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Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks
Gooey melted cheese wrapped in salty crispy bacon make the ultimate savory appetizer. These bacon-wrapped mozzarella sticks are simple and easy to make at home.
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Oozing, stretchy, melted cheese centers wrapped in crispy bacon. These two basic ingredients make the most delicious snack or appetizer.
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Gooey and crispy, the melty cheese and salty bacon combine to make the ultimate appetizer that everyone will love. If you love eating mozzarella sticks at restaurants or fast food places, you’ll love this simple way to make them at home.
This savory snack doesn’t need any dip or egg coating, it’s just three simple ingredients, mozzarella sticks, bacon, and cooking oil to fry the wrapped cheese sticks. Eat the mozzarella sticks on their own or dip them in marinara sauce, bbq sauce, ranch dressing, or pesto.
The easy-to-make appetizer is perfect for your next party or game day get-together. Or make a batch for your family to enjoy before dinner. Serve bacon-wrapped mozzarella sticks with burgers, chicken wings, nachos, or pizza.
Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks Ingredients
- Bacon - one pound, typically about 12 slices
- Mozzarella sticks - whole milk or low-moisture mozzarella sticks
- Cooking oil - vegetable oil
Warmer cheese sticks tend to ooze more and be floppier, so chilling the wrapped cheese sticks before cooking helps them keep their shape. Mozzarella cheese has a mild flavor and melts easily, making it a great choice for this recipe, but other kinds of cheese can be used as well. Cheddar, Colby Jack, or pepper jack cheese sticks would also taste completely delicious wrapped in bacon.
Skip the thick-cut bacon for this recipe, as it will take too long to cook, and there are fewer slices of bacon in each one-pound package. You can try different bacon flavors, like hickory-smoked, applewood smoked, or peppered. Another way to add flavor is to place jalapeño slices on top of the cheese sticks before wrapping them in bacon.
When frying your mozzarella sticks keep in mind that the oil takes some time to heat up, generally about 15 minutes. To ensure the oil is heated to the correct temperature you should use either an instant-read thermometer or a candy thermometer.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks Ingredients
FIRST STEP: Unwrap mozzarella sticks from their wrappers.
SECOND STEP: Use one piece of bacon for each mozzarella stick. Wrap one end of the bacon over one end of the cheese stick. Use a toothpick to secure the bacon in place, pushing the toothpick straight through the bacon and into the center of the cheese.
THIRD STEP: Wrap the bacon around the cheese stick, overlapping each layer slightly until the bacon can be folded over the opposite end. Secure with another toothpick. A piece of bacon should completely cover the cheese stick. Set aside.
FOURTH STEP: Continue wrapping all of the cheese sticks with bacon.
FIFTH STEP: Place the bacon-wrapped cheese sticks in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
SIXTH STEP: Fill a skillet with 2 inches of cooking oil (vegetable oil) and heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 350°F.
SEVENTH STEP: Remove several cheese sticks from the freezer and add them directly to the heated oil.
EIGHTH STEP: Fry, flipping after a few minutes until the bacon is cooked to desired crispness.
NINTH STEP: Use a strainer to remove the fried mozzarella strip from the oil and place it on paper towels or paper bags to absorb the extra oil.
TENTH STEP: Continue cooking the cheese sticks in batches until done.
ELEVENTH STEP: Remove toothpicks before serving.
Do I have to use cheese sticks?
You can replace the string cheese with cheese cut from a block. If you cut pieces of cheese just make sure they are about the same size and shape and a cheese stick.
How do I know when the oil is hot enough?
Use either an instant-read thermometer or a candy thermometer to make sure the oil is heated to the correct temperature. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the cheese will become too soft and will ooze out of the bacon completely before the bacon is finished cooking. To keep the cheese sticks from oozing you can also chill, or freeze, them before cooking.
What kind of bacon should I use?
Use regular cut bacon, and not thick-cut bacon, for this appetizer. The thick-cut bacon takes longer to cook and has fewer pieces in each package. You can use any flavor of bacon that you prefer.
How to Store Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks
IN THE FRIDGE: Store leftover bacon-wrapped mozzarella sticks in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. These bacon-wrapped cheese sticks are best served while warm, so reheat them in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds before serving.
Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks
Gooey melted cheese wrapped in salty crispy bacon make the ultimate savory appetizer. These bacon-wrapped mozzarella sticks are simple and easy to make at home.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon typically about 12 slices
- 12 whole milk mozzarella sticks or low-moisture mozzarella sticks
- cooking oil not pictured
Instructions
- Unwrap mozzarella sticks from their wrappers.
- Use one piece of bacon for each mozzarella stick. Wrap one end of the bacon over one end of the cheese stick. Use a toothpick to secure the bacon in place, pushing the toothpick straight through the bacon and into the center of the cheese.
- Wrap the bacon around the cheese stick, overlapping each layer slightly until the bacon can be folded over the opposite end. Secure with another toothpick. A piece of bacon should completely cover the cheese stick. Set aside.
- Continue wrapping all of the cheese sticks with bacon.
- Place the bacon-wrapped cheese sticks in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- Fill a skillet with 2 inches of cooking oil (vegetable oil) and heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 350°F.
- Remove several cheese sticks from the freezer and add them directly to the heated oil.
- Fry, flipping after a few minutes until the bacon is cooked to desired crispness.
- Use a strainer to remove the fried mozzarella strip from the oil and place on paper towels or paper bags to absorb the extra oil.
- Continue cooking the cheese sticks in batches until done.
- Remove toothpicks before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 277mg | Vitamin A: 4IU | Calcium: 20mg
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Comments
Kathleen Helmers says
Is it possible to make this in an air fryer?
Layne Henderson says
Hi, Kathleen - yes! We haven't made it that way personally so I don't have specifics, but I'm sure that could work. Enjoy!
Felicia says
To die for and so easy to make