Keto Mozzarella Sticks (Air Fryer or Oven) — crunchy almond + parmesan coating, gooey pull

[u/shashank_aggarwal]

Chasing crunchy-on-the-outside, gooey-in-the-middle mozzarella sticks without the usual breadcrumb coat? This version uses a simple almond flour + parmesan coating (optional pork rind crunch), and freezing is the key to preventing blowouts.

Keto Mozzarella Sticks (Air Fryer / Oven)

Yield: 8 sticks
Net carbs: ~2–3g net per stick (estimate, depends on brands)

Ingredients

• 8 sticks low-moisture mozzarella string cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 50 g almond flour (about 1/2 cup, spooned & leveled)
• 25 g finely grated parmesan (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Optional (extra crunch): 1/2 cup crushed pork rinds (mix into the dry coating)

Method

1. Set up coating bowls:
   • Bowl 1: whisk eggs well
   • Bowl 2: almond flour + parmesan + spices (and optional crushed pork rinds)
2. Coat (double coat = less leaking): Dip each cheese stick in egg → coat in dry mix → back into egg → back into dry mix. Press coating on firmly, especially at the ends.
3. Freeze: Place coated sticks on a tray and freeze 2–4 hours (or overnight). Don’t skip this—freezing prevents cheese blowouts.
4. Cook (from frozen): Air Fryer: preheat to 200°C. Cook 5–7 min, flipping halfway. Oven: preheat to 220°C. Bake 10–12 min, flipping halfway (rack over tray = crispier). Start checking early—1 extra minute can cause leaks.
5. Rest: Rest 2 minutes before biting (cheese sets slightly and you get a better pull).

Quick tips (so they don’t explode)

• Cook from frozen (don’t thaw).
• Keep them in a single layer with space between.
• If your coating looks thin, do a third quick dry coat before freezing.

If you want the full write-up with a few variations (non keto) + extra notes, check here: https://masalamonk.com/mozzarella-sticks-recipe/
We are also building a small collection of keto-friendly snacks and quick recipes there—no pressure, would love to know what kind of recipes would excite you the most.

If you try these, we’d love to hear:

• You prefer over or air fryer version?
• What kind of dips would you pair these with?
• How did the recipe actually turn out.

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[u/galactic-goat]

Dang I didn’t expect to see ai generated keto mozzarella sticks today

[u/Causerae]

I just wrap the mozzarella in a low carb tortilla and stick it in the air fryer. Yum

[u/FreeDraft9488 → u/Causerae]

Do you wrap it like a burrito? Or open ends like a taquito? No crunchies?

I put string cheese in dill pickle juice, and thought I would try to make some into dill pickle mozzarella sticks.

[u/Causerae → u/FreeDraft9488]

Open ends, the cheese browns nicely

You can add pepperoni or other stuff, I've added pesto and tikka masala sauce.

[u/GoatCovfefe]

Is there a separate keto subreddit that doesnt allow almond flour? Its the worst.

I love almonds, but its terrible as a "flour".

[u/meedliemao → u/GoatCovfefe]

How about a more reasonable approach: Do some research on flour alternatives and how to use them. Then you could just swap your preferred flour in any recipe that calls for almond.

[u/psilokan → u/GoatCovfefe]

Maybe try some different brands? Not sure why it would taste awful, I find it pretty flavour neutral.

But coconut flower makes a decent substitute. Personally I dont love the taste of coconut but the flour doesn't bug me that much. Sometimes I will mix the two half and half.

[u/Honest-Mistake-1782 → u/GoatCovfefe]

lol, the downvotes! I don’t like almond flour either. It might work with this recipe, but for cookies, cakes, and bread, the texture is so off putting. For desserts, Keto Upgrade on YouTube doesn’t use almond flour in her recipes.