20 Best Sauces To Dip Mozzarella Sticks In Besides Marinara

Mozzarella sticks are an appetizer you can seemingly never say "no" to, no matter how old or how young you are. There is something very nostalgic and homey about the cheese-filled delights, which can be made from the comfort of your home kitchen or bought during your next trip to the grocery store.  But, making a good mozzarella stick — complete with a crispy, crackly breading and stringy inside — is only half the battle. You also have to consider what you're going to serve your appetizer or snack with. 

There's no denying that the classic marinara sauce is a great option, but it's far from the only dipping sauce worthy of a spot next to your mozzarella sticks. In order to shine a light on some better, and more unconventional options, we prepared this list of tasty pairings for you to check out. From fruity and spicy to deeply savory, there are options for every palate. 

Spicy mayo is the definition of a perfect condiment. This sauce, which is comprised of a mixture of mayonnaise and hot sauce, has both warming and cooling elements. This makes it an excellent dip for everything from fries and chicken wings to, yes, mozzarella sticks. 

This would be the perfect dipping sauce for someone who craves a little bit of creaminess to complement the exterior crunch of the mozzarella stick. The heat will make for a little more intense bite, though it's not as knock-your-socks-off spicy as some of the other selections on this list. Plus, it's just as easy to buy a bottle of spicy mayo at the grocery store as it is to make it yourself. That way, you can pick a hot sauce brand that you already know and love, and add just enough to tickle your senses. 

Pesto offers a classic Italian twist on mozzarella sticks. While marinara sauce is acidic and bold, pesto is herby and light, which means that your mozzarella sticks will be in for a fresh awakening. This would be the perfect mozzarella stick accompaniment for someone who can't get enough of Caprese salads in the summer, and you could even do a double dip with containers of both the tomato-forward marinara and pesto. 

Pesto is easy enough to whip up at home; just combine fresh basil with pine nuts, Parmesan, and olive oil until well-blended. If it's too far away from basil season, you could also always turn to a store-bought variety, though it is important to remember that you'll be able to really taste its freshness (or lack thereof). So be sure to select a reputable brand. 

Cheese and honey aren't strange bedfellows, as you may see them on charcuterie boards from time to time. But as a dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks? 

While it's certainly less conventional than some of the selections on this list, hot honey is a great complement to an incredibly rich, cheese-filled stick. The sweetness of the honey will mix well with the creamy and gooey mozzarella, while the piquant notes of the chili will draw your attention to the sweetness and the cheesiness even more. Anyone who has tried a good hot honey knows that this condiment isn't as warm as you might initially expect; it boasts an amazing interplay between the sweetness and the heat. Just make sure you pack along some extra napkins, as you can get into a sticky situation fast with this condiment. 

Are you on team Alfredo or team marinara? Don't worry, we won't really make you pick a side, because after you try your mozzarella sticks with a side of warm, creamy Alfredo, you may change your answer. 

Alfredo is a rich, cheesy sauce that is relatively simple to make — yet ridiculously delicious. It's a favorite for an array of pasta shapes, and you don't need a ton of it for it to be effective. When you dip into it with a mozzarella stick, you'll find that there is a great contrast between the silky sauce and the crispy exterior of the mozzarella stick.

The basic recipe for homemade Alfredo sauce involves Parmesan, butter, and heavy cream. Though, if you're looking for something to just put out on the table for a quick appetizer, pick up a jar of Alfredo sauce on your next trip to the grocery store.  

Don't have marinara sauce on hand? Fear not, as salsa can make a tomato-forward and simple substitute for it. And, you'll get the added perk of zesty flavor, thanks to the addition of ingredients like cilantro and lime juice. 

The key here is to select a salsa that has a compatible flavor and texture for your mozzarella sticks. Picking up a chunky pico de gallo with a mozzarella stick is no easy feat, which is why you may want to stick to the smooth, restaurant-style salsa for this one. If you wanted something with a little more of a roasty toasty flavor though, try a salsa verde made with roasted tomatillos; you can even add an avocado to it to make it extra creamy and easier to shovel onto your mozz stick. 

Can you ever have too much cheese? That's not a question we want to tackle today. For folks out there that can't get enough, you may want to try dipping your mozzarella sticks into an equally cheesy dip made with either whipped ricotta or feta. The former offers a more neutral bite, and you can always try out different variations of it, like our fig and caramelized onion whipped ricotta dip recipe, to change the profile of your bite even more. 

On the other hand, whipped feta dip has a saltier, brinier flavor, thanks to its cheesy addition. This salty flavor is the perfect foil to a greasy and oil-ladened mozzarella stick. You can also easily tweak your whipped feta recipe to include complementary herbs and add a refreshing burst of flavor to your dip; dill or thyme would be good places to start. 

Beer cheese is a common pairing for another classic appetizer — soft pretzels — but that doesn't mean you can't use it for a plate of mozzarella sticks, too. It's important to note that beer cheese isn't just queso; it typically has umami and savory ingredients like Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and, as its name would suggest, some sort of dark beer. It's ridiculously flavorful and some people may even find it to be a touch bitter. 

When you dip your mozzarella sticks into beer cheese, you'll find that the crust is the perfect pairing for the decadent and rich dip. Beer cheese is best served warm — mozzarella sticks beside it or not — and preferably with a good, cold beer, too. 

Is "ranch goes on everything" a cop-out? Probably, but this combination is so good that we couldn't not list it. Sure, there are other items on your happy hour menu that pair well with ranch dressing, including wings, fries, and sliced veggies, but mozzarella sticks and ranch are a sleeper hit. A good ranch dressing has notes of buttermilk and herbs, both of which will juxtapose the heaviness and fried-ness of the mozzarella stick. The fresh flavor will also cut through the richness of the cheese, yet still deliver an indulgent bite. 

Ranch dressing brands are a dime a dozen, so you should have no problem finding one that fits your dipping needs. Though, you could also just as easily whip up a homemade ranch dressing recipe and tweak it until it reaches your ideal level of herbiness. 

Honey mustard is arguably more versatile than just plain mustard. Its subtle sweetness gives it a unique edge and makes it an even more flavorful accompaniment for everything from chicken fries and wings to burgers. Its versatility may leave you wondering why you never tried it with mozzarella sticks before. 

Honey mustard offers a delectable punch of flavor; it is made with pungent mustard seeds, after all. That, combined with a touch of vinegar and subtle sweetness, is a delectable contrast to a piece of breaded cheese. You can also source out a spicier version of honey mustard, like one that's made with a little splash of hot sauce of chili powder, if you're craving something a little warmer. Or swap out the honey for maple syrup in a homemade version to bring out an oakier expression that will better complement the gooey cheese inside.

Toum is a garlic lover's dream. This Lebanese condiment is often paired with chicken, though that's not to say that you can't also use it for mozzarella sticks. 

The recipe for toum is as simple as it is indulgent. It's essentially a ton of garlic — which, depending on the recipe, can be equivalent to several heads – and emulsified oil and lemon juice. It's creamy and fluffy and will likely keep vampires away from you for the next seven to 10 business days. Granted, toum isn't always the easiest dressing to find in the grocery store (though Trader Joe's makes a pretty good rendition of this dip) — which means you may have to resort to making it yourself. If you want something a little simpler, you can also try your hand at a homemade garlic aioli. It has a creamier and less garlic forward taste, but is still an equally delicious dipping accompaniment to mozz sticks.

Shrimp cocktail wouldn't be complete without a side of cocktail sauce. And it turns out that you can actually use cocktail sauce for more than just that. The tomatoey, spicy, and umami-rich condiment also makes a tasty dip for your mozzarella sticks. 

It can be a little hard to discern what's actually in cocktail sauce — since the flavors all meld together in a savory and spicy haze — so let us break it down for you. Think of it like bloody mary mix as a dip. There's usually a tomato or ketchup base, alongside hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and spicy horseradish. It has just the right amount of burn, and just the right amount of umami, to elevate a relatively bland food like shrimp — or in this case, mozzarella sticks. It will add a brightness and a back-of-mouth heat to each cheesy bite. And, since it's still fundamentally a tomato sauce, you won't miss out on that familiar flavor.

Some like it hot, and for them, there is buttery Buffalo sauce. This sauce brings a unique flavor to the table that's fiery and bright, yet also still approachable. It's no surprise it's a favorite for wings, and why it's worth trying with your mozzarella sticks, too. 

As it stands, Buffalo sauce is kind of thin. So, when you dip your sticks into it, you may find that the sauce drips off easily, rather than stay and cover your whole stick. If you want something with a little more volume and dip effect, you may want to add a couple drop of your favorite Buffalo sauce to a creamy dip, like aioli, to help it keep its structure a little better. 

Blue cheese dip is something that people either run from or flock to; it's not a condiment that you can feel really ambivalent about. If you are in the "I would bathe in blue cheese if I could" camp, you may want to try it with your next batch of mozzarella sticks. 

Blue cheese is a tad stinky, so depending on the type that you use for your dip, you may get something that's more or less pungent. Though, its flavor is wildly complex, which makes sense for why you would pair it with other neutral ingredients like sour cream and/or mayonnaise. The mozzarella doesn't really alter the flavor of the dip, and the breading is the perfect vector for showcasing a particularly funky blue cheese. 

Bacon and cheese — what more could you want? It's a little difficult to pair mozzarella sticks with bacon — though you could, theoretically, forego the breading and wrap your cheese sticks in bacon strips — unless you made it into a portable spread like bacon jam. Essentially, you'll want to cook down your bacon with onions, brown sugar, and a little bit of balsamic until it develops a caramelized and spreadable consistency. 

You may have to use some elbow grease to dig your mozzarella sticks into the bacon jam — and have to contend with a little falling off your stick as you try to eat it. If you don't mind diluting some of that bacony goodness, you can always add your jam to a little bit of sour cream or whipped ricotta to improve its dippability.

Melba sauce may be an unfamiliar one to many, but once you try it with mozzarella sticks, we don't think you'll go back to plain marinara. The base for this unique and fruit-forward sauce is made of puréed raspberries, red currant jam, and sugar. While melba sauce is a common topping for things like ice cream and the namesake peach melba dessert, it's also a great pairing for a cheesy, decadent mozzarella stick. 

This combination may be able to be attributed to New York's Capital Region, where it's a common pairing on restaurant menus. The subtly sweet and floral sauce makes an excellent complement to the cheesy and occasionally greasy appetizer. It offers a similar lightness and acidity as tomato sauce, but with a fruity and sweeter undercurrent (or should we say, under-currant?). 

Balsamic vinegar is an ingredient that everyone should have on hand. While you can always add it to a salad dressing or use it in place of another vinegar in a recipe, it's all the more tasty when it's cooked down and thickened into a balsamic glaze. And when you pair that glaze with mozzarella sticks, you get the perfect match between gooey cheese and grape-forward, complex balsamic. 

These two aren't as strange of a pairing as you may think, considering that balsamic is a common drizzle used for a Caprese salad with mozzarella. It is important to note that a little mozzarella goes a long way, so you may want to opt for drizzling a little of the glaze on your sticks rather than dipping the whole thing into a ramekin of it. 

Sweet chili is a great wing sauce, and some folks even find it preferable to a classic Buffalo or hot sauce. But, its versatile flavor also makes it an excellent pairing for mozzarella sticks. 

The base for a great Thai chili sauce starts with aromatics like chile peppers, ginger, and garlic, cooked down into a jelly-like sauce with sugar. As its name suggests, it offers a great balance of heat and sweet, which will be translated right onto your mozzarella sticks. It doesn't have the most tomato-forward undertones of all the condiments on this list, though it doesn't skimp on the flavor — especially when it comes to the heat. Be sure to dip at your own risk here. 

If you aren't familiar with Southern African recipes, you may not be in the loop about peri peri sauce. It's typically used as a dry spice for meat, especially chicken, though it can just as easily be transformed into a sauce or marinade. To do so, you're going to want to combine bird's-eye chiles together with garlic, onion, lemon, and vinegar until it forms a pasty and smooth consistency. From there, you can use it as a dip for your mozz sticks, or combine it with a creamy base, like sour cream, to give it a thicker consistency. 

As you can expect, the bird's-eye chiles in this recipe make it quite hot, which means it's not for everyone — especially folks who are spice-averse. But those who love a subtle burn will appreciate how the ooey gooey cheese meshes with the piquant sauce. 

You're more likely to see peanut sauce served with chicken satay, but that doesn't mean you can't metaphorically (and literally) double dip. A spicy peanut sauce would be a great pairing for mozzarella sticks because the nutty flavors would uplift the flavor of the gooey cheese center. It's far from the most conventional pairing, but the best thing is that you can tweak it to add extra spice to the picture if you'd want. 

This Asian American fusion dish would be great for when you're looking to switch up your appetizer routine, or just have too many jars of peanut butter laying around. You can whip up a simple spicy peanut sauce with hoisin, chili sauce, soy sauce, and your nut butter of choice.  

Sometimes, you don't want to step out of your comfort zone — and that's totally okay. If marinara sauce isn't looking too appealing, try serving your mozzarella sticks with its familiar, yet eccentric cousin, vodka sauce. It's like a cheesier, slightly creamier version of marinara sauce, and it gets its boozy kick from the addition of the spirit. Though, at its core, the flavor is very tomatoey and herby, which makes it the perfect way to step into more unconventional mozzarella stick pairings. 

Vodka sauce is relatively easy to make, especially if you are a pro at making homemade marinara. But for those late-night mozzarella cravings, there's always a trusty jar of Rao's laying around, waiting to be repurposed and chosen for this tasty and unique pairing.