Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks Recipe {keto/low carb}

Bacon-Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks are a perfect fit for those who eat low carb or follow a keto diet! I mean, come on — cheese and bacon is a delicious combination that never gets old. Bites of mozzarella cheese wrapped in bacon make a perfect lunch, appetizer, or quick snack. 

KETO-FRIENDLY BACON WRAPPED CHEESE STICKS Recipe

These Bacon Wrapped Cheese Sticks are so easy to make and delicious. It’s essential to follow the directions carefully for the best results. Keep this recipe tucked in your back pocket, so you’ll have it handy when you need to make a keto appetizer.

I experimented with two different cooking methods. First, I tried making bacon-wrapped cheese sticks in the air fryer. I had to leave the bacon in the air fryer longer than the mozzarella cheese could stand the heat for the bacon to crisp nicely. This resulted in the cheese melting out of the cheese stick everywhere.

The next method I tested was bacon-fried mozzarella cheese sticks on the stove. They got crispy so much faster, preventing the mozzarella sticks from melting out! I may have cooked mine a few more minutes than necessary, but I prefer my bacon to be very crispy. 

Ingredients:

• Bacon – Slices of bacon provide the crisp salty coating for the fried mozzarella cheese sticks. 

• Mozzarella cheese sticks – Mozzarella cheese (string cheese) works great in this recipe because its mild flavor allows the smokiness of the bacon to shine through. Plus, it melts easily for that fabulous gooey texture. However, if you are partial to another kind of cheese, you can mix it up! Cheddar, Colby Jack, or pepper jack cheese sticks would also be yummy. 

• Olive oil – These bacon-wrapped cheese sticks need to be shallow fried to get that perfectly crispy exterior, so I called for about a cup of olive oil to do the trick. You may need more or less olive oil, depending on the size of your pan. If you’re out of olive oil or prefer to fry with something else, feel free to sub in canola or vegetable oil here.

Steps:

Step 1: Freeze the cheese sticks overnight. The next day, wrap a piece of bacon around each cheese stick, starting at one end and rolling carefully until the other end. I wrapped the bacon around the ends and secured it in place with a toothpick. I also tried to minimally overlap the bacon so that all of it would get crispy.

Tip: If you don’t like touching raw meat like me, gloves make this process much more manageable.

Step 2: Heat about 1/2 inch olive oil in a cast-iron skillet. Carefully place the bacon-wrapped cheese sticks into the frying pan. Turn as each side browns and crisps so that the bacon cooks on all sides.

Step 3: Remove the cheese and bacon sticks from the oil once the bacon is crispy and brown on all sides and the cheese starts to melt. Place on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Enjoy!

Yum! The perfect savory appetizer or snack with ooey gooey cheese and crisp bacon!

CAN I USE THE AIR FRYER OR OVEN TO MAKE THESE BACON-WRAPPED CHEESE STICKS?

While I did try the air fryer method, I preferred the result from bacon-fried cheese sticks in a cast-iron skillet. The skillet retains the heat, so they crisp nicely. I may be biased, though, since I like my bacon super crispy and crunchy! A regular skillet will work fine if you don’t have a cast iron.

Making bacon-wrapped cheese sticks in the air fryer works, as long as you don’t mind losing some of the melty cheese during the process. If you want them to get crispy faster, try turning up the temperature of your air fryer. For the bacon to get crisp and the mozzarella cheese sticks melty but intact, I would par-cook the bacon first, making stopping while it is still pliable. 

I don’t personally recommend baking Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella Cheese Sticks in the oven as it would be challenging to get the bacon crisp without the cheese melting out. If you do want to try, I’d recommend a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Do I Need to Freeze the Cheese Sticks Overnight?

YES!! Freezing the cheese sticks is an essential step in this recipe! When testing this recipe, the batches I made without freezing the mozzarella sticks failed miserably as the cheese would melt out of the bacon.

Tip: If you don’t have time to freeze the mozzarella cheese sticks overnight, several hours should be sufficient.

Are Bacon Wrapped Cheese Sticks Keto & Low Carb Friendly

Yes! Depending on the brand of bacon you are using, this low-carb appetizer could have zero carbs as mozzarella cheese sticks don’t have any carbs either. The nutritional information lines up with a keto diet being high in fat and low in carbs. In fact, the net carbs in this recipe, depending on what bacon you use, can be zero.

Tips for Making the Best Keto Bacon Wrapped Cheese Sticks

1. Don’t skip freezing the mozzarella sticks.
2. Skip the low-fat mozzarella cheese sticks as they don’t work as well in this recipe
3. Thick-cut bacon won’t work as well in this recipe. I tested the recipe with regular bacon. If you follow a low carb or keto diet, avoid bacon with brown sugar or maple as they have added sugars that increase the carb content.
4. You can par fry the bacon beforehand to cut back on frying time or if you’d like to make them in the air fryer. You’ll want to make sure the bacon is still bendable so it can wrap adequately around the cheese stick.
5. Try different dipping sauces such as ranch dressing or sugar-free bbq sauce.

More Keto Appetizer Ideas

If you aren’t already following my Easy Keto/Low Carb Recipe Page on Facebook, where I post all my new recipes, you can join here and follow me on Pinterest here. I have an extensive Keto/Low Carb Recipes list in my Recipe Index.

• Keto Onion Rings
• Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
• Keto Sausage Ball Puffs
• Keto Chicken Wings
• Low Carb Sausage Cheese Dip
• Tik Tok Viral Buffalo Chicken Cucumber Rolls