Keto Mozzarella Sticks (1g Net Carbs)

These Keto Mozzarella Sticks are crispy with a super cheesy center and delicious Italian seasoning flavors.

They are easy gluten-free mozzarella cheese sticks fried in avocado oil and coated with a crispy almond flour pork rinds coating.This keto low-carb appetizer recipe contains only 60 kcal and 1.1 grams of net carbs per stick!

Are Classic Mozzarella Sticks Keto-Friendly?

No, classic mozzarella sticks or sticks bought from the store contain flour.

Flour is high in carbs and starch, and it will raise your blood sugar level and would take you out of ketosis.

How To Make Keto Mozzarella Sticks

First, choose the right ingredients.

Ingredients

You will need:

• Part-skim mozzarella string cheese sticks – Mozzarella is a keto-friendly dairy product.
• Pork rinds – measure the ground pork rinds. You can buy whole pork rinds and crush them into coarse ground with pillar and mortar.
• Almond flour – learn how to choose your keto flour.
• Garlic powder
• Large Eggs – yes, eggs are keto-friendly.
• Italian seasoning
• Water

Preparing The Cheese Sticks

Open each mozzarella string cheese stick and cut them in half to form 24 smaller sticks.

Set aside on a plate. Prepare one or two large plates covered with baking paper and set them aside.

Make sure the plate fits the width of your freezer because you will pop it in at the next step.

Preparing The Keto Breadcrumb

First, prepare the keto breadcrumb. It’s the mixture that you are going to use to coat the keto cheese sticks.

In a plastic bag, add the pork rinds, close the bag, and roll a rolling pin onto it to crush the pork rinds into fine powder/crumbs.

If it doesn’t work well, add the pork rinds in a mortar and pillar.

Open the bag, add to it the almond flour, garlic powder, grated parmesan, and Italian seasoning.

Finally, close the bag, shake to combine evenly, and transfer into a shallow bowl.

Making The Egg Wash

In another shallow bowl, beat one egg and an egg white along with water to create an egg wash.

Set the egg wash aside.

Double Coating

Now, working one stick at a time dip into:

1. The beaten egg
2. Keto breadcrumbs
3. The beaten egg again
4. Keto breadcrumb again

This double-coating method ensures a thick coating on the cheese sticks. They will be crispier, and the cheese is well encased into the coating.

Freezing

This is the most important part of making any mozzarella stick recipe.

You must place the breaded mozzarella sticks in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight to harden the cheese sticks.

This prevents the cheese from dripping out of the coating when fried.

Cooking

Finally, shallow-fry or deep-fry the mozzarella cheese sticks.

You can also air fry or bake the sticks, but the coating won’t be golden and crispy. It will be soft and powdery.

Air Fryer Method

I don’t recommend air frying or baking these mozzarella sticks. The coating wouldn’t be as crispy. It would remain white and soft.

But if you really want to try air fryer mozzarella sticks, then this is how I would proceed.

First, set your air fryer to 400°F (200°C).

Then, spray the air fryer basket with oil spray and lay the mozzarella sticks in the basket, leaving some empty space between each stick to prevent them from touching each other.

So for this recipe, you will have to work in batches as you can’t fit 24 mozzarella sticks in a single basket.

Spray some oil onto the breaded sticks. Finally, air-fry the sticks for about 6 to 8 minutes until the coating is golden and crispy.

Frying Keto Cheese Sticks

You should shallow-fry these mozzarella sticks instead of deep-frying them.

It’s a little bit healthier as it requires less oil. I recommend using high-smoke-point avocado oil for a healthier frying technique and enjoy a crispy coating.

To shallow fry, warm just enough avocado oil to a frying pan – about 1 inch/2.5 cm oil.

Shallow fry the mozzarella sticks on both sides just until the coating is golden and crispy.

Place on a plate covered with absorbent paper to remove excess oil from the sticks before serving.

Serving Mozzarella Sticks

One serving size, when used as a meal, is 10 sticks, which comes to 8 grams of net carbs and 400 kcal.

But you can also serve smaller portions as a keto appetizer or keto salad topping or as a side to a delicious steak of beef.

These cheese sticks are also delicious combined with keto dips and sauce like:

• Homemade ketchup or simply marinara sauce.
• Keto spinach avocado dip – a cold, creamy spinach dip made of avocado and yogurt delicious to dip crispy, cheesy mozzarella sticks.
• Dijon mustard
• Sour cream

Storage Instructions

Once you have cooked your keto cheese sticks, you can store them for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. To do that, place them in zip lock bags in groups of 3-4 that you can thaw and rewarm together.

Reheat your keto mozzarella sticks in a frying pan with oil for a couple of minutes or in the air fryer.

Frequently Asked Questions