This twist on classic mozzarella sticks is so simple, Buffalo Ranch Mozzarella Sticks add spicy buffalo sauce and ranch seasoning for a spicy cheesy treat!
This is the perfect football season snack or casual appetizer. Everyone loves cheese, and like most things, it tastes even better when it is breaded and fried.
You can opt to use mozzarella cheese sticks, or you can pick cheddar or colby jack instead. I tasted tested this with both mozzarella and cheddar and loved them both! I am confident that you could also use this recipe to make fried cheese curds - just use curds instead of the cheese sticks.
These photos show "mozzarella sticks" that I made with cheddar sticks. The cheddar is meltier (is that a word?) than mozzarella. It's a bit messier, but still delicious. Mozzarella has the ability to hold its shape more when melted.
This appetizer is very easy to prepare, but you do need to plan ahead since once the cheese is coated in the breading it needs to freeze for at least an hour. This is extremely important. Freezing the cheese is the secret to making sure your mozzarella sticks do not become a melty oozy cheese mess.
I have become obsessed with ranch dressing, but you could opt to serve these buffalo ranch mozzarella sticks with blue cheese dressing instead. If you want an extra kick of spice you could dip the mozzarella sticks in more buffalo sauce and then the ranch. As is, the buffalo sauce is noticable, but not overwhelming.
This recipe will yield 10 mozzarella sticks. If you need more than that - I recommend making a double batch and refreshing the buffalo sauce and breadcrumbs half way through the process of breading the cheese sticks. After a while, the buffalo sauce and breadcrumbs get a little messy and you will want to start fresh.
Ingredients
- 5 Cheese Sticks
- 2 packets of Dry Ranch Dressing
- ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce
- ¼ cup Plain Breadcrumbs
- 2 cups Vegetable Oil
- Serve with Ranch Dressing
Instructions
- First, take the cheese sticks out of the packaging and then slice them in half.
- Pour one packet of the dry ranch into a small bowl. Pour the buffalo sauce into another bowl. Combine 2 tablespoons of dry ranch seasoning and the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
- Take the cheese sticks and coat them in the ranch mix. Then dunk them in the buffalo sauce. Next coat them with the breadcrumbs. Carefully add another layer of buffalo sauce and a second coating of breadcrumbs. Repeat using up all the cheese sticks. Place the breadcrumb coated cheese sticks in a parchment lined container, being careful to separate the cheese sticks so they don't freeze together. Place them in the freezer for at least an hour, and for up to 2 days.
- Once you are ready to make the mozzarella sticks, heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. I used just enough so that it was about 1 ½ inches deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees. Place the frozen mozzarella sticks in the oil, working in batches so you don't crowd the pan. The mozzarella sticks will take about 2 minutes to brown, once they have browned, place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Continue this process until all of the mozzarella sticks are fried.
- Serve right away with a side of ranch dressing.
