Crunchy baked Mozzarella sticks are made with whole grain bread crumbs and oven-baked for an ooey-gooey, high-protein treat.
I just love to make over famously unhealthy foods. For one thing, my kids like to eat them. For another thing, it’s usually surprisingly easy to transform a recipe into a healthier treat that you feel good about sharing with your kids!
This is one of those recipes. With a breading made from whole, sprouted grain bread and whole wheat flour, and an oven-baked cooking method that avoids the deep-fryer altogether, we’ve turned the ultimate crunchy/gooey appetizer into a healthy snack you can make at home, any time you’ve got hungry kids, and 20 minutes to spare.
Set out a dish of marinara for dipping, a little fresh fruit on the side, and you’re ready to snack.
Is Cheese Really Healthy?
Cheese has an undeserved reputation among adults as a fattening indulgence. But when you’re feeding your kids cheese (perhaps it feels like even more cheese), there are two things to remember.
The first is that kids really need fat… it’s essential not just for growing bodies, but for growing brains, too. (Did you know that your brain is composed of 60% fat? It’s true!)
Secondly, cheese counts as a good source of protein and calcium, just like milk.
So go ahead and enjoy serving your kids these melty cheese sticks. And grab one for yourself, too. No guilt allowed!
Quick Sticks
When you’re reading to make these Mozzarella sticks, get three bowls ready for the breading: one with egg, one with whole wheat flour, and one with bread crumbs. Got a little helper in the kitchen? This recipe is great fun for kids who are too little to chop veggies.
Unwrap your cheese sticks, and dip each one in turn into the egg, flour, and bread crumbs.
Place the coated sticks onto a cookie sheet, and bake for just ten minutes. Be careful not to leave them in too long, or you’ll have a Mozzarella puddle, instead of a stick. 😉
Enjoy them while they’re hot and crunchy! They taste great dunked in a classic marinara sauce, or in our Beyond Veggie Dip.
Do you have a favorite healthy makeover recipe? What is it?
SO excited about these…my boys LOVE cheese and these would be a fun way to get them dipping and loving some not-friend cheese!!!
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i LOVe this! the healthy alternative for mozzarella sticks…what kid doesnt love string cheesy goodness?!
If you want to fry these so they are nice and crispy, freeze the cheese first. Otherwise the cheese melts before the coating solidifies.
Made it tonight and my girls loved it!!!!! Mine didn’t stay in stick form……they didn’t care though!
Great idea! I just shared these in my “favorite finds.” I know my readers will want to try them as much as I do. Thanks for sharing!
where can you get Panko?
I’m in heaven! Thank you for posting this delicious recipe!
These look great! Do you have any suggestions about how I could make these without egg? My little guy has an egg allergy. Milk maybe? Ideas welcome!
I have found it at my regular grocery store. It is usual down the aisle with Ethnic food – usually by the Asian foods.
Milk will work as a substitute, but it isn’t as thick as an egg and so I would suggest adding a little flour to make it a little thicker. Start with 3-4 tablespoons of flour and add cold milk gradually while stirring to help prevent lumps. Keep adding milk until it gets to the consistency you want. Then you can use it to dredge your cheese sticks. Good luck!
I’ve been trying to stay healthy and stick to a good diet but when I saw these I had to stop and read some more. I do like to splurge on mozerella sticks sometimes and these looked very good. Plus if I make them at home I have more control over what’s in them and can at least get some of the preservatives out of them. Thanks very much for the recipe. Even though it’s going to indulge my splurge side I’m definitely going to enjoy it a lot 🙂
Your cheese sticks look so yummy. I’ve always been in love with this food. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi can someone please tell me what string cheese sticks are? Thanks x
Could you just cut up a block of cheese into sticks instead of using the cheese strings?
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Definitely!
Could I use cheese curds instead?
Please could you let me know the brand of cheese sticks you use?? Thank you
I think you are missing some instructions because following your recipe exactly and the cheese sticks flattened out and melted and looked ghastly. They looked nothing like cheese sticks when done. On this recipe perhaps you can state to coat the cheese with the eggs and crumbs/flour, then freeze them, then re-coat them again and put in the oven. That is how professional Chefs do it so it doesn’t melt all over the place.
Thanks for the tip. It probably depends on what kind of cheese you use. Our method worked great for us, but I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you!
worth to try, it looks delicious!