These air fryer frozen cheese curds are the ultimate easy snack or appetizer. Simply toss store-bought cheese curds into the air fryer and you have restaurant style curds in minutes. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces such as ranch, sriracha mayo, honey mustard, or marinara. Not only are these perfectly golden brown and crispy but the centers are nice and gooey.
If you are a fan of this finger good recipe try my Pigs In a Blanket or Southwest Chicken Egg Rolls. Find all of my Appetizer Recipes here for more recipe inspiration!
Highlights of The Cheese Balls
- Golden brown and crispy: air fryer these frozen curds gives them the best golden brown, crispy exterior with a soft, gooey inside!
- Quick appetizer: these make a great appetizer or addition to a snack platter and they are done in no time. Keep a box of frozen curds on hand for any occasion.
- Perfect for game day or movie night: everyone at your game day party will like these crispy curds, serve with a buffet of sauce or check out the variations below for serving ideas!
- Family favorite: kids and adults will love these, they can be a fun treat for movie night or board game night and they take just minutes!
Tips For Fail-Proof Cheese Curds
- Don’t thaw your cheese curds, air fry these directly from the freezer.
- Cook in a single layer and make sure not to overcrowd the air fryer basket or these can turn into a soggy mess!
- Start with less time and add more cooking time as needed to keep the curds from melting all over.
- Enjoy immediately with your favorite dipping sauce!
Ingredient List
- Store-bought cheese curds: could substitute air fryer mozzarella sticks or cheese balls, found in most grocery stores – alternatively you can bread your own curds in egg wash and a panko bread crumbs.
- Olive oil spray: could use avocado oil spray or traditional cooking spray.
- Dipping sauces of choice: such as ranch, honey mustard, marinara, or sriracha aioli.
Tools I Recommend
- Rubber Spatula – a must have! I like these because they don’t come apart so I don’t have to worry about water getting inside the spatula and causing mold.
- Instant 6 qt. Air Fryer – Sleek and functional, the perfect size for 2-3 people. I like this because it has a tray in the bottom which make cleaning easy and it allows for air to circulate evenly. It has a large tray so you don’t have to do so many batches and a window to see into the air fryer while cooking! Any brand of air fryer will work for this recipe.
More Drool-Worthy Appetizers
- Sweet Potato Fries – the easiest air fryer side dish or appetizer.
- Frozen popcorn chicken – a quick store-bought short cut.
- Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls – easy chicken filling inside an air fried egg roll wrapper.
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers – creamy, cheesy filling inside spicy jalapenos.
How to Make The Cheese Curds
Let’s talk a little about how to make these cheese curds (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- Add your frozen cheese curds to the basket of the air fryer, spread out so they are even.
- Air fry at 400 degrees F for 4-5 minutes or until crispy, don’t cook too long or the curds could explode or melt.
- Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce!
- Preheat your air fryer using the “air fry” setting, at 400 degrees F for 4-5 minutes. Spray the basket with cooking spray, once preheated add in the pre-breaded cheese curds. Cook for 4-5 minutes until crispy, flipping halfway through. Enjoy immediately with your favorite sauce.
Recipe Variations & Serving Ideas
- Toss cheese curds in Cajun seasoning before serving for a bit of spice.
- Serve on an appetizer platter for a fun snack tray on game day!
- Toss curds in Italian seasoning and serve with marinara.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of the curds and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Drizzle curds with honey and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
Recipe FAQ’s
Frozen cheese curds only need about 4-5 minutes in the air fryer. I would error on less time to begin with so the curds don’t explode!
This is the best way to cook frozen cheese curds with out a deep fryer. To cook frozen breaded cheese curds without the mess of frying in oil, preheat your air fryer and cook the curds in the air fryer until golden brown and crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside.
I do not recommend this method as it results in somewhat soggy, limp cheese curds that get a bit rubbery. The air fryer or the oven is definitely the way to go here!
Serve fried cheese curds with your favorite dipping sauce. Warm marinara sauce, honey mustard, homemade ranch dip, or sriracha aioli are all good options! They also go great with these other air fryer appetizers like Chicken Strips, Cauliflower Wings, Frozen Spring Rolls, or Potato Skins!
Air Fryer Frozen Cheese Curds
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Pre-breaded frozen cheese curds
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer using the "air fry" setting, at 400 degrees F for 4-5 minutes. Spray the basket with cooking spray, once preheated add in the pre-breaded cheese curds. Cook for 4-5 minutes until crispy, flipping halfway through. Enjoy immediately.8 oz. Pre-breaded frozen cheese curds
Nutrition
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Love how crispy these are! And they are ready so quick using the air fryer!
Thanks for trying them out!