Mozzarella Pepperoni Pizza Sticks made with egg roll wrappers are crunchy on the outside with gooey cheese and pepperoni on the inside. These are a fun appetizer for any party.
It’s hard to resist the temptation these gooey, cheesy bites at restaurants, but they’re also so easy to make at home.
Often made with mozzarella cheese only, I’ve added pepperoni as an upgrade, turning them into the perfect pizza sticks to be appreciated on game day, family game night or a very cold, wet or snowy evening, even New Year’s Eve! Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping for the best taste.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Satisfyingly crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside.
- Only three-ingredients.
- Loved by everyone.
Ingredients
- Wonton or Egg Roll Wrappers – Make sure they are the large sized squares and not the smaller version.
Pepperoni – Any flavor, spice level or brand works.
String Cheese – Skim or whole milk versions are fine.
Oil for Frying – Use a good quality high temperature oil such as avocado or peanut.
Pizza Sauce -For dipping or marinara sauce. My homemade pizza sauce recipe also works here.
How to Make Pizza Sticks
- Place three pepperoni diagonally on top of an egg roll wrapper.
- Place a piece of string cheese on top. Fold corners over cheese. Fold bottom corner over cheese and pepperoni and keep rolling until cheese is tightly sealed. Moisten corners with water to seal. Repeat with the rest of wrappers, cheese and pepperoni.
- In a heavy skillet or other heavy pot, heat oil to 350 degrees F. Fry sticks, a few at a time, for 45-60 seconds on each side until completely brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve with pizza sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Bring string cheese to room temperature for the best melt. You can also pull the cheese apart in strings if you are concerned about the melting or cut them in half.
- Make sure ends of egg roll wrappers are completely sealed.
- If not using a deep fryer that displays temperature, use a kitchen thermometer to make sure oil is the correct temperature when starting to fry. Frying these in oil that is too cold will not melt your cheese properly and require longer cooking times, which could lead to burning of the outside wrapper.
- These are better fried than baked. When baked, they do not have as good of a crunch.
Recipe FAQs
- Can I make these ahead of time? Yes, you can assemble them ahead of time and refrigerate. Fry them up when you’re ready to serve for that fresh, hot, and crispy experience, but you’ll need to bring them to room temperature before frying.
- Can I bake these instead of frying? You can, but they are not as good and crunchy. Preheat your oven, brush the sticks with a bit of oil, and bake until golden brown.
- How do I prevent the cheese from oozing out during frying? Make sure the sticks are sealed well, and avoid overfilling.
- How can I reheat leftovers for that crispy texture? Pop them in the oven for a few minutes to regain that crispy exterior. Microwaving works too, but the texture is not as crunchy.
More Pizza Inspired Recipes
- 4-Layer Pizza Dip
- Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Dip
- Gooey Pizza Dip
- Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Salad
- Pizza Casserole
- White Pizza Sauce
- Red Pizza Sauce
- Pizza Puffs
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Pepperoni Pizza Sticks
Ingredients
- 36 slices of pepperoni
- 12 large egg roll wrappers
- 12 pieces string cheese, room temperature
- peanut oil or other high temperature oil
- pizza sauce
Instructions
- Place three pieces of pepperoni diagonally on top of an egg roll wrapper (as shown in the picture). Place a piece of string cheese on top. Fold corners over cheese. Fold bottom corner over cheese and pepperoni and keep rolling until cheese is tightly sealed. Moisten corners with water to seal. Repeat with the rest of wrappers, cheese and pepperoni.36 slices of pepperoni, 12 large egg roll wrappers, 12 pieces string cheese, room temperature
- In a heavy skillet or other heavy pot, heat oil to 350 degrees F. Fry sticks, a few at a time, for 45-60 seconds on each side until completely brown. Drain on paper towels.peanut oil
- Serve with warm pizza sauce.pizza sauce
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Barbie with a T says
Who wouldn’t like these? Perfect after school snack or appetizer.
annbb says
That has my husband’s name written all over it. (Mine too, truth be told. đŸ™‚
nina says
Wow, I am making these for sure. Love the peperoni idea and so will my kids!!
angelica says
oh my goodness…these look delicious and so easy!
bakingismyzen says
Can I call you GENIUS??!!
Printing as I speak…
~ Carmen
Tish says
would they still turn out if rolls were baked instead of fried?
Virginia Garcia says
I made these before and I baked them instead of frying. They turned out good, and I would like to make them again, but I don’t remember the temperature I used for the oven or the time.
Noble Pig says
The only way you will know is if you try it. For me personally, with baking you are not going to get that puffed up, bubbly-crisp texture you get when you fry egg roll wrappers. You will just have this this thin, breakable layer around the cheese.
Lynda says
Fantastic, they were absolutely delicious mozzarella sticks.
Debi Miller says
yum yum yum they were so good.
Lisa says
Holy cow, these were the best.
Annette says
Does the cheese melt and ooze when you take a bite? I’m looking for something that will do that đŸ™‚
Noble Pig says
Yes it does. It’s awesome.
janina morgan says
OMG you are a GENIUS!!!!! these were delish, and my husband loooooved this, thanks for sharing dear, I absolutely love your blog!:)
Carole says
What a great and simple dish for kids and a cute appetizer! I love your blog, read it often! And we loved how these pepperoni sticks turned out.
MsLee says
OMG!!! These were totally and completely YUM-O!!!! And soooo easy to make – now all of a sudden my healthy dinner with veg and beef is not so attractive anymore đŸ˜‰
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Dangerously good looking and way too easy! wow, turned out so good.
terry says
trying this today..can any filling be used???
Cathy says
I’ve never tried with anything else so I can’t vouch for the success, but give it a go.
terry says
ok I made these rolls & they did not look like the pic..:( when i fried them for 30-60 sec the cheese started ooozing out & they were no where near brown why ?? When i went to oriental store i asked for egg roll wraps & she gave me spring roll skins is there a difference?
Cathy says
Yeah, they are totally different. You can get egg roll wrappers at the regular grocery store. What a bummer that she gave you those, I’m shocked. Spring roll wraps are usually round, in my pic you can see the egg roll wraps are square.
Angela says
I always have square spring roll wrappers. I make these all the time without the pepperoni using spring roll wrappers, just the string cheese and wraps. Although spring roll wrappers are thinner and don’t get that sort of “bubbly” texture on the outside, they will work, you have a smooth roll.
If they didn’t brown and the cheese was oozing out, the main two problems were that they weren’t rolled and sealed well, and that the oil was not hot enough when they went in. Also, too many in the oil at once will lower the temperature.
Let the oil get nice and hot. You can add a pinch of bread or a piece of torn spring roll wrapper or something to the oil to test first to make sure it is hot enough. It should start sizzling right away and browning fairly quickly.
Make sure that all of the ends are tucked in when you roll them up, that there aren’t any corners or anything open where the filling can come out. Keep a small bowl of water nearby, dip your finger in the water, and spread the water over the last corner of the spring roll wrapper or egg roll wrapper before rolling it up. This will help it seal tightly.
Start by frying the rolls with the sealed side down to help them set. You may also went to turn them over after a few seconds. Letting both sides get a little bit “set” in the oil before allowing them to go on and brown helps keep them closed. Sometimes if they sit for too long on one side in oil that’s not hot enough (or too hot), the end will start to come undone.
Only fry a few at a time, don’t overcrowd the pan.
Debbie says
Can you make them in the air fryer?
Cathy says
I have not tried that. If you do, let me know how it works out.
Cindy Wood says
I’m curious, did the air fryer work?
KayJacks says
As a tip, try freezing the mozzarella sticks until they are like frozen blocks and then fry them. It helps a ton and it prevents cheese oozing out before the wraps are completely brown :).
KayJacks says
Just made these for my senior class and used salami instead of pepperoni and they are PERFECT! I haven’t even taken them to school yet and my family is already trying to eat them all. Thank you for this great idea!!!!
Tabitha says
Can these be prepared and frozen until ready to cook them?
Cathy says
I can’t really comment on that since I’ve never done it. If you try it, let me know.
Chris says
This looked delicious, so I followed the recipe exactly..The outside was a golden brown,
but the cheese never melted..It tasted rubbery…Maybe it’s suppose to?….
Cathy says
What was the temperature of your oil?
Andrea says
I tried these tonight, but baked them. They weren’t horrible, but next time, I’ll get out the deep fryer. The wrappers turned out kinda crispy, but flaked off really easy and got kinda rubbery as they cooled. Great idea though! Thanks!
Cathy says
Yeah, they really are for deep frying. It’s hard to replicate the texture otherwise.
Mandy says
Can you put pizza sauce inside these prior to frying? Instead of dipping them into the sauce? Thank you for your yummy recipes!
Cathy says
I wouldn’t. Too much of a chance it will ooze out during frying.
patrica says
try spring roll paper for baking its thinner than eggroll wrappers. spray with cooking spray to crisp. i froze mine before cooking so the cheese wouldnt ooze out
mary Kibble says
These were delicious, we loved them.
Gail Cote says
? Can these be reheated if made ahead ..
Laura says
I just made these for my son and they came out exactly like the pic and tastes great. Next time I will make them when his friends are here and probably make them half the size. Thanks!!
jen says
these were whats for dinner tonight! it costs my family at least $25 for us to get pizza… my 2 and 3 yr old like these more since it’s easier to eat! they were so good.
Nancy Mclemore says
These turned out amazing!
Cathy Tuggle says
Hi Cathy,
These were fabulous!
I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make them too, a perfect meal (boy, and filling too!) for a get back into the swing of things Monday.
Thanks so much.
I even took a photo of them and put them on my FB page. If you have a chance stop by and take a peek!
Sandra Cocker says
These were wonderful. Another option would be to wrap the cheese sticks in hard or Genoa salami. Especially good for those who do not like the spiciness of pepperoni.
nichole says
I just made them..
Kids love them
Thanks
Roxann says
Has anyone made these in a deep fryer? If you have, what temp and how long to cook them? Thanks!
Cathy says
Use the same directions in the recipe for your deep fryer.
Sharon says
Super easy and tastes great. Used Applegate Farms Pepperoni.
Victoria says
My husband’s been asking for these for a while so I finally made them today and OMG, he was in heaven! He had about 5 in a row! The only thing I added was to sprinkle some Oregano over the string cheese:)
yesi says
Can u. Use spring rolls
Shawna says
I just made these and it’s a wonderful recipe! I sprinkled some garlic powder and oregano over the tops and it really made them pop! A little ranch or marinara for dipping and these are the bomb.
Marie Frazier says
I have been making a version of these for over 35 yrs. My only suggestion would be to add mild banana peppers..Makes a big difference. Of course a little pizza sauce( in the roll or on the side for dipping ), green peppers or any favorite pizza additions that you may like would be great also.
( I use shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni cut into matchsticks size, and minced banana peppers ) — roll and fry as above ☺
Harry Humphreys says
Agreed w/Marie F…Been doing these for quite a few years. Using shredded cheese and finely diced fillings reduces time in oil. Anything you put on a pizza, can go in these rolls.
Linda Gay Cariveau says
These were absolutely perfect!
JEFF says
These were amazing.
Heather M. Whipple says
Can I bake these instead of frying them?
Cathy says
You can try, they won’t be as crunchy. You will need to coat them with oil so they brown.
Lindsay says
Cheesy perfection! Great job! They were amazing.
Sarah j says
Brilliant! The best party food! They were so good.
Kim says
Is it wrong that I ate them all myself before my family got home? So good!