Easy Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks Recipe that is perfect for an after school snack, party appetizer and game day. Super simple to make with string cheese!
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. So we came up with these baked mozzarella cheese sticks.
Disclaimer: This post contains links to products for making this recipe. If you use those links, I may earn a commission. Learn more 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.
How To Make Easy Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Step One
We unwrapped the string cheese and cut it in half.
Step Two
I added equal amounts of panko and Italian bread crumbs to a bowl.
Step Three
I beat together 2 eggs and a little milk with a fork.
Step Four
I put flour in a bowl and rolled each piece of cheese in the flour.
Step Five
Next, the flour coated piece of cheese was dipped in the egg mixture.
Step Six
Finally, we put the cheese in the breadcrumb 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 cleaner.
Step Seven
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!
Step Eight
We removed the mozzarella sticks from the freezer and placed them on a baking sheet.
I melted a couple of tablespoons of butter and drizzled it over the mozzarella sticks.
Then, we baked them at 400°F for about 8 minutes.
Step Nine
We dipped the baked cheese 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!
Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks Recipe
This easy Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks recipe is perfect for an after-school snack, party appetizer, and game day. Super simple to make using string cheese!
Ingredients
- 12 mozzarella string cheese sticks
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3/4 cup pizza sauce
Instructions
- Cut the mozzarella string cheese sticks in half.
- Put the panko and Italian bread crumbs into a wide, shallow bowl and mix until combined.
- Beat the eggs and milk with a fork in the second bowl and put flour in the third bowl.
- Coat each piece of cheese with flour, then with the beaten eggs, and finally coat with the bread crumb mixture.
- Put the coated mozzarella sticks on a parchment-covered baking sheet and place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the mozzarella sticks from the freezer and drizzle with melted butter.
- Bake at 400°F for about 8-10 minutes.
- Dip the warm mozzarella sticks in pizza sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 2 cheese sticksAmount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 461mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 11g
Nutrition data is calculated automatically by Nutritionix and isn't always accurate. I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual’s dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual. You are ultimately responsible for all decisions pertaining to your health.
Maria says
Can I use whole wheat seasoned bread crumbs instead of panko bread crumbs. Also can I use plain bread crumbs instead of italian bread crumbs?
Tonia says
Yes, you can use any type of breading. Enjoy! ~Tonia
Corrinne says
I am so happy I found this, I love mozzarella sticks and now it’s gonna save me tone by making my own
Tonia says
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! ~Tonia
Kari says
Easy recipe, thanks for sharing. Turned out great for an cocktail party.
NikkiCooksForChad says
I tried these and the cheese melted flat in the oven
Elle says
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?
Nan says
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.
Maleah Eggett says
How many string cheese are in a package?
Linda Gimnich says
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?
Tonia says
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
Tonia says
It depends on what package you buy.
Jeanie Rohde says
I made these for my grandkids and they were a BIG hit!!! I loved them too and will be making them again. Thanks 🙂
Nancy Lempinen says
These look absolutely delish! I will definitely try this recipe,
many thanks,
Sol Torres Cossani says
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 🙁
Tonia says
You are very welcome! Enjoy!
jo says
Did you use fat free cheese sticks or regular? I`ve heard only fat free ones work otherwise they melt in the oven…
Tonia says
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.
Elle says
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…
Kathryn says
Hi! We have “Japanese style” Panko. Is that the same thing or should I get some normal Panko?
Tonia says
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
Rita says
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.
Annie says
I think maybe Kathryn had a different brand name and was confused.. make sense?
Fairy Holdge says
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?
arlene says
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.
Missy says
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.
Cathy says
What about taking them the next day to work? Would microwave maybe 40 seconds work? thank you
Tonia says
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
Carol says
Have you tried any other cheese? Like Colby jack or cheddar?
Tonia says
Hi Carol,
I have not tried any other cheeses but I’m sure they would be delicious! I have used Velveeta to make Cheese Bombs http://www.thegunnysack.com/2013/06/cheese-bombs-cheese-filled-biscuits.html and they were really good! Thanks for stopping by!
~Tonia
Tara Mills says
What brand of mozzarella cheese sticks is your family’s favorite? We have tried a couple that we didn’t like.
Tonia says
Hi Tara,
Our favorite brand of string cheese is Crystal Farms: http://www.crystalfarmscheese.com/products/
~Tonia
Sardonyx says
The flour is to make the eggs stick to the cheese.
Karri says
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?
Tonia says
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
Kimari says
I doubled it and stored some in the freezer, they were perfect! Kids definitely enjoyed them 😀
Kimari says
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!
Lolly says
Gonna try making these today and we’re so excited! (We’re 29 and 37 btw)! 😀
Tonia says
Yum! Me and my husband love them too! Thanks for stopping by, Lolly!
Betsy says
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.
whitney says
I’m guessing the grilled cheese taste is from the melted butter. I’m going to try these without butter. Thanks for the recipe.
Kimberly Cochran says
This looks yummy gonna try this one soon THANKS!!!
Tonia L says
Thanks Kimberly! I hope you love them as much as we do!
Bromeliad says
Baked?! That’s practically healthy.
Amy F says
Oh yum! I love string cheese and I love cheese sticks. I think I have everything on hand to do this!
Betsy says
I would never have thought to use string cheese for mozzerella sticks. Great idea!
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
I shall try these. They truly look delicious, and I’m a sucker for anything I can dip in red sauce!
Ginger says
Cheese sticks are my favorite! Yum! I’ve never tried homemade…I bet they are even better. 🙂
Jennifer @ Delightfully Noted says
I usually try to pass up on mozzerella sticks since they are usually a heart attack on a plate but now baked ones?? I think I can handle that!!
The Remodeled Life says
Love this idea! My husband is a huuuge cheese fan, haha!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
Love these! I like the idea of using cheese sticks!
Andrea @ Decorating Cents says
Yummy. I may have to make these.