It’s time to turn up the heat with Hot Cheeto Cheese Sticks! My kids are obsessed with these treats so we worked together to create this delicious mash-up!
Crispy and crunchy on the outside with ooey, gooey mozzarella in the middle, this fun finger food is the perfect party snack, tailgate treat, appetizer, or game-day starter.
Flaming Hot Cheeto Mozzarella Sticks Recipe
Are anyone else’s kids totally crazed by Flamming Hot Cheetos? Mine are and those orange fingerprints are all over my house.
Our easy Hot Cheeto Cheese Sticks recipe brings the fire to your finger food! Made with string cheese coated in crushed Cheeto crumbs and air fried until crunchy, these flamin hot cheese sticks have a bold and fiery flavor in every cheesy bite.
Can’t handle the heat? Dip them in a side of Ranch dressing to balance the spice.
Ingredients Notes
- Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Crunchy cheese flavored snacks: Coating the cheese sticks in Cheetos crumbs adds a spicy kick and crunchy texture to the creamy cheese.
- All purpose flour: Flour and eggs create a batter that helps adhere the crumbs to the cheese sticks while providing a crispy coating when air fried.
- Salt
- Eggs: Make sure the eggs are room temperature.
- Water: Make sure the water is room temperature.
- Mozzarella string cheese sticks: A low-moisture part-skim mozzarella string cheese stick (Sargento brand) was used for this recipe. You can use your favorite brand, or even a whole milk version of mozzarella string cheese stick works well.
- Olive oil cooking spray: Just a light spray helps these Cheetos sticks cook up crispy while minimizing the amount of oil used for frying.
- Ranch dressing: A garnish of Ranch adds a cool and tangy flavor to balance out the heat from the Cheetos.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Hot Cheeto Cheese Sticks
- Create The Crumbs: Pulse the Cheetos for 30-60 seconds or until you have very fine crumbs. Transfer to a dish suitable for dipping and set aside.
- Make The Flour Mixture: Combine the flour and salt. Set aside.
- Make The Egg Wash: Whisk together the eggs and water. Set aside.
- Dredge In Egg And Flour: Dip a cheese stick in the egg wash, then into the flour mixture, and return it to the egg. Lift the cheese out of the egg and allow any excess to drip back into the bowl.
- Coat In Crumbs: Dip the egg and flour-coated cheese stick into the Cheetos crumbs and roll to coat. Remove and place onto the lined baking tray. Repeat until all cheese sticks are coated.
- Freeze: Place the tray of coated cheese sticks into the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to an hour.
- Spray: Once the cheese sticks are frozen, spray them with olive oil cooking spray on both sides.
- Cook: Preheat an air fryer to 390* F for 5 minutes. Place 10 cheese sticks into the basket of a 390 degrees Fahrenheit preheated air fryer, and fry for 5-7 minutes or until hot and crunchy. Remove and repeat with the remaining cheese sticks.
- Serve: Serve with a side of ranch sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
How To Make Hot Cheeto Cheese Sticks In The Oven
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake your cheese sticks in the oven. Follow the recipe as written but instead of placing them into the air fryer basket, place the coated cheese sticks onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until hot and crunchy.
How To How To Make Hot Cheeto Cheese Sticks Fried In Oil
Most mozzarella sticks are deep-fried in oil to make the coating extra crispy. This recipe will also work for these cheese sticks! First, heat about 2 inches of vegetable of canola oil to 365°F in a heavy-bottom pot . Fry a few mozzarella sticks at a time for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon place on a paper towel-lined plate.
Serving Suggestions
These Hot Cheetos cheese Sticks are best served hot from the airfryer. Once they are cooked, they need to be eaten before they get cold for the best flavor and texture.
Serve With Sauce: While both my bread crumb-coated deep-fried cheese sticks and my Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks are served with marinara sauce on the side, these hot Cheetos cheese sticks call for dipping in Ranch or blue cheese dressing to combat the heat.
Prepare A Party Platter: Arrange hot Cheeto cheese sticks on a platter with a variety of other appetizers, such as chicken wings, sliders, or taco bites, for a fun and festive party spread.
Game Day Snack: Serve hot Cheeto cheese sticks as a game day or tailgate snack alongside your other favorite finger foods. Some ideas include nachos, pigs in a blanket, and chicken wings.
Tips & Variations
- Create The Coating: To coat hot Cheetos evenly, crush them into as fine a crumb as possible. A food processor or high-powered blender works best.
- Freeze Before You Fry: Freeze the cheese sticks for at least 30 minutes before air frying to help them hold their shape while cooking and keep them from overheating and leaking.
- Reduce The Recipe: If you are only serving 1-2 people, you can cut this recipe in half, or you can just air fry a smaller amount of cheese sticks. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer until you’re ready to eat.
- Adjust Accordingly: This recipe was developed using a COSORI 6.8-quart Air Fryer. Depending on the brand of air fryer you use, you may need to adjust your fry time change or the number of hot Cheeto cheese sticks you can fit in the air fryer at a single time.
Proper Storage
If you are not serving your sticks right away, you can prep them in advance and freeze them uncooked with the coating before cooking them.
You can also make a double batch, serve some now, and store the rest in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can then air fry the desired amount you want when you are ready to eat or serve them.
It is best to allow the coated cheese sticks to freeze on the baking tray, in a single layer, until completely frozen before transferring them to an airtight container for longer storage.
Other Easy Spicy Recipes
- Franks Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe
- Spicy Chicken Pasta
- Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
- Buffalo Chicken Sliders
If you tried this Hot Cheeto Cheese Sticks Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Hot Cheeto Cheese Sticks
Ingredients
- 8.5 ounces bag Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Crunchy crushed into fine crumbs (approximately 3 cups)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon water room temperature
- 12 (1 ounce) mozzarella string cheese sticks cut in half
- Olive oil cooking spray
Garnish
- ¼-½ cup bottled ranch dressing
Instructions
- To a food processor, add the crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and pulse for 30-60 seconds or until you have very fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a medium sized dish suitable for dipping, and coating, the cheese sticks. Set aside.8.5 ounces bag Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Crunchy
- To a second medium sized dish combine together the all-purpose flour and salt. Set aside.¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a third medium sized dish whisk together the eggs and water. Set aside.4 large eggs, 1 tablespoon water
- Once you have your dredging station ready (the Cheeto crumbs, flour and egg dishes) place a medium rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, next to the other dishes. You will need to have all your coatings ready before you start coating the cheese sticks.
- Place a single cheese stick half into the egg wash and coat it completely. Using a fork, lift the cheese stick out of the egg and place it into the flour mixture to coat it completely with the flour. Return it back to the egg, coat completely then lift out of the egg again with a fork and allow any excess egg to drip back into the bowl.12 (1 ounce) mozzarella string cheese sticks
- Place the egg and flour coated cheese stick into the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto crumbs and gently roll to evenly coat the cheese stick in the crumbs. Remove from the crumbs and place onto the prepared baking tray.
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all the cheese sticks are coated and placed onto the tray. Place the tray of Hot Cheeto Cheese Sticks into the freezer for 50 minutes. The cheese sticks need to be frozen for best air frying results.
- Once the cheese sticks are frozen, remove them from the freezer and lightly spray them with olive oil cooking spray on both sides.Olive oil cooking spray
- Preheat an airfryer to 390* F for 5 minutes.
- Place 10 cheese sticks into the basket of the preheated airfryer, being sure to leave space between each cheese stick, and fry for 5-7 minutes or until hot and crunchy. Transfer to a plate and air fry the remaining cheese sticks.
- Remove the Hot Cheeto cheese sticks from the air fryer and place them onto a serving plate with a side of ranch sauce for dipping when served.¼-½ cup bottled ranch dressing
Jenn’s Notes
- If you are not serving your sticks right away, you can prep them in advance and freeze them uncooked with the coating before cooking them. You can make a double batch and serve some now and store the rest in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can then air fry the desired amount you want when you are ready to eat or serve them. It is best to allow the coated cheese sticks to freeze on the baking tray, in a single layer, until completely frozen before transferring them to an airtight container for longer storage.
- Create The Coating: For the most even coating of hot Cheetos, make sure to crush them into as fine of a crumb as possible. A food processor, or high powered blender, works best.
- Freeze Before You Fry: Freeze the cheese sticks for at least 30 minutes before air frying to help them hold their shape while cooking and keep them from overheating and leaking.
- Reduce The Recipe: If you are only serving 1-2 people, you can cut this recipe in half, or you can just air fry a smaller amount of cheese sticks. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer until you’re ready to eat.
- Adjust Accordingly: A COSORI 6.8 quart Air Fryer was used to develop this recipe. You may need to adjust your fry time change or the number of hot Cheeto cheese sticks you can fit in the air fryer at a single time, depending on the brand of air fryer you use.
