This is not your average mozzarella stick! My fried mozzarella starts with slices of mozzarella stacked together, double-breaded in Panko and pan-fried until golden, shatteringly crispy outside and perfectly gooey inside. Top with a quick cherry tomato salad and you’ve got the best summer appetizer on the table in 15 minutes or less.
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Two words: Fried mozzarella.
A.k.a. cheese cutlets. Mozzarella Milanese. Mozzarella schnitzel. Someone-sat-on-my-mozzarella-stick. Whatever you call it, this is hot, crispy, gooey cheese perfection.
Think of it like my iconic chicken milanese… except instead of chicken, we’re breading and pan-frying slices of mozzarella cheese until the outside is golden and crisp and the inside turns gloriously melty.
It’s also sort of like my pan-fried Brie, but cheesier and easier.
And unlike good ol’ fried mozzarella sticks, this version feels a little more dinner-party-worthy. Top it with a quick tomato salad, drizzle it with hot honey or throw a fried egg on top and call it breakfast.
- Mozzarella cheese: You’ll want to use pre-sliced, low-moisture mozzarella, not the fresh kind that’s packed in water.
- All-purpose flour: Creates a dry surface for the egg to cling to. Without it, the breading won’t adhere properly.
- Eggs: The glue between the flour and the Panko.
- Panko breadcrumbs: For a lighter, crispier crunch than regular ol’ breadcrumbs, just like my air fryer mozzarella sticks and fried goat cheese balls.
- Oil for frying: You want a neutral oil with a high smoke point for pan-frying, such as vegetable or avocado oil. Avoid olive oil as it has too low a smoke point and will burn.
- Flaky salt: The finishing touch. Sprinkle the second the fried cheese comes out of the pan.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
My #1 Success Tip: Double Bread the Cheese
Before you start breading, brush one side of each mozzarella slice with a little water and stack them together. The water acts as a glue, sealing the slices into one thick, unified slab so they don’t slide apart in the pan.
The breading station for this recipe is a classic three-step process: flour, egg, Panko. But here’s the secret: after the first round of egg and Panko, go back through the egg and Panko one more time.
Dredging the cheese twice creates a thick, sturdy shell with more surface area for the oil to turn into a shatteringly crispy exterior (read: maximum crunch!). Plus, the double breading helps to eliminate bare spots, which means less chance of cheese oozing out during the pan-frying process
One more pro tip while we’re here: use one dry hand and one wet hand when breading. Dry hand goes into the flour and Panko. Wet hand goes into the egg. This keeps your fingers from turning into a breadcrumb-coated mess halfway through and makes the whole process so much smoother.
Once your cheese is double-breaded and ready to go, it’s time for a quick shallow fry. And here’s my best tip: get the oil hot before you add the cheese. The easiest way to test if the oil is hot enough is to drop a breadcrumb into the pan. If it sizzles immediately, you’re ready. If it just sits there, wait. Cold oil means greasy, soggy breading and nobody wants that.
This cooks fast, about 1 minute per side. Just like when pan-frying chicken cutlets or zucchini fritters, resist the urge to move the cheese around in the pan. The second the fried mozzarella comes out of the pan and onto the paper towel-lined plate, hit it with that pinch of flaky sea salt. Hot, just-fried food absorbs seasoning better, and that pinch of salt elevates the flavors.
Fried mozzarella waits for no one. The longer it sits, the more the cheese sets back up and the crispy exterior softens. Get it on the table fast.
3 Ways to Serve It
Plain fried mozz is delicious, but this big ol’ slab is begging to be topped. Here are my three favorite ways to serve it:
- Quick tomato salad: This is my personal fave and the one I make most often. Halve a cup of cherry tomatoes, toss them with a drizzle of olive oil and red wine vinegar, season well with salt and pepper and finish with fresh basil. Spoon it right over the top. It’s like we’re swapping in fried mozz for my favorite Burrata Caprese.
- Hot honey and fresh thyme: A generous drizzle of hot honey with a few fresh thyme leaves scattered on top. Sweet, spicy, herby and completely addictive.
- A fried egg: Gooey on gooey perfection. I have nothing more to say except that it works and you should try it immediately.
Ingredients
- 4 thin slices mozzarella cheese (not fresh)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable or avocado oil, for pan-frying
Instructions
- Brush one side of one slice of mozzarella cheese with water then stack a second slice on top and repeat the brushing and stacking until all four slices are sealed together.
- Add the flour to one shallow bowl.
- Whisk the eggs in a second shallow bowl.
- Add the breadcrumbs to a third shallow bowl.
- Dredge the cheese in the flour, coating it on all sides, then shake off any excess.
- Dip the cheese in the eggs, shaking off any excess, then coat it with the breadcrumbs. Repeat the egg and breadcrumb steps so that the cheese has two layers of coating.
- Add about ½ inch of oil to a skillet set over medium heat. Line a plate with paper towels.
- Once the oil is hot (test this by dropping a breadcrumb into the oil; it should sizzle immediately), add the coated cheese. Pan-fry it on one side until it is golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip the cheese once and continue pan-frying an additional 1 minute. Using a spatula, transfer the cheese to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season it with salt.
- Serve immediately with your choice of toppings.
Kelly’s Notes
- Double-breading the cheese helps prevent it from oozing out during the pan-frying process.
- Serving/topping options include:
- A simple drizzle of hot honey and optional fresh thyme leaves
- A quick tomato salad (halved cherry tomatoes dressed in olive oil and red wine vinegar, seasoned well with salt and pepper, and tossed with fresh basil)
- A fried egg (gooey on gooey perfection!)
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