Easy Fried Goat Cheese Balls: Crispy, Crowd-Pleasing Appetizer
Whether you are a fan of cheesy appetizers and snacks or enjoy fun finger food, you’re certainly going to love these fried goat cheese balls. They are deliciously crispy on the outside, creamy and tangy on the inside and go so well with any savory dipping sauce.
These fried goat cheese balls are pretty large and perfect for just about anything from party appetizers, game day snacks, girls night, get togethers and even after-work snacks.
There’s great balance in this savory snack that you’ll definitely want to make again and again. It’s so good! Oh and you can make the goat cheese balls smaller too!
For more cheesy appetizers, check out my cheese choux pastry (cheese puffs) and cheese rolls recipes.
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Ingredients for fried goat cheese balls
Equipment
No special equipment is needed though I did use a tablespoon to measure out the goat cheese balls. For smaller cheese balls, opt for 1/2 tablespoon instead.
A baking sheet and a spider strainer also helped.
How to make these fried goat cheese balls
Here’s a look at all the ingredients before I explain further.
Measure out the balls
I removed the goat cheese from the packaging and added it to a small bowl along with the pepper sauce.
Using a fork, I mixed the pepper sauce into the goat cheese until it was incorporated fully.
With the help of a tablespoon and a small spoon, I measured out 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese and rolled it between the palms of my hands to form soft, 1.5-inch cheese balls. Make smaller ones if you prefer!
I added them to a plate, covered with plastic and popped them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This step helps the battering process and frying later on.
Batter the goat cheese balls
I used three bowls to batter the goat cheese.
Bowl #1 had the flour, garlic powder, oregano and salt. Bowl #2 had the cracked eggs and Bowl #3 had the panko breadcrumbs and the Italian seasoning.
Here’s a look at them before each bowl was mixed well (with the chilled goat cheese balls in the top right corner).
Okay, to batter the goat cheese balls, I rolled them in the flour mixture (top right), then the egg (bottom right), back to the flour mixture (top right), then to the egg mixture again (bottom right), and finally into the panko breadcrumbs (bottom left).
The double flour-egg batter creates a thick, sturdy coating that locks the cheese inside.
Repeat the process for all the balls and discard the excess flour, egg and panko (or batter something else for deep frying!).
Next, I covered the battered goat cheese balls with plastic again and popped them in the freezer for 1 hour. This chilling time prevents the cheese from oozing out while frying. It’s important and shouldn’t be skipped. In fact, you can chill them for longer if you like.
Fry
I added a small saucepan on medium heat and allowed it to heat up before pouring in the oil. I left it for about 10 minutes to come to temperature (about 350°F).
I used enough oil to fully deep fry the balls. That means you’ll have a lot of oil leftover to fry other appetizers and snacks for your party or game day.
With the oil nice and hot, I removed the goat cheese balls from the freezer and added a couple to the hot oil. You don’t want to overcrowd or cool down the oil.
I let these fry for about 30 seconds (though you can go up to a minute) before removing them from the oil. I used a spider strainer to take them out which worked great.
I added them to a plate lined with a paper towel so the excess oil could drain and be absorbed.
You can serve these immediately with marinara sauce like I did here or opt for sweet chili sauce, hot honey, chutneys and more.
You can also serve them cold and they stay really well in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. They are great make-ahead appetizers for parties and get togethers.
More recipes
Fried goat cheese balls recipe
Fried goat cheese balls
Ingredients
- 8 ounce goat cheese
- ¼ tsp pepper sauce (or hot sauce of choice)
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups oil
Equipment
- tablespoon
- spider strainer
Instructions
- Remove goat cheese from packaging. Add to small bowl.
- Add the pepper sauce to the goat cheese. Mix with a fork.
- Use a tablespoon and a small teaspoon to divide the mixture into 13 even pieces. (For smaller balls, use a 1/2 tablespoon to divide the mixture).
- Roll each piece into a ball between the palms of your hands.
- Place on a plate. Cover with plastic.
- Pop in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
- To a small bowl, add the all purpose flour, garlic powder, oregano and salt. Mix thoroughly.
- To another small bowl, add the cracked eggs. Whisk fully.
- To a third small bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning. Combine fully.
- Remove the goat cheese balls from the freezer.
- Roll each ball in the flour mix, then egg, back into the flour, then egg again.
- Roll the coated goat cheese in the panko breadcrumbs and set aside on a plate.
- Repeat for all the goat cheese balls.
- Pop the breaded goat cheese balls back into the freezer. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Place a small saucepan on medium heat. Leave to heat up.
- Pour in the oil. Leave until the oil becomes 350°F (deep frying temperature).
- Remove the breaded goat cheese balls from the freezer.
- Add 3 to 4 balls to the hot oil. Ensure they are fully submerged in the oil.
- Fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute (or until the color of the panko goes from white to golden brown).
- Remove from the oil.
- Serve hot with a dipping sauce. Or serve cold. The balls c
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