Fried Mozzarella Balls ~These crispy little balls of molten cheese will lure everybody to the appetizer table, use your favorite marinara sauce for dipping!
Here’s a cold weather way to enjoy fresh mozzarella cheese. You can do this with any shape mozzarella, even string cheese, but I like the little balls, they’re kind of like the cheese version of a cocktail meatball. Fresh rosemary and Parmesan are the only flavors in the breadcrumb coating, so the point of these is more about texture than flavor…it’s all about molten cheese in a crispy crust. Be sure to have a warm bowl of your favorite marinara sauce ready for dipping.
There’s no need for a huge vat of oil for deep frying, I used a small, high sided saucepan and a couple of inches of vegetable oil. The breading process can be a little messy, so it helps to bread all of the cheese at once and set them out on a plate, ahead of time. That way you can clean up while you heat the oil, and get straight to eating once the last balls are cooked. This is one appetizer that won’t wait, the cheese will only stay melted so long.
Fried Rosemary Mozzarella Balls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp very finely chopped rosemary leaves
- 1/2 tsp salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 8 oz container cherry sized mozzarella balls
- vegetable oil for frying
- your favorite marinara sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Set out 3 small bowls. Put the flour in one. Beat the egg and milk together in the second. Mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and rosemary in the third. Add salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste to the breadcrumb mixture.
- Drain the mozzarella balls and dry them on paper towels. Dip the cheese balls first in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs, tossing well to get an even coating. I double dipped the balls back into the egg and once more into the crumbs to get a nice complete coating. Do this for all the balls, and set on a tray.
- In a small saucepan with high sides, heat at least 2 inches of oil over medium heat. If you have a thermometer, you're aiming for around 330--340F.
- Working in small batches, drop the balls into the hot oil and let them fry to a golden brown, about a minute or so. You don't want the cheese to ooze out, so watch them carefully. Toss the balls gently with a spoon to make sure they don't stick and they get evenly cooked. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and set them on a rack while you cook the rest.
- Serve hot with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
Japanese Panko crumbs make the coating extra crispy, and you will find them with the regular breadcrumbs in your store, or in the Asian section.
Shower them with a little extra Parmesan, set out the toothpicks, and dig right in.
This is something that will disappear in my house before i know it love it !
These are gorgeous. Saw them shared on Facebook and happy to have found your blog!
Thanks, and welcome, Kelley!
You are officially invited to any and all parties I have now or in the future! I guess I would have to eat all these while they’re hot – yummy indeed!
I would eat every last one. I SO need to make several HUGE batches.
These would make such a great appetizer, I love the panko coating and rosemary!
These photos couldn’t look more tempting, Sue! And while I’ve never been a huge fan of fried cheeses, this version with the rosemary sounds fantastic. I just added these to my list for you to feed me when I finally come visit you!
Wow, these look amazing! What a great idea.
oooo these look so good. LOVE fried cheese. Great tip about not needing loads of oil. I’m always put off by frying because of having to use loads of oil etc but using a small pan with a little oil is a great tip! Love the idea of using rosemary in the breadcrumb mix, bet it goes great with the mozzarella
I love using the small pan method for frying, somehow you don’t feel so bad about doing it every once in a while.
Oh these look fantastic!!!! I can just smell them! And the rosemary sounds delicious in these!
I have a black thumb when it comes to growing herbs, but rosemary I have growing by the bushel out back, so I love to find new uses for it!
Picture perfect and will be a favorite of mine….