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A stack of freshly fried Nashville Hot Mozzarella Sticks on a decorative plate, split open to show gooey melted cheese inside, garnished with herbs and served with marinara dipping sauce.

Nashville Hot Mozzarella Sticks

These Nashville Hot Mozzarella Sticks are crispy, cheesy, and fiery with a signature Southern heat twist. Perfect as a party snack, game day treat, or appetizer for spice lovers. Bonus: they’re kid-approved and surprisingly affordable to make at home.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Freezing Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 12 sticks
Course: Appetizer, Party Food, Snack
Cuisine: American, Comfort Food, Southern
Calories: 130
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

🧀 Cheese:
  • 6–8 sticks String cheese - Or block mozzarella cut into sticks
🍳 Coating:
  • ½ cup All-purpose flour
  • 2 Eggs - Beaten
  • ¼ cup Buttermilk - Or milk + lemon juice substitute
  • ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs - For crunch
  • ¼ cup Regular breadcrumbs - For texture
🔥 Nashville Seasoning:
  • 1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper - Adjust for spice preference
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika - Smoked works great too
  • 2 teaspoon Brown sugar - For sweet heat balance
  • ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon Onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
🔥 Finishing Butter:
  • 3 tablespoon Butter - Melted
  • 1 tablespoon Honey - Optional but recommended
  • 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper - Mix into melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon Brown sugar - For gloss & flavor
🛢️ Frying Oil:
  • As needed Vegetable oil - Canola oil also works

Equipment

  • 1 Deep pot or fryer (For frying the mozzarella sticks)
  • 1 Candy thermometer (To monitor oil temperature)
  • 3 Shallow bowls (For flour, egg, and breadcrumb coatings)
  • 1 Slotted spoon/tongs (For removing fried sticks)
  • 1 Paper towel-lined tray (To drain excess oil)

Method
 

  1. Unwrap string cheese and prepare ingredients for coating.
    A top-down view of ingredients laid out for making mozzarella sticks, including cheese sticks, shredded cheese, flour, breadcrumbs, butter, and eggs.
  2. Arrange flour, egg-buttermilk, and spiced breadcrumb bowls for coating.
    Hand breading mozzarella sticks with a coating station setup, including bowls of flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs on a kitchen counter.
  3. Dredge each stick in flour, egg mix, and breadcrumbs — repeat for double coating.
    Mozzarella sticks being deep-fried in hot oil in a pot, with a slotted spoon lifting some of the crispy golden sticks from the bubbling oil.
  4. Fry sticks in hot oil for 2–3 minutes until golden and crispy.
    A close-up of crispy, golden mozzarella sticks being brushed with a thick, glossy layer of spicy Nashville hot sauce, with steam rising, indicating they’re freshly cooked.
  5. Brush hot sticks with spicy honey butter glaze right after frying.
    A stack of freshly fried Nashville Hot Mozzarella Sticks on a decorative plate, split open to show gooey melted cheese inside, garnished with herbs and served with marinara dipping sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1stick (~40g)Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 6gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2.5gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 220mgPotassium: 45mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 1.5gVitamin A: 200IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 150mgIron: 0.7mg

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!