Mozzarella Sticks- Instant Pot Duo Crisp

Who likes snacks???  We do!!  And, we ALWAYS seem to have string cheese stocked in our refrigerator!  So, it only makes sense that we would make mozzarella sticks out of the string cheese, right? 🙂  By making these in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp instead of deep frying them in oil, you are able to enjoy all of the cheesy goodness with fewer calories and less fat overall.  Yippee!!  

I’ll be the first to admit that I was skeptical about how well the Instant Pot Duo Crisp was going to work. 

I like the cheese to be super gooey and almost bursting at the seams and I just wasn’t sure that the Instant Pot Duo Crisp was going to be able to accomplish this.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised!  

As you can see from the pictures, the cheese was SUPER gooey!  Just the way I like it!  I would recommend that you eat them pretty quickly or they will start to firm up and be less gooey and more chewy.  

While I was super impressed with how gooey the cheese was, I did kind of miss the greasiness of fried mozzarella sticks. I know, I know…this is healthier and super good! But, I think next time I will likely spray a little extra cooking spray on the mozzarella sticks before air frying them so that they taste a little more “fried.”

Tips for making Mozzarella Sticks in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp:

1. Make sure that you freeze the mozzarella sticks before you air crisp them.  If you don’t you will end up with soggy cheese sticks…and nobody wants that!
2. Like anything that you cook on the air crisp function, the air needs to circulate around the food in order to crisp it up.  So, don’t let your mozzarella sticks touch each other.  If you do, they will be extra soggy in those spots.  
3. Experiment with cheese.  I used mozzarella string cheese because…it’s easy and we all love it!  But, there are so many options for cheese….even pre-cut or in the same string cheese format.  

Looking for more Instant Pot recipes?  Check out some of our favorites!

Instant Pot Lazy Lasagna

Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

Instant Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu

Instant Pot Creamy Pork Chops

Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients for making Mozzarella Sticks in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp:

• ½ cup Italian style bread crumbs
• ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 eggs
• 12 mozzarella cheese sticks-frozen and cut in half
• Nonstick spray

Directions on making Mozzarella Sticks in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp:

1.Freeze mozzarella sticks for an hour or two.  Take them out of the refrigerator and cut them in half so that each cheese stick is 2-3 inches long.

2.Mix Italian style bread crumbs, Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder together in a bowl.  Beat eggs together in a separate bowl.

3.Using a fork, fully cover the mozzarella stick with egg and then dip and fully cover the mozzarella stick with the breadcrumb mixture.  Place mozzarella sticks onto a nonstick pan.  Make sure that they are not touching each other. 

4.Freeze for one hour. Remove mozzarella sticks from the freezer and dip the mozzarella stick in the egg and breadcrumb mixture again.  This second coating will help add to the crispiness once cooked.

5.Lightly spray the air crisping basket with non stick cooking spray.  Gently place the mozzarella sticks into the air crisping basket.  Be sure that there is a little space in between each.  Lightly spray them with the non stick cooking spray.

6.Turn Instant Pot Duo Crisp on and choose “air fry.”  Set temperature to 360 degrees and “air fry” them for 8-10 minutes.  Check them at about 7 minutes-just open up the lid.  If they are evenly browned and cheese is just barely starting to melt through the batter, they are done cooking.  If they have not browned yet, put the lid back on and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes longer.

7.When the mozzarella sticks are cooked, carefully remove from Instant Pot Duo Crisp with tongs.  Serve with marinara sauce. Enjoy!