be sure to make this recipe as part of your Live to Cook one month challenge! Get these free guides and never miss a new appetizer recipe idea by signing up to my newsletter!
Don’t miss out the video to get all the details on how to make these crispy, gooey and addictive Mozzarella Balls! Let’s get cooking!
Why You Need to Make Fried Mini Mozzarella Balls!
- Easy prep: Our balls are already formed, so all you need to do is prepare your breading station and coat, then get the oil ready for frying! Super straight forward!
- Crunchy outside! I just love the breading of these mozzarella balls! Using a fresh Italian seasoning adds tons of flavor, and you’ll love that crispiness!
- Perfect to make ahead! These mozzarella balls will fry in an instant - the longest and most tedious part is the breading! If making these for a party, you can bread the balls whenever you’d like, then store them in the freezer. Simply heat your oil and fry when you’re ready to serve them fresh!
What is Bocconcini?▼
Bocconcini is Italian for “little bites.” It is used in pastas, such as in my Baked Spaghetti Casseroleand it can be a topping for pizza. In fact, bocconcini is also used for appetizers, such as marinating them in olive oil and then skewering them! My aunt did this for Christmas once and it was absolutely delicious!
The standard size for bocconcini is about the size of an egg. However, you can also purchase mini bocconcini, which is what we’ll use to make our little balls! If you have larger bocconcini, you can still follow the recipe, but you will need more breading if you want to make the same number of balls. You could cut your larger bocconcini in half to make the mini balls if you’d like.
Can I use a Mozzarella Block and form a Bball?▼
There’s no easy way to form balls out of a block of mozzarella cheese. And even if you had a scoop small enough to form balls out of a block, it is not worth the hassle. It’s better to just make mozzarella sticks at that stage. But, if you are determined to use a block of cheese, cube the block and then bread them as well as you can to ensure there is no leakage while frying.
Do I Have to Use Panko Breadcrumbs?▼
Not necessarily. You can use regular breadcrumbs if you don’t have Panko. However, Panko breadcrumbs are excellent because they do allow for a nice crunchiness on the outside, so I do recommend them! Let me know if you’ve noticed a significant difference substituting Panko breadcrumbs with regular!
What Oil Should I Use to Deep Fry?▼
I used vegetable oil to make the Fried Mini Mozzarella Balls. Other oils I like to use for frying include peanut oil, canola oil or grapeseed oil. A neutral oil is a must for your mozzarella balls so that the flavour is not affected, and best practice for safe frying involves you using an oil with a high smoke point.
What Temperature Should the Oil Be?▼
The ideal temperature to deep fry your Mini Mozzarella Balls is 180 degrees Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit. Achieving this oil temperature will give your breading the perfect golden brown colour and crunch, in addition to cooking mozzarella inside just the right amount so you’ll get those satisfying super gooey cheese pulls!
How to Ensure the Mozzarella Balls Don’t Explode▼
They key really is to make sure that the balls are completely frozen! Flash freezing for only 10 minutes will unfortunately not cut it. I did that the first time but they still burst. This is because our bocconcini is very moist from the liquid it comes in, so you really need the freezing time to ensure all the moisture is out. Any moisture will cause the balls to burst. I recommend you do your breading the night before you’re ready to serve so you’re guaranteed that they won’t burst! I saved some of the batch for the next day and tried it again and what do you know! They turned out perfectly! Patience will really be crucial for these little guys.
Another crucial tip to keep in mind is that you need to completely coat the balls. These are tiny, so it should be easy to make sure they are completely covered!
Tips for Perfect Mozzarella Balls
- Use a sieve to help coat the bocconcini well with the flour and shake of any excess before adding to the egg mixture.
- Generously season your breading mixture so the exterior is perfectly crispy and full of flavor!
- Double coat the mozzarella balls to ensure no breading comes off and the sticks burst when frying
- Freezing the breaded mozzarella balls is an essential step that helps to freeze any excess moisture within the cheese to allow the breading to create a seal.
- Make sure your oil is hot enough but not too hot, or else you’ll have uneven cooking. I recommend having a thermometer to check the oil temperature. Doing a test fry is always helpful.
Tools Needed to Make Fried Mini Cheese Balls
- Mixing bowl
- Wok
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Sieve
- Thermometer
- Slotted spoon
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Wire rack
- Whisk
- Stainless steel egg ring(for plating!)
- Toothpicks (for eating!)
- Ramekins(for dipping sauce!)
Ingredients for Crispy Mozzarella Balls
For ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later, scroll to the bottom for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD. You can also scale the recipe based on how many mini mozzarella balls you want to make with ingredient quantities being automatically adjusted for you!
- Mini bocconcini: The star of the show! Make sure to thoroughly strain the balls from the liquid.
- All-Purpose Flour: We’ll coat the balls in some regular flour for our breading.
- Eggs: To dredge the mozzarella balls.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: The third component to coat our mozzarella balls. You can use regular if you want. Make sure you use plain breadcrumbs without seasonings.
- Homemade Italian Seasoning: This consists of oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and chili flakes. This will be used to season the breadcrumbs.
- Salt and pepper: Essential seasonings to the flour.
- Garlic powder & onion powder: Extra seasonings for the flour.
- Fresh parsley: Optional garnish, but it adds a really wonderful pop of color on top!
- Vegetable oil: To deep fry the Crispy Mozzarella Balls!
How to Make Crispy Mozzarella Balls
Bread the Balls
Measure out flour, egg & milk, and breadcrumb in different plates/large bowls. Season flour with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Whisk the egg sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of Italian seasoning on the breadcrumbs and mix well.
Drain any excess water from the tub of bocconcini cheese and set aside.
Working with a dozen or so bocconcinis together, dredge them in flour, shake off excess or use a sieve to get an excess flour out.
Transfer to the egg mixture and coat well using a fork/spoon.
Transfer back to the flour and coat again. Shake off any excess again and transfer back to the eggs and evenly coat each side.
Let excess egg drip off the cheese and transfer the bocconcini to the breadcrumbs. Roll around to coat and make sure to press the breadcrumbs on the mozzarella on each side to ensure an even coat.
Transfer to a zip lock bag or a baking sheet. Wrap the baking sheet in plastic wrap if using and then freeze the mozzarella balls for at least 1 hour.
Fry the Mozzarella Balls!
Heat the oil in a large wok/pot on medium heat to about 350 F (180 C). If you don't have a thermometer, fry a test portion of mozzarella ball and adjust the temperature by either increasing the heat or adding more oil or turning off the heat to cool down.
Fry the mozzarella sticks for 3-5 minutes or until it is rich golden brown all over. If you breaded it well, you would see none or minimal cheese leaking out.
Serve right away and enjoy the pulls.
Serving Suggestions for Fried Mozzarella Balls
I served my Cheesy Fried Mozzarella Balls with my Classic Italian Marinara. It’s the perfect match! The marinara sauce recipe makes a lot, so be sure to use up the extra in Spaghetti & Meatballs, Chicken Parmesan, or Vegetarian Four-Cheese Lasagna! You could also dip them into my No-cook Tomato Sauce, which is my go-to for Pizza Bagels and Margherita Pizza!
Here are some other sauce ideas for you to mix and match and find your favourite combination!
Can you Bake or air fry mini cheese balls?▼
Maybe? I have not tried it yet, but I don’t see why not. Once I have attempted so and have observed any gotchas, I will update this page.
Storing Leftover Fried Mozzarella Balls
Transfer any leftover Fried Mozzarella Balls into an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. They will stay fresh for about 4 days. You can reheat them in an air fryer or in the microwave, but keep in mind that reheating in the microwave will result in a slightly soggy crust. You could heat them in the oven if you don’t have an air fryer, but it takes some time!
Freezing Mozzarella Balls
Freeze your Mozzarella Balls in a container. They will last in the freezer for about 4 months. Make sure to leave them at room temperature for a few minutes before you fry.
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