Mozzarella Bites

This make-at-home recipe for mozzarella bites is easy to make. They are the perfect party appetizer, or game day snack. I'll tell you how to make mozzarella bites in the air fryer too!

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These pizza dough wrapped cheese bites aren't fried. They are my take on the Farm Rich brand Mozzarella Bites from the freezer section.

Because they are wrapped in prepared dough, they take much less time and mess than fried mozzarella bites or sticks.

Homemade Farm Rich Mozzarella Bites

I love the branded mozzarella bites from the freezer section for parties and summer snacks (try my Mozzarella Bites with Peach Salsa!). So I set out to make my own, pizza-dough-wrapped, melty cheese bites to keep on hand.

All I needed was store-bought pizza dough, string cheese sticks, some Parmesan and butter. I made my very own style of the Farm Rich Mozzarella Bites in the air fryer. It was super easy!

Serve them with marinara, your favorite salsa, or another great dip, and you have yourself a delicious, cheesy snack.

Making these appetizers

I'll give you step by step instructions below, so you can see how easy it is to make these mozzarella bites in the air fryer.

I use string cheese for the center. It has a low moisture content so less steam is produced inside my breaded cheese bite. This prevents a lot of little explosions where the cheese can melt out the side.

Prepared pizza dough from the refrigerated or freezer section of the grocery store works perfectly. You can also stop by your local pizza parlor and see if they'll sell you a ball of pizza dough if they make it on premises.

I tried to bake these in the oven, but had the most success in a traditional air fryer. The intense convection heat quickly cooked and browned the doughy outside and melted the center. There was much less cheese leakage - if you will - than when baked in the oven.

String Cheese works best

So, what is string cheese? Is it mozzarella?

String cheese is made from low-moisture mozzarella cheese, and is simply heated to a certain temperature, and stretched to realign the milk proteins.

The newly formed cheese sticks allow the cheese to pull apart in strings.

We don't need the stringy quality of string cheese for mozzarella bites, but it is nice to have the shape already created so we just have to cut it into 1-inch pieces.

String cheese melts perfectly inside the pizza dough, and creates the most delightful cheese-pull you've ever seen!

What to do with a block of mozzarella cheese?

Can you use a block of mozzarella cheese for these appetizers? Yes! You can use a block and simply cut it into 1-inch cubes.

Using string cheese saves time and mess, but a block is just fine.

I suggest using part-skim mozzarella blocks. There is less fat and moisture content in a block of part-skim mozzarella and that helps with the success of this recipe.

Air Fry Mozzarella Bites

Using the air fryer to make this homemade appetizer was the most successful.

I tested this recipe in the oven, in the broiler, on high heat and on low heat; but when I tested them in a drawer-style air fryer they were no-fail!

No matter what temperature I set on the oven, it would heat the inside of the mozzarella bites at the same time as the dough outside. So before the dough was cooked through and browned, the mozzarella sticks inside were melted and wanted to come out!

The majority of my mozzarella bites had cheese oozing from the side when cooked in the oven.

The bites cooked in the air fryer got golden brown at the same time the cheese melted inside.

This is due to the fact that the air fryer is a small, intense convection oven. The hot air is circulated around the food, ultimately browning and crisping it quickly.

The dough was perfectly cooked around the molten cheese center, and only one here and there decided to leak cheese!

I use the Cosori brand air fryer at home. Other air fryers will work, and you can adjust your time and temperature depending on the strength of the machine.

Air Fry Frozen Mozzarella Bites

The recipe gives tips for freezing cooked mozzarella cheese snacks for later. You can reheat them in the air fryer too!

Simply cook the mozzarella bites as directed, freeze them in a zip-top bag, then when you are ready to serve pre-heat your air fryer. Cook the frozen bites at 275ºF for 5 to 6 minutes.

Perfect Game Day Snack

You can keep the air fryer churning out piping hot mozzarella appetizers during the entire game! Or, keep baked bites in a low oven after they are cooked.

Serve them with marinara for a classic snack, or a fruit salsa, pesto, or your favorite spicy salsa for a twist.

Try more Super Bowl Snacks from Near and Far.

How to make this Cheese Bites Recipe

Fine the easy recipe below for my take on Farm Rich brand mozzarella bites. Here are my tips for each step:

• Cut 6 sticks of string cheese into 12 pieces. You'll have 72 little cheese balls.
• Toss the cheese in cornstarch. This coating will help absorb extra moisture inside the dough as the cheese melts.
• Freeze the cheese balls while you prepare the dough and heat the air fryer to 425ºF.
• Cut prepared pizza dough into pieces about the size of a marble.
• Use two pieces of dough to sandwich each ball of mozzarella. Then pinch the sides shut and gently form into a ball or patty.
• Brush each patty with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 5 to 6 minutes, until they are just turning golden and the cheese is melted.
• Serve with marinara or another dip.

More mozzarella recipes to try

• Mozzarella and Eggplant Panini
• Mozzarella Sticks Turkey Snack
• Italian Potato Salad with Balsamic Vinegar
• Ravioli with Fresh Tomatoes and Spinach
• Easy Caprese Focaccia

Let me know how it went!

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Appetizers, Nibble and Finger Foods

Recipe and Photos Tara Teaspoon®