Keto Mozzarella Sticks
Gooey string cheese in a crunchy, double-dipped Parmesan and pork rind crust, baked or air-fried from frozen. Serve them with warm marinara.
Nutrition per serving
3 sticks + 2 tbsp marinara- Net carbs
- 3.4g
- Calories
- 306kcal
- Protein
- 22g
- Fat
- 22g
- Total carbs
- 4.1 g
- Fiber
- 0.7 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Pork-free (almond flour): An almond flour and Parmesan crust for anyone who doesn’t eat pork. It’s a little finer and more delicate than the pork rind coating.
- Use the almond flour in place of the pork rinds. The finer crumb makes the double dip essential, and it browns a minute faster, so start checking early.
Halloumi fries: Halloumi doesn’t melt, so it skips the breading and freezing. Just season the sticks and pan-fry them until golden and squeaky.
- Pat the halloumi sticks dry and toss them with the Parmesan, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
- Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and fry the sticks 1–2 minutes per side, until deep golden. Serve hot with the marinara or a squeeze of lemon.
- Sticks
- Coating
- To serve
- Sticks
- Coating
- To serve
- Sticks
-
2 large eggsleave out - Coating
-
1¾ oz plain pork rindsleave out - To serve
Estimated cost $6.07 for 4 servings ($1.52 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
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Line a small tray or plate with parchment. Mix the crushed pork rinds, Parmesan, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in a shallow dish, and beat the eggs in a second dish.
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Dip a piece of cheese in the egg, let the excess drip off, then roll it in the crumbs, pressing so they stick. Dip it in the egg and the crumbs a second time. The double coat is what keeps the cheese from leaking out. Set on the tray and repeat with the rest.
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Freeze the coated sticks until rock-solid, at least 1 hour. Don’t skip this, or the cheese melts before the crust has time to crisp.
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Heat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C), or the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush or mist the frozen sticks lightly with the oil.
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Air-fry 5–7 minutes or bake 7–9 minutes, until deep golden. Take them out as soon as one starts to ooze at the ends. Rest 2 minutes, then serve with warm no-sugar marinara.
Tips for success
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Use low-moisture string cheese or a firm block cut into sticks. Fresh mozzarella is too wet and won’t hold its shape. - Cook straight from the freezer. Thawed sticks blow out within a couple of minutes.
- For a fried version, shallow-fry the frozen sticks in 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil at 375°F (190°C) for 45–60 seconds per side.
- Short on time? Use ready-made pork rind “panko” for the coating.
Nice to have, not needed
- An air fryer gives the crispiest crust in the least time — the oven works with a couple of extra minutes.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Best eaten fresh
- Freezes up to 2 months
Reheat: Re-crisp cooked leftovers in the air fryer for 2–3 minutes.
Prep tip: Bread a double batch and freeze the extras on the tray, then bag them; cook straight from frozen whenever the craving hits.
Freeze breaded, uncooked sticks in a zip-top bag up to 2 months and cook from frozen. Cooked sticks are best right away; re-crisp leftovers in the air fryer for 2–3 minutes.
Variations
2 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosPork-free (almond flour)
SwapAn almond flour and Parmesan crust for anyone who doesn’t eat pork. It’s a little finer and more delicate than the pork rind coating.
- plain pork rinds → blanched almond flour
4.2 g net · 292 kcal · 17 g protein · 23 g fat · ≈$1.29 per serving (+0.8 g net carbs vs the original)
Halloumi fries
SwapHalloumi doesn’t melt, so it skips the breading and freezing. Just season the sticks and pan-fry them until golden and squeaky.
- mozzarella string cheese sticks → halloumi
- avocado oil (or oil spray) → avocado oil, for pan-frying
- no eggs
- no plain pork rinds
3.5 g net · 271 kcal · 15 g protein · 21 g fat · ≈$2.53 per serving (+0.1 g net carbs vs the original)
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