Mashed Potato Mozzarella Sticks

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Have you ever dreamed up a recipe you couldn’t wait to try? That’s how these Mashed Potato Mozzarella Cheese Sticks were born! You’ll love this easy recipe.

Updated 5/2022 to include more information.

Recently my husband described to me a recipe he had dreamed up. Image this, a mozzarella stick wrapped in mashed potatoes then breaded and fried. Mashed potato mozzarella sticks sounded like a the next recipe I had to make!

The great thing about this recipe is it’s perfect for those left over mashed potatoes. They are easy to put together for an appetizer or an after school snack.

How to make homemade Mashed Potato Mozzarella Sticks

To make mashed potato cheese sticks you’re going to need the following ingredients:

Mashed Potatoes
Mozzarella Sticks
Panko Bread Crumbs
All purpose flour
Eggs
Vegetable Oil

Step by step instructions:

• Place flour, egg, and bread crumbs in separate bowls.
• Cut mozzarella into sticks.
• Have cold mashed potatoes in large bowl
• Take a small ball of cold mashed potatoes and flatten slightly into your hands. Cold mashed potatoes are much easier to work with.
• Press mozzarella cheese strip into the potatoes and cover the whole mozzarella stick evenly.
• While you want the entire piece of mozzarella covered you don’t want the mashed potatoes too thick. If the potatoes are too thick they will take too long to fry. If that happens the outside will be too done and the cheese won’t melt.
• I rolled the mashed potatoes between my hands to help make them more uniform all the way around.
• Once you have all your cheese sticks rolled in mashed potatoes it’s time for the breading.

How to apply breading

• First roll your mashed potato mozzarella stick in plain flour. Make sure to coat it completely.
• Next, dunk your flour covered stick in the egg. Again, make sure to coat completely.
• Last, cover completely with panko bread crumbs. I like to pat the bread crumbs down to make sure they’re stuck well.

How to fry mashed potato mozzarella sticks

Add vegetable oil to a frying pan deep enough to submerge mashed potato mozzarella sticks. Heat oil on medium high heat until it bubbles when you dip the edge of the stick into it. Reduce to medium heat.

Drop sticks into the hot oil. If your oil isn’t deep enough to cover your potato stick flip halfway through cooking. Deep fry for 2-3 minutes until all sides are golden brown.

Drain on a baking tray lined with paper towels. We enjoyed these barely cooled and dipped in ranch dressing.

These turned out better than I could have imagined. The combination of mashed potatoes and mozzarella is a match made in heaven. Although next time I might try with Italian seasoning panko crumbs and a cheddar stick.

Mashed Potato Mozzarella Sticks in Air Fryer

When I originally created these mashed potato mozzarella sticks Air Fryers weren’t really a thing. I didn’t own one and no one I knew did either.

Since Air Fryers have become a household staple we’ve been asked over and over “Can I make mashed potato mozzarella sticks in an Air Fryer?”. I haven’t personally tried this yet, it’s on my to-do list but I can’t think of any reason you couldn’t.

Based on our Air Fryer experience we would recommend cooking in an air fryer at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until the outside is golden brown. We also recommend spraying the tray and sticks with cooking spray.

These are so delicious and pretty filling too!  They would pair really well with our copy cat Chick Fil A chicken nuggets. I’m really excited to experiment with other cheeses, and adding ham, bacon, and other fun stuff into the mix! What would you try first?

Do you love Mozzarella cheese? Here are a few other recipes you should try!