I think I can safely say mozzarella sticks have been my favorite comfort food over the last ten years. When I found out that I was gluten intolerant, it wasn’t pizza or pasta that I was most upset about not being able to eat anymore; it was mozzarella sticks. So, from the time I first went gluten-free up until now, I had not eaten mozzarella sticks once – even though I thought about them all the time!
I decided to put a stop to the madness. I was going to make a gluten-free, dairy-free vegan version of mozzarella sticks that were really good.
I found a vegan cheese sticks recipe at the Vegan Zombie, and I thought they looked great. He uses Daiya cheese in most of his recipes, so I thought making a gluten-free version of the vegan cheese sticks would have a high chance of success.
Here are some pictures of the cooking process, with the recipe below:
Melting the Daiya on the Stove
After One Hour in the Fridge, Cut the Daiya Into Individual Pieces
After the Breading
All Done, Ready to Eat!
The Recipe
Here is what you are going to need:
- 1 bag Daiya mozzarella
- 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 2 cups gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup of Canola oil
- 2 cups of Soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Basil
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt and Pepper
1. Pour your Daiya mozzarella into a pot. Add in 2 tablespoons of soy milk. Melt the mozzarella over medium heat on the stove, stirring frequently. Once it is thoroughly melted, pour the Daiya into a small square pan and let cool for 10 minutes. Place the pan into the fridge for 60-90 minutes to allow the mozzarella to set.
2. Start with 3 separate bowls. Fill the first one with your gluten-free flour mix. Fill the second one with your gluten-free breadcrumbs, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Fill the third one with your soy milk.
3. Gently take the block of settled Daiya out of the pan. Cut them into smaller pieces, slightly larger than a finger (or however large you want your cheese sticks to be).
4. Dip one of the mozzarella pieces into the soy milk, then cover completely with the gluten-free flour mix. Then, dip it back into the soy milk one more time, and cover completely with the breadcrumb mix. The result should look like the third picture above. Repeat with all of your mozzarella pieces.
5. Heat up the canola oil in a large pot on medium heat. Once the oil is heated, use a pair of tongs to drop in your breaded mozzarella sticks. Cook for about 1-1.5 minutes, and then use the tongs to turn the sticks over. Continue cooking for about 1 more minute, or until well-browned. Remove from the pot and place on a layer of paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
6. Enjoy your gluten-free, dairy-free vegan mozzarella sticks with a side of marinara sauce!
I was SO happy with how well these mozzarella sticks turned out. A little word of caution though: do not eat all the sticks in one sitting. That is A LOT of Daiya to have, and I learned it the hard way. They will store in the fridge for a few days, so don’t make the same mistake as me and eat them all just because you haven’t had them in a long time!
Check out a couple of my other gluten-free vegan recipes – Gluten-Free Vegan Tofu Jambalaya and Gluten-Free Vegan Cornbread.
No comments yet.