My husband’s favorite junk food snack is onion rings. He’s never had fried cheese, though. So I just had to create a gluten free mozzarella sticks recipe. It’s crunchy and flavorful. If you want them to have a deeper color, use the chili powder. To make them yellow, add a bit of turmeric. You can spice them up or give them an Italian flare. They make great appetizers or snacks. To provide flavor, add a bit of grated parmesan cheese. If you use the shaker kind, be sure to use a gluten-free brand such as Kraft. They’re also awesome dipped in the batter and then rolled in bread crumbs. That provides more texture. I also have a Gluten Free Cheese Sticks Recipe using bread crumbs. This one uses more of an onion ring batter. I hope you enjoy them.
A gluten free mozzarella sticks recipe deep-fried in a batter that makes them crispy enough to hear the crunch.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white rice flour
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional, but recommended)
- 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sparkling water
- 20 mozzarella cheese sticks, frozen for 20 minutes
- Gluten Free Seasoned Bread Crumbs (or 4C GF Breadcrumbs) (optional)
- Oil, for deep-frying
Instructions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the white rice flour, Italian seasoning, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and if using, Parmesan cheese.
- Add the egg yolks and sparkling water to the dry ingredients (add more water if using Parmesan cheese. Whisk until the batter becomes creamy. Set it aside for 10 minutes to allow the gritty rice grains to soften. Add additional sparkling water if it thickens too much.
- In a deep-fryer or heavy skillet, preheat oil, enough to cover the cheese sticks, to 375°F.
- If using breadcrumbs, thin the batter with a little more water, dip them in the batter, and roll them in the breadcrumbs.
- Using metal tongs, dip a battered cheese stick into the oil, without letting go. After a few seconds drop the cheese stick into the oil. You want the batter to cook long enough to prevent sticking to the bottom of the fryer/skillet. Repeat this process with a few more cheese sticks at a time; avoid crowding your fryer/skillet. Fry until golden brown, about 4 - 5 minutes.
- Using tongs, remove the cheese sticks, allowing any excess oil to drip back into the oil. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat this process with the remaining cheese sticks.
Tips
You can also cut the mozzarella sticks in to bite size pieces to make Mozzarella Poppers.
Some people have trouble with getting the batter to stick. Be sure you cheese is thoroughly dry next time. In addition, if that fails, dredge the cheese in rice flour first. Do not over crowd the oil otherwise it will brown well. My seasoned bread crumbs recipe work well because it contains grated Parmesan cheese. If you skip the bread crumbs altogether, it will crisp up like onion rings. In addition to the above, allow your oil to reheat before adding additional cheese sticks. Did you use a deep-fryer? That really helps. If not, be sure to use a thermometer to keep the oil at the correct temperature.
Adding Parmesan and/or seasoned breadcrumbs not only adds texture, but plenty of flavor.
Could you use another flour besides white rice flour? …I have gluten free multipurpose flour and tapioca flour, do you think either of these could work instead?
Savannah,
I would not use any other single flour for this recipe. You may have luck with an all-purpose flour. Too much starch (potato, tapioca, corn, or arrowroot) is not a good idea when deep-frying. They will make it softer. If you don’t have to have them crisp, it will probably work.
Enjoy,
Carla
Feedback via email,
“I just wanted to let you know that my children have been begging me for fried mozzarella sticks, like they used to eat before we went gluten-free 3 years ago. I looked up your recipe last night and it was SUCH a hit. My 15 year old son even gave me a huge hug.”
~J.B.
How much cumin do you need? It doesn’t list it as part of the ingredients.
Erin,
Sorry about that. If you enjoy the flavor of cumin use 1/4 teaspoon. If not skip it, or use 1/8 teaspoon. I make these all different ways. I think I used Parmesan cheese and Italian seasonings in the photo.
Carla
I don’t do well with fried foods but I do love Mozzarella sticks. Would it be possible to oven bake these? If so, would you make any changes to the ingredients; e.g. maybe spray with olive oil before putting in the oven? What temperature and how long of a cooking time would you try? Or, I guess, I could really just try on my own! Thanks for the inspiration………
How much white rice flour? It appears the exact amount was left out of the recipe (i.e., the white flour bullet begins with”cup”). Thanks!
Hi Anna,
Oops! Use 1 cup of rice flour.
Carla