These KETO MOZZARELLA STICKS are the perfect low carb appetizer! Crispy outside, cheesy inside, and perfect for dipping in marinara or ranch!
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email it right to you, so you can come back to it later!
Oh boy, am I EXCITED to share today’s recipe with you!
There are just some foods that you absolutely can’t live without, regardless of your diet or way of eating, and for me…mozzarella sticks is one of those foods!
Crispy coating, melty cheese, dunked in marinara or ranch, and served up as the appetizer before more delicious food comes along? Who can resist that?!
It took us a few tries to get these just right, but I’m happy to say that we knocked this one out of the park!
We like to serve these with some warmed marinara (Rao’s is our preferred brand!) or our keto ranch dressing. Either way, you really can’t go wrong.
Ingredient Notes:
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate and member of other qualifying programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Flour – For this recipe you’ll be using both almond flour and coconut flour for the ultimate keto breading. Don’t worry, your mozzarella sticks won’t taste like almonds or coconuts. The Parmesan and garlic salt help balance out the flavors.
String Cheese – I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finding these at your local grocery store. Use your favorite brand!
Marinara Sauce – The perfect dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks! Just be sure to use a low carb sauce. We really like Rao’s Homemade Marinara! Or grab my recipe for homemade ranch (linked above).
We use Thrive Market for a lot of our specialty ingredients and keto snacks or products. Their prices tend to be cheaper than the local stores and I love that you can so easily sort products by diet.
Like Costco, this is a membership site, but we find that it’s more than worth it based on the amount we save over the regular grocery store.
They have monthly or yearly plans. Check it out here.
How to:
Bread the Cheese Sticks – First you’ll need to cut the mozzarella sticks in half. They’ll fry easier this way and you can better control the portions. Set the sticks aside until the breading is ready.
The low carb breading is a simple mix of almond flour, coconut flour, Parmesan, and garlic salt. Your low carb mozzarella sticks will fry up really well in this coating, just like traditional mozzarella sticks!
Mix all that up in a small bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together an egg and a little water.
Begin by dipping the cheese sticks in the egg. Make sure they are well coated to get as much breading as possible. After dunking in the egg, roll the cheese sticks in the flour. When they’re fully coated transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for at least an hour.
When breading foods, use the wet/dry method with your hands. One hand only touches the dry ingredients and the other hand only touches the wet ingredients. This will keep the breading from sticking to your fingers.
Fry the Cheese Sticks – The breading should be set after an hour in the freezer. I like to fry these in a skillet with an inch or two of oil. They cook pretty fast and you don’t want them to burn so watch closely and make sure not to overcrowd the pan! Cook in batches if necessary.
Give them a flip after a minute or two so the other side can fry.
Let them turn a nice golden brown on both sides. Use a paper towel lined plate to soak up the excess oil when they are finished. Serve them hot with your favorite marinara sauce!
FAQs:
For the ultimate crispy goodness, we’ve only tried frying these in oil. I’m sure this recipe could be air fried, but we have not tested it yet.
Not all marinara sauces are created equal! Many brands have a lot of added sugar. We highly recommend Rao’s marinara sauce as it has no added sugar and just tastes the best of any jarred sauce out there.
We recommend cooking only what you’ll eat and keeping the breaded and uncooked mozzarella sticks in a freezer safe bag in your freezer. Fry them up straight from the freezer whenever the mood strikes.
More Keto Snack Recipes
Keto Mozzarella Sticks
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Slice the string cheese in half to make 12 pieces.
- Add the egg to a small bowl along with 1 tablespoon of water. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the almond flour, Parmesan, coconut flour, and garlic salt to a second bowl and stir to combine.
- Dip each string cheese into the egg to coat and then the almond flour mixture. Make sure to fully coat the string cheese in the breading.
- Place breaded string cheese on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
- Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a deep skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees.
- Carefully place the cheese sticks into the oil, making sure they do not touch and you do not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry for 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown.
- Remove cheese sticks to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Serve with marinara or ranch dressing for dipping.
Debbie Finn says
So… I’m a Bozo who didn’t read through the recipe first and ended up mixing all of the ingredients (except the mozz) in one bowl. I ended up with a play-doh like substance. Instead of throwing it out, I meticulously formed it around my little mozzies and then lightly sprinkled with a bit of parmesan so they wouldn’t stick together during their deep freeze. And since I already screwed up, I decided to use my parchment lined air fryer, but first I sprayed the sticks with a little olive oil. Halfway through I flipped and sprayed again. They turned out great!! I was pleasantly surprised. I think tightly enveloping them in the “doh” made them leak proof. A dip on some Rao’s and wow, what a treat! I may try them the right way next time, but who’s to say that my way isn’t the right way??
Amy says
Your pic and recipe have been stolen and put on a website. Here:
https://ketobeginners.co/keto-mozzarella-sticks-2-10002m
How to report:
https://www.redpoints.com/blog/how-to-report-copyright-infringement-to-google/
https://www.iprcenter.gov/referral/report-ip-theft-form
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Amy! So frustrating when people do that!
Jazz says
Just made these.. oh my gosh so delicious and dipped in ranch dressing (my dip of choice) I couldn’t tell it was low carb. I only made one change to the recipe, I didn’t beat the egg with water. I did double coat my sticks and freeze overnight. Like the author suggested the key to success is oil temp and cooking until just browned.. I used a deep fryer and only cooked 2 1/2 minutes.. they were golden brown and stringy inside and delicious. Next store trip I’m stocking up on cheese sticks so I can make ahead and keep in the freezer. Thanks
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoyed these! Definitely a great idea to make a batch and keep them frozen for the future! 🙂
Natalie says
I want to try these in the oven…what would the temp. be?
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure, I’ve only made them as directed.
Mychy says
Anyone tried it in the air fryer yet?
Beth says
Mine turned out awful although the flavor was awesome. I used the park skim/low moisture string cheese, kept in the freezer for 2 hours. Maybe these should have been “double dipped”? The cheese leaked out in the pan. :-(. And the ones I could salvage, stuck to my paper towel. I think parchment paper would be better for that… what did I do wrong?
Karly Campbell says
Oh, shoot! I’m sorry to hear that. You’ll want to make sure your oil is the right temperature and remove them from the oil as soon as they’ve browned. The cheese will melt out if they’re left in for too long – same as traditionally breaded mozzarella sticks. You could definitely double dip them if you want for next time though.
Missy says
I had the same issue, even with the ones I double dipped! I froze them for more than 24 hours, too.
Next time I’m thinking of using more oil so I don’t have to worry about flipping them. They’ll be in the hot oil less time if the whole stick, both sides, are cooking at the same time.
B/c the flavor is so good, I also had the idea of frying the coating and crumbling it over melted cheese crisps and roll them up. Kind of like an inside out cheese stick.
Ann says
Could you use an air fryer, if so temperature and how long?
Karly Campbell says
We haven’t tried this in an air fryer.
Jen says
What oil is recommended because vegetable oil is not keto.
Karly Campbell says
You can use any oil you prefer that has a high enough smoke point to fry. We use avocado oil.
Donna says
When you calculated your nutrition for this recipe, the mozzarella sticks, did you use the 1 net carb stick or a 0 net carb stick? Depending on the brand you buy you can find both…. thanks, Donna
Karly Campbell says
Hi Donna! The nutrition information is pulled automatically from a USDA database of ingredients/nutrition facts. I’m not sure which is listed, but all cheese has some amount of carbs – it’s just not always listed on the package if it’s less than .5g per serving. If an exact carb count is necessary, you’ll want to calculate using the brands/products you cook with. 🙂
Leslie says
Hello,
Love your recipes. Are you using freshly grated parmesan cheese or the stuff in the plastic jar? Thank you
Karly Campbell says
Hi Leslie! We used the stuff in the green jar for this one. It’s so finely grated that it makes a great breading.
Maricruz Gonzalez says
Delicious! what about the air fryer? have done it? let me know. Thanks
Karly Campbell says
We haven’t tested these in the air fryer.
Grammy T says
My first batch after freezing, used my air fryer! Just wonderful. I’m with you, I don’t want to ever live without cheese sticks!
Don’t make the mistake of not freezing them. Yes, I did. they were flat cheese disks. duh