The Gunny Sack

Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks Recipe

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Each and every member of my family loves cheese! No, we are not from Wisconsin, but we might as well be called cheese heads! One of our favorite ways to enjoy cheese is mozzarella sticks. We ALWAYS order them as an appetizer, no matter the restaurant. My daughter came across some recipes online for making your own mozzarella sticks and really wanted to try it. None of the recipes looked just right, so I combined a couple different ones from here and here.
I buy string cheese in bulk because like I said…we love cheese! I also used eggs, butter, flour, panko, Italian bread crumbs and pizza sauce.
We unwrapped the string cheese and cut it in half.
I added equal amounts of panko and Italian bread crumbs to a bowl.
I beat together 2 eggs and a little milk with a fork.
I put flour in a bowl and rolled each piece of cheese in the flour.
Next, the flour coated piece of cheese was dipped in the egg mixture.
Finally, we put the cheese in the bread crumb mixture and covered it with crumbs. Then, we pressed the crumbs onto the egg covered cheese. This technique really helped the crumbs stick and kept our fingers more clean.
We lined the mozzarella sticks up in a pan and placed the pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes. This hardens the cheese so that it doesn’t melt all over the oven while baking!
We removed the mozzarella sticks from the freezer and placed them on a baking sheet. I melted a couple tablespoons of butter and drizzled it over the mozzarella sticks. Then, we baked them at 400°F for about 8 minutes.

 We dipped the mozzarella sticks in pizza sauce. They were everything we hoped they would be and for some reason we thought they tasted a bit like grilled cheese!

3.5 from 2 votes
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Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks Recipe
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 
Course: Appetizer
Servings: 24
Author: The Gunny Sack
Ingredients
  • 12 count package string cheese
  • 1 cup panko
  • 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • Marinara or pizza sauce
Instructions
  1. Unwrap string cheese and cut in half.
  2. Put equal amounts of panko and Italian bread crumbs to a bowl and mix together.
  3. Beat together 2 eggs and a little milk with a fork.
  4. Put flour in a third bowl and roll each piece of cheese in the flour.
  5. Dip the flour coated cheese in the egg mixture and then coat with the bread crumb mixture.
  6. Place mozzarella sticks in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
  7. Remove the mozzarella sticks from the freezer and place them on a baking sheet.
  8. Melt butter and drizzle it over the mozzarella sticks.
  9. Bake at 400°F for about 8-10 minutes.
  10. Dip mozzarella sticks in marinara or pizza sauce.

Looking for something with a little more flavor? Try Buffalo Ranch Mozzarella Sticks

Buffalo Ranch Cheese Sticks

Buffalo Ranch Mozzarella Sticks

Cheesy Recipes

Bloomin’ Garlic Cheese Biscuits | Mac ‘n Cheese Pizza | Cheese Bombs

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Comments

  3. First time I had made these it ended up being a melted blob, and yes, I froze them for 45 mins before going straight into the oven for 9 mins. I found the problem was the egg want covering the whole stick and the crumbs won’t stick to the flour. Second time I made these I ended up double dipping them. Flour, egg, crumb, egg, crumb, freezer, oven. Sucks I have to wait for them to cool so I can pick them up without being squishy.

    I’ll be doing my own experimenting in making an actual oven friendly batter since I prefer a thicker crust.

    Reply

  4. Started testing recipes for our annual holiday bash. This was the first on the list and a hugh hit and is a welcome addition. Tasted great and make ahead makes it a great party recipe. I plan on putting the melted butter in a squeeze bottle for last minute prep ease and have chipotle dried crumbs that might be good with cheddar sticks. Either way thanks!

    Reply

  5. I made these and they turned out fantastic! I didn’t drizzle with melted butter before baking, so the coating was a little dry, but still crazy good! We dipped them in homemade pizza sauce. There will definitely be a repeat in the near future!

    Reply

  6. These baked mozzarella sticks are amazing! They are a healthy and just as tasty alternative to the fried version. I usually make the fried ones for my family, but they love these! Great recipie 🙂

    Reply

  8. If I freeze them overnight do I need to thaw them before I place them in the oven or can I bake them right out of the freezer?

    Reply

  9. I loved them. Had fun making them with my dad. Tip if you don’t have marinara sauce you can always use red pasta sauce. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  10. Tried this reciepe and it was a complete disaster!! The cheese completely melted out al over the pan and didn’t work at all. Next time will only use a deep fryer, this reciepe just doesn’t work correctly

    Reply

  11. This recipe is great! Of course – since it’s just me – I only use about four cheese sticks, so I ended up just eyeballing the amounts of egg/milk, flour, etc. Thanks!

    Reply

  12. This recipe is awful. As soon as you dip the sticks into the bread crumbs, it all sticks to your hands and you’re left with a flour covered piece of cheese.

    Reply

    • That’s the lovely thing about having forks on hand. ^_^ (That’s what I end up doing, since I hate dealing with messy fingers)

      Reply

  13. Did anyone have the problem of them seeming undercooked even though a few were starting to melt/ expand? I had them in for 9 min and had uncooked areas on many of the sticks.

    Reply

  14. I love mozzarella sticks at restaurants. We usually order them whenever we eat out, so it would be fun to try making them myself. This recipe doesn’t sound too hard and they are baked, too. I wonder if they taste any different from fried ones that I’ve tried.

    Reply

  17. About how many mozzarella sticks does this recipe yield? I was thinking of making them for a party and was wondering how many it makes to see if it is enough or if I need to double the recipe? Thanks. They look amazing!!

    Reply

  19. These were delicous! My whole family enjoyed them! Will definitely make again! Very easy to make.

    I froze them on the baking pan I baked them on. Not sure if this was correct or not. I also sprayed the pan with a bit of cooking spray. The fingers do not get really brown, but are still very crunchy. I think I left mine in a bit too long trying to get them browner. A few started to melt. Still yummy though. The mixture of panko crumbs (more crunchy than regular bread crumbs) and regular Italian bread crumbs provided both great crunch and light seasoning. Nice receipe!

    Also, I used “pizza” mozzerela cheese strings. I think the only difference is that the cheese stretches a bit more when you bite in, which was good!

    Reply

  20. These taste awesome! Way easier being baked than fried, too. I use about half of the recommended bread crumbs (half cup Italian, half cup regular) because for me when I first made it I had a lot left that I couldn’t reuse. Super delicious recipe! We use Wisconsin string cheese primarily. I also use forks to dip and coat everything cause I’m way too messy with my hands! But yeah, definitely a great recipe and I love that you’ve added step by step pictures with instructions. Made multiple times and I keep coming back to it! Thanks for sharing this recipe, its for sure a hit here and they rarely ever last past the second day made. =)

    Reply

  24. These were wonderful! And super easy! Thanks so much for sharing. I will definitely make these again for another party.

    Reply

  29. I will make these for the antique tractor club meeting this week. Thanks for your help! I think they will be a big hit
    with all ages!

    Reply

    • Same problem, cheese poured out, and I did put them in the freezer for the half hour, and followed all the directions….was a lot of work in prepping them and they disintegrated….maybe this is why they are usually deep fried?

      Reply

      • Same problem! I followed the recipe exactly, freezing them for a little over 30 minutes, but the cheese still melted all over the pan and created a mess after 8 minutes in the oven at the required temperature. It still tasted great, but it wasn’t exactly in the shape of a stick. Will try freezing longer next time, or overnight.

        Reply

    • I need to know this too, Anyone? How many “sticks” is recipe supposed to make and then I can just double the pieces since they are cut in 1/2 Help?

      Reply

      • I made this post back in September of 2009 so my memory isn’t clear. The photo shows 18 pieces of string cheese, which would make 36 mozzarella sticks. If you use a package of 12 pieces of string cheese, you would get 24 mozzarella sticks. I’ve found that when I make recipes that require a breading and end up not having enough, I can quickly add a little more of the breading ingredients to the bowl, stir it up and continue coating. Best of luck! ~Tonia

        Reply

  35. I made these for my grandkids and they were a BIG hit!!! I loved them too and will be making them again. Thanks 🙂

    Reply

  37. Thanks so much for this recipe! I’m from Argentina and I used to live in America, I love Muzzarella sticks so it’s great that I can make them here because we don’t have the ones to buy 🙁

    Reply

    • I used the regular ones, but froze them before putting them in the oven. They will melt eventually, just like the store bought cheese sticks, but they just need to be taken out of the oven before they melt.

      Reply

    • Same problem, cheese poured out, and I did put them in the freezer for the half hour, and followed all the directions….was a lot of work in prepping them and they disintegrated….maybe this is why they are usually deep fried? I used reduced fat…

      Reply

    • Hi Kathryn,
      Yes, use Japanese style Panko! The description of the brand I used is: “Progresso Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs are Japanese-style bread crumbs.” Thanks for stopping by!
      ~Tonia

      Reply

    • There is no such thing as “regular Panko” Panko is from Japan. It is their style of bread crumbs. Pan means bread in Japanese (which the Portuguese brought to Japan). Fell in love with it 40 yrs ago when I took my first trip to Japan.

      Reply

  40. I’m going to try these as I too love cheese sticks. One question, my grandaughter is now on a gluten free diet, what would you recommend to do to make these where she can eat them?

    Reply

    • I am also celiac so I adjusted this by using just a gluten free flour substitute and gluten free Italian breadcrumbs. I think it worked even better than the Panko would have bc the crumbs are heavier. You can use any brand of those two substitutes but I personally used: 4c gluten free italian seasoned breadcrumbs and Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour. These are staples I use to make any recipe that calls for them into a gluten free one and my family often likes them even more than the original recipes.

      Reply

  41. I have never tried homemade cheese sticks before and these look and sound great even my son is interested in trying them and he’s a picky eater! Thanks for the recipe and have a blessed day.

    Reply

    • Hi Cathy,
      I have put them in the freezer and made them later. They turned out great. The only concern with microwaving is to make sure that they get hot enough to cook the egg. Thanks for stopping by!
      ~Tonia

      Reply

  45. Going to try this. My family loves cheese too! Do you ever make these in large batches and store them in the freezer for snacks?

    Reply

    • Hi Karri,
      Yes, I did make them in a large batch and stored them in the freezer. It worked perfectly! Thanks for stopping by!
      ~Tonia

      Reply

  46. What is the purpose of the flour? I feel like after you dip it in the egg mixture a lot of the flour may be left behind anyway? Just curious what purpose it serves! Thanks, these look great!

    Reply

  48. In text copy of directions, I think you mean remove from freezer not oven. Cooks will know the process, just want you to have copy correct. Will try these for our next book group. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  49. I’m guessing the grilled cheese taste is from the melted butter. I’m going to try these without butter. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Tonia, a lover of food and photography! Fill a gunny sack with delicious ingredients, tie on an apron and let's get cooking
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