Fried Mac and Cheese Balls are the perfect finger food appetizer that uses minimal ingredients. Bite into a crispy coating and get a tasty mouthful of creamy mac and cheese.

Creamy and cheesy on the inside, with a terrific crunch on the outside. You can really taste the seasoning on the outside of these Fried Mac and Cheese Balls.

These homemade Fried Mac and Cheese Balls are an appetizer that the whole family will rant and rave over. What kid doesn’t love mac and cheese? Mac and Cheese Balls are the epitome of a family friendly recipe.

If I had to describe this recipe in 2 words, it would be: comfort food. Creamy, luscious, gooey mac and cheese, with a perfect golden brown breading. It doesn’t get much more delicious than that!

As you know I love myself some delicious appetizers and can make a whole meal out of them, these Fried Mac and Cheese Balls are one of the ones that I could live off of.

They make an appearance on our table more often than not because everyone begs for them, and when I can eek my kids happy then you know that they ought to be good.

With readily available ingredients you can make these in no time! So hurry up and run to the kitchen because you won’t want to make these bad boys.

Some of our other favorite appetizer recipes we have on our site include: Pepperoni Stromboli, Pub Style Beer Cheese Dip, and Brown Sugar Bacon Little Smokies.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

This recipe makes a large batch. It’s great to serve at parties to feed a crowd.
Fun way to get kids in the kitchen.
Ooey, gooey, creamy, cheesy goodness- do I really need to say more?

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)

Elbow macaroni
Unsalted Butter
All-purpose flour
Mustard powder
Kosher salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Pepper
Whole milk
Large egg
Sharp cheddar cheese
Eggs
Panko breadcrumbs
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Black pepper
Peanut oil for frying
Ranch dressing for dipping, optional

HOW TO MAKE FRIED MAC AND CHEESE BALLS, STEP BY STEP:

In a dutch oven melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, mustard powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper, whisk for 30 seconds.
Slowly add the milk a little at a time while whisking, this will help prevent lumps. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly and simmer for 3 minutes. Take off the heat, temper in the egg. Add ¾ of the cheese and stir it in until melted.
Add the cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Pour into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese on top is melted and it is bubbly. Let cool completely on the counter.
Place in the fridge for 6 hours or best overnight.
Roll 1 & ½ tablespoons of the mac and cheese in your hands to form balls. Place on a parchment paper-lined sheet tray. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
While the mac and cheese balls are freezing, start to heat up 3-4 inches of peanut oil in a dutch oven to 350°F.
Place the eggs in a small bowl.
Place the panko, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper in a medium-sized bowl, stir to combine.
One at a time, place the mac and cheese balls into the egg and make sure it is coated, let any excess drip off. Place into the breadcrumbs and coat the ball in the crumbs, gently pressing them in so they stick. Place back on the parchment-lined sheet tray. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Gently place the balls in batches into the hot oil, about 4-5 at a time. Fry, moving them gently around so they don’t burn on the bottom until dark golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Place the fried mac and cheese balls onto a paper-towel-lined plate to get any excess oil off them then transfer to a wire rack place over a sheet tray. This will help them to stay crispy all over. You can keep them in a warm 170°F oven. Repeat with the remaining mac and cheese balls.
Serve with ranch dressing for dipping if desired.

WHAT KIND OF CHEESE SHOULD I USE?

I suggest using sharp cheddar cheese so the cheese flavor shines through. You can use another good melting cheese like Gruyere, Smoked Gouda, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or Fontina.

HOW DO YOU MAKE THE MAC AND CHEESE STICK TOGETHER?

You may be wondering how to keep macaroni and cheese stuck together when trying to make this fried appetizer. The trick to this is to make sure they get sufficient time in the freezer when you’re freezing the mac and cheese into ball formations.

If you skip out on this or shorten the time, your mac and cheese won’t want to stick together and you’ll have a huge mess on your hands.

HOW DO I KEEP THE MAC AND CHEESE BALLS FROM FALLING APART?

You need to make sure that you build the balls correctly. By this, I mean, making sure you cover the whole frozen mac and cheese ball with the egg before coating it with breadcrumbs.

You need to make sure each layer of your creation is complete before moving on to the next step or you’ll end up with a fried cheese ball that just crumbles everywhere.

No one wants that! So make sure that you are forming them correctly according to the directions and coating them sufficiently.

HOW TO STORE:

The can be stored in an airtight container where they will keep for up to 5 days

Reheat leftovers by deep-frying again, baking, or air frying until warmed through. I do not suggest microwaving as the outside becomes soggy.

You may also choose to freeze your assembled cheese balls before or after frying them. Once you’ve made them, lay them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for 1 hour.

After they have frozen, move them to a freezer bag or container and you can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. If stored in a container, use parchment paper in between layers of cheese balls.

When you’re ready to make them, just fry from frozen. You may need to adjust the cook time just slightly.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Serve these Fried Mac and Cheese Balls with ranch or marinara sauce for dipping, they are also great on their own.
These cheese balls can be frozen, see my tips above.
This makes a large batch. Halve the ingredients and bake the mac and cheese in a greased 8×8-inch baking dish for the same amount of time.
Use a cookie scoop to help you form the mac and cheese into balls.
I like to use a metal slotted spoon to lower the soon-to-be Fried Mac n Cheese Balls into the oil.
Make sure to let the Fried Cheese Balls sit on the paper towel to absorb the oil right after you pull them out of the fryer. Otherwise, they’ll end up soggy quick.

Once you see how easy it is to make perfect crunchy Fried Mac and Cheese Balls, you’ll be wondering why you didn’t make them sooner. Try your hand at making the best Mac n Cheese Balls today!

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Fried Mac and Cheese Balls