Fried Mac and Cheese Bites

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Repurpose leftover macaroni and cheese into crispy-on-the-outside, cheesy-on-the-inside Fried Mac and Cheese Bites in this easy recipe. A kid-approved dish the entire family will love!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mac and cheese bites

Servings: balls

Calories: 144kcal

Author: Jill

Ingredients

Leftover homemade mac and cheese See Notes below
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 cups shredded Colby Jack Cheese
1 cup white all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
3-4 large eggs beaten
2 cups seasoned panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the Balls

Add cold macaroni and cheese to a large bowl. Add the shredded cheese and mix it together. (Using your hands makes this job easier).
Scoop out mac and cheese and roll together to create a 2 inch ball and lay it on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat the process with the remaining macaroni.
Add the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic to a shallow dish. Stir to combine.
In a separate shallow dish, add the eggs and beat them until smooth.
In a third shallow dish, add the seasoned panko breadcrumbs.
Take each macaroni ball and roll it first in the flour.
Next, dip the ball into the beaten egg and allow the excess to drip off.
Then roll the ball into the breadcrumbs covering all areas.
Set the ball back onto the baking sheet.
Repeat this process with the remaining balls.
Cover and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Fry the Balls

When ready to fry, remove the pan from the freezer while preparing the oil. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a cooling rack on top.
Use a heavy-bottomed pan (such as a Dutch oven) and add vegetable oil so that it’s at least 3-4 inches deep. Attach a candy or oil thermometer to the pan and begin to heat the oil over high. Once the oil reaches a temperature of 360 degrees, gently lower 4-5 balls into the hot oil using a spider or tongs. (See Notes below)
Set a timer for 4 minutes and occasionally turn the balls with your utensil until the time is up. (If you notice the balls are browning too quickly, you may need to remove them from the oil early or they’ll burn.)
Remove the balls from the hot grease and place them on the cooling rack. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt and parsley, if desired, and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

I strongly recommend using an extra cheesy homemade macaroni and cheese as it will yield the best results. Boxed mac and cheese made the balls on the drier side, weren’t that flavorful and were almost impossible to create a ball as they wouldn’t stick together. I did have some luck with pressing the mac and cheese into a 9x9 pan and then freezing it. But again, the flavor was nowhere near what the homemade mac and cheese yielded.
For leftover mac and cheese, I first made a 9x13 pan of homemade mac and cheese, the family ate half the pan and the remaining half I used for these balls. I’d say it would equal approximately 5 cups of prepared macaroni.
Oil temperature: the balls should make the oil temperature go down briefly and then the temperature should rise again. You will likely need to lower the temperature at times to maintain a temperature between 350-375 degrees. If the temperature of the oil is too hot, the balls will brown too fast, and the centers won’t get hot enough. If the temperature is allowed to be too low, the balls will absorb more oil and become mushy versus crispy. I hovered over the stove and thermometer during this entire process.

Nutrition