Perfectly crispy and cheesy fried macaroni with a flavorful breadcrumb topping. Take one bite of these fried mac and cheese balls and you’ll be in heaven!
Table of Contents
Mac and Cheese Bites
I didn’t think I could love macaroni and cheese any more than I already do until I tried this fried version. You could say that anything tastes great deep fried, just try my favorite fish and chips recipe! Fried macaroni is pretty much brilliant, though and now I’m hooked!
I blame a couple of my girlfriends for this yummy recipe! One night a couple of good friends invited me to go out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I am always game for a good piece of cheesecake. Well, we didn’t just have cheesecake. I was introduced something amazing: fried mac and cheese. Pretty much life changing!
This is one of those recipes that I always feel should be started with a disclaimer: “I can not be held responsible for excessive calorie intake!” But boy, is it delicious. Perfectly crispy and cheesy fried macaroni balls with a flavorful breadcrumb topping. Definitely not a “light” dish, but 100% worth the indulge!
How to Make Fried Mac and Cheese
- NOODLES. Cook the macaroni noodles according to directions on package. Drain and rinse with cold water. Then set aside.
- SAUCE. In a pan, melt the butter over medium-heat. Then sprinkle in flour and whisk together. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add in warmed milk and whisk until there aren’t any lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in cheese until melted and smooth. Then pour cheese over the noodles and stir to combine. Pour mixture into a shallow pan and refrigerate for 2 hours, so that it sets up enough to form into balls.
- FORM. Use your cookie dough scoop to form the balls and then place on a lined cookie sheet and freeze (overnight is good). You want them nice and frozen.
- COAT. In a shallow bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of milk. Mix breadcrumbs and seasoning together and place in a shallow bowl. Dip the macaroni balls into egg wash and then cover with breadcrumb mixture.
- FRY. Heat oil in a large pot to 350°F and fry the mac and cheese balls until they are golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Turn them halfway to evenly brown. Remove and set on baking sheet lined with paper towels. Serve them with a little marinara sauce (or ketchup) and enjoy while warm!
Favorite Dipping Sauces
Marinara is my absolute favorite, but any of the below taste delicious:
- Marinara sauce
- Ketchup
- Buffalo sauce
- Ranch
- Fry sauce
Cooking Tips
- Breadcrumbs. If you don’t have breadcrumbs in the pantry, make your own homemade breadcrumbs with any leftover bread you have laying around.
- Seasonings. Feel free to mix in some additional seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder or some paprika.
- Use fresh grated cheese. Grate your own cheese instead of using the pre-shredded bags (which have additives that don’t melt as well). This will give you the perfect gooey cheese that’s perfectly melted.
- Chill the macaroni. This step is the key to success. Once you make the macaroni, it needs to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. This makes it easier to form into balls. You’ll also need to freeze the macaroni balls overnight before coating/frying. You want them nice and firm.
- Make sure oil isn’t too hot. Be sure your oil isn’t too hot so they don’t cook too fast. You want them to heat through so you don’t end up with frozen macaroni in the middle.
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Fried Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ pound elbow macaroni
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk , warmed plus 1 Tablespoon
- ½ pound cheddar cheese
- ½ pound smoked gouda
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Marinara sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Cook macaroni according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- In a pan, melt the butter over medium-heat and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in warmed milk and stir to get rid of lumps. Cook until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add in cheese, stir until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour cheese over macaroni and stir to combine.
- Pour into a shallow pan and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Form macaroni and cheese into balls using a cookie or ice cream scoop. Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and freeze overnight, or until cold and firm.
- Mix together egg and 1 Tablespoon milk to make a wash in a shallow bowl. Mix breadcrumbs and seasoning together and place in a shallow bowl. Dip macaroni and cheese balls into egg wash and then cover with breadcrumb mixture.
- Heat oil in a large pot to 350°F and fry macaroni and cheese balls until they are golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Turn them halfway to evenly brown.
- Remove and set on baking sheet lined with paper towels. Enjoy while warm with marinara!
Notes
- Be sure your oil isn’t too hot so they don’t cook too fast. You want them to heat through so you don’t end up with frozen mac & cheese in the middle!
- Extras can be stored in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Adapted from Food Network.
This is such a cool recipe. Totally for my son. He will love this! I just saved it and will give it a try. Thanks for the idea!
This was so good. My kids loved it!
These were a huge hit at our house! Great recipe!
Oh boy this looks incredibly delicious, my kiddos would love this for school lunch or after school. Yummy!
To store in the freezer would I cook them first and than store in freezer?
Hi Sarah! I would freeze at step 6 and when you are ready to eat them, continue on from step 7. :)
Had these at Slater’s 50/50 in San Diego…. SOOOOOOOO YUMMY!!!
I’m going to be trying this soon!
My husband and I love the fried Mac & Cheese bites from the California Pizza Kitchen, so finding this recipe is awesome! My only question, is if we wanted to bake instead of fry would it change the recipe at all? I’m a new wife and cook, so I’m not familiar with frying just yet.
Invest in a Fry baby (or daddy) depending on how much you plan on frying. I can’t stand to stove top fry – it just scares me – but I LOVE my fry baby…. :-)
I’ve never heard of a Fry baby before, thanks for introducing me to it! I’ll have to check it out.
We had fried mac n cheese balls at a place in Las Vegas and they were SO, SO yummy! (especially with a tall chocolate shake to add some sweet to all that salty). I might have to get tricky and give these a try to see if I can recapture that deliciousness here in Colorado.
Oh these look dangerous! And delicious :)
Oh my goodness! What’s next??! lol I can imagine the kids going crazy over this stuff, though. :-)