Gluten Free Mozzarella Sticks (Air Fryer)
Two words. Mozzarella Sticks!! If you’re like me and have been gluten free for a long time, then chances are, you’ve probably been missing out on mozzarella sticks for a long time. Before developing this recipe, I actually couldn’t tell you that last time I had had, even a bite of a mozzarella stick. Definitely over 7 years ago (pre celiac diagnosis). So when Matt and I sat down and started discussing game day appetizers. I was beyond excited when we decided to try out gluten free mozzarella sticks.
I’m not going to lie to you, these are a bit of a process. You have to coat the mozzarella sticks in the flour, egg and breadcrumb mixture (egg and bread crumbs twice). Then let them freeze for an hour before cooking. But it is soooo worth it. Keep in mind that Matt (my husband) is not gluten free so he still eats gluten containing food (mainly outside our home). So he knows exactly what “regular” food tastes like and he’s a very good judge of flavour. I feel like since Matt is a great cook and also eats both gluten free and gluten food, we are able to create really delicious, flavourful recipes.
Simple Gluten Free Ingredients
All of the ingredients included in this recipe are simple gluten free ingredients. The flour we use is just a 1 for 1. And any gluten free 1 for 1 should work. The bread crumbs we use are the Kikkoman Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs. However, something else we often do is make our own. If I have a lot of stale bread pieces or old/crumby crackers, we just throw them in the food processor and make bread crumbs. We then store them in an air tight container and use them for recipes such as this one. It is simple, easy and you feel great wasting less food.
The rest of the ingredients are common ingredients that most people have in their kitchen already. Just make sure that all of these are gluten free and no cross contamination has occurred. It is also important to double check all of your spices for gluten just to be safe. Lastly, it is extremely important that you spray the mozzarella sticks with cooking oil before you pop them into the air fryer. This is what allows them to get crispy and extra tasty. You can skip this step if you want to be extra healthy, since the cheese will melt regardless. But they just aren’t as satisfying.
Mozzarella Sticks Flavouring
Like I mentioned it has been a long time since I have had regular mozzarella sticks. However these are pretty much exactly as I remembered. They are crunchy on the outside but so ooey gooey full of cheesy goodness in the middle. All of the flavouring of the flour and bread crumbs really pays off so that the outer coating is flavoured with a hint of onion and garlic. The salt in the coating as well as when you season them after cooking balances out the mild mozzarella cheese. Don’t forget to serve them with your favourite gluten free marinara sauce. If you don’t have marinara on hand then you can use pizza or pasta sauce as well. It is not exactly the same but pretty close.
Lastly, I want to warn you how addictive these are. Since they aren’t deep fried but air fried. You will feel like you can each so many more. They aren’t heavy or greasy but they are still bread coated cheese, so be mindful of that. These are a great treat, if you’re missing deep fried foods or if you’re hosting a game day. These will for sure be in our Super Bowl line up this coming weekend. We plan on making them in advance, freezing them and then just pulling them out to air fry before the big game.
Game Day Recipes
Let us know how these gluten free mozzarella sticks work out for you. Especially if you make them on game day and feed them to gluten eaters. I bet that won’t even notice! If you’re looking for more appetizers and game day foods check out our Roasted Garlic Hummus, Charcuteries Board How To, Falafel, Super Easy Pull Apart Bread, and Roasted Rosemary Nuts. Also, keep an eye out all week as we will be posting a couple more game day approved recipes.
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Passive Time | 1 hour |
| Servings |
sticks
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- 300 grams Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 cup Gluten Free Flour
- 2 cups Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
- 2 tsps Garlic Powder divided in half
- 2 tsps Onion Powder divided in half
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper divided in half
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup water
- Cooking Spray we use coconut oil spray
- 1 cup Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
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- Take block of mozzarella cheese and cut into 1/2 inch sticks. About 1/2 inch by 3 inches. Set aside. Prepare a large parchment lined baking sheet.
- Take out 3 medium to large bowls. In the first one place gluten free flour, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp corn starch, 1 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper, stir together.
- In the second bowl crack 3 eggs and whisk together with 1/4 cup of water. In the last bowl place, gluten free bread crumbs, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp of onion powder, 1/4 tsp of pepper, stir together.
- Place 1 fork in each bowl, keeping a dedicated fork for each bowl. Drop 1-2 sticks of mozzarella cheese into the flour and coat. Transfer to egg mixture and coat. Transfer to bread crumb mixture. Transfer back to egg mixture and coat for a second time. Transfer back to bread crumbs and coat for a second time.
- Once fully coated place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with all of the sticks of mozzarella. Pop the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
- Take out of the freezer. Preheat air fryer on the highest setting. Once heated up, place 2-3 mozzarella sticks into the air dryer (if your air fryer is larger feel free to cook more at once). Spray mozzarella sticks with cooking spray such as coconut oil, olive oil or avocado oil. Place tray in air fryer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Take out and flip stick, spray again with oil and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Season with a little salt immediately after they come out. Repeat the process until all of the mozzarella sticks are cooked.
- Serve immediately with your favourite marinara sauce. ENJOY!
* If you want to make in advance. After the mozzarella sticks have been in the freezer for at least 1 hour. You can transfer them to a ziploc freezer bag and store up to a couple months. Then pull out and cook as you please.