Air Fryer Mozzarella Balls
Gooey and crispy, these Air Fryer Mozzarella Balls turn simple cheese into a savory masterpiece! This super simple air fryer recipe is perfect for a crowd pleasing appetizer, a hearty snack, or even a finger food side dish.
Servings: 4
Calories: 323kcal
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
Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 780mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 558IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 4mg
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!