Keto Mozzarella Sticks
Equipment
- Three shallow bowls
- Parchment paper
- Baking tray
- Air fryer or a heavy pan for deep frying
Ingredients
- 8 sticks mozzarella string cheese low-moisture part-skim, cut in half crosswise
- 1/4 cup blanched almond flour 24 g - the base dust, do not skip
- 2 large eggs beaten with a splash of water
- 3/4 cup blanched almond flour 72 g, for the crumb mix
- 1/2 cup Parmesan finely grated (50 g) - this is what crisps
- 2 tbsp coconut flour 14 g - absorbs moisture, keep it in
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- avocado oil spray for air fryer and oven methods
Instructions
- Prep the cheese: Unwrap the string cheese and cut each stick in half crosswise. Short stubby pieces hold together better than long thin ones.
- Make the coating: Stir the 3/4 cup almond flour, Parmesan, coconut flour, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt together, breaking up any lumps of coconut flour. Set up three shallow bowls: plain almond flour, beaten eggs, seasoned crumbs.
- Bread twice: Roll each piece in the plain almond flour until lightly dusted, then egg, then crumbs, pressing firmly. Then back through the egg and crumbs a second time. Skip the plain flour on the second pass.
- Check for gaps: Hold each stick up and look for exposed cheese. Patch any bare spots with egg and crumbs - that gap is where it will burst.
- Freeze solid: Arrange on a parchment-lined tray, not touching, and freeze at least 2 hours. Overnight is better. This step is what stops the cheese leaking.
- Air fryer: Cook from frozen at 390°F for 4-5 minutes in a single layer, sprayed lightly with oil. Start checking at 4 minutes and go by colour - almond flour browns faster than wheat.
- Oven: 400°F for about 7 minutes on a parchment-lined sheet, sprayed with oil.
- Deep fry: Oil at 350°F for 1-2 minutes, turning once, 3-4 at a time so the temperature holds. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve: Rest 1 minute, then serve immediately. The cheese pull is best in the first 5 minutes.
Notes
Two hours in the freezer is the minimum and it is not negotiable. Cheese that is cold outside and soft in the middle melts before the coating crisps, and the stick bursts.
Almond flour goes on before any egg. Cheese is slick and non-porous - egg slides straight off it. The flour gives the egg something to grab.
Double coat, always. A single layer will leak.
Parmesan is what crisps. It holds almost no water, so it browns and hardens rather than steaming. Almond flour alone goes golden but stays soft.
Do not skip the coconut flour. Two tablespoons looks optional but it absorbs the moisture that would otherwise soften the crust from the inside.
Cook from frozen. Never thaw first.
Do not crowd the basket. Sticks touching each other trap steam and steam is the opposite of crisp.
Nut free: swap all the almond flour for finely grated Parmesan - 1 1/4 cups in total - and keep the coconut flour. Thinner crust, still crisp.
Storage: freeze raw for up to 2 months and cook straight from frozen. Cooked leftovers keep 3 days; reheat in an air fryer at 400°F for 2-3 minutes.