The perfect holiday appetizer! These little bites of vegan mozzarella are coated in breadcrumbs and then air fried for maximum crispiness. Perfect when paired with marinara sauce and hot out of the air fryer.
Before I went vegan we went to a restaurant and one of the appetizers we would always get was fried mozzarella balls. It was one of my favorite things and I have wanted to recreate something similar ever since, hence the air fried vegan mozzarella bites. At the restaurant these were deep fried, which you can do with this recipe too, but the air fryer makes this much easier. I love the air fryer it is such an awesome appliance and not as messy as deep frying.
Vegan Mozzarella
Vegan cheese gets a bad wrap. I can agree some of it isn’t the best, but in my 5 and a half years of being vegan things have changed immensely! My go to vegan mozzarella when I know I need the best of the best is Miyokos vegan mozzarella. It is a bit pricier so I do not make this an everyday thing but for holidays, or a special occasion it is so worth it. Another great vegan cheese to use would be the Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella block. I really enjoy that one and find it has good flavor and melt factor. Otherwise, if you have a vegan mozzarella block that you really enjoy you can use that.
Why is Freezing Important?
This recipe will ask you to pop things in the freezer for at least 15 minutes, twice. The first time is because the vegan cheese is usually made of oil and when it sits out it softens, just like regular cheese would, so I find it important to just pop the vegan cheese into the freezer after cutting it into cubes. I also will tell you to freeze them after they have been breaded. The reason for this is so as these air fry they do not explode from the vegan cheese melting too quickly. It solidifies the breadcrumbs as well.
Double Breading
I find double breading very important when it comes to something that can melt easily inside. The double breading helps to secure that you properly breaded and coated everything on the outside. It also makes it crispier and who doesn’t love a little extra breadcrumbs?!
Alternative Ways of Cooking
If you have been around the blog for a while you know how much I love air frying, I have a ton of recipes. I know not everyone has an air fryer, if you don’t you should definitely ask Santa for one though, so here are some other ways you can make these! You can bake them I would suggest baking them at 450°F (232°C) for 15 to 18 minutes or until crispy. You can also deep fry them. You can follow my recipe for Vegan Mozzarella Sticks for deep frying instructions. I do prefer cooking these in the air fryer since it takes up valuable stove and oven space during holiday cooking!
Air Fried Vegan Mozzarella Bites FAQ
- Can I make this gluten free? Yes, just use gluten free breadcrumbs and a gluten free flour or cornstarch.
- Can I freeze these? Yes, you have two options: 1. Freeze after breading and then cook when ready to eat. 2. Freeze leftovers after cooking and reheat when you want. Just be sure to freeze them on a baking sheet for an hour so they have room to harden then you can place in a container.
- Dipping sauce choices? I always use marinara but I think some fun ideas could be vegan ranch or a vegan hot “honey.”
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Air Fried Vegan Mozzarella Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 block (8 ounces/226g) Miyokos mozzarella, cubed about bite sized 20-22 cubes
Breading
- ½ cup (60g) fine breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup (60g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (120ml) nondairy milk, unsweetened and unflavored
- Spray Oil
Instructions
- Cut the vegan mozzarella into bite sized cubes about 1 inch. Place on a dish and freeze for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare bread crumbs by mixing all ingredients on a small plate, I find this easiest for breading.
- Pour the flour and nondairy milk into two small or medium bowls.
- Bread the vegan mozzarella: take one cube of vegan mozzarella, place it in the flour, then into the nondairy milk, then into the breadcrumbs, back into the nondairy milk, and finally back one more time in breadcrumbs making sure to coat it very well. Place on a dish to the side. Be sure to shake off any excess flour, nondairy milk or breadcrumbs. *Note: I like to designate a dry and wet hand for this process. I make my dominant hand the dry hand, so it will only place the cube into dry ingredients (flour and breadcrumbs) this prevents your hands from getting dirty.
- Repeat with all cubes of vegan mozzarella. Once they are all breaded place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes generously spray all sides of the cube with spray oil.
- Place in air fryer basket and cook for 12 minutes at 400°F (204°C). Space them out so there is room for there to get crispy. Depending on your air fryer you may need to do multiple batches and alter cooking time and temp.
- When done garnish with coarse sea salt and fresh parsley or oregano if desired. Enjoy warm.
Video
Notes
- These can be prepared ahead of time up to step 6. Freeze them and then when you want to eat them continue the cooking process.
- You can use any block style vegan mozzarella you like.
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