Fried Mac and Cheese Balls
A comfort classic that everyone will be fighting for! Crisp on the outside yet so soft, creamy and cheesy on the inside. YESSS!
Guys. I’m alive.
After 3 days and 2 nights in Death Valley, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it.
But I did.
I won’t get into the details of the sand storm and the 18 degree cold we were sleeping in, BUT!
I will get into this.
Fried mac and cheese balls.
Great for Thanksgiving leftovers.
Or for Game Day.
Works great on either occasions.
Or both.
That way you have a convenient excuse to make this more than once a year.
Fried Mac and Cheese Balls
A comfort classic that everyone will be fighting for! Crisp on the outside yet so soft, creamy and cheesy on the inside. YESSS!
Ingredients
- 3 cups macaroni and cheese, homemade or store-bought
- 2 cups vegetable oil, or more, as needed
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ cups Panko
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Place macaroni and cheese into the refrigerator until firm, about 3-4 hours.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Using a small cookie scoop, roll macaroni and cheese into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch balls, forming about 12.
- Working one at a time, dip balls into eggs, then dredge in Panko, pressing to coat.
- Working in batches, add balls to the Dutch oven and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Made these tonight using my leftover homemade Mac & cheese. They were perfect. I made a variety of dippy sauces and they were yummy. Thanks.
Many interesting ideas, Thank You in advance of my giving a few a try.
These came out delicious!
I had some difficulty getting them to stay in a ball shape, I took some advice for prior comments and added the egg, bread crumbs, and mac&cheese together in a big bowl. It thicken the macaroni enough to stay in the ball shape, I then coated it with some more breadcrumbs and deep dried them in a daddy fryer! They came out picture perfect!
Very easy to make!! I used leftover goat cheese mac and made my balls a little smaller so I only fried for about 1-2 minutes and they were great! Super crispy, but a little dry–I chalk this up to not having put extra cheese in the sauce though, so I will for sure be trying that next time.
I JUST made these and LOVE them!! I did change it up and added some green chili and meat to the mixture to add some flavor and variety! So amazing!
Yummy except it didn’t work 🙂
The first time they worked great. Not this time!!
I haven’t tried these but was just wondering if they could be made in an air fryer instead?
Just made these in the air fryer for about 10 minutes at 400*. They came out great! Just make sure they aren’t touching very much.
My grandsons absolutely love Mac/Cheese and always have. However, serving it the basic same ways all the time becomes boring and plain. When I saw the “damndelicious” recipe for fried Mac/Cheese balls I just knew they would go over well during weekend lunch. They serve them at basic delivery restaurants so I figured it couldn’t be very long to prep them & cook them. I then put my request to make Mac/Cheese other ways and up popped “damndelicious”. I followed the instructions and was done in no time, (of course beyond the 3-4 hrs to make the Mac/Cheese cold in fridge). They were awesome!! Thanks so much “damndelicious”. We will definitely make them again and again.
So I know what I will bring to my friend’s baby shower. My word these look delicious and we LOVE mac n cheese. These instructions seem super easy to follow too. Thank you so much!
Hi, Made this last night, it was delicious! I will definitely be making this again.
when I tried to make Mac into balls they fell apart. why
you probably didnt roll them good enough! or didnt leave them in the fryer long enough
Do you think I can fry the mac n cheese balls in advance and reheat them in the oven later ?
I’m gonna try that tomorrow !!
Hello, did you end up making in advance and heating later? I was hoping to do the same! wondering how it came out!
Wonderful tasting but couldnt keep them in a bal
I added shredded cheese to the hot mac and xheese right after I made it.
I had the same problem. Second time I made the I skipped the egg dip and used a mini muffin pan. Topped with panko crumbs mixed with a little garlic salt and melted butter. Easier and definitely poppable! Cheers
Blessings, Joshua. Are you saying you baked them? If so, how…temp? timing? etc. Thanks for your reply.
If I made this I think it would be the best thing i’ve ever eaten it looks so good. I want to try these so badly!!
Delicious fried mac cheese balls. They looked so good, Definitely i will try and make them. I will make with used 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives. is it OK? Please reply me as soon as possible.
Yes, absolutely!
Can we not rate a recipe until you’ve actually made it? FFS
I’ve tasted Mac and Cheese Bites – but wondering if you refrigerate them after coating them – doing this just firms them up a bit more and will prevent them from breaking apart – also pull them out a few minutes early before deep frying too get the chill off ..
#supereasyversion – I used this page to get the method and feedback which was all hunky dory except for @Damn Nothings post which had me thinking there may be challenges getting it to, roll, stay together and fry well. So I tweaked it using left over lasagne sheets from the fridge which I diced. Made roux and added corn starch. I didn’t attempt to roll it. I used an ice cream scoop and let them sit in the refrigerator over night. They held together very well and fried great
These look amazing! Can I freeze in advance?
Just finished making this recipe and they turned out AMAZING! I froze my mac and cheese and let it thaw in the fridge the day before. It was still partially frozen and the bites stayed together. Definitely a new favorite! Thank you for sharing! They were just as delicious as all your other recipes 🙂
Thanks so much, Kendra!