My 5 year old calls these ‘monster-ella’ sticks, and he ate about nine of them…does that make me a bad mom? I say no way! He loved them, along with the rest of the family! Plus, I’m going to show you how to make mozzarella sticks the healthy way so you can let your family indulge without the guilt! But you know what they loved even more than these steaming logs of crispy cheese?? Helping make them! Kids love to get messy, and this is a perfect way to get them involved in the kitchen.
How to Make Mozzarella Sticks
Start by making your crumb mixture. Combine italian bread crumbs, italian Panko breadcrumbs and finely grated parmesan cheese in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil and mix with your fingers until it is equally absorbed. I love adding the coconut oil! It not only makes them crispier, but it adds a nutty sweetness. If you aren’t into that though, feel free to add an equal amount of melted butter.
Prepare your dredging station. Flour in one bowl, well beaten eggs in another, and your breadcrumb mixture in the third. You will dip your cheese in this order.
Unwrap 24 cheese sticks. Or better yet, have the kids do it since they love that kind of stuff. I swear it was like they had hit the jackpot when I gave them this task! Pile ’em up and slice in half.
Working with one cheese stick at a time, dredge in the flour.
Coat well with the egg mixture, it may take several rolls to get it coated.
Put immediately into the breadcrumb mixture and thoroughly coat.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and flash freeze!**NOTE: Make sure baking sheet fits in your freezer…not like I’m talking from experience or anything [looks away].
Freezing is THE most important step. They must be frozen for at least an hour. If you do not do this, then when you bake them, the cheese will melt before the coating has time to harden and you will have a flat (albeit delicious) mess!
Once frozen you can then place into a large ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months. When you are ready to bake some up, place the frozen cheese sticks on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Yum!!
Don’t forget the marinara sauce for dipping! If you are more of a ranch fan, try my copycat homemade Hidden Valley Ranch Mix recipe!
So, in retrospect, I think my 5 year old really nailed the name for these amazing creations…’monster-ella’ sticks! There is monster flavor and monster crunch!
And probably the fact that I will turn into a monster if I don’t get another batch of these in the oven ASAP!
I’ve made an easy to follow recipe below, trust me, you will want to print it out and keep it handy!
—>See ALL my Freezer Meals recipes here!
- 2/3 cup italian breadcrumbs
- 2/3 cup italian Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbs finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 Tbs coconut oil or butter melted
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup flour
- 24 in mozzarella cheese sticks cut half
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Combine the breadcrumbs, Panko and parmesan cheese in a bowl
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Add melted coconut oil or butter and mix with fingers until it is equally absorbed, set aside
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In another bowl crack three eggs. Whisk thoroughly, set aside.
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In a third bowl, add 1/2 cup flour.
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Make sure cheese sticks are unwrapped and cut in half
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Working one at a time, dip cheese stick into the flour first, then into the egg, then into the breadcrumb mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet.
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When finished, put in cheese sticks in the freezer for at least an hour.
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When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Keep cheese sticks frozen until ready to put in the oven.
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Place desired amount on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook for 5 minutes.
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Flip the them over and cook another 3-5 minutes.
Serve with marinara sauce.
Once frozen, place extra cheese sticks in a freezer safe ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
If you love to cook, try these out!
Made these for thanksgiving and they were super yummy! I did have a few issues with my egg wash not sticking properly and a few of them had some naked spots. Perhaps i did something wrong?
I had the same issue with the egg wash not sticking, I was at it about an hour, would not make again!
Hi Karrie,
I live in South Australia have never seen mozzarella cheese sticks at local shops, I have seen cheese sticks for kids lunches that they can pull down called shedders. I am wondering if the cheese sticks would work best with normal or low fat variety or does it not make a difference. Thanks for any help you can give. A lot of the recipes and ideas on this site are good but in South Australia we lack a lot of American products unless you want to go to a speciality shop. Thanks again Lisa.