🧀 Mac and cheese balls
Mac and cheese balls are bite-sized rounds of cold, set macaroni and cheese that are coated in egg and breadcrumbs and deep-fried. The outside turns crunchy and golden while the inside stays soft, cheesy and slightly stretchy. They are a popular bar snack, party appetizer and street-food treat, usually served hot with a dipping sauce.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g elbow macaroni, cooked
- 200 g cheddar, grated
- 2 eggs
- 80 g breadcrumbs
- Oil for deep-frying
- Salt, black pepper and paprika
Method
- Mix the hot cooked macaroni with the cheddar, salt, pepper and paprika until the cheese melts and binds it.
- Spread in a dish and chill for at least 1 hour until firm.
- Shape into balls of about 40 g.
- Dip each ball in beaten egg, then roll in breadcrumbs.
- Deep-fry at 175 °C for 3–4 minutes until golden and drain on paper towels.
How to make it lighter
- Bake or air-fry the balls lightly brushed with oil instead of deep-frying.
- Count them: three or four balls are a snack, a full plate is a meal.
- Pair them with a crisp salad or raw vegetables instead of fries.
History
Mac and cheese balls are a modern American snack that turns leftover macaroni and cheese into a fried bite, in the same spirit as Italian arancini. They are found today in restaurants, food trucks and fairs across the United States and beyond.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →