You are here: Home/Fried/ Fried Mac and Cheese Balls Recipe
Posted by Janette Staub on , last updated
How do you make any food better?!….fry it!!!….at least that’s what I say! It also helps that I already have a deep fryer so it only makes sense to fry whatever you can! I first fell in love with these delicious devils at the Cheesecake Factory! I couldn’t replicate their amazingness but these weren’t bad at all! If I make them again, I would add more flavoring to the macaroni noodles themselves, just more salt and pepper and definitely a little more cheese! You can never have too much cheese 😉
(This recipe made about 15 medium-sized balls)
Fried Mac and Cheese Balls Recipe
Mac & cheese shaped into balls, then breaded and deep fried.
salt and pepper(I don’t think I put enough in so be generous)
Another ½ cup all-purpose flour
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonground black pepper
1teaspooncayenne pepper
½teaspoonpaprika
½teaspoonsugar
2eggs
3tablespoonsmilk
1box Panko bread crumbs
Peanut oil(or canola. Whatever you have available)
Instructions
Put your bacon in the oven at 425 degrees and cook for about 15min (You don't want the bacon all the way cooked because it'll cook more when you put it in the fryer!). Let cool and then cut into little pieces and set aside.
Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the box. Also set aside for the moment.
In a saucepan, melt your butter.
Once the butter is melted, mix in the flour making sure there are no lumps.
Add the milk (Make sure not to wait too long, or else that butter might burn!) and cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Remove the sauce from the heat and mix in all the cheese.
Immediately fold in cooked macaroni and bacon, and season with salt and pepper.
Chill in the refrigerator for two hours.
Now shape the cold macaroni and cheese into balls. These weren't as big as Cheesecake Factory's cheese balls, just a little smaller, but not bite sized. You can make them any size you want though!
Place the formed balls into the freezer for an hour or so.
Take them out of the freezer and compress them into even tighter balls and put them back in the freezer for another 45 min or so.
Set up three bowls.In the first bowl, combine the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and sugar.In the second bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.In the third bowl, put in a pile of Panko.
Heat up your oil in your deep fryer (I use this one) or large, deep skillet.
Roll each ball in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and finally the Panko.
Drop each ball in the fryer until lightly golden brown.
Remove balls from fryer and let dry on a paper towel to drain off excess oil.
Serve immediately!
Nutrition
Calories: 420kcal (21%)
***I think all fried macaroni and cheese balls should have some sort of sauce going on. Here’s a recipe for a Spicy Pimento Sauce I found on someoneleftthecakeoutintherain.wordpress.com. (I also used this recipes flour and spices mixture to roll my macaroni balls in before frying). I could only find a 7 ounce container of pimento cheese though and I added a little more Sriracha to give it more of a kick!
Spicy Pimento Sauce
Ingredients:
¼ cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
7 ounce pimento cheese spread
2 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha
Directions:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat.
Add the heavy cream and let simmer for 5 min.
Then whisk in garlic, parmesan, pimento spread, and Sriracha.
Pour over your fried macaroni and cheese balls and never look back!
Appreciating the persistence you put into your blog and in depth information you provide. It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed information. Fantastic read!
I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.
Reply
Hannahsays
I’m a huge fan of Cheesecake factory’s fried mac and cheese and was so stoked to try this. So good! Will definitely be making again.
A lot of things are fried between 325-400 degrees F. The sweet spot for fried mac is between 350-375. If it's too low, your crust won't seal quickly enough and your balls may fall apart. If it's too hot, you run the risk of having a cold center (remember, they're sort of frozen when they go in).
Reheat mac and cheese bites in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes at 400°F or in the air fryer at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes. It is not advised to reheat mac and cheese bites in the microwave. They'll turn soggy and may fall apart.
If you check out the recipe below, you'll see that I tell you to whisk nearly continuously as you make the cheese sauce. Whisking is crucial for evenly dispersing the roux in the milk, yielding a thick, creamy sauce without lumps.
Always add the cheese off the heat. Grate it in advance, add it a bit at a time, whisking until it dissolves, then add more. Don'tget impatient and dump it all in at once. Adding cheese while the pan is on the heat tightens the proteins, which will make lumps in your sauce.
Why is my cheese ball so hard? You want your cheese ball to be firm enough to hold its shape, but soft enough to allow for easy spreading. To achieve this consistency, the key is making sure your cream cheese is softened before preparing.
What Is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese? Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.
1. It takes two cheeses to tango with mac. For really great macaroni and cheese, you need a cheese that melts well and a cheese that packs a punch. A few cheeses do both (that's a shout out to you, cheddar, emmentaler, and your other alpine-style, fondue favorites).
"Stir in about 2 Tbs. of milk per 1 cup of mac and cheese and reheat," he says. The milk loosens up the pasta and helps create the creamy sauce as it's reheating. Heavy cream works well in this case too and adds an extra touch of richness to the mac and cheese.
If your mac and cheese tastes bland, it's either because it's under-seasoned, you didn't use flavorful cheese, or you didn't use enough cheese. Try adding a little more salt first, because that might fix it.
It's also important to not undercook your pasta too much. You want the noodles to be al dente, but undercook them too much and they will not only absorb all the sauce, but take longer to bake, and that extra time in the oven will only dry out the macaroni and cheese further.
Unsalted Butter + All-Purpose Flour: The combination of these creates a roux, which thickens the cheese sauce. Milk: The base of the cheese sauce! I recommend using whole milk for a richer, thicker sauce, but 2% will also work.
don't use low fat milk -- the higher the fat content the smoother your cheese will melt/incorporate.
once the base is made (the flour, butter, milk "sauce" -- bechamel?) take the pot OFF the heat.The more your heat your cheese sauce, the more it will get gritty.
The first thing to try is adding more liquid. How much liquid to add depends on how much of the sauce is broken. If it is half-broken, add half as much again as the amount of oil that was used to break it in the first place. If it is completely broken, add equal volumes of oil and liquid.
Pour about a tablespoon of milk per cup of mac and cheese into the dish and mix well. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place it in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until it's heated through.
As the mac and cheese sits in the fridge, it can lose some of its creaminess, and you have to be careful that you don't overheat the sauce, which will cause it to separate and leave behind an oily, grainy texture. Here are three ways you can reheat mac and cheese to get it as close to its original state as possible.
Introduction: My name is Edwin Metz, I am a fair, energetic, helpful, brave, outstanding, nice, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
