Cheese Fritters
intro
Crispy on the outside, oozing with melted savory cheese inside, these golden fried fritters are a quick, crowd-pleasing snack perfect for casual group gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep dry batter mix
In a large mixing bowl, combine 120g all-purpose flour, 4g baking powder, 1.5g garlic powder, 0.5g smoked paprika, 3g sea salt, and 0.5g black pepper. Whisk for 30 seconds until evenly blended, with no clumps of baking powder or spice remaining.
Mix wet batter base
Make a shallow well in the center of the dry mix, then add 2 beaten large eggs and 80ml whole milk. Whisk slowly for 45 seconds until you form a thick, smooth batter with no dry flour pockets; the batter should drip slowly from the whisk rather than running in a thin stream.
Fold in shredded cheese
Add 200g shredded sharp cheddar and 100g shredded low-moisture mozzarella to the batter. Use a flexible rubber spatula to fold gently for 1 minute, until every cheese shred is evenly coated in batter; avoid overmixing, as this will develop gluten and make fritters tough.
Heat frying oil
Pour 500ml neutral vegetable oil into a deep heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven. Heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 180°C (350°F), measured with a clip-on candy thermometer; this takes approximately 5-7 minutes. Adjust stovetop heat as needed to hold a steady 180°C temperature through frying.
Fry fritters in batches
Use a 2-tablespoon (30ml) cookie scoop to drop rounded mounds of batter into the hot oil, cooking only 4-5 fritters per batch to avoid dropping oil temperature. Fry for 2.5 to 3 minutes total, flipping each fritter halfway through cooking with a slotted metal spoon, until fritters are deep golden brown and crispy on all sides.
Drain and season fritters
Use the slotted spoon to transfer cooked fritters to a wire rack set over a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle each hot fritter with a small pinch of flaky sea salt, then let fritters rest for 2 minutes to drain excess oil and allow the melted cheese inside to set slightly before serving.
Tips
2.Always use low-moisture mozzarella for this recipe: fresh mozzarella contains excess water that will cause fritters to split, leak cheese into the oil, and turn soggy as they cool.
3.Serve fritters within 10 minutes of cooking for the best texture: they lose their crisp exterior as they sit, and pair perfectly with marinara, ranch dressing, or spicy aioli for dipping.
OMG these were a total hit at our weeknight family dinner! My picky middle kid who turns his nose up at literally everything asked for thirds. I used a sharp cheddar blend instead of mozzarella because that’s what I had in the fridge, and they got so crispy and golden, no soggy mess at all. 10/10 will be making these for our next soccer team potluck too!
Game changer for quick weeknight meal prep! Total cook time was actually even less than 25 minutes for me since I pre-shredded a big block of cheese on Sunday. I paired them with a side of marinara for dipping and they reheated perfectly in the air fryer for lunch all week. No sad soggy fritters here! SO good.
Wait, I was so nervous these would be hard to pull off because I’m literally terrible at frying things, but the easy difficulty rating was no lie! My first two fritters were a little lumpy and wonky shaped but by the third I had the hang of it, and the cheese pull was insane. My roommate and I ate half the batch standing over the stove right after they finished cooking lmao. Only tiny knock is I wish I’d added a little extra garlic powder to the batter, next time I’ll throw some paprika in too.
Made these for our backyard cookout last weekend and they disappeared in 10 minutes flat. People kept hovering by the platter asking when I’d fry up another batch! I cooked them in my cast iron skillet on the grill’s side burner so I didn’t heat up the whole house, and they came out perfectly golden and crispy every single time.
Okay I need to be fully transparent: I ate the entire batch of these by myself for dinner last night. Zero regrets. The shatteringly crisp outside, the gooey melted cheese inside? I could cry. I dipped mine in ranch, don’t @ me.
Tried making these as an appetizer for my girlfriend’s birthday dinner and I was panicking the whole time they’d turn out a soggy, burnt mess, but they were perfect! She said they tasted like something we’d order as a starter at a fancy gastropub. Only casualty was a little oil splatter on my favorite hoodie, 100% worth it tho.
Brought these to my office potluck today and even the lady who brings plain steamed chicken and broccoli to every single work event had two! The crispy coating didn’t get greasy at all, which I was super worried about. I added a handful of chopped fresh chives to the batter for a little pop of color, and they looked so pretty arranged on a platter with marinara cups.
Just pulled my first batch of these out of the oil and they’re perfect! The crunch on the outside is chef’s kiss, and the cheese pull is so good I had to take a photo to send to my group chat. I already know these are going to be a staple for all our future hiking trips, can’t wait to pack them for our 6-mile trail day tomorrow with a side of marinara.
Wow, these are so cheap and easy to throw together! I used a generic block of sharp cheddar I had in the fridge, breadcrumbs I made from stale hot dog buns left over from last weekend’s cookout, and eggs I already had on hand — zero extra grocery run needed. Tastes way better than the frozen cheese curds I usually grab for game day, and costs a fraction of the price.
Added a handful of diced pickled jalapeños to the batter and WOW, that little tangy kick of heat pairs so perfectly with the creamy melted cheese. My whole friend group was raving about them during our Sunday football watch party. Already planning to make a double batch next weekend for the big game.