A recipe for Baked Mozzarella Sticks for #SundaySupper’s Easy Football Food Ideas for Game Day! Coated with crispy golden panko breadcrumbs, these mozzarella sticks are baked for a fun game day snack.
Sunday Supper
Today, #SundaySupper is getting together to celebrate game day! I am joining in with these Baked Mozzarella Sticks.
Now I’m not going to lie and say that these are better than the deep-fried version, but they are still quite delicious and are easy to cook for a crowd instead of spending your time standing over a deep-fryer.
Baked Mozzarella Sticks
I especially love how the mozzarella sticks can be prepped ahead of time- and they actually need to be to keep the cheese from bursting through the breading.
After coating, arrange them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and freeze for at least an hour before baking.
If you don’t want to cook them on the same day, they can be transferred to a freezer-safe bag once chilled and stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks.
Just pull them out, arrange on the prepared wire rack and baking sheet, and bake until heated through. If they have been frozen for a while, you may need to add a minute or two to the baking time.
I used the packaged mozzarella sticks as the base and cut them in half. The size was especially perfect for smaller hands. For a less expensive version, you can also cut a block of low-moisture mozzarella into individual sticks.
A Few Tips
You only really need about 1 1/4 cup of the panko and a little less of the flour, but I upped the amounts just to make sure I had plenty in the bowl to thoroughly coat the mozzarella.
The panko needs to be toasted and allowed to cool before coating the cheese. I toasted them in a pan over medium heat while constantly stirring until a golden brown. This is the quickest way, but also requires constant attention and stirring as they can burn quickly.
Another way is to spread the breadcrumbs in an even layer on a baking sheet and cook in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven until golden.
The Mozzarella Sticks are best served shortly after baking. As they cool, they will lose that gooey, melty texture.
I didn’t try this, but for an extra crisp coating dip the frozen breaded mozzarella sticks in the egg again and more panko before baking.
Looking for more fun appetizers?
Try my:
- Guinness Battered Onion Rings
- Mini Fried Chicken and Waffles
- Obatzda (Bavarian Cheese and Beer Spread)
Easy Football Food Ideas for Game Day
Super Savory Recipes
- Air Fryer Hot Wings by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
- Bacon Ranch Skillet Nachos by The Bitter Side of Sweet
- Baked Jalapeño Poppers by My World Simplified
- Baked Mozzarella Sticks by Tara’s Multicultural Table
- Beer Battered Mushroom Bites by Hot Eats and Cool Reads
- Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls by The Freshman Cook
- Garlic Spinach Dip by Wholistic Woman
- Hot Mexican Dip Recipe by Life Tastes Good
- Oven Fried Fish Sliders by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dippers by Hardly A Goddess
- Stout Braised Meatballs with Bacon Jam by Gourmet Everyday
Sweet Super Recipes
- Mexican Buñuelos (Cinnamon and Sugar Fritters) by A Little Fish in the Kitchen
- Peanut Butter and Caramel Stuffed Oatmeal Cookies by Pies and Plots
Baked Mozzarella Sticks Recipe
Adapted from Circle B Kitchen
Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Ingredients
- 2 cups (120 grams) panko breadcrumbs
- 12 mozzarella sticks
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) milk
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan optional
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) Marinara sauce
- Freshly chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the panko, while constantly stirring, over medium heat until golden brown. Remove to a bowl and allow to cool.
- Line a large baking sheet with foil. Top with oven-safe wire racks.
- Cut the mozzarella sticks in half crosswise.
- In a wide bowl, add the flour and season with salt and pepper.
- In another bowl, beat together the egg and milk.
- Mix the Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder into the cooled panko in the third bowl.
- Dip a halved mozzarella stick into the flour and thoroughly coat. Then coat in the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off before completely covering in the panko, including the ends.
- Place on the wire rack over the baking sheet and repeat with remaining cheese sticks, placing them at least 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) apart.
- Freeze the mozzarella sticks on the baking sheet for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Bake the mozzarella sticks in the preheated oven until heated through 8-10 minutes.
- Allow to cool 1-2 minutes before serving warm with marinara sauce and a sprinkling of parsley.
Lauren
Yes yes yes!! I’ve been wanting to try this but didn’t know if it’d work well. Looks like it does! Next football season is gonna rock! 😉
Tara
I don’t know why I waited so long either! Though of course Evan just picked off the coating and ate it like a slightly melty plain mozzarella stick the first couple of times
Christie
Cheese sticks are a weakness. Heck. CHEESE is a weakness. These are going on the menu. They look super crunchy delicious.
Liz
That stretchy gooey cheese is irresistible! Perfect game day appetizer!
Nikki@soulfullymade
So I am drooling! I LOVE all things CHEESE! These are going on my table for game day!
Laura Dembowski
That gooey cheese has totally stolen my heart!
Albert Bevia
We are HUGE fans of mozzarella sticks in my household, such a great idea to use panko breadcrumbs, plus the fact that you baked them, makes them guilt-free!!! amazing recipe 🙂
Trang
OMG that cheese!!! I want these and all their melty cheesy goodness!!
Caroline
I love that you’ve baked these – and perfect with the side of sauce.
deepika
This is really good snack recipe
thank you for sharinig
Anne Lawton
I love that these are baked, I bet that taste delicious too!
Tara
Thanks everyone!
Shadi
Love all the ingredients, can’t wait to try this!
Ava M.
All flavor and crispiness minus the calories, wonderful! Do they really have a nice crispy texture? I’d love to try this recipe but I don’t have panko right now, only Italian breadcrumbs and wondering if I could use that instead.
Kate
Perfection! These baked mozza sticks are just like at my favorite pub.
Tayler Ross
This is my favorite way to make mozzarella sticks!