Making low carb cheese mozzarella sticks at home is a breeze, just sprinkle cheese with gluten-free breadcrumbs and fry until crispy, of course, the flour you use must also be keto friendly.
Ingredients:
- Almond meal.
- Parmigianino cheese.
- Flour de coco.
- Seasoning from Italy.
- Powdered garlic.
- Kosher sea salt.
Preparation:
- To coat the cheese, it is first dipped in a beaten egg to provide a surface for the coating to adhere to, however, for the best results, you should double coat each piece.
- After that, the keto cheese sticks are fried in hot oil or in an air fryer, they can also be baked on a baking sheet in the oven, but the outside isn't as crispy.
HOW TO AVOID CHEESE MELTING THROUGH THE COATING
- My issue with making these cheesy treats was that they kept melting when cooked.
- Although freezing them for at least an hour beforehand helps, you may still end up with a gooey cheese mess.
- A conversation with one of my coworkers led to the resolution of the problem with how I was cooking the keto mozzarella sticks.
- Apparently, I needed to ensure that the oil temperature was just right.
- I used my deep fryer on my first attempt.
- The first couple of sticks browned quickly, but the centers remained cold. The following frozen sticks simply melted in the oil.
- After some consideration, I concluded that the oil was probably too hot.
- So, for the next experiment, I decided to bake them in the oven.
Keto Cheese Sticks in the Oven
- I baked the frozen low carb gluten free mozzarella sticks for a few minutes on each side at 400°F.
- Although the cheese did not melt as quickly as it did in the oil, the outside did not become golden and crispy.
- To brown, you may need to lower the oven temperature and place under the broiler, i did, however, return to the frying method.
- Choosing the Correct Oil Temperature for Frying
- Then I remembered what my coworker had said about the temperature of the oil, so I decided to heat my oil in a small saucepan on the stove.
- I turned on my electric stove's burner to medium high and took out my meat thermometer.
- When the oil was hot enough, I dipped a frozen prepared mozzarella stick into it, it sizzled nicely, but it appeared to be browning too quickly, so I reduced the heat on the burner just a tad.
- I added a few more frozen keto mozzarella sticks to the hot oil in the pan, they were nicely cooked, with no cheese oozing through.
- I flipped each stick to ensure that both sides were golden brown, surprisingly, none of the cheese melted through the low carb breading, success!
- I grabbed my trusty meat thermometer because the sticks were cooking nicely at the current oil temperature, the temperature was around 375°F, which is on the high end of the recommended frying oil temperature.
- The rest of the cooking went off without a hitch, all keto cheese sticks cooked in hot oil without melting the cheese, and the cheese was melted on the inside while remaining crisp on the outside.
- Check the temperature of your oil if you've ever had trouble making your own homemade low carb mozzarella sticks, if the oil becomes too hot, the cheese will melt and become a melted gooey mess.
IMPORTANT NOTES ON THE RECIPE
- The great thing about this recipe is that you can make a large batch ahead of time, simply bread the cheese sticks and place them in the freezer until ready to serve.
- The keto mozzarella sticks were made the day before I cooked them, and they turned out beautifully after going directly from the freezer to the hot oil.
This cheesy finger food is a quick keto snack that you can make whenever you need a quick bite.
SERVING LOW CARB MOZZARELLA STICKS
I like to pair these with a low carb marinara sauce, they're also delicious with my bacon-wrapped chicken tenders, both are low-carb finger foods that are quick and easy to prepare.