Air Fryer Cheese Curds With Marinara Recipe

Of all the snackable, utensil-free appetizers out there, cheese curds are some of the most delicious and also some of the most overlooked. Many people tend to opt for mozzarella sticks for cheesy goodness or boneless wings for a comparable bite-sized nature, but fried cheese curds exist in a realm all their own in terms of convenience, ease of preparation, and the gooey center–to–crispy exterior ratio. With all of these perks in mind, it only makes sense that you might make these air fryer cheese curds for your next party or game day gathering. Brought to us by recipe developer Alexander Roberts, these curds couldn't be easier to make and even come with a quick and easy marinara sauce for optimal dipping.

While traditional cheese curds typically get the deep-fried treatment, these curds get their crispy exterior by way of an air fryer, which means that you won't have to use nearly as much oil. This recipe yields eight servings of cheese curds, so despite being one that requires only nine ingredients (including those for the marinara), it's bountiful enough to feed a crowd and steal the show amid a sea of apps.

Aside from a pound of cheddar cheese curds, which are the star of the show, you'll also need the breading ingredients: all-purpose flour, eggs, panko breadcrumbs, Italian breadcrumbs, and salt. For a simple marinara, you'll need crushed tomatoes, garlic powder, dried oregano, and a little more salt.

Add the flour and eggs to two separate shallow dishes. Whisk the eggs.

Combine the panko, Italian breadcrumbs, and ½ teaspoon salt in a third shallow dish.

Dip the curds in the flour to coat them.

Dip the curds in egg, then drop them into the panko mixture and turn once.

Repeat until all of the curds are breaded.

Preheat the air fryer to 350 F.

Place breaded curds on the air fryer tray and spray them with an even layer of cooking spray.

Air fry for 7–8 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.

Add the crushed tomatoes, garlic powder, dried oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt to a small pot.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until slightly reduced.

Serve the cheese curds with the marinara.

There's a bit of an urban legend behind the origin of cheese curds that involves a desert traveller who went to take a sip of milk but instead found a pouch full of curdled milk — voila, cheese curds! While such a tale may be a little far-fetched, a more realistic version of events shows cheese curds being born exactly where you'd expect: Wisconsin. Indeed, Wisconsin is known for cheese and happens to be the state that produces the most cheese annually. So, naturally, it became apparent that pre-aged cheddar morsels were pretty tasty all on their own, and thus the squeaky little cheese curd was born.

Cheese curds don't necessarily require a special process all their own and are something of a byproduct of the cheese-making process. Cheddar cheese is perhaps the most classic for Wisconsin curds, though other flavors do exist, ranging from mozzarella to spicy pepper Jack. Things get even more exciting when you incorporate the squeaky curds into other recipes — like deep-fried ones or even poutine. Though simple on the surface, cheese curds are rich in history and prove the versatility of seemingly simple foods.

Dredging and breading are key components to getting perfectly crispy and coated cheese curds — or any fried food, for that matter — and there are plenty of frying mistakes that you might make along the way. First things first, make sure that you keep your dredging station tidy, as you don't want an excess of egg coating the breadcrumb station, nor do you want the flour inundated with breadcrumbs. Consider having a "dry" and "wet" hand as you move the curds along the station so that your hand doesn't pick up excess coating and make things goopy. For example, you might place a curd into the flour with your right hand then transfer to the egg wash, using your left hand to coat that before transferrin the curds to the breadcrumbs and using your right hand once again.

A crucial tip for cooking the curds is making sure that they're evenly coated in breadcrumbs, otherwise the cheese will ooze out and make a mess. Keep an eye on the curds as they air fry, and consider flipping them or shaking the basket if one side is looking particularly browned. Try to place the curds in a single layer in the air fryer basket, and avoid overlap wherever possible so that everything cooks evenly. Depending on the size of your air fryer, it may be best to work in batches to yield perfect curds.