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Air Fryer Cheese Curds make a perfect snack! Gooey melted cheese on the inside, with a crispy breaded coating on the outside, everyone will love these fried cheese curds!
These breaded cheese curds make a perfect snack or appetizer! They are easy to make with just a few simple ingredients, and are perfect for dipping into your favorite sauces, like ranch dressing or marinara sauce.
Table of Contents
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
I love making these curds because they are so fun to eat, with crispy outsides and gooey insides. They make great finger snacks for parties or afterschool.
And best of all, you don’t need a deep fryer because the air fryer makes them so crispy, but without all of the oil.
If you are looking for more easy appetizers or snacks, try air fryer Babybel cheese, air fryer frozen mozzarella sticks, air fryer mozzarella sticks, and air fryer mozzarella cheese balls.
WHAT ARE CHEESE CURDS
Cheese curds are just small pieces of cheese. They are really unused pieces that separate from the cheese during the making of cheese. Sometimes they are a little rubbery, but make delicious snacks.
Cheese curds are really good served with sausage or as an appetizer on game days. My favorite cheese curds, are these Tillamook’s squeaky cheese curds. They come in cheddar and white cheddar flavors and are called squeaky because they sometimes make a squeak noise against your teeth when you eat them.
INGREDIENTS
- cheese curds
- all purpose flour
- eggs
- panko bread crumbs
- garlic powder
- salt
- ground black pepper
- olive oil or avocado spray
INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1
Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees F.
STEP 2
Add the flour to a small shallow bowl. In a small shallow second bowl, whisk the eggs. In a third small bowl, combine panko bread crumbs with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
STEP 3
Dip cheese curds in the flour, lightly shake off excess coating of flour, then dip into the eggs to coat cheese curds, and then finally dredge through the panko and seasonings.
STEP 4
Lightly spray the basket with nonstick cooking spray. Then place the cheese curds in air fryer basket, in a single layer, without stacking or overlapping.
STEP 5
To make sure you get a crispy coating, spritz the curds with olive oil spray-or avocado oil. (Any remaining coated curds that won’t fit in air fryer basket, place on a small baking sheet and keep in the refrigerator until ready to air fry.) Air fry at 350 degrees F for 3-4 minutes, then turn curds and air fryer for an additional 3-4 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Looking for more crispy snacks? Try these air fryer potato chips, air fryer plantain, air fryer falafel, or air fryer gnocchi.
EXPERT TIPS
- If working in batches, place coated curds on a baking pan or rimmed baking sheet and keep refrigerated in between batches.
- Make sure each piece is well coated with the bread crumb mixture so the cheese doesn’t melt through when air frying. You can even re-dip in the eggs and panko breadcrumbs to double coat.
I make this recipe in my Cosori air fryer. Depending on your air fryer, size and wattages, cooking time may need to be adjusted 1-2 minutes.
Are you new to air fryers? If you are, we have a great article about What is an Air Fryer. It talks about what you can make, how to use it, and more.
Looking for the BEST accessories to use with your air fryer? We’ve put together this list of our favorite Air Fryer Accessories.
VARIATIONS
Add your favorite seasonings like cayenne pepper, or Cajun seasoning, to the breadcrumb mixture, or use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs for a different flavor.
Add powdered parmesan cheese or another type of cheese to the breadcrumb mixture for an extra cheesy flavor.
STORING AND REHEATING
Store leftover cheese curds in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for 3-4 days.
To reheat them in the air fryer, air fry at 350 degrees F for 2-4 minutes.
FAQS
You can easily make these curds gluten free by just swapping out the all purpose flour and breadcrumbs for a gluten free crumbs and gluten free flour like almond flour.
You have to stick them in the freezer after you dip them in the breading. This helps the cheese stay firm during air frying.
MORE AIR FRYER APPETIZER RECIPES
Appetizers
Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Blooming Onion
Dinner
Air Fryer Breaded Shrimp
You will love serving these fun cheese curds at game day parties or to have for afterschool snacks.
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Air Fryer Cheese Curds
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 10 ounces cheese curds, 2-5 ounce packages
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees F.
- Add the flour to a small shallow bowl. In a small shallow second bowl, whisk the eggs. In a third small bowl, combine panko bread crumbs with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Dip cheese curds in the flour, lightly shake off excess coating of flour, then dip into the eggs to coat cheese curds, and then finally dredge through the panko and seasonings.
- Lightly spray the basket with nonstick cooking spray. Then place the cheese curds in air fryer basket, in a single layer, without stacking or overlapping.
- To make sure you get a crispy coating, spritz the curds with olive oil spray-or avocado oil. (Any remaining coated curds that won't fit in air fryer basket, place on a small baking sheet and keep in the refrigerator until ready to air fry.) Air fry at 350 degrees F for 3-4 minutes, then turn curds and air fryer for an additional 3-4 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
