Get ready to enjoy crispy Fried Cheese Balls, with a golden-brown exterior and a molten cheese center. Quick and easy to make, this recipe is perfect for gatherings or as a tasty snack anytime.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time2 minutesmins
Chill Time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr12 minutesmins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Fried Cheese Balls Recipe
Servings: 12
Calories: 132kcal
Ingredients
2largeegg whites,room temperature
1 ½cupsshredded muenster cheese
1 ½cupsmild cheddar cheese
½cupall-purpose flour,divided (¼ cup to mix with the cheese and ¼ to coat the cheese balls once rolled)
¼teaspoonblack pepper
Canola oilfor frying
Instructions
To a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites for 1 minute - 1 minute 30 seconds or until the egg whites are light and frothy.
Add the shredded muenster cheese, shredded mild cheddar cheese, ¼ cup all-purpose flour and black pepper. Gently fold the ingredients together until all the cheese is fully coated with the egg whites and flour.
Cover the bowl of cheese mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1- 2 hours.
Once the cheese mixture has chilled, use a 1 inch cookie scoop and scoop out a packed, and leveled portion. In the palm of your hand, gently roll the cheese ball until smooth.
Place the rolled cheese ball into a small bowl with the remaining ¼ cup all-purpose flour to lightly coat the outside of the ball. Shake off any excess flour, then place the cheese ball onto a plate. Repeat until all the cheese balls have been rolled and coated.
To an electric deep fryer, or 4-5 quart dutch oven, add enough vegetable oil to fill the pot with 4-5 inches of oil. Heat the oil to 375* F. You should still have plenty of room in the electric fryer, or dutch oven, to prevent the oil from coming close to the top when cheese balls are added as the oil will bubble rapidly and expand. It is also important that the cheese balls have plenty of room in the pot when frying.
Using a wire spider, or metal slotted spoon, carefully lower down 3-4 cheese balls into the hot oil one at a time. Do not over crowd the oil or the cheese balls will stick together as they fry. Be sure to use the spider, or slotted metal spoon, to carefully roll the cheese balls in the hot oil to ensure that they are frying evenly and not sticking to each other.
Allow the cheese balls to fry for 1-2 minutes or until golden. The cheese balls will start to rise to the surface when they are very close to being done.
Using the wire spider, or slotted metal spoon, carefully remove the fried cheese balls from the hot oil and place them onto a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess oil.
Repeat steps 7-9 until all the cheese balls have been fried. Allow the fried cheese balls to cool slightly before serving as the cheese inside will be very hot.
Notes
If using a dutch oven to fry these cheese balls, you may want to start heating your oil while you are rolling, and coating the cheese balls as it may take a little longer to heat then if using an electric deep fryer.
If using a dutch oven to fry, you will want to use a candy thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature of the oil. You will need to adjust the heat to your dutch oven as you are frying to ensure that your oil stays at a steady temperature throughout the entire process. If your oil is too cold, your cheese balls will absorb too much oil as they fry to golden brown and if too hot the exterior will burn before the cheese has melted.
The finer you grate your muenster and mild cheddar cheese, the smoother you will be able to roll your cheese balls.
I prefer using mild cheddar cheese for melting as it is softer and melts smoother than a harder, sharper, aged cheddar cheese.
Muenster cheese is a mild, soft, cheese that melts really well and pairs wonderfully in flavor with cheddar cheese. You can substitute your favorite types of melting cheeses such as provolone, mozzarella or gruyere in this recipe.