Waffle Iron "Fried" Cheese (Queso Frito) Recipe

By
Daniel Shumski
Headshot of Daniel Shumski, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Daniel Shumski
Daniel Shumski is a writer, editor, and recipe developer. He has written four cookbooks, including Will it Waffle?, and has written for the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.
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Updated Mar. 21, 2019
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Photograph: Daniel Shumski

Why It Works

  • The direct, two-sided heat of the waffle iron crisps the breading without the need for flipping.
  • Cooking in the waffle iron instead of deep-frying means less mess and quicker set-up and clean-up.

Breaded, melty cheese is something that crosses cultures—from deep-fried mozzarella sticks at state fairs to queso frito in Latin America. Inspired by those foods, we've taken squares of cheese are breaded and "fried" them in the waffle iron for just a minute, until their outsides turn golden brown and crunchy and their insides become perfectly melted and gooey.

Recipe Facts

1

(2)

Active: 15 mins
Total: 15 mins
Serves: 4 servings

Rate & Comment

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika, or a pinch of cayenne pepper

  • 1/2 pound low-moisture mozzarella, sliced about 1/2 inch thick (see notes)

  • 2 large eggs, beaten

  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs

  • Nonstick cooking spray

  • Salsa, for serving (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat waffle iron. (Set it to medium if it has temperature controls.)

  2. On a plate, mix flour with paprika or cayenne. Place eggs in a second plate or bowl and bread crumbs in a third. Working one slice at a time, coat cheese in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.

  3. Spray both sides of waffle iron with nonstick spray, place as many cheese slices as will fit in waffle iron, and close lid. Cook until bread crumbs turn golden brown, about 1 minute. Repeat with any remaining cheese.

  4. Serve hot on its own or with salsa for dipping.

Special equipment

Waffle iron

Notes

Any good melting cheese such as young provolone, fontina, Jack, cheddar, or a queso chihuahua can be used in place of the mozzarella. Avoid fresh mozzarella or dry cheese meant for grating. Some recipes call for the breaded cheese to be refrigerated (or frozen) before cooking. I did not find this to be necessary with the waffle iron version, but you can certainly bread the cheese several hours ahead and refrigerate it until you're ready to waffle.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
167 Calories
7g Fat
17g Carbs
9g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 167
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 104mg 35%
Sodium 203mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 140mg 11%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 154mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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