Air Fryer Mozzarella Balls
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Gooey and crispy, these Air Fryer Mozzarella Balls turn plain old cheese into a savory, finger food masterpiece! This super simple air fryer recipe is perfect on game day as a crowd-pleasing appetizer or snack.
There’s nothing I love more than adultifying (is that a word? idk) my favorite childhood treats. I get to feel classy and sophisticated but secretly know that my 8-year-old self is chowing down with delight.
If you want to elevate more childhood favs, you’ll love these Air Fryer Cheese Bites or Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks. And if you’re looking for something to serve as a main course alongside these mozzarella bites, make these Doritos Chicken Tenders!
Why You’ll Love Air Fried Mozzarella Balls
- Quick and easy: With just a few simple ingredients, these mozzarella bites come together in just a couple minutes and air fry to golden brown perfection.
- Get a lot for your money: With groceries so expensive these days, it’s hard to entertain without emptying your wallet. These mozzarella balls offer a large portion without too much dough.
- On the lighter side: The Panko exterior of these mozzarella balls is made crispy in an air fryer, which is much better for you than deep frying.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Mozzarella balls: These pearls of mozzarella cheese are perfect to make air fried appetizers.
- Flour: Helps the breading stick to the cheese.
- Egg: Also helps the breading stick and creates a thick coating.
- Bread crumbs: I like to use Panko breadcrumbs for a super crispy and light result, but you can use traditional or Italian bread crumbs if you prefer.
- Seasonings: For some additional flavor, I use Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and paprika.
How to Make Air Fryer Mozzarella Balls
Step 1: Dry the mozzarella. Drain the mozzarella balls and use a paper towel to pat them dry.
Step 2: Coat with breading. Roll each mozzarella ball in the flour, then coat with beaten egg and roll in bread crumbs.
Step 3: Repeat breading. Complete the breading process 2-3 times per ball. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Air fry. Arrange mozzarella bites in a single layer in the air fryer basket, spritz with olive oil, and air fry for 4-5 minutes or until crispy and golden.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to pat the mozzarella dry before breading it. If there’s excess moisture, the breading might not stick properly, and/or you’ll end up with soggy breading.
- Try not to let the mozzarella bites overlap in the air fryer basket. Leave a bit of space between them for a nice even, golden brown crust.
- If you don’t have or can’t find fresh mozzarella balls, you can achieve a similar result by chopping mozzarella cheese sticks into bite size pieces. Then bread and air frying them the same way.
- Freezing the mozzarella bites helps the breading set and ensures the cheese doesn’t melt too quickly. They only need about 30 minutes in the freezer, but if you want to prepare them ahead of time you can transfer them to some kind of plastic bag or airtight container and freeze them for longer, then air fry whenever you’re ready to serve!
Variations
- Air Fryer Goat Cheese Balls: Use goat cheese instead of mozzarella for a Stassi approved variation.
- Air Fryer Pizza Balls: Add your favorite pizza toppings like diced pepperoni.
What Should I serve with Mozzarella Balls?
While delicious on their own, these mozzarella balls are perfect to pair with your favorite dipping sauce. Serve with marinara sauce or any red tomato sauce for a combo that’s sure to satisfy.
Other potential sauce options include homemade Chick-fil-A Sauce, Bang Bang Sauce, or Big Mac Sauce.
FAQs
The most likely reason is that the mozzarella balls weren’t dried off well enough before breading, but this can also happen if there are places where they overlap or stack on top of each other.
Air frying mozzarella will result in a melty and gooey center with a perfectly golden and crispy breading! It’s important to coat with multiple layers of breading so the melted cheese doesn’t ooze out too much. Freezing them first also prevents the cheese from melting too quickly.
For the most part the process is exactly the same! They may need a few extra minutes in the air fryer if they’re really frozen, but you can cook them without having to thaw them at all and they’ll still turn out great.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes To Try
Air Fryer Mozzarella Balls
Ingredients
- 8 oz mozzarella balls (around 22-24 balls) drained
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 egg whisked with a fork
- 2 cup panko
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/4 tsp paprika
- olive oil spray
To serve
- marinara
- fresh basil
Instructions
- Add the drained mini mozzarella balls to a sheet of kitchen paper and pat dry. Then prepare 3 bowls: Bowl 1- Flour Bowl 2 – Egg Bowl 3 – mix the panko, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and paprika together8 oz mozzarella balls (around 22-24 balls), 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1 egg, 2 cup panko, 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 1 1/4 tsp paprika
- Roll the mozzarella balls in flour, then egg wash, then panko. It's best to do this in batches of about 6 to avoid clumping. Repeat 3 times with each mozzarella ball to give a nice thick coating.
- Place the breaded mozzarella balls on a parchment lined baking tray and freeze for 30 minutes.Preheat the air fryer to 350F and spray the basket with olive oil. Add the mozzarella balls in one single layer without them touching. Spray generously with olive oil all over. Fry for 4 minutes until golden. Serve with marinara and fresh basil.olive oil spray, marinara, fresh basil
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Notes
- Be sure to pat the mozzarella dry before breading it. If there’s excess moisture, the breading might not stick properly, and/or you’ll end up with soggy breading.
- Try not to let the mozzarella bites overlap in the air fryer basket. Leave a bit of space between them for a nice even, golden brown crust.
- If you don’t have or can’t find fresh mozzarella balls, you can achieve a similar result by chopping mozzarella cheese sticks into bite size pieces. Then bread and air frying them the same way.
- Freezing the mozzarella bites helps the breading set and ensures the cheese doesn’t melt too quickly. They only need about 30 minutes in the freezer, but if you want to prepare them ahead of time you can transfer them to some kind of plastic bag or airtight container and freeze them for longer, then air fry whenever you’re ready to serve!
