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An easy recipe for deep fried cheese curds for anyone not fortunate enough to live in or near Wisconsin. These crispy little bites are legendary in America’s Dairyland!
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes
- Vegetable oil: Opt for a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like canola, peanut, or grapeseed.
- Cheese curds: You’ll find dozens of cheese shops, cheese stores, and even cheese castles on I-94 if you drive through the heart of Wisconsin. All the local grocery stores and Kwik Trips carry them, too. If you’re outside the natural boundary of America’s Dairyland, Target carries curds nationwide that are pretty darn good (my biggest complaint is that the bag is too small).
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat the oil to 375 degrees (you can use a deep fryer or a large heavy-bottom stock pot or Dutch oven). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, milk, beer, eggs, and seasoned salt. The batter will be light and thin.
- Working with 6 or 8 cheese curds at a time, add to batter, toss to coat, and remove with a wire strainer. Shake them to remove excess batter.
- Drop the curds into the hot oil one at a time and fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with ranch dressing if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: 1 pound of curds makes about 4 servings (4 ounces per serving).
- Make ahead: Like most deep-fried foods, cheese curds are best enjoyed immediately.
- Dipping sauces: Ranch dressing is classic (any creamy salad dressing is good), or try ketchup, mustard, marinara, or mayonnaise mixed hot sauce (like Sriracha). Or go cheese-on-cheese with cheese sauce.
More Dairyland favorites
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Beer Battered Cod
Grilling and Smoker Recipes
Wisconsin Beer Brats
Sweets
Cream Puffs
Cocktail Recipes
Brandy Old Fashioned
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Fried Cheese Curds
An easy recipe for deep fried cheese curds for anyone not fortunate enough to live in or near Wisconsin. These crispy little bites are legendary in America’s Dairyland!
Ingredients
- 2 quarts vegetable oil or corn oil, for frying (see note 1)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup beer preferably dark, such as Guinness
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 pound cheese curds separated (see note 2)
- Ranch dressing for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, milk, beer, eggs, and seasoned salt. The batter will be light and thin.
- Working with 6 or 8 cheese curds at a time, add to batter, toss to coat, and remove with a wire strainer. Shake them to remove excess batter.
- Drop the curds into the hot oil one at a time and fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with ranch dressing if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Vegetable oil: Opt for a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like canola, peanut, or grapeseed.
- Cheese curds: You’ll find dozens of cheese shops, cheese stores, and even cheese castles on I-94 if you drive through the heart of Wisconsin. All the local grocery stores and Kwik Trips carry them, too. If you’re outside the natural boundary of America’s Dairyland, Target carries curds nationwide that are pretty darn good (my biggest complaint is that the bag is too small).
- Yield: 1 pound of curds makes about 4 servings (4 ounces per serving).
- Make ahead: Like most deep-fried foods, cheese curds are best enjoyed immediately.
- Dipping sauces: Ranch dressing is classic (any creamy salad dressing is good), or try ketchup, mustard, marinara, or mayonnaise mixed hot sauce (like Sriracha). Or go cheese-on-cheese with cheese sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 4ouncesCalories: 601kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 32gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 169mgSodium: 1046mgPotassium: 62mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 92IUCalcium: 838mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Can I use mozzarella pearls instead of cheese curds? I have some that we need to use before they go out of date.
Hi Sandra, thank you for your question. I don’t think fresh mozzarella pearls will work well instead of the cheese curds. I think the cheese will melt and ooze out before the batter is able to fry properly. A low-moisture mozzarella would work (like string cheese). You could use them in an Italian Pasta Salad (https://www.culinaryhill.com/italian-pasta-salad-recipe/) or even in a Caprese Salad instead (https://www.culinaryhill.com/caprese-salad/) if I might suggest some options. Take care! – Meggan
This is pretty much how I make them, except I add a little cayenne to the dry ingredients, and mine is gluten free. And yes, if you are within the boundaries of America’s Dairyland, cheese curds are easy to get. I get mine at Woodman’s, but drag out-of-towners to Mars Cheese Castle.
Is there anything more impressive than the cheese aisle at Woodman’s? It goes on forever. I also love the Lotza Motzza pizzas there. I’m definitely going to try some cayenne in the batter next time I make these. Thanks Mya! -Meggan
I suggest that both the batter and curds be chilled. The oil must be maintained to at least 350°F – 360°F, but not hotter than 400°F or the batter may burn before the cheese melts. Another tip is do not crowd. If you have a smaller capacity frying pot, only fry several curds at a time so the oil won’t cool down too far. Otherwise, you will have a perfect storm for oozing cheese and pale curds. The idea is to have the batter set quickly to firmly encase the cheese in a crust before it can melt and ooze out. Also, this may not work as well if the curds are too old. In WI and MN, the curds are always “squeaky” fresh.
For any deep frying, I prefer using a cheap, hammered steel wok over a gas flame – it’s so much easier to instantly regulate frying temperatures and it doesn’t require a lot of oil like a flat-bottomed pan for the same depth of oil. I use either an instant-read, digital thermometer or an IR Gun to monitor oil temperature.
Tastes just like they are from Wisconsin!
So delicious!
I can’t get the curds browned without melting them first…….what is the problem??
Hi Suzanne, I’m not sure. Sorry about that! Here’s my suggestion – try freezing the curds before you batter them. I’ve made them a bunch of times and that never happened (the cheese melting), but I feel like freezing the curds should help with that. Also make sure your oil is hot enough. I’m sure it was, but that’s my only other idea. Good luck! Thanks. -Meggan