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 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. 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 flours.
• Garlic powder
• Large eggs
• Italian seasoning
• Water

Prepare 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 aside.

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

Prepare 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/crumb.

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

Open the bag and add in 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 aside.

Double coat

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.

Freeze

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

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.

Cook

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.

Keto mozzarella sticks air fryer method

I don’t recommend air frying or baking these mozzarella sticks. The coating wouldn’t be 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 400F (200C).

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.

How to fry my mozzarella 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.

How to serve your keto 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.

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

Can I store mozzarella sticks?

Yes, you can make ahead a large batch of breaded cheese sticks and store them in the freezer in a sealed bag for up to 3 months.

It’s a great technique to meal prep some easy keto snacks or keto appetizers when friends come over on the weekend.

Can I use other cheese?

No, you can’t make keto mozzarella cheese with something else. For the best stringy, melted cheese sticks that won’t drip out of the coating, you must use part-skim mozzarella string cheese sticks.

Can I skip the pork rinds?

Yes, you can replace the pork rinds with more almond flour in this recipe.

More breaded keto low-carb recipes

If you love crispy coated food to dip in sauce or top on keto salad, I have more recipe ideas for you below:

Related Recipe

Related Recipe

Have you made these keto mozzarella cheese sticks and love them? Share a review or comment below and connect with Sweetashoney members!

XOXO Carine

Recipe Card

Keto Mozzarella Sticks

These Keto Mozzarella Sticks are crispy shallow fried cheese sticks with a crispy gluten-free almond flour coating.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 6 mins

Freezing time 2 hrs

Total Time: 2 hrs 16 mins

Author: Carine Claudepierre

24 mozzarella sticks

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• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Make sure it fits your freezer width because you will pop this in the freezer later in the recipe. Otherwise, use two plates covered with parchment paper, and you will transfer the frozen sticks to the baking sheet later. Set aside.

• Slice each stick of mozzarella in half cross-wise to end up with 24 pieces of cheese.

• In a plastic bag or using a pillar and mortar, crush the pork rinds into a coarse breadcrumb. Measure the quantity of ground pork rinds required by the recipe.

• Transfer the grounds pork rinds into a shallow bowl along with almond flour, Italian seasonings, garlic powder. Give a quick stir to combine.

• In another shallow bowl, beat eggs and water.

• Working one stick at a time, Dip each mozzarella cheese stick into the beaten eggs, then press into the keto bread crumb bowl. Repeat dipping in egg and keto breadcrumbs for a double-thick coating. Don’t hesitate to press the crumb hard in the palm of your hand to fully cover them with the crumb.

• Place each breaded cheese stick on the prepared baking sheet.

• Repeat this process until the 24 sticks are covered with the keto breadcrumb mixture.

• Place the breaded cheese stick in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight to set. This is not optional, or the cheese would melt straight away and come out of the crumb.

• When ready to serve, warm 1 inch (2.5 cm) avocado oil in a frying pan.

• When the oil is hot, shallow-fry the sticks, adding no more than 6 at a time, or the oil temperature drops fast, and they wouldn’t cook properly.

• Fry for about 3 minutes on each side, rotating the cheese sticks with 2 forks. They are ready when the coating is golden and crispy and the cheese is melted in the center.

• Place the fried stick on a plate with absorbent paper to soak up the extra oil.

• Serve immediately with sugar-free ketchup or sour cream.

Nutrition Facts

Keto Mozzarella Sticks

Amount Per Serving (1 stick)

Calories 66.9 Calories from Fat 50

% Daily Value*

Fat 5.5g8%

Saturated Fat 0.6g4%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Cholesterol 16.9mg6%

Sodium 31.4mg1%

Potassium 7.5mg0%

Carbohydrates 2.1g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 0.3g0%

Protein 3.3g7%

Vitamin A 24.6IU0%

Vitamin B12 0.1µg2%

Vitamin C 0.1mg0%

Vitamin D 0.1µg1%

Calcium 24mg2%

Iron 0.5mg3%

Magnesium 0.8mg0%

Zinc 0.1mg1%

Net Carbs 1.1g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.