Ninja Foodi Mozzarella Sticks

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 mozzarella sticks in the Ninja Foodi 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 the Ninja Foodi would make the mozzarella sticks.

I like the cheese to be super gooey and almost bursting at the seams and I just wasn’t sure that the Ninja Foodi 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 Ninja Foodi Mozzarella Sticks:

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 Ninja Foodi Air Crisp recipes?  Check out some of our favorites!

Ninja Foodi Mostaccioli

Ninja Foodi Jalapeno Poppers

Ninja Foodi Brussels Sprouts

Ninja Foodi Sweet Potato Fries

Ninja Foodi Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

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Ingredients for making Ninja Foodi Mozzarella Sticks:

• 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 Ninja Foodi Mozzarella Sticks:

1.Freeze mozzarella sticks for an hour or two.  Take mozzarella sticks out of refrigerator and cut 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 the mozzarella sticks with the non stick cooking spray.

6.Turn Ninja Foodi on and choose “air crisp.”  Set temperature to 360 degrees and “air crisp” 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, close the lid and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes longer. 

7.When the mozzarella sticks are cooked, carefully remove from Ninja Foodi with tongs.  Serve with marinara sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe