Meet your new favorite snack. Seriously. These crispy, spicy, and cheese Nashville Hot Mozzarella Bites are the perfect snack for a party, the big game, or a fun Friday night on the couch! Creamy Ciliegine mozzarella bites are coated in a crispy panko batter seasoned with Nashville Hot seasonings and fried to perfection! Serve with ranch!

A round, crispy Nashville Hot Mozzarella bite with the serving plate and dressing i the background.

One of my all time favorite snacks, hands down, fried mozzarella. My husband and I can’t resist mozzarella sticks from Sonic. For years, anytime we’d go somewhere together we’d stop off at Sonic and grab 2 slushies and a small mozzarella stick for the road. (We’re a bit more selective on when we choose to indulge these days. 30 something things. Sighhh.)

But when I decided to recipe test these Nashville Hot Mozzarella Bites in prep for The Big Game here in just a few weeks, I was SO pleasantly surprised! The sweet heat in these crispy little bite sized mozzarella balls was so delicious! Safe to say these will be featured on our spread for the big game! (What are you making?? Leave a comment!)

A plate of crispy Nashville Hot Mozzarella Bites with ran dipping sauce.

What ingredients are necessary for preparing the Nashville Hot Mozzarella Bites?

1 package (14oz) Ciliegine Mozzarella (1 container should be enough, but if you’ve got a crowd grab 2!) – Ciliegine is a slightly larger mozzarella “pearl”. The pearls will work, they’ll just be much smaller.
2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
1 cup All Purpose Flour, seasoned with 1/2 tsp each of sea salt and black pepper
6 Large Eggs, whisked
Nashville Seasoning Mix
- 2 tbsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1.5 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 quart Frying Oil (I recommend vegetable oil for this.)

Ingredients for mozzarella bites include panko breadcrumbs, beaten eggs, Nashville hot seasoning, AP flour, and fresh ciliegine mozzarella. All items are arranged in bowls and containers on a marble surface, perfect for crafting your own Nashville hot mozzarella sticks.

Is there any equipment necessary for preparing the Nashville Hot Mozzarella Bites?

You will need a large, deep, heavy bottomed pot for frying. You can also use a wok. I also recommend a candy or frying thermometer to monitor the oil temperature.

A spider whisk or slotted spoon will be necessary for fetching the mozzarella bites from the oil.

Steps to Prepare:

Make the Nashville Hot Seasoning Blend – Combine all of the ingredients listed in the Nashville Hot Seasoning Blend and set aside. You will be dividing this into two parts for the cook.

Set up a Dredging Station – Drain and dry your Ciliegine mozzarella on a paper towel. Set your bowl of flour, bowl of whisked eggs, and bowl of panko near the mozzarella plate.

A dredging station with mozzarella balls in 1 bowl, whisked eggs in another, seasoned panko breadcrumbs in another, and flour in the other bowl.

Season the Breadcrumbs – Pour 1/2 – 3/4 of your Nashville Hot Seasoning Blend into the Panko. Stir to combine and set the remaining spice blend to the side.

Heat the Oil and Dredge – Heat the oil to 350° over medium heat while you prepare the mozzarella bites. Dip the Ciliegine into the flour, then the egg, then the seasoned panko. Repeat the egg and panko once more to ensure a solid coating. Place onto a new plate in prep for frying.

Mozzarella balls coated in egg and seasoned panko breadcrumbs, prepared for frying.

Fry! – Fry the mozzarella bites in batches of about 10 to allow enough room for them to move around in the oil. Each batch should fry to golden brown in about 2 – 4 minutes. Season immediately with salt upon removing from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Continue until there are no mozzarella bites remaining.

Season Again (if desired) – If you really like spice, toss the mozzarella bites in the remaining Nashville Hot Spice blend ahead of serving. (Place them into a large bowl, pour the desired amount of seasoning in and shake gently.)

Serve with ranch for dipping and enjoy!

A round serving platter with crispy Nashville Hot Mozzarella Bites and ranch dipping sauce.

Storage:

I do not recommend storing these, as the panko coating does not hold up well in the fridge.

Honestly, I didn’t have a great experience freezing and air-frying either. (The breading burned a bit in the airfryer and make the panko an unappetizing color.)

Fresh is best with this recipe!

Looking for more snack ideas for The Big Game? Check out these others from the blog!